China Glaze Hologlam Collection Swatch: Take a Trek

China Glaze Take a Trek (2 coats)

I can't wait for this weekend! I leave for Knoxville tomorrow to visit my family (Happy Birthday to my brother tomorrow!) so I may be MIA for a few days. I hope you can understand. Knoxville has the largest display of Labor Day fireworks in the US called Boomsday and it is so awesome. I'm really happy we could make it this year. 

Now this is more what I'm talking about. Take a Trek is a dark blue holographic polish that really stands out. The holo isn't the strongest in this one, but it's there and I really love the blue color. I tried another Hologlam color with Gelous last night and it was giving me a streaky mess. I really just don't know what to say about basecoats for these guys. I have a couple more I can try, so I'll keep you updated. Other than that issue, the application was fine in only 2 coats. 

China Glaze Hologlam Collection Swatch: Cosmic Dust

China Glaze Cosmic Dust (2 coats)

Blarg, how is it only Wednesday? I've been so tired lately, I don't know what the deal is. I guess I'll just blame it on the weather, how does that sound?

Cosmic Dust is your usual holographic silver color. Sure, it's fine, but I want some new, fun colors. What about a yellow or orange holo? Every holographic collection has to have the token silver and it's getting quite pedestrian. On the bright side, the holo is very strong in this one. What do you think, are you with me? 

China Glaze Hologlam Collection Swatch: Infra-Red

China Glaze Infra-Red (2 coats)

Infra-Red is the second Hologlam polish and it is a show-stopper. It's a bright pink magenta holographic polish that really pops on the nail. I tend to like my holos with vibrant backgrounds, you know what I mean? The formula was the same across the board for all of these, so again, beware of basecoats. Otherwise, the application was nice and easy. 

China Glaze Hologlam Collection Swatch: OMG A UFO

China Glaze OMG A UFO (2 coats)

How was your weekend? The garden party was exhausting, but it was well-received. Other than that, we ran some errands and napped. I know, exciting stuff.

I have some of the Hologlam collection from China Glaze that I got for like $2 from a Sally's sale. Sorry I only have 2 pictures of OMG A UFO, but I seem to have lost one of my usual ones. I must admit, I was a bit disappointed in some swatches of the holos from certain bloggers. Some even just looked metallic and not holo at all! I'm not saying my lighting and camera skills are the best, but clearly these are (slightly) linear holographic polishes. No, they aren't anything like the OMG collection, and the price point China Glaze put on these was insulting, but they aren't terrible. OMG A UFO is an awesome olive green holo. Word of warning about these: they don't work well with every basecoat. Just the other day I tried using the Revlon gelcoat basecoat and you couldn't go over the nail twice without it completely balding the area. It did work fine over Gelous and Orly Bonder though. With the right basecoat, only 2 coats was needed. 

SinfulColors SinfulShine Collection Swatch: Break Away

SinfulColors Break Away (2 coats)

TGIF! This week went pretty fast so I'm happy it's the weekend already. I have another garden party to go to for my husband's job, so that should be interesting. Yeah, interesting. 

Break Away is the last SinfulColors SinfulShine polish I have to show and it's the darkest one. It's a deep sea blue creme that dries darker on the nail. I think my pictures show it a little too bright, so if you like light blues, this one is not for you. At no point will you mistake this for a black polish though. The application and formula was the same as the rest. Overall, I had great wear with these and they are a good drugstore choice, especially for the price. 

SinfulColors SinfulShine Collection Swatch: Mardi Gras

SinfulColors Mardi Gras (2 coats)

Continuing from yesterday, we have Mardi Gras from the SinfulShine collection which is a melon creme color. I fell in love with a dress this color so I had to buy the polish. The formula was again whipped-like and thick, but that didn't cause an issue with application at all. Again, I used a topcoat because I had long drying times on these, but others have claimed that it dried fast for them, so maybe it's just my body chemistry. You can find these now at your local Walgreens for $2.99, not $1.99. Have you picked any of these up?

SinfulColors SinfulShine Collection Swatches: Alfresco and In the Limelight

SinfulColors Alfresco (2 coats)

SinfulColors In the Limelight (2 coats)

*This polish was provided by the company or PR representative. All reviews are based solely on my opinion. For more information, please see my full disclosure at the bottom of the site*

Have you seen the new color technology from SinfulColors called SinfulShine exclusively at your local Walgreens? SinfulColors was kind enough to provide me with 2 samples and I'll have 2 more that I went out and bought on my own after trying these. This is what SinfulColors has to say about their new formula:

SINFULCOLORS INTRODUCES SINFULSHINE Step Up to Extreme Shine

Every woman deserves to shine. Now she can...with SinfulShine™ - a new high-shine, trend-setting collection of nail polish launching in 2013 from SinfulColors. The new SinfulShine™ high-gloss, high shine nail polish with Gel TechTM is a self-curing polymer formula that delivers the same high shine gloss as an acrylic UV cured gel without the hassle of a special lamp.  SinfulShine™ is five times more glossy than a patent leather shoe*... now that's shine!!! * 2012 Glossmeter Study. FEATURES/BENEFITS/KEY INGREDIENTS: Gel TechTM technology formula provides opulent, rich color and brilliant shine Plasticizer System for smooth application and helps prevents chipping Gloss Finish, smooth application without a special lamp Made in the USA; Formaldehyde, Toluene and DPB free, never tested on animals When I first tried the polish, it didn't say whether or not to use topcoat so I didn't, thinking that the "glossy" finish was supposed to come through without a topcoat. Boy was I wrong. It was shiny, but it never really dried and I had a mess on my hands. Lesson learned: use a topcoat with this. As for longer wear with the Gel Tech, I was really impressed. I wore most of these for about 4 days with no chipping at all (and I am tough on my nails). The formula is really different than other SinfulColors polishes. The SinfulShine had almost a whipped consistency and that's the best I can really describe it. It wasn't bad, but very different than other polishes. Alfresco is a cornflower blue color with slight shimmer in it while In the Limelight is a dark lime green creme. In the end, I found most of the colors I tried dried slightly darker than the bottle cover. These are Walgreen exclusives and they have increased the price on these from the normal $1.99 to $2.99, but I think the wear makes up for the price.  You can follow SinfulColors on Twitter or Facebook.  *This polish was provided by the company or PR representative. All reviews are based solely on my opinion. For more information, please see my full disclosure at the bottom of the site*

SinfulColors Haute Rebel Collection Swatch: Beau Khaki

 

SinfulColors Beau Khaki (2 coats)

Oh Monday, you're killing me. I couldn't sleep at all last night so I've spent the day yawning up a storm. I've been pretty good with the sleeping lately so I don't know what's up. Do you get those restless nights (often on Sunday night)?

I bought this bad boy back in January, I think. I know, I should be ashamed. I swatched it early on, but never got around to posting it. Beau Khaki reminds me a bit of that Chanel color that came out with their Khaki collection and is a medium dusty sage green creme. As you can see, it dries a bit darker on the nail than the bottle. I had no issues with the formula or application as it was extremely pigmented. If you can find it, snag it up for $1.99! 

OPI Bond Girls Collection Swatch: Honey Ryder

OPI Honey Ryder (2 coats)

When I was away at the wedding a few weeks ago, I had to stop at HEB (the wedding was in Texas). It's a grocery store, but a grocery store with a spectacular beauty section! They were having a sale on OPI for $7.99 (I think) while I was there so I picked up Honey Ryder from the Bond Girls Liquid Sand collection. I love this one so much because you can really see the texture. It's a gold metallic with some silver glitter added for dimension. I think this one is awesome, if you like the textured look. The formula was very thick, but this was a good thing and you could probably get away with just one coat. I always use at least 2 coats for swatching so that's what you see here. I think this one will also be perfect for Christmas time. 

Pure Ice Diamond Couture Collection Swatch: Party of Five

Pure Ice Party of Five (2 coats) over...I don't remember. Eek!

*This polish was provided by the company or PR representative. All reviews are based solely on my opinion. For more information, please see my full disclosure at the bottom of the site*

So I may have forgotten what I used as my base layers for Pure Ice's Party of Five. Oops! Usually I leave it out and it reminds me, but it's been so long since I've swatched this I'm sure I put it away. Sorry about that. Party of Five is a teal colored microglitter with holographic teal diamond glitter suspended in a clear base. The formula was the same as the rest of them (slightly thick, but I don't have to dig too hard to get the diamond glitter). 

Just keep reminding yourself that it's almost Friday!

*This polish was provided by the company or PR representative. All reviews are based solely on my opinion. For more information, please see my full disclosure at the bottom of the site*

Pure Ice Diamond Couture Collection: Sea-Quin

Pure Ice Sea-Quin (2 coats) over 2 coats of Wet N Wild Black Creme

*This polish was provided by the company or PR representative. All reviews are based solely on my opinion. For more information, please see my full disclosure at the bottom of the site*

This is going to be a quick post tonight, so let's get to it. Sea-Quin is a chartreuse microglitter with holographic larger diamond glitter in a clear base. As you cab see, I went a little overboard on the diamond glitter and fished them out. I still think it looks cool and I got lots of compliments on it. The formula was slightly thick, so you may want to add a couple drops of thinner. I still see these popping around Walmart, so check your local store.

*This polish was provided by the company or PR representative. All reviews are based solely on my opinion. For more information, please see my full disclosure at the bottom of the site*

Pure Ice Diamond Couture Collection: Material Girl

Pure Ice Material Girl (2 coats) over Wet N Wild Black Creme (2 coats)

*This polish was provided by the company or PR representative. All reviews are based solely on my opinion. For more information, please see my full disclosure at the bottom of the site*

Sorry for the lack of posts, but the driving to DC and pen show took up my whole weekend! I had a great time and got to see some of the people from the Raleigh pen show which was cool. Oh, and I also bought 2 fountain pens. Oops! I hope you had a great weekend!

Material Girl from Pure Ice is another polish I've had around forever, but never got around to posting. It's a fine pink glitter with large pink diamond-shaped glitter pieces in a clear base. It wasn't too difficult getting the large glitter out, but I suggest turning the bottle upside down before using it. The polish itself is a bit thick, so try to use thin coats. Overall, I think this is cool and looks great over black! You can find Pure Ice polishes on their website or Walmart for $1.99. 

*This polish was provided by the company or PR representative. All reviews are based solely on my opinion. For more information, please see my full disclosure at the bottom of the site*

Pure Ice Nail Color Swatch: Emerald Crush

Pure Ice Emerald Crush (3 coats)

*This polish was provided by the company or PR representative. All reviews are based solely on my opinion. For more information, please see my full disclosure at the bottom of the site*

Quick post tonight since I'm leaving for the Washington DC Pen show tomorrow. It's more of my husband's thing (check out his blog at inkdependence.com), but I still have fun. 

I've had Pure Ice's Emerald Crush sitting in my "To Be Blogged About" pile for a long time, which is weird because it's freakin awesome. Remember, emerald is Pantone's Color of the Year, so this is so appropriate to wear. It's a green glitter with lots of gold glitter thrown in there in a light green base. I gave it three generous coats and got full opacity, but you can always layer it over your favorite green. Application was fine, even with full brushes of glitter I was using. You can find Pure Ice for $1.99 at your local Walmart store. 

*This polish was provided by the company or PR representative. All reviews are based solely on my opinion. For more information, please see my full disclosure at the bottom of the site*

Finger Paints Holiday 2012 Holiday of Wonders Collection Swatch: Sparkle and Snowflake

Finger Paints Sparkle and Snowflake (3 coats)

Happy Hump Day! Have you seen the commercial with the camel in the offices asking what day it is? It cracks me up every time.

Yup, I'm behind on more polishes, but better late than never. Sparkle and Snowflake comes from the Finger Paints Holiday of Wonders collection and is a silver and holographic fine glitter in a clear base. I was bound and determined to make this opaque, and I was fairly successful with 3 coats. You can see a bit of balding at the end of my nails, but that's always what happens. While this looks great alone, I've seen swatches of it over other colors and it looks wonderful. The formula was a bit runny, so be careful of that. 

Bonita Nail Enamel: Blue Shimmer

Bonita Blue Shimmer (2 coats)

I want to wish my parents a Happy 41st Anniversary today! My parents are awesome and are as happy as ever. 

The second Bonita polish I have to show surprisingly did not stain my nails, despite using the same base and topcoats. Blue Shimmer is indeed a deep blue shimmer that reminds me of something Zoya would (has?) put out. I love this one, and the application was flawless. I'm really impressed with this brand so far. Have you tried them?

Bonita Nail Enamel: Teal

Bonita Teal (2 coats)

Grr, a collection without any names! I came up with the unique name of Teal for this one. In the pictures it looks more blue, but there's another color in the collection that is definitely more blue. I've never had the chance to try out Bonita Nail Enamel before, but recently found a 6 pack at my local Ross store for like $5 so I had to pick them up. When I first looked them up online, their website was not working, but apparently it is now, and you can purchase some of their colors for a great price. The formula and application was absolutely flawless, but unfortunately it stained my nails and cuticles (even with Orly Bonder and Gelous as basecoats). Despite this, it's still a beautiful shimmer and the price is right.