Polishes -Essie - Shorty Pants
ceeRennycee 7/27/2008 1:04:00 AM
I debated this one for a long long time before finally caving and picking it up. It is like no other polish I have ever worn so I was a little leery that it would be too bright to pull off. The verdict? I love it in the bottle, I love it on other people, I just don't love it on me. It's definitly neon and as several people told me, against my skintone it's very harsh. In some lights it was tolerable and in others it made me wonder what I was thinking. I kept it on for a while because this was definitely out of my comfort zone and I figured it was just a matter of getting used to it. But the more I looked at it the more I knew it was just all wrong for me. So off it came.
Application was a complete pain in the neck, as it is with all neons. The pigmentation causes it to go on streaky and messy and it seemed to dry halfway through one nail so I had to stop and add more to the brush. By that time the strokes I'd already done were dry and the fresh polish dragged it around. Oy. My 2 coats were super thick but I was finally able to get it settled evenly. I also had to go back and apply a 3rd coat on one nail because the streakyness left a bald spot. But I have to say the finish looked great with my super shiny top coat.
One thing I did notice is that I had a much easier time swatching this on a bare nail than I did when trying to do a full manicure over a base coat. It's probably not ideal but I think when I wear neons in the future I will wear them without a basecoat. The application is much, much easier.
I think this could be a great color on the right person but I defintiely won't be repurchasing.
Here are my pics of it...
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Polishes -Unlisted Brand - Claire's - Yel
ceeRennycee 7/26/2008 1:39:00 AM
Claire's Yel is a baby blue color with soft holo flash. It reminds me a bit of OPI's Blue Moon Lagoon but the color in this one is more saturated than the OPI. The holo isn't very pronounced, it's more of a soft effect. I added a layer of China Glaze's Fairy Dust on top to give it more holo and shine and I loved the result. Application was really easy. I only did 2 coats but probably could have used a 3rd...I did have a bit of white tip showing through. It also dries really matte which causes the holo to be hardly visible so you will need a good top coat to give this the shine it deserves. I had pretty great luck as far as wear was concerned. I used Nailtek Foundation II as a base and SV for my topcoat and had no chips or tipwear after a full day. Overall I'm really happy with this polish and would definitely repurchase.
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Polishes -China Glaze - Out on Safari
ceeRennycee 7/25/2008 11:03:00 PM
This color has quickly become one of my overall favorites. It's a light sage green with mint green shimmer. It reminds me a bit of CND's Okie Dokie Artichokie but that one has flashes and shimmers of peach, whereas this one has mint green shimmer. It's a nice, soft shade of green that looks great against my light skin.
Application was super easy. It went on with no trouble at all and I didn't have to do any cleanup afterward. The formula is a little thin but two coats were enough for full coverage. And with a layer of SV on top I had incredible shine and my mani lasted me for a full day with no chips and no tip wear. (I change my color every day so I would have changed it whether or not it had chips but this definitely would have lasted longer than a day.)
This color has been discontinued by China Glaze but if it weren't I would definitely repurchase. I can tell this one will get lots of wear.
Here are a few pictures. The 2nd is with flash so you can see the shimmer.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Polishes -Unlisted Brand - Claire's - Lulu Belle
ceeRennycee 7/25/2008 10:50:00 PM
I don't have many pink polishes (and no neon pinks) in my stash but when I picked this up in the store and saw it was a holo I knew it had to come home with me. And the color didn't disappoint once it was on my nails. It's a neon pink polish with a small amount of holo flash. Very pretty. As I said, I don't have much experience with neon pinks so I'm not sure if there are any close dupes but the base color reminds me of a brighter, pinker, more neon version of Essie's Secret Stash with holo flash mixed in. Application was really easy. I only did 2 coats but probably could have used a 3rd...I did have a bit of white tip showing through. It also dries really matte which causes the holo to be almost non-existent so you will need a good top coat to give this the shine it deserves. I had pretty great luck as far as wear was concerned. I slapped this on with no basecoat and no topcoat (which I never do) and it lasted all day with no chips and almost no tipwear. I was very impressed with the way it held up, especially because I spent the day swimming and being pretty hard on my hands. After wearing this all day I decided I wanted a little more flash so I added a layer of China Glaze Fairy Dust to really amp up the holo and I'm very happy with the result. It's a very glowy, girly color. This is a little out of my comfort zone but overall I'm very happy with the color and would definitely repurchase.
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Polishes -China Glaze - fairy dust
ceeRennycee 6/20/2008 10:56:00 AM
Lately I have been on a glitter kick. I have been looking for the perfect glitter to layer over my creme polishes to make them really sparkle and stand out. China Glaze’s Wireless Holographic Topcoat was an almost complete disappointment…it changes the color of my polish by giving it a weird milky finish but doesn’t really add much sparkle or holo. WnW Kaleidoscope has too much glitter (which isn’t bad, it just isn’t the effect I’ve been looking for). After searching and searching I think Fairy Dust is just what I’ve been wanting. It has small holographic glitter pieces in a clear base that when layered over a colored polish make it sparkly and holo-y. The effect is soft, not over-the-top-in-your-face “Hey I’m wearing glittterrr!” The flecks are really small so they aren’t overpowering and still allow you to see the color you’re layering it over. That’s my complaint with other glitter topcoats…they are so thick and laden down with glitter that even with one coat you can’t see the base color. Even though the glitter in this is a bit sparse it’s still very effective. I think 2 coats provide the perfect amount of sparkle. Since the glitter is small it goes on thin and doesn’t make my polish gritty or bumpy and with a good topcoat my manicure really shines. I’m very happy with this and I’ll definitely get a backup because I know I will be layering it over every polish I own. It looks great over both dark and light colors so there’s really no limit to the polishes you can use it with. Update: I did a comparison between Fairy Dust and Northern Lights Silver Topcoat and found that they are very, very similar. The only thing keeping them from being dead-on dupes is that the glitter in Northern Lights is a bit sparse compared to Fairy Dust. But compare two coats of NL to 1 coat of FD and you can't tell the difference. I hope that helps!
7 out of 7 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Polishes -Zoya - Yummy
ceeRennycee 6/20/2008 10:32:00 AM
Yummy is a gorgeous sky blue creme, similar to (if not an exact dupe for) OPI’s Just Groovy. It also reminds me a little of Jessica’s King Tut’s Gem. It’s a nice, bright summer color that looks great against my light skin. I love the color on its own but after a while I found myself wanting a little something extra so I used a layer of China Glaze’s Fairy Dust over it and was really happy with the result. It’s a very happy combo. Application was really easy with this. I found my brand new bottle of Just Groovy to be very thick, gloopy and hard to apply whereas this one went on with no trouble at all. My only complaint with this and all Zoyas is the brush. Zoya has the smallest brush I’ve ever worked with. Not only is it a tad on the short side it’s very narrow so I find myself having to go back to the bottle for more polish halfway through one nail. I don’t have that issue with other brands. Aside from that I had no trouble applying it and 2 coats were all that were needed for full, even coverage. In fact the formula is so smooth and perfect that I’ll probably end up giving away my OPI in favor of this one. It’s just perfect. I don’t have many shades in my collection that are close to this and I love the color, so it’s a definite keeper and I’d purchase again if I ever ran out.
2 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Polishes -Ruby Kisses - Blue Pearl
ceeRennycee 6/12/2008 1:17:00 PM
Blue Pearl is a gorgeous, deep royal blue with loads of shimmer that makes the polish look like it’s like it’s glowing from within. It isn’t glittery and it isn’t over the top but it definitely makes the finish interesting. The color is also a definite blue. I’ve worn so many shades lately that are so dark that you can’t tell if they’re blue or black. But there is no mistaking this one for a black. It’s just gorgeous. If I had to compare it to another color I’d say it reminds me of China Glaze’s Up All Night but this one seems to be a little brighter. I haven’t compared them next to eachother but I remember UAN being darker and more of a black base. The shimmer in the base could be compared to that of OPIs Yoga-ta Get This Blue, although the actual color of the polish is slightly different.
I did two coats and noticed that I still had slight patches of white showing through on a few fingers so I went for 3 coats and the finish was just perfect. They dried fairly quickly and matte so I did a layer of Nailtek and then one of SV and have fabulous shine. This is my first polish by this brand but I’m very happy with it and I’d definitely repurchase.
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Polishes -Unlisted Brand - Jessica - King Tut's Gem
ceeRennycee 6/10/2008 12:41:00 AM
King Tut's Gem is a gorgeous blue shade. It has some shimmer but it isn't too visible on the nail so it looks more like a creme unless you are in bright light or look really closely. When I saw it in the store I was afraid it would be too close to OPI's Just Groovy and Zoya's Yummy to justify having all three. But once on my nails I think the color is a little closer to Aqua Baby, though not as dark. I think this shade is right in the middle of each of those...not too dark and not too light, just a perfect light blue. (I haven't swatched it next to any of these colors yet, these are just my observations based on my individual experiences with each.) At any rate it looks nice against my lighter skin and I'm very happy with it.
Application was super easy and I had full coverage with 2 coats. I would definitely repurchase this one if I ever ran out. I only wore this color for a day so I can't comment on wear, but with my usual layer of Nailtek and SV it wore well for the 1 day I did have it on.
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Polishes -Unlisted Brand - NFU Oh - 56
ceeRennycee 6/10/2008 12:14:00 AM
This polish is absolutely amazing. In the bottle the base color is a dark green with green microglitter and iridescent flakes that also flash blue and teal depending on the light. I'd call it a mix of NYX's Las Vegas, Sinful's Show Me The Way and flashes of Nubar's Peacock Feathers with iridescent flakes like CND's Limelight. It's truly amazing. Although there are lots of flakes within the polish they aren't very thick so there's no trouble getting them to lay flat. Even without a topcoat you can run your finger over your nail and you probably wouldn't know they're there.
The color isn't very saturated so it would take at least 3 or 4 coats to get decent coverage if worn alone. However I've been experimenting by layering it over practically every polish I own and have found it looks amazing over dark greens, blues and especially over black. Just fabulous.
I got mine in a swap but have since purchased other colors by this brand and have found them to be somewhat expensive . But at 17ml the bottle is bigger than any other brands out there and plus it's such a cute shape! Not to mention that this color is totally unique and unlike any I've ever seen. I would definitely repurchase and I can't wait to try other colors by this brand. I can't rave about it enough.
Update: After wearing this and other NFUs I wanted to come back and report on wear. Every time I've worn this polish I've used my regular combo of products: SH Nail Quencher basecoat and on top of the color a layer of Colorstay and then SV. This combo has always worked well to prevent chips and tipwear. However, this combo doesn't work with the NFUs. After only a few hours I have tipwear on all 10 nails. It's a little annoying but not enough to keep me from wearing and purchasing these awesome polishes.
Here are a few pics of it layered over black.
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Polishes -Unlisted Brand - Omega Labs - Metallic Green
ceeRennycee 6/9/2008 11:59:00 PM
I came across this color in a random beauty supply place for $1 and couldn't pass it up. In the bottle it's a gorgeous forest green with slight shimmer and silver ribbons running throughout. The silver isn't visible once the polish is on, it's just there to add interesting depth. I had lots of trouble with application. The formula seemed a little thick and dried on my nail before I had a complete coat done. I finally figured out that the coats went on more evenly if I put lots of polish on the brush and then kind of scooped if off as I went. This worked fine as far as coverage but it caused major bubbles because the coats were so thick. I used a glitter topcoat over it so the bubbles weren't visible once my manicure was done but if I wear it alone I'll definitely have to figure out another method. I'll probably try adding thinner to see if that helps. But 2 thick coats were enough to completely cover and hide the whites of my nails. All in all I'm happy with my purchase and would definitely buy this again. You can't beat $1 for such a gorgeous shade!
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Polishes -OPI - Belize it or Not!
ceeRennycee 6/5/2008 3:24:00 PM
Against my skintone this color looks like a mauvey-pink shade. In the bottle and when I first applied it I really liked it but once it was on I liked it a little less. It’s not bad, there’s just something…I don’t know, off about it. On top of that, while it’s pretty it isn’t very interesting…no shimmer at all, just a basic creme. I won’t be repurchasing. Application was really easy though. 2 coats were enough for full coverage. I removed it after wearing less than a day so I can’t comment on tipwear, but for the ½ day I had it on it stayed really well.
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Polishes -China Glaze - Indian Ocean
ceeRennycee 5/27/2008 1:25:00 PM
I tend to love any and all blue polishes and this one is no exception. On me it is an almost black navy. Queenjedi described it well: indoors it looks like a dark creme but in bright light you can really see the glow and shimmer from within. It’s bright and sparkly without being glittery or over the top. In the bottle this is a deep, dark blue so I was a little surprised that the first coat went on purple, but the 2nd coat was a definite blue and added the sparkle others have mentioned. Application was really super easy, as it usually is with China Glaze polishes. The formula seemed a little thin but that didn’t seem to affect the color saturation at all…2 coats were enough for full coverage. In fact I did a 3rd coat on my thumb and before I moved on to paint my next finger I noticed that there was absolutely no color difference between that finger and the other 9, so I left it at 2 coats. As much as I love this color I have several others that I like just as well or maybe even better (Up All Night and Yoga-ta Get This Blue come to mind) so I’m not sure I’d repurchase but it is definitely a pretty shade and I’ll keep it in my collection.
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Polishes -OPI - Wild West, Wildberry
ceeRennycee 5/26/2008 3:42:00 PM
I have a hard time finding pinks that don't look terrible against my light skintone but this one is absolutely perfect. It's bright and cheerful and the silver shimmer is very subtle but makes the finish interesting. Application was really easy (as it usually is with the older formula OPIs) and I only needed 2 coats for full coverage. I received this as an RAOK from a fabulous NBer but I would definitely purchase a backup bottle if I came across it again.
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Polishes -OPI - Royal Rajah Ruby
ceeRennycee 5/21/2008 11:02:00 AM
In the bottle RRR reminded me of Midnight in Moscow, a deep dark blackened red with red shimmer. I was thinking that I probably didn’t need both but I decided to give this one a try since I’d already purchased it. Once on my nails it turned a dark brown shade without much visible shimmer. I know the shimmer is there but I have to really strain and be up close to see it. I personally prefer shades where the shimmer is more visible or is at least there to add some interesting depth to the color. On me this one just looks like a flat blackorisitbrown? Honestly I’m pretty underwhelmed. Going on color alone it looks kind of ok against my lighter skin but I’m in no hurry to use it again. Application was really easy, which surprised me. I normally have nothing but issues with the formula and the brush. I did discover a trick though…the ProWide brush is much easier to use if I trim it down. I used a pair of sharp nail scissors and snipped off a tiny section of the bristles right where they come out of the plastic piece at the top. The brush is still kind of flat but it’s not nearly as wide and it was so much easier to use this way. I think this will save the OPIs for me. I was to the point where I wanted to ditch my favorite colors just because I couldn’t handle the brush. At any rate, I’ll probably try this for one more manicure to see if my feelings change but as it stands now I won’t repurchase.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Polishes -OPI - My Auntie Drinks Chianti Nail Lacquer [DISCONTINUED]
ceeRennycee 5/19/2008 6:39:00 PM
MADC is a hard color to describe. I can’t tell if it’s pink or purple or mauve or what. It seemed to go between all of those against my skin. Sometimes it was Barbie-pink, in other light it was purpley. I debated this one for a long time before actually picking it up and taking it home with me. I should have probably listened to my instinct not to buy it, because it looked terrible on me…it just didn’t agree with my cool tone. In certain lights it wasn’t too bad but after wearing it for less than a day I couldn’t stand it and I removed it. I definitely won’t repurchase. I think in general it’s a pretty shade and would look nice on the right skintone, but not on me. I do have to give it credit for application though. Like all older formula OPIs it went on with absolutely no struggle at all. It only took 2 coats for coverage and for the short time I had it on it seemed to wear well.
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