A couple Sally Hansen Xtreme Wears

I managed to get 6 of these for 50 cents each last week (incl Concrete shown in my last post). Here are Blue Icing and Golden Child.



Blue Icing is a frosty/pearly ice blue with holographic bar and regular glitter.





Something about this just doesn't work. I feel like the glitter should have been a separate top coat or something because after the 2nd coat dries, it looks like the glitter under from the first coat is a bumpy, festering mess. :( The color itself is actually really nice for a frosty sort of finish. There is a bare minimum of brush strokiness which is the major fault of a frost polish. Oh, this is actually 3 coats. I was hoping that maybe a 3rd thick coat AFTER the first 2 dried completely would hide the weird bumpiness, but it didn't. This bumpiness isn't like an ordinary glitter polish where top coat fixes the issue. It just really shows as a mar under the opaque finish of the polish. What the hell, it was only fitty cent.


Golden Child is exactly the same kind of polish, just gold instead of blue.





This is 2 coats (I used this one the other day, and decided to try the 3rd coat to see if it would solve the bumpy look problem with the blue). I think the visible nail line has to do with the lighting because I didn't notice it outside of these pics. I'm pretty bummed about this one because it's like the perfect freaking gold for my skin tone, but I won't end up wearing it because it's so damn bumpy and ucky looking. Blah.

Hangin' with my gnomies and Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Concrete

I made this little guy last night (pattern from the Doodle Stitch Along). I haven't embroidered since middle school, lol, so forgive me for looking a novice.




I pretty much love him. I can't wait to see next week's pattern!


My current mani is Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear in Concrete. These pics are 1 coat over Nailtek II Foundation with 1 coat Seche Vite on top.







Concrete is a warm mauvey taupe creme. This mani really should have been 2 coats, but I was short on time, so 1 coat sufficed. To be completely honest, I didn't buy this polish because I liked it. I bought it because it was 50 cents after sale and coupon, lol! I'm glad I didn't pass it by though because it turns out I quite like it! I'm not crazy about the SH brush or formula, so I tend to pass by this brand a lot. Don't get me wrong, I REALLY like a wide brush, HOWEVER, the stem is also very wide, which leads to problems when swiping the brush against the bottle neck to remove excess polish. What ends up happening is that the stem doesn't make much contact with the bottle neck since it is too wide compared to the curve of the bottle opening, so as you are applying to the nail, excess polish is running down the stem of the brush. It's a real pain in the ass, lol. The formula is a little runny too, so pooling is an issue. This is also pretty slow to dry, even with a fast dry top coat. Overall, I guess it's worth the $3 retail price point (even though you can get better for less) because of the unique color. These are often discounted at drugstores though, so I can't imagine ever paying more than a buck fifty for one ... pair with a coupon, and at 50 cents, it was worth every penny! :-)

I've lost yet ANOTHER glass file, China Glaze Lemon Fizz, SH Insta-Dri opinions and Guess What I Found?!?!

And I can't justify spending the money on another. I SWEAR it was either in my purse, work tote, or on the coffee table. WHERE could it have gone?!? This is the 3rd one I've lost too. They may be better for my nails, but they are pricey to replace. Now where did I put my emery files???


Onto a not so recent NOTD, China Glaze Lemon Fizz!! I have no idea how long ago I took these pictures. Probably late February because I know it was before I went to Chicago/Indy in March ... Aaaannnyway ... These pictures also represent the first time I used Sally Hansen Insta-Dri quick dry top coat, which I'm not all too happy with, but more on that later.






I simply LOVE Lemon Fizz from China Glaze's Up Up & Away collection! The color is a super creamy and rich pale yellow that reminds me of lemon icebox pie and Georgia in the summertime (I live in NJ now, but grew up outside of Atlanta, Ga ... I tend to reminisce). If I recall correctly, this was 2 coats with a base and a top. It *may* have been 3, but I rarely have patience for more than 2 coats, and it dried super thin, so I don't think it was. I was satisfied with the coverage, which was a pleasant surprise considering yellows tend to be quite difficult to work with. Dry time was excellent with the SH Insta-Dri, but ...








WTF is THIS SHIT?!?! I'm sure you noticed it in the first set of pics, the weird bumpiness, but the close ups are horrific! I always paint at night and then take pics the next day (or several days later), and this time was no exception. I was SO upset when I woke up to this crap. There was cracking on every single one of my nails, and they only got worse as the day went by. I was afraid it was the polish, but after consulting with the MUA nail board, apparently SHID is known for cracking on some people. It's a body chem thing I guess. I have since found that if I use SHID with dark colors, I'm ok because you can't see the cracks, but it straight up ruins light colored manis. Bummer caz it dries polish super duper fast!



And last but not least ... GUESS WHAT I FOUND (at Dollar Tree)???


Maybelline Boot Cut! Awwwww yeaaaaahhhh!! I'll post pics tomorrow. :)



So there you have it.



The end ...

Old NOTD: Sally Hansen Peach Daquiri

Yet another saved draft I remembered I had, WOOT!

I found SH Peach Daquiri in a twin pack thingy at Dollar Tree. When I started applying, I didn't realize that it was going to be totally sheer, so I'm kind of embarrassed of my super stained nails in these pics. I'll have to try this color again now that I am stain free because it's SO freaking pretty. Just super sheer. It's actually a really clean peach color ... my stains are what lend the yellowy look. I think this was 4 or 5 coats pictured. I love the glass fleck shimmer and how NON STREAKY it is for a sheer. That's nearly impossible to come by. I don't actually mind sheers and VNL as long as there are no streaks.

Overall, this is a big fat WIN for 50 cents! I also got Peach Daquiri's pink sister that day, I think it's either called Strawberry Daquiri or Margarita. I'll have to dig that one out to wear soon.

Sally Hansen Hollywood Scarlet

Hollywood Scarlet is part of the old Sally Hansen Salon line. I picked it up on the cheap at Walgreens when they were clearancing everything out. I love it when a cheapy turns out so nice! Just look at these ...










Preeeetty, no? I would call this a rich wine shade. Yum. The formula on these is EXCELLENT. Nice and thin, yet not runny. Super easy to control. I believe I did 3 coats here, but it may have been only 2. I can't remember. I wore this nearly 2 weeks ago. My one complaint about it is that it chipped within a day. :( I hadn't done anything spectacular either ... just put some clothes on and went for a drive. Oh well.

Swatch-O-Mania Part 1

Man, I took a picture of all my unswatched polishes yesterday, and was FREAKED OUT. I looked like this:





Soooo ... I took THREE HOURS today, and swatched TWENTY FOUR polishes!


Here's the list:

Claire's Green Matte
Maybelline Berry Persistent
Claire's Ocean Breeze
Cover Girl Luxe Lilac
Sally Hansen Salon Shrimply Divine
Spa Ritual Free Spirit
Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Crushed
Sally Hansen Salon Mangoes Loco
Color Club Lazer Pink
Color Club Amp'd Up
Color Club Power Play
Color Club Limelight
Avon Mirror Shine Peach Ice
Avon Mirror Shine Blaze
Avon Mirror Shine Polish
Avon Mirror Shine Glisten
Blush no name lime
Blush no name dark purple
Blush no name orange
Blush no name blue
Blush no name magenta/purple
Blush no name snot yellow
Blush no name red
Cover Girl Candy Corn

Claire's Green Matte







This is NICE. ONE COAT is all you see here. Green Matte will probably be a go to for me if I'm in a hurry. Easy application, smooth, not too thick, wasn't drying on me too fast. No complaints whatsoever.


Maybelline Berry Persistent






OK, this was photographing a couple shades lighter and a little on the orange side ... It's definitely a darker burgundy leaning red. This belonged to my mother-in-law I believe, as it's not a shade that I would *ever* buy. It's been chilling in the bathroom forever though (MIL lives with us), so I scooped it up, lol. Anyway, I was surprised to find out that I actually really like this color!! I didn't have any trouble with application ... it started to dry right away, and it could be a one coater as well! 2 fingers in these pics have 2 coats and 2 only have 1 coat. Can you tell which ones???


Claire's Ocean Breeze






What a mess. I don't like it. First off, none of the other colors come through! It's just that top layer of blue. Second, well, as far as application is concerned, I think the pictures speak for themselves. Uck. And WHAT the hell do you do when it starts separating?!? Look how nasty it looks in the bottle there. I'm over it. Layered polishes = FAIL.


Cover Girl Luxe Lilac









Preeeeeetty ... I really like this one despite being apprehensive about it. It was super easy to apply, nice thin formula, opaque in 2 coats. I have no complaints whatsoever. I really like that it has an almost jelly appearance. The color of Luxe Lilac is similar to Zoya Zara (no where NEAR dupes though), so might be a nice alternative if you can't get Zoya.


Sally Hansen Shrimply Divine











OK, here's another one that wouldn't photograph well. It's not this light. Much much brighter and a little darker, actually. Another polish that went on like a dream, perfect in 2 coats. These are on clearance all over the place right now. I plan on scooping up every color I can find. Very very nice.


Spa Ritual Free Spirit







It looks so pretty, right? Too bad it was a huge pain to apply. This polish is supposed to be a sheer, but the first coat goes on SO streaky, it'd be impossible to actually wear as a sheer. Pictured is 3 coats, and it could have used one more to be completely even/opaque. I wore this once before, and it held up REALLY well. I don't think it's worth the premium price tag though. I picked this up at Marshall's for $3 on clearance though, so I'm happy. I'd pick this brand up again on sale like that, but won't be paying full price.


Sally Hansen Crushed








Look how dry my fingers are getting in these pics, LOL! Since I was swatching like a maniac, I didn't moisturize in between polish removal, so from here on out, you'll see scaly skin, lol.

Here's another color I was pleasantly surprised with. A medium reddish orange shimmer, the pic is a little lighter and redder than the true shade. Nice formula, easy to apply, opaque in 2 coats. I have had trouble with dry time with this brand in the past though, and I didn't actually wear it long enough for it to dry ...


Sally Hansen Salon Mangoes Loco







I'm pretty sure this is another one that photographed much lighter than it looks in reality. This is 2 coats, and there's still a little VNL. When I wear this as a NOTD, I will add a third coat. I have no formula complaints at all. Nice and thin, easy to control, etc, etc.



OK, I'm going to finish up with the Color Club Neons I picked up at Five Below last week. I don't know WHY I'm even bothering to post these because they came out TERRIBLE in the pics. Colors aren't even CLOSE to what they really look like. Oh well. I painted the nails, and took the pics, so you're gonna look at them!


Color Club Lazer Pink








This is SO much brighter IRL. It's a cool, shocking pink. I can't remember if this is 2 or 3 coats. I had minor application issues, but nothing upsetting. Poshnail has a slightly better representation of this color (and Power Play).


Color Club Power Play







I. LOVE. THIS. COLOR. Like I said, the pics are WAY off. It's darker, brighter, awesomer ... Great application. Love it. Check out the Poshnail link above, her pics are way better.


Color Club Amp'd Up




Yet again, came out way too light in the pics. Amp'd up is an awesome, BRIGHT reddish orange. Here's a better pic: NAILGAL


Color Club Limelight








Do I need to say it? Yeah, color not accurate. It's SO bright IRL. Hawt. Here's a good pic at Nailgal. (and OMG, fingers so dry and scaly!!)


Hope you enjoyed! It'll prob take me another day or 2 to get the rest up ... stay tuned!