Polishes -OPI - Designer Series - DS Dazzle
violetcobra 5/28/2007 1:18:00 AM
THE COLOR I find "hot pink" too general to describe, raspberry hot pink does better. This is a neutral toned color, darkened hot pink with almost a pale plum-red tone in the glitter. I don't know how this glitter glows but it does seem to me to glow as if lit by very low level lights. Kinda gives a sparkly Christmas light effect. Strangely, I can see no base for this shade, just shimmer/small glitter and it's wall to wall jam packed.
THE APPLICATION was flawless and easy, no glooping and light enough that you can put on a thicker coat without the surface of the paint starting to move down the rain gutter. The Pro Wide brush seems to work well with this lighter formula, for some reason, like a wide paddle spreading fluffy light frosting on a cake.
I cannot review WEAR as normally because I'm reviewing swatches on my hand. But I cannot imagine this not wearing well, it's so light I'm sure it would be flexible and springy for adjusting to pressure without cracking.
Actually it's taken me FOREVER to go back to where I was in my mind when I saw this, Sensation, Perfection and Royal and I thought OMG I need this, it's a true standout. But it is... Sensation is nice too but for me, this Dazzle and its bling just lifts my spirits. So pretty!
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Polishes -China Glaze - Wet Velvet
violetcobra 5/22/2007 6:42:00 PM
THE COLOR: A lovely shade of dark cool-toned metallic teal. I would not say this is an emerald, it is far too blue/grey toned. There is a lot of shimmer, little metallic bits just about the same color as the polish. It's not a true teal, it's actually somewhat dark, and the polish goes on with sort of a light-sucking velvety quality.
THE APPLICATION: Somewhat thin and watery unfortunately. Normally I use 2 coats, the first is not enough but the second finishes it up. I think this could have used a third coat. The color did not streak but it didn't look as light as normal and all the flaws on my nail showed... even though I used ridge filler!
THE WEAR: as with thin colors, there wasn't a lot to hold Wet Velvet together on my nail and it did flake around the tip of a couple of nails, and eventually chipped close to 48 hrs in. Not great wear.
The reason why this gets a 4 is because the shade itself is very alluring, and the shimmer looks awesome. I would buy this again and I hope I can find a backup!
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Polishes -L'Oreal - Girls Night Out-#116
violetcobra 5/16/2007 1:43:00 PM
Oh gee, I want a back up of this (although I won't get one, I hate having extra!). It is amazing and I cannot seem to capture it on film.
THE COLOR was a very exciting color in the bottle. You see a very soft warm pink base (similar to Essie Pink Glove Service) but the color is just jam packed with holographic glitter. We are talking HUGE glitter. Soft glitter. Irregular sized glitter. It has a very distinctively transparent look about the glitter. The color of the glitter is primarily a succulent corally-orangy pink. But it is pink for sure. The light hits and it looks almost just like flakes of gold floating. But then the gold looks orange, yellow and green. Amazing color. You can really stack it too, by using thick coats. I used two thick coats.
THE APPLICATION/TEXTURE presented no problems. A little runny, just be careful not to go too thick. Once on the nail I felt it dried quickly.
THE WEAR was good, although I did put two dents in the color. Strangely, although this would normally make me redo, I don't see the dents. I sort of smoothed them out and although I can feel a little roughness, there is no obvious problem.
The overall look of this is a sheer and is very laid back and polished... but when the pink glitter goes holo I just go nuts for the color and the change from before. Just fantastic, get your hands on this one if you like sheers or if you like holo glitter topcoats. I posted a pic of this over a deep blue on nailboard. However I have tons of pics of this plain mani. Yet I cannot seem to capture the amazing colors.
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Polishes -Sally Hansen - Chrome Nail Makeup-Cinnamon Diamond Chrome-#52
violetcobra 5/16/2007 1:31:00 PM
This was an impulse buy for me, because I wanted to see what a cinnamon color would look like chromed. I didn't like the color or the formula therefore it gets less than stellar marks.
THE COLOR of the bottle is all you see at first, and it's a hotty. First, the bottle itself is this shiny amazing plummy pinky brown. Not real dark or deep but still really interesting. Well the color of the polish is not the same color, although the same intensity. The polish in the bottle is a bit more grey/purple. There is yet a third color, as the product does dry a little lighter. So it's by this time a bit more bland and less intense of a color than the misleading bottle color. Sigh, oh well.
THE CONSISTENCY/APPLICATION was ok. I felt it lay down pretty smoothly (yes I did use a nice ridge filler to get the best possible result of this finish, you must do this!). I didn't feel there were any brushmarks or bubbles or anything. I felt the brush was fine, no problems at all. I used a bit thicker coats than I normally would because Chrome is basically a frost and frosts show brush marks.
THE WEAR was not surprisingly poor, as chrome polishes seem so fragile. A few chips lifted right off my nail. Not the best wear but not to be alarmed when this happens, the formula is so shiny I don't think it sticks to itself and it's prone to chips.
My biggest disappointment was the color. But I got this for cheap and I was happy to try it once, but into the swap bag it goes.
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Polishes -FingerPaints - Seashell Shimmer
violetcobra 5/16/2007 1:24:00 PM
Excellent color, really jumped out at me while shopping at Sally's. Very tough to find a dramatic shimmery beige/taupe but this is a good one.
THE COLOR is a very cool shimmery neutral brown/beige/taupe. It's hard to describe because I think the base is more brown (with a warm slightly red plum touch) and the shimmer is more of a cool taupe/bronze (with a cool touch). The weird thing is that the shimmer is predominant because of the quantity. The shimmer is a bit of chunky glitter but it's so dense, the color around the shimmer sort of blends together. Similar textures are found in OPI's Star-ring the Rockettes and Berry Good Dancers. The color is something similar to Opening Night Champagne but it's IMHO much more interesting.
THE APPLICATION/CONSISTENCY of Seashell Shimmer is pretty fluffy and not too loose or too thick. Surprisingly it dried to a smooth finish, because the mica shimmer did feel a little chunky as I was painting. But the polish went where I wanted it to go with very little clean up at all.
THE WEAR was great, no problems at all in the 2 days I had this on. No chips, and I didn't even use topcoat. HUGE recommendations for me.
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Polishes -Cover Girl - Continuous Color 3 in 1 - Electric Blue
violetcobra 5/16/2007 1:15:00 PM
I would buy this if I lost this color, it is a great color and a great price for $3.69 retail.
THE COLOR is somewhere between a blue turquoise (not green) and a peacock blue. It is deep and somewhat rich like peacock blue but lighter, and it lacks that intensity of peacock blue. I am really looking for a deep blue-teal peacock blue. This is absolutely the closest I've found.
THE FINISH of this product is a shimmer. The shimmer is very finely ground and slightly glinty (not really metallic). When on, the shimmer fades into a real shiny finish. I do not see any sparkles unless I look closely (which is hard to do with a pedi). Also the shimmer is the same color or a bit lighter, so there is a real consistently colored sheen.
THE CONSISTENCY/TEXTURE of this polish is rather thick, compounded by a somewhat overly thick brush. I felt it was a bit hard to get from the brush to the nail without error and a thick texture as I was laying down the color. I corrected errors and let dry. The thick texture had a very long drying time, even with Poshe topcoat. The next day I put on socks and boots and I did get visible indents on the toe tip. I fixed this with a third coat. Now no indents are visible.
Overall, the color nearly hits the spot. It is much deeper than the other teals/turquoises I have seen so far. Very much on the blue side but still with a tiny bit of green. For the money this color packs a lot of value.
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Polishes -Zoya - Yasmeen
violetcobra 4/14/2007 4:17:00 AM
TEXTURE: A little gloopy, the texture seemed to streak and grab and make cookie dough stretches but strangely it dried just fine.
COLOR: When you want a deep sexy red with shimmer radiating from the inside you try maybe OPI Revved Up & Reddy or maybe FP Pretty Poinsettia. When you want a sheerly glowy blue with deep set blue shimmer you want China Glaze Indian Ocean. When you need a deep sexy black tiger lily purple with strong warmly shaded purple plum tones with a glow from deep within REACH FOR THIS COLOR. It dries a bit more deep than it looks in the bottle. Wear it when you are in the mood for a deep color but not a full fledged vamp. It truly is a great shade. Everyone talks about the shimmer in this color. The way it comes from deep within gives that shimmer the most deep texture. And the shimmer is very very fine and plentiful and dark and glossy. It is hard to describe but easy to imagine.
WEAR: I don't know yet as I've only had this on for just over an hour but Zoya usually wears well. I will update of course if there are unexpected changes... and I always do have pics! PM me if you would like a see.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Polishes -Sally Hansen - Beyond Perfect -Scarlet Sanctuary
violetcobra 4/1/2007 7:11:00 PM
THE COLOR
A lovely shade of blue toned red! YES it is very similar to INRAW but... IMHO it is MORE rich and MORE dark (INRAW is a bit brighter and redder). Very luxurious red. There is a lot of fine shimmer, the same color and there is a hint of clearness to the polish so you can see the depth of the shimmer.
I am wearing this on a longer oval nail shape and it looks hot.
THE APPLICATION
Very Similar to OPI, not a lot of surprises like too thick, too thin or streaky. A little thicker than thin. Easy enough to work with although not really smooth... there is a little jaggedness around my cuticle gap (which a smooth silkier formula wouldn't do).
Can't really say much about the wear at this point but with all my gear (topcoats, basecoats, etc.) my manis are lasting forever. I will update if any problems.
Edit: oops several small chips within hours. Nothing to the point of forcing me to change polish and no big chips. These are on very long nails.
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Treatments -Unlisted Brand - Witchcraft Nail Hardener
violetcobra 2/8/2007 1:33:00 PM
Received a mini as a swap extra and I went over the moon! I have never used a nail hardener that did more than layer over a nail and shine. This one actually works. I feel my nails are way more shock resistant than before and I rarely feel them buckle. I am not sure how to incorporate this into my Nailtek II and Foundation regimen but I have been using it over my Nailtek II and before my Nailtek Foundation. I hope this will help my Essie and other glassy colors not to crack.
The box says: "Often imitated but never equalled." It also says:
- Enhances nail growth
- Protects and seals nail surface
- Prevents chipping, cracking, splitting and peeling
Regular use will help make nails longer and stronger. See directions enclosed. Shake bottle well before using. hardener may appear clear or cloudy. Effectiveness remains the same. Keep from heat. External use only.
The insert doesn't say much else useful but list out some other Witchcraft products and say that this is the first coat on the natural nail (which is now how I've been using it since I reserve Nailtek II for the nail.
This seems to be made in Canada by Daree. Their online address is:
www.witchcraftnailproducts.com if you wanted to take a look. I have never seen it in the US before.
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Polishes -Essie - Cap Ferrat
violetcobra 2/3/2007 5:51:00 PM
Oh this one is so different. It is a very soft silvery taupe. Sometimes it even looks oyster. Sometimes even a little lavender. It's really pretty and kinda smoky taupe. Strangely, the thing that I most love about it is the warm copper shimmer! There is a large vein of shimmery pinky copper stuck on the side of the bottle (this one is old, in the clearance bin for $1 at this warehouse store I like). I've been shaking it to mix it in. And you can see it in the bottle, not so much on the nail. DH picked this out for my pedi. If you stand in the light, you can definitely see a warm glint of the nail. But there is also a silver shimmer in there too, so it's not entirely coppery. That's sort of what makes it unusual. I love this shade.
Typically Essies apply well for people and not for others. I liked it today over my ridgefiller but you still can see ridges. I think that's because Essie is a little bit on the thin side and isn't really thick. But it's not bad, I don't mind unless all the ridges show.
Just put on today but I will update if the wear turns bad. I am loving this color! Similar colors are Essie Sweet Tart.
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Polishes -Color Club - Neon Teal
violetcobra 2/3/2007 5:44:00 PM
A very nice lovely shade of bluish green solid teal, I find it to be more of an emerald green, no jade, no neon, on the nail. It has a light sprinkling of gold shimmer. Not much but you can see it.
The swatch on my nail is very glossy but not thick. I may have to do a third coat when I do my manicure. I love this color though. I cannot wait to use it! And pleasantly very very happy with my Color Clubs.
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Polishes -Maybelline - Opal Rush
violetcobra 2/3/2007 5:34:00 PM
I loved this shade for its soft ivory sheer color, not a white, but a soft creamy beige. It has two or three flash colors, which I enjoy. One of the flashes is a green, of course, and the others are a blue and a blue-violet. I do like iridescent colors with flashes and I did like this color. I didn't think it was that unique and I think it's just a bit over average for a color like this. Other colors like this are SH Beyond Perfect in White Dove for a white base, and for a pinker base, maybe Nicole Enchantress, or for a bright pink pastel, my HG CG Ooh La La La Sheer Pink.
The application was wonderful, no running or leaking into the raingutter. Also nice and glossy and also no ridges showed underneath.
The wear was great, I just got bored of it on day three and removed it for Color Club Neon Teal. I loved this color, thought it was less than unique anyway, but would definitely repurchase. I would actually recommend this for a solid creamy ivory with a punch but it's not exactly a unique color.
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Polishes -Revlon - Pink Flip
violetcobra 2/3/2007 5:28:00 PM
This is a pretty pink, it is a very soft pastel pink. It is lighter than a jordan almond, lighter than an Easter M&M. But it's that same shade, but just lighter and more baby pink. It is slightly cool toned but it does have a warm hot pink shimmer. The shimmer is really subtle and really only adds depth but it does show in warm light.
The Revlon formulas are made without tolulene and formaldehyde. Their texture is a bit unique, sort of not really shiny and sort of creamy. I found this polish to feel really good going on where I wanted it to go, which is a huge plus. But the minus is that I don't think it stayed creamy, it sorta flattened out. It showed every single ridge and mistake in the nail underneath it. But that's really odd since I was wearing ridge filler.
As for wear, this wore a solid week as a pedicure with absolutely no chips or wear of any kind. It did seem a little dull though. So all in all, I was loving the color but not the application and texture.
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Polishes -Chanel - Diamond
violetcobra 2/3/2007 5:23:00 PM
Definitely a must have glitter topcoat. I don't even like glitter topcoat. But I wore this alone as a manicure with 3 coats. I don't usually like them because the glitter is so craft store and goofy. Well, the glitter in this bad boy really is like a glass shard, silver colored, and it really glistens and shines. I found myself shaking the bottle incessantly though when I did my manicure. But it is cool to see that snowglobe effect. Also strange, you can feel your little ball bearing crunch the glitter. I put the bottle upside down to blend the glitter even more and on the brush's stem, you could feel the crunch of the glitter.
Anyway, in sum, this is the single best glitter topcoat you can find on the market today. Get this and you can pretty much get rid of any others unless you like different colored glitter.
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Polishes -Bourjois - Very Vernis - Violet Exotic 17
violetcobra 1/20/2007 12:31:00 AM
I am very very attracted to any sheer soft purple shade with soft blueish shimmer. This fit the bill. I didn't want to want this one, but I had my eye on it forever, and when I had $9 at Ulta to kill, I had to buy this lovely shade.
THE COLOR... soft sheer light warm purple to lavender base. I felt the base was a lot lighter on nails, very ephemeral. I think one of the reviewers commenting it felt more like a pink was due in part to the sheerness, as I don't see much pink in there. There is a significant blue-violet flash to this, but it's very sheer so the base and the flash work in tandem and sorta make this cool like an electric flash. I am nuts about the color and about the sheerness.
THE APPLICATION... well, surprisingly it did ok for a makeup brand (rather than a nail polish brand). I liked the chunky brush, the flat wide brush shape, and felt it was a bit softer than the OPI Prowide, fine by me since I need to swirl to the left and to the right of the sides of the nail due to flared shape. Very happy, no gaps, and really thrilled.
THE WEAR... I had this on for three days and the wear was find, no chips or tip wear. I think I just got tired of the color and it took me an extra day to do this.
I really loved this color as a whole! I do have pics on nails and in the bottle somewhere. If you like this you may want to try China Glaze Ooh La La Pink Pearl--it's a light pink sheer shade with that strong blue-violet flash... or Nicole Enchantress, a soft pastel pink with a less pronounded blue-violet flash.
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