Polishes -Unlisted Brand - Claire's - mood nail polish peace/confident 
oceanmist27 4/28/2010 8:34:00 AM
Ugh, I don't think I have hated a nail polish so much before using the Claire's Mood line. And I'm well into the 4-digits as far as polishes I own. This applied ok, and I even liked the color. The wear, though....HORRIBLE. The polish began flaking off and peeling in big sheets. It didn't even last a day. I thought maybe it just didn't play well with my bc/tc...so I tried again the next day with different products. Same results. So, as pretty as these look, and they really do change color (which is nice)...they get a big thumbs down.
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Polishes -Essie - Pop Art Pink
oceanmist27 2/25/2010 8:55:00 AM
I blame Scrangie for creating my lemming for this! She described the color as a pink version of Essie Marshmallow. Well, she hit the nail on the head! I'm so glad I got this! The formula was a bit on the streaky side, but the second and third coats went on pretty smooth and even. I had no visible nail lines, yet the polish had that jelly look to it. It is a very soft, milky pink color and much more subtle that my usual tastes, but I really love it!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Polishes -Orly - Enchanted Forest
oceanmist27 1/20/2010 4:14:00 PM
What a gorgeous color! If you are looking for a true dark green creme...this is it! Even in low light, it does not appear black. It was opaque in one coat...although I always do 2 anyway! I love Orly's formula and bottle design...and as usual, this wore beautifully on me!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Skincare - Face -Ole Henriksen - Sheer Transformation Creme
oceanmist27 1/20/2010 4:12:00 PM
LOVE this! The only drawback for me is that is doesn't come in tube form. I have combination skin that is very acne prone. I'm also a picker (shame shame!) so I have several spots of unevenness to my skin. This creme is excellent to wear under my m/n in the morning after I wash my face! Plus, it really did fade my red marks and even out my skin tone. I do have to use something else at night due to my current acne routine drying my skin out, but this cream is awesome for day use, or for someone with oilier skin.
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Top/Base Coats -Nubar - Diamont Top Coat
oceanmist27 10/6/2009 11:05:00 AM
Well, I had a terrible experience with Diamont. I began using it, and found it didn't work on all my polishes. Older, non-big 3 free polishes wouldn't dry well and became lumpy when I used Diamont over them. I continued using Diamont, and stuck to wearing big 3 free polishes because I was impressed with how quickly it dried on those. About a month into using Diamont exclusively, my nails began to peel and crack badly. Now, I am a former nail biter. I'm no stranger to horrific nails. But I couldn't believe the horrible state of my nails. And the peeling...I've never had peeling nails in my life. It was upsetting because I normally wear my nails very long. Having all of them break down very short was awful. And when they would grow out a bit, the sides would split and the cycle would start again. It dawned on me that it could be the Diamont, since that is the only thing I changed in my routine. I quickly switched back to my beloved Seche Vite, and in a few days, I noticed a huge difference. While I love my Nubar polish colors, I am staying far, far away from Diamont from now on.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Polishes -Sally Hansen - Insta-Dri Whirlwind White
oceanmist27 2/3/2009 9:13:00 PM
I don't know what Sally Hansen was thinking with this brush design. I could sweep my kitchen floor with this thing! Brush aside, I liked the color a lot. Whirlwind White is a crisp, clean bright white creme. It was completely opaque in only one coat, and although the formula was a bit thick, it was easily fixed with thinner. I wore it for 3 days without any chipping or peeling. I own several other nice white cremes that don't have ginormous brushes, so I probably would not repurchase this if I ran out.
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Top/Base Coats -Sally Hansen - Nail Quencher - Hydrating Base Coat [DISCONTINUED]
oceanmist27 1/27/2009 8:54:00 AM
I finally caved on this after hearing the NB ladies rave about it. I'll admit, I was perfectly happy with my Nailtek Foundation II and Orly Bonder bc combo, and was afraid to try something else. I found this at Big Lots for $3, so it was very inexpensive. I've also seen it sold in drugstores for slightly more. My normal base routine is 2 coats of Nailtek, followed by 1 coat of Bonder. When I tried the Quencher, I only used 1 coat because it seemed very thick (not in a goopy, messy, unable to use way) and I skipped the Bonder. I finished my mani with 2 coats of polish & my usual top coat.I could not believe how strong my nails felt! And with only ONE coat of Quencher versus my 3 coat combo of other products! I've been "test driving" it for a couple days...not changing my mani and seeing how it hold up. So far, no chips, peeling or anything like that! I am blown away by this stuff and am glad I finally tried it!
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Top/Base Coats -Lippmann Collection - Addicted to Speed
oceanmist27 1/15/2009 11:44:00 AM
I've tried numerous quick dry top coats, finally settling on Seche Vite or Oh So Wet because they worked well on me. I was curious about Lippmann's Addicted to Speed, and decided to give it a try. So far, I have nothing but good things to say! The price is a bit steep, but it's worth it. It dried quicker than SV, which is amazing because I've never found another tc faster than SV! It also dried to a smooth, shiny finish with no shrinkage (another issue I had with SV). I've only had it on for 1 day, so I will update later on wear time, etc. EDIT: Wear time was excellent for me. No chipping, peeling,etc. One thing I did notice on my recent mani, you have to apply this in very thick coats, using only a few strokes to do it. I made the mistake of applying it thin, and after 3 or 4 brushstrokes, it began to "goop" together on my nail and clump the polish. It looked horrible & I had to redo my entire mani. Not a big deal, but something to avoid!
5 out of 5 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Polishes -Sally Hansen - Raven's Wing
oceanmist27 12/5/2008 9:07:00 AM
I don't hate this polish, but I certainly don't love it, either. It is a pretty color...black with a silver shimmer...but not terribly unique. The application is what irritated me and is the reason why I probably wouldn't purchase this again. The first coat was not only very streaky...it was slightly "lumpy" and required a lot of work to get it to go on smooth. The second coat went on better, and was much more opaque. For reference, I always use a basecoat under my polish. Always! Perhaps this polish didn't like my bc (Nailtek Foundation II & Orly Bonder) but I'm not about to change my HG products just because a polish can't play nice! :-)
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Top/Base Coats -Orly - Bonder Rubberized Basecoat
oceanmist27 12/1/2008 4:43:00 PM
I luv my Bonder! I use 1 coat of this over my Nailtek Foundation II and it really makes a huge difference in the wear of my mani! I recently experimented with Barielle Nail Camo as a b/c and for whatever reason, the Camo + Bonder was a disaster. I had horrible tip wear, peeling and chipping within hours after my mani dried! I think I am done experimenting with different combos, since I found what works for me! So if you try Bonder & it doesn't work...experiment with different combinations of b/c's before you declare it unworthy! What works for one person may not work on someone else.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Polishes -SpaRitual - Devil Inside
oceanmist27 10/24/2008 9:36:00 AM
This was my first SpaRitual polish. I have since bought more because I was very impressed with this brand. The application was so smooth! And completely opaque with one coat. I confess I purchased this particular polish, "Devil Inside" strictly for the name. In the bottle, the polish looks red with a slight pink to it. I'm not a huge fan of reds, but I gave it a try since many ladies on the nail board rave about this brand. I was surprised that the actual polish color is a dark magenta with a beautiful glowy, slightly metallic finish. The drying time also surprised me. A complete mani for me consists of 2 coats NailTek Foundation II, 1 coat Orly Bonder, 2 (or sometimes 3) coats of polish, 1 coat Revlon Color Stay sealant, and 1 coat SV or OSW. So even with a fast dry TC, it still takes a while for my mani to dry. My mani dried in about half the usual time when I used the SpaRitual polish! So that was yet another plus! I am so glad I decided to try the SpaRitual line...and I couldn't have picked a better color for my first polish!
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Top/Base Coats -Poshe - Super-Fast Drying Top Coat
oceanmist27 10/3/2008 12:01:00 PM
In the quest for the "perfect" topcoat...it comes down to personal chemistry. What works for me may not for you, and vice versa. I think everyone should try all the brands and see what works. That being said, I tried Poshe after using SV & Oh So Wet for a long time. I figured I'd see if it was better than those 2. The Poshe is way less shinier than SV & OSW. I was actually surprised at just how much! And for the first time in my life, I woke up with SHEET MARKS! I did my mani at least 4 hours prior to going to bed, so I was shocked. But I know a lot of the girls on the NB swear by Poshe...so again, it really is a personal preference. For me, Poshe was a big ol' fail!
3 out of 5 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Polishes -Essie - Groovy Grape
oceanmist27 9/22/2008 12:00:00 PM
I can't believe I am giving an Essie polish a 5! Generally, most Essie polishes I have tried have been streaky, and way too sheer for my taste. Groovy Grape was nothing like any Essie I've tried before. The application was smooth and opaque in one coat! The color is beautiful. In low light, it appears black...but in the sun, it has a deep GORGEOUS glowy shimmer to it! And what surprised me the most was the wear itself. I am on day 5 (a record for me) of my GG mani & it still looks flawless. No chips, peels or tipwear! I may have to locate an extra bottle as a backup while I still can...this polish impressed me quite a bit!
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Polishes -Color Club - Magic Attraction
oceanmist27 9/10/2008 5:06:00 PM
Magic Attraction is EXACTLY the kind of glitter polish I love! It is very dense, and I had complete coverage with 2 thin coats! The name "Magic Attraction" is very fitting...it looks like sparkley magic goodness on my nails. Depending on the lighting, it looks like either silver holo wrapping paper or Christmas lights. The glitter does dried a bit grainy, but I always use a topcoat so that isn't an issue for me! I was very pleased with this polish & will purchase again when I run out!
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Polishes -OPI - Man of La Mancha
oceanmist27 9/3/2008 11:00:00 AM
This is a very interesting color. It flashes all sorts of different shades...a pinky-red, various oranges, and a gold green. It has shimmer that also changes color. A very "busy" polish. I like the color (or should I say, colors) most of the time but there is one shade (poo poo orange) that flashes when the light hits it a certain way & just looks nasty on me. Overall, I liked this polish. I only rated it a 4 because it was very sheer, even after 3 coats. Wear time was average.
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