Maybelline Color Show Polka Dot Nail Polish: Blue Marks the Spot

Maybelline Blue Marks the Spot (2 coats) over 2 coats of Essie Coat Azure

I'm back (finally). I missed you all, but this weekend was full of excitement so I was unable to blog. 

I found Maybelline's Blue Marks the Spot at Target for only $2.99, so you know I had to get it. Oh, and it said polka dots on it so that was just an added bonus. I was hoping this was going to be an opaque glitter, but after 1 coat, I knew it wasn't to be so I added Essie's Coat Azure as underwear. Blue Marks the Spot is a blue jelly with large and small black and white hexagonal glitter. I was hoping that since it said polka dot, the glitter would be circle, but no luck. The formula was fine, and I found this to be well worth the $2.99 if you don't want to pay indie prices. 

China Glaze Grape Expectations Ombre Set: Spontaneous

China Glaze Spontaneous (2 coats)

Happy Hump Day! I leave for Houston tomorrow for my sister-in-law's wedding so posting may be sporadic as you can understand. I'll make sure to bring home a pair of cowboy boots for you. Oh, and big hair. 

Spontaneous comes from their permanent line (I believe), but I received it as a birthday present with the China Glaze Grape Expectations Ombre set that was exclusive to Sally's Beauty Supply. It's a nice medium purple creme that would look good on most skintones. I had a little bubbling, but I'm 99% sure it's due to my Barielle Manicure Extender Topcoat that I tried using. Otherwise, the formula and coverage was great in 2 coats. It's a nice staple for any collection. 

Orly Holiday 2011 Holiday Soiree Swatch: Androgynie

Orly Androgynie (2 coats)

Yes, I've had this polish since Christmas of 2011....don't judge me. I have no idea why I didn't swatch these earlier because I really regret it. Androgynie is a blackened brown base with lots of silver and gold fine glitter and colorful large hexagonal glitter pieces. I thought this one reminded me of space, and lots of people made similar comments to me. I found getting the large hexagonal pieces to come out and stay put to be a bit difficult, but in the end it was well worth it. The formula and application was fine otherwise. Apparently you can buy this directly from the Orly website for only $3.99 right now.

Oh, and some of you are forgetting to leave your e-mail address and/or your favorite nail polish brand on the giveaway comments. Please make sure to update it so you are still eligible! 

July Giveaway for China Glaze and Barielle!

Barrielle Positive Zen-ergy (left) and China Glaze Grape Pop (right)

To enter, please leave a comment to this post with your e-mail address and your favorite polish brand. You must be a follower in order to win (this includes Google follower, Twitter, Facebook or Instagram...see the top of the page to become a follower). And finally, this is only open to US readers (I'm so sorry to my international readers)! Please only 1 entry per person. A winner will be chosen by random on Sunday, August 4, 2013 at midnight EST. Good luck everyone!

Please feel free to repost or retweet on your respective blogs, facebook accounts, Twitter accounts, etc. :-D I look forward to seeing everyone's favorite brand! 

Salon Perfect Neon Collision Collection Swatch: Jolt

Salon Perfect Jolt (3 coats) over China Glaze Sunshine Pop (2 coats)

Happy Saturday! I hope your weekend has been going well. We ended up going to 2 farmers markets and looked at a few shops in a small downtown nearby that is near and dear to my heart. 

Do you think it was a good idea to use Salon Perfect's Jolt over a yellow polish (China Glaze Sunshine Pop)? Maybe it takes away too much of the matte yellow glitter in the color. Overall, it's an orange and yellow matte glitter suspended in a clear base. While I like this one ok, it is my least favorite of the Neon Collision collection. I used 3 coats of Jolt because I wanted the glitter to be the focal point, but the formula was a bit thick, so you may want to thin it a bit before using it. 

Nicole by OPI Fall 2012 Target Exclusive Swatch: Iris My Case

Nicole by OPI Iris My Case (2 coats)

Remember when these Nicole by OPI Target Exclusives came out last fall? Well, I never bought any, but I found this gem in the clearance section for around $2 a couple weeks ago. A duochrome for $2? Count me in! Definitely look at the clearance section when in Target because that's where I get a lot of my cheap finds. Iris My Case (love the name) is a beautiful purple and gold duochrome. I hope my third picture shows the gold in it. You can use 2 thick coats or 3 thin coats for this one, and the formula was a little thin, but nothing terrible. Overall, I don't own many NOPI's, but I really missed out on these Target Exclusives. 

China Glaze Fall 2012 New Bohemian Collection Swatch: Unpredictable

China Glaze Unpredictable (3 coats)

Quick post tonight because I was at work for 10 hours without a lunch break. Eek! My lovely sister-in-law got me Unpredictable from the New Bohemian collection for my birthday which was so sweet of her. It is a multichrome color with strong green, gold and blue undertones. I think this one is absolutely gorgeous, but a little sheer, needing 3 coats for full coverage. Other than that, I found the formula to be just fine. I hope you had a great Hump Day!

OPI Spring 2013 Euro Centrale Collection Swatch: Can't Find My Czechbook

OPI Can't Find My Czechbook (2 coats)

Whew, I spent the day on the phone calling people for work, and I received 2 replies from the 13-14 I called. How disappointing, yet likely not unexpected. Oh well, back to real science tomorrow.

I only have one of the OPI Euro Centrale collection and it's Can't Find My Czechbook which is a medium dusty aqua creme. You know me and dusty polishes, so you already know I love this one. Some bloggers seemed to find this one streaky, but I had no problems and full coverage in 2 easy coats. I love my blue polishes! 

Sally Hansen Sugar Coat Collection Swatch: Razzle-berry

Sally Hansen Razzle-berry (2 coats)

Razzle-berry is the last of the Sugar Coat polishes I have to show (unless they mark them down even more) and it's an extremely saturated blue textured matte (well, it's sort of matte, but you can see a bit of shine in these). I found this one to be the most interesting of the ones I tried, but also the one that stained my nails and cuticles so hard. Ugh. I used 2 basecoats and it still stained. Beware. The formula and drying time was the same as the rest of the collection. The weekend is almost over :-( 

Sally Hansen Sugar Coat Collection Swatch: Bubble Plum

Sally Hansen Bubble Plum (2 coats)

What a fun morning. We've been going to local farmer's markets to get some goods, and it's nice to meet some new people. We now have a new restaurant on our radar and boy do they have some interesting items!

Remember how I said I wanted these matte textured polishes to have glitter? Well, apparently Sally Hansen listened and now has some with glitter. Are they good? The verdict is still out. Anyway, I got Bubble Plum for $3 and some change which was well worth it. They did a good job naming this one because it is a nice mix of pink and purple. Like the other Sugar Coats, it dried quickly and only needed 2 coats. 

Sally Hansen Sugar Coat Collection Swatch: Sweetie

Sally Hansen Sweetie (2 coats on all nails except middle finger which has 3 coats)

Please, no more rain! It's rained every day forever. My plants outside are suffering, too! Are you getting crazy amounts? 

The last time I went to Target, the Sally Hansen Sugar Coat polishes were on clearance, so check your local store. I bought Sweetie for the full price, but I bought a couple more I got discounted. These are definitely not my favorite textured polishes, and I think it's because it's missing some shimmer and depth. The finish on these reminds me of the Nerds jelly beans. I thought the yellow would be a streaky mess, but it only needed 2 coats. I accidentally smudged my middle finger, so I added a third coat and you can see how much it smooths out the bumps with that extra coat. The dry time was really fast, so there are some positives for it. I'm torn; I don't hate it, but I would recommend the OPI, Zoya, or Julie G textured polishes over these. 

Salon Perfect Neon Collision Collection Swatch: Shocked

Salon Perfect Shocked (3 coats) over 2 coats of Jessica Cosmetics Dazed Dahlia 

Happy Hump Day! This weeks seems to be flying by, which is a good thing. The second Salon Perfect Neon Collision polish I have to show is Shocked which is a hot pink and blue matte glitter. I used Jessica Cosmetics Dazed Dahlia under it, which is a bit more purple, but I think it still turned out well. The glitter was very densely packed, but again, I wanted the glitter to stand out, so I used 3 coats for the photos above. The  formula was a little thick, but I don't think you'd really need to thin it out before using it. Overall, I think these Neon Collision polishes are awesome and you need some in your life. Check them out at your local Walmart store for $3.98. 

Salon Perfect Neon Collision Collection Swatch: Kaboom

Salon Perfect Kaboom (3 coats) over 2 coats China Glaze Flyin' High

Whoa, what a hot and muggy day! I stepped outside for a couple minutes and walked back in sweating up a storm. At least it hasn't rained today *knock on wood* because it's rained every day for the past month it seems. How is it in your neck of the woods?

I have the popular Kaboom from Salon Perfect (only found at Walmart or online, you just can't order these online). I used China Glaze Flyin' High as my base color, and I think it worked out really well. I've seen other swatches with various colors of blue that also work. I used 3 coats of Kaboom because I really wanted that matte glitter look, but you could be sparing with only 2. You might get away without using a base color, but I find it easier to take off if I use one. The formula was a bit thick, so you may want to thin it out a bit before using. I think this polish is awesome and I'm so glad I was able to find it. It retails for $3.98 at Walmart. 

Sally Hansen Fuzzy Coat Swatch: Tweedy

Sally Hansen Tweedy (2 coats) over 2 coats Essie Mint Candy Apple

Quick post tonight because I'm going to watch Silver Lining Playbook with my family. I'm dreading going back to work after my 4 day weekend, how about you?

I thought Tweedy, which is a black and white bar glitter polish in a clear base, would look good over the classic Essie Mint Candy Apple, but I found it hid the white glitter a little too much. Any other suggestions for base colors? The application was fine, and it was pretty dense (it likely didn't need the second coat I used here). 

Sally Hansen Fuzzy Coat Swatch: All Yarned Up

Jessica Cosmetics Soar (2 coats) under Sally Hansen All Yarned Up (2 coats)

Hola! My parents are doing it right and we are barbecuing again (brats and burgers). I'm going to be 5 lbs heavier when they leave! 

I thought a neutral base would really showcase the colors of All Yarned Up from the Sally Hansen Fuzzy Coat collection. It's full of yellow, blue and orange bar glitter and was denser than the other colors I've tried. I love this one and I hope they keep these around (I've already seen the textured polishes released with this collection on clearance). I had no problem with the formula and application, and the bar glitter didn't migrate much. Happy Saturday!