Comparison: Maybelline Banana Puddin' and Revlon Sunshine Sparkle

Today I have two pale yellow polishes to compare. Banana Puddin' is a creme, and it's one of those discontinued shades that's fairly easy to find (try Dollar Tree). Sunshine Sparkle is from Revlon's new summer line, and it's a shimmer.



In the bottle, the base colors look quite close (sorry about the crappy bottle pics). Let's look at them on the nail. This is three coats of Banana Puddin' on the pointer and ring fingers, and three coats of Sunshine Sparkle on the middle and pinky fingers. No topcoat on either:



Sunlight:



As you can see, the base colors are not identical. SS is a shade darker and a little more vivid; BP is very pale.

Formula wise, SS wins for me. Yellows are notoriously difficult to apply, and these two were no exception. Even so, SS was completely even in three coats while BP was still a little patchy (you can see it on my pointer finger in the pic above).

If I could only choose one to keep in my stash, it would definitely be Sunshine Sparkle. The shimmer is really pretty and it's a tad easier to apply.

You don't need both. In indoor lighting, the shimmer in SS isn't noticeable unless you're specifically looking for it. I had a dinner to attend the day I swatched these so I painted my left hand with SS and left the right hand as it is in the pics. I couldn't tell the difference between the two in the restaurant.

Do you own either of these? Which do you prefer?

Happy painting!

Wet N' Wild Bloom Collection: Garden Hose...and layering

Garden Hose is from the new Bloom Collection that's been popping up in drugstores lately. The collection consists of several pretty pastel cremes, but this one jumped out at me as being a must-have. I've been loving the swatches I've seen of OPI Mermaid's Tears from the new Pirates of the Carribean collection, and I think this may be close. I don't think they're dupes, but I'm on a low-buy so Garden Hose will have to do!

This beauty is a seafoam green creme. This is three coats with Revlon Colorstay on top:





The formula wasn't too bad. I had some issues with patchiness so I needed three coats, but I'm sure someone could get away with two coats. The consistency is quite good but the brush is NOT. My brush had a few wayward bristles, and of course, the short thickness is cumbersome.

After I swatched, I decided to layer, which is something I rarely do. I've gotten really into NYX Girls polishes, and I've noticed they have some amazing glitters. I bought a few and decided to try some combos. Here is two coats of NYX Girls Maven over Garden Hose:



Maven has a teal tinted jelly base with teal, silver, and iridescent glitter particles:



Now THIS looks like mermaid tears! :)

Happy painting!

Orly: Secret Admirer and dusty score...

Secret Admirer was released as part of the Orly Love Collection. I would describe this as an orange-leaning pastel peach creme. Bad description, I know. This is four (yes four!) coats, no topcoat:





The formula was sheer and milky, but it applied well. Unfortunately, this shade just isn't worth four coats. I love it and I think the finish is beautiful, but it's just too much trouble to go through. From what I understand, the entire collection was sheer and milky just like this one. Blech.

On another note, I dusty hunted today and scored this:

China Glaze Sundiver


along with OPI At Your Quebec and Call. Not too bad! Posts about these coming soon.

Happy painting!

Essie: Footloose

I don't know why this was in my untrieds. Footloose is a berry colored creme from the Fall 2005 collection (the one with the feet theme). Two coats, no topcoat:






The color is a bit deeper in real life. There isn't much to say about this polish other than that the formula was perfect. If your application skills are on point, it's definitely a one coater. It went on like butter and it needs no topcoat at all, as you can see.

I don't have many Essies in my stash and I really need to rectify that. I've never had any issues with the brand and I think they make some really lovely shades. Footloose is the perfect spring/summer color.

How do you feel about Essie?

Happy painting!

Kleancolor Crack: Blue Crackle

Kleancolor Crack is a new line of crackle polishes. There are six shades in the line, and today I have Blue Crackle to show you. It's a pretty straightforward navy blue creme. One thick coat of blue crackle over NYX Girls Pop Culture (pics of that tomorrow), no topcoat.





The formula was oddly perfect. The consistency and pigmentation were amazing, and if this were a regular creme polish, it would be a buttery one coater. As you can see, it dries to a glossy finish.

It takes awhile for it to crack. I applied it and just kind of sat staring at it, thinking it was a dud. Then it began to slowly crack before my eyes. I was mesmerized. I started blowing on my nails to get it to crack faster, but it just kept doing its thing.

The smell was weird. Kleancolors generally smell like pure evil, but Crack is almost odorless. The faint smell it did have reminded me of wall paint. Very cool.

Something weird happened, though. I still had OPI DS Glamour on my left hand, and I decided to see how Blue Crackle looked over it. It dried, then flaked right off. If you look at the instructions on Kleancolor's site, it suggests applying Crack over cremes, metallics, and shimmers, but it said nothing about holos. Perhaps the two formulas are incompatible. It's also possible that the age of my Glamour mani was a factor. I'll have to give it another try.

Final Verdict: Love. I'm probably going to go back and get the entire collection. OPI Shatter and China Glaze Crackle are cool, but I find the crackle pattern on Kleancolor to be superior, and the ease of application, finish, and price are an added bonus.

These will be available on Kleancolor's webstire for $3.99 (not sure of the official release date). You may be able to find them now in your local beauty supply store for $.99-$1.49.

Happy painting!

Quick NOTD: OPI Green-wich Village

Just popping in to post a quick NOTD. This is Green-wich Village from the OPI Mod About Brights collection. Two coats, no topcoat:



Formula is standard OPI creme; it applied perfectly. I love the color...it's very fresh and perfect for spring.

Happy painting!

CQ: Silver Violet over OPI: Do You Lilac It?

I picked up Silver Violet the other day. I tried to wear it on its own, but it just did not work for me. It's super sheer and wasn't even opaque at three coats. Not only that, but it just looked washed out against my skin. That's when I decided to layer it over Do You Lilac It?.
DYLI? is a lilac creme and a perfect shade for Easter and spring. Silver Violet is lilac with silver shimmer.

Two coats DYLI?, no topcoat (natural light):



One coat of Silver Violet over two coats of DYLI? (natural light):


Indoors:


DYLI? is a standard OPI creme, which means great formula, glossy finish, quick drying time, etc. As I said before, Silver Violet is very sheer, but the formula itself isn't bad. I guess I'll only ever use it for layering.

What are some of your favorite shades that you can only use for layering?

Happy painting!

Sinful Colors: Envy

Hello strangers! I haven't been around much because the semester is winding down and I've had grad school application deadlines and research papers and graduation stuff to contend with. I had a lull today so I decided to stop by Rite Aid on my way home and I picked up this beauty.

Envy is from the new spring collection. I had my kids with me, which means I was distracted and didn't pay attention to the display, so I don't know what the collection is called. Sorry! Envy is a dusty hunter green creme, and it is fabulous. Two coats, no topcoat:

Indoors:



Sun:


The formula was quite nice; I had no issues, and it was fully opaque in two coats. Sinful hit it out of the park with this one. It's totally unique to my stash. I also saw a silver, which I purchased and will post about later, and a pretty coral and two pinks. I may have to go back for the coral...

Happy painting!

ETA: See how fried my brain is? I forgot to add that I think this is dupe-y to OPI Jade is the New Black. I don't have Jade so I can't compare, but from pics, Envy looks mighty close.

Burgundy, wine, maroon...

No matter what name it goes by, I love the color. I have three polishes today that fit the bill.

First up is OPI Yes...I Can Can! from the France Collection. This polish has a burgundy base with pink and silver shimmer. It's a bit darker in real life, as my photos were taken in direct light. Three coats, no topcoat:



Next is OPI NYPD Beet, from the New York City collection. I've posted about this one before, but here it is again. This one is beet colored (hence the name) with subtle pink shimmer. Two coats, no topcoat:



Finally, I have Orly Perfectly Plum. Again, please excuse the lightness...it's a little darker in real life. This one is a plum creme. Two coats, no topcoat:



Formula wise, NYPD Beet wins by a mile. I was quite disappointed in YICC! because after two coats, I still had bald spots. NYPDB was opaque in two. Perfectly Plum, as you can see, still has sparse areas after two coats.

Application was fine on all three, but again, NYPDB was best. I should note that it is the only Big 3 Free polish in the bunch.

Color wise, I have to say I love YICC! the most. I was previously in LOVE with NYPDB, but she has now been dethroned. I'll have some comparison pics of the two tomorrow.

How about you...are you a fan of burgundy?

Happy painting!

Color Club: Yachty, Yachty, Yadda. And crack.

It really is addictive. I'm sure everyone is just sick to death of Crackle, but I can't stop. I saw this mani on Kendal's blog and I just had to replicate it. Mine didn't come out as good as hers, but I love the color combination anyhow.

Yachty, Yachty, Yadda was released with the Yacht Club collection a few years ago. Most of the polishes in the collection were winners for me, but this is my favorite. YYY is a bubblegum pink cream. This is two coats, no topcoat:




I then added ChG Broken Hearted (Revlon topcoat on top):



The result was sickeningly sweet looking. I think I should have used a lighter base color. At any rate, I still love the mani, although it's like pink on crack. Literally, I suppose lol.

Formula wise, YYY is pretty great. I have a lot of pink cremes, and this is one of the least streaky and chalky. It evens out nicely on the second coat. It also wears well. Can't beat that for the price.

Happy painting!

Revlon Top Speed: Jaded, and Crackle

Today I have Revlon Top Speed Jaded, which is not to be confused with Revlon Jaded, an old discontinued shade. This version of Jaded is pale mint green with very, very subtle shimmer. I don't even think my camera picked it up. Two coats, no topcoat:




The formula was streaky, but it evened out surprisingly well on the second coat. I really expected the worst with this one, but was pleasantly surprised.

Then I added China Glaze Broken Hearted*, a hot pink creme from the Crackles collection. One coat of Broken Hearted on top of Jaded, no topcoat:






I absolutely love pink and green together. LOVE. I really think I should have been an AKA. Anyway, Broken Hearted is gorgeous. I applied one thick coat and got the results above, but I plan to play around with different methods and see what I can come up with.


Happy painting!


*This product was sent to me for review.

Purple mini-spam

I love purple and I'm pretty sure that's the most abundant color in my stash. Today I have three of them to show you.

NYX Girls Fierce Purple. The name is entirely appropriate because this dusty purple creme is fierce, chic, and gorgeous. I'd love to see this compared to Parlez-Vous OPI?, but sadly, I don't have that one. My pic doesn't do it justice, but here it is anyway. I color corrected to get to the right shade so this is accurate. Two coats, no topcoat:



Next is Kleancolor Neon Purple. This one is a midtoned purple with silver shimmer, and it's pretty unique. I don't have anything like it and I don't think I've seen anything like it. It's so pretty, but I don't think I'd describe it as a neon. Two coats, no topcoat:





Finally, OPI Can You Dig It? from the Psychedelic Summer collection. This one is a warm purple creme. Two coats, no topcoat:



Formula-wise, OPI was typical in that it applied smoothly and evenly with great pigmentation. No surprises there.

I was rather suprised at the formulas on the other two. Both Neon Purple and Fierce Purple applied well and were nicely pigmented. I'm falling more and more in love with cheapies as the days go by.

Happy painting!

Straight to the taupe!

How lame is that title? lol

Anyway, I have some taupe comparisons. I had already planned to compare Color Club Give Me a Hint from the Alter Ego collection with China Glaze Below Deck (re-release of Channelesque) from the Anchors Away collection, but I threw in Pure Ice Taupe Drawer and OPI You Don't Know Jacques just because. I already know they aren't close, but what the hell. No topcoat on any of these.

Index finger: Give Me a Hint (GMaH), 2 coats
Middle finger: Below Deck (BD), 2 coats
Ring finger: Taupe Drawer (TD), 3 coats
Pinky finger: You Don't Know Jacques (YDKJ), 2 coats







As you can see, GMaH and BD are not dupes. BD is more purple; GMaH is more grey. Formula wise, there is no comparison. BD was pretty much a one coater for me even though I did two out of habit, while GMaH needed two thick coats. If you have BD, you don't need GMaH unless you look at these pictures and see two drastically different shades.

TD is pretty sheer and not all that great to work with. YDKJ is standard OPI creme fare (smooth, creamy, pigmented, etc.).

I think I can safely say I have enough taupes. Happy painting!

Ruby Kisses: Tropical Green (and Crackle)

I was headed to the mall the other day to see what I could find at Claire's when I passed a beauty supply. I almost slammed on my breaks because the place was HUGE. Turns out, it's a new beauty supply superstore, and it's only fifteen minutes from my house. I can't tell you how excited I am about this. *does happy dance* I probably spent an hour in there just taking it all in. I came home with six new babies, including Crackle! (about a year late, right? LOL)

One of my new babies is Ruby Kisses Tropical Green, a lime green creme. Apparently this is a new shade, as evidenced by the big "NEW" sticker on the bottle. I'm not familiar with this brand, but I was pretty impressed with this, especially since it was $1.49. This is two coats, no topcoat.





Here's Tropical Green with one coat of China Glaze Lightning Bolt on top. I know you've seen this 50-11 times, but one more won't kill you.






Tropical Green was a tad on the thick side, but it was workable. I thought it would be streaky but it wasn't at all. I'm definitely going back to get more of these. Lightning Bolt was fine; this was actually my second attempt. The first was super ugly because I didn't know what the heck I was doing. The thicker the coat, the better the crackle effect.

Happy painting!

Color Club Alter Ego Collection: Swatches and Review Part 1

Today I'm reviewing the Reveal Your Mystery part of the Spring 2011 Color Club Alter Ego collection. You can find my review of the Keep it Undercover portion here.

I can't lie...swatching these was quite an endeavor. Why? Because these shades are not my style at all. This collection, like the new Misa 9 to 5 collection, is perfect for ladies who like demure, work appropriate shades. Nothing wrong with that at all, but it's just not me. Ok, here goes. None of these have a topcoat:

Secret Rendezvous, a lilac creme. Three coats.




Incognito. This is a nude creme. It's the sheerest of the bunch; this is three coats, but I probably could have used a fourth.




Revealed. This is my favorite from the collection. Pale peach with subtle pink shimmer (click to enlarge). This is three coats.







Give Me a Hint. A taupe creme. It looks similar to Below Deck, China Glaze's re-release of Channelesque. They aren't dupes, but they are definitely cousins. This is two coats (the only two-coater out of the bunch).





Get a Clue. A baby pink creme. Three coats.





Sheer Disguise. Light grey creme with blue undertones. This is my second favorite of the collection because for me, it's unique. I have other light greys, but none of them have the same kind of blue cast to them. Three coats, except for the index finger. Please excuse my application. I messed up that nail right before I took the pic, so I globbed some polish on to cover the mess).





Formula-wise, I'd say they were ok. These weren't nearly as streaky as I thought they'd be, and they weren't chalky at all. That's unusual for polishes like this. Some people may be able to get away with two coats on some of these, but my application always left me with sparse areas, even after coat number two. Thankfully, the consistency was good on all these...none were too thick or too runny.

I picked up this collection at Ross*, on sale for $7.99. Would I pay full price for it? No, because again, not my style. For the ladies who wear shades like this (I know my friend Candace will like these ;-)), it's nice to have all these shades in one collection. Unlike one company that shall remain nameless, Color Club didn't release a collection full of polishes that look almost exactly like one another. Each of these shades offers something a little different.

Final Verdict: Boring and not unique, but pretty and work appropriate. What do you think?

Part 2 is forthcoming in the near future...

Happy painting!

*None of the bottles have names on them. I've heard about this with the Ross sets. Just an FYI in case anyone decides to get a set from there.