China Glaze 2NITE

Here's the last of my OMGs. 2NITE is a lovely periwinkle blue linear holo. It was almost my favorite, but DV8 barely beat it out!

No complaints about the formula. It was right in between DV8 and L8R G8R, a smooth 3-coater. In the sun:

The rainbow in 2NITE is stronger than in DV8.

Oh, and just for funsies, here's one of the first NOTD shots I ever took, of 2NITE. This is from April 2011:

I didn't know how to shape my nails, or clean up, and I used my craptastic Droid 2 camera for this instead of an actual camera. It's not exactly color-accurate, either. Sometimes when I get down on myself for not having nails and photos like Scrangie or The Polished Perfectionist, it's nice to go back and look at these and remember that I have actually improved in the last 2 or 3 years.

Have you tried 2NITE? Thoughts? Do you ever get weirdly self-hating for random reasons and think "oh my god look at your life, look at your choices, you are literally hating on your nails wth"?

Thanks for looking and commenting, and I hope you're having a great week!

China Glaze DV8

Good morning! Today I've got another OMG for you. I got into nail polish sometime in early 2010, and by that time, the OMGs were already long-gone and highly coveted, and for the most part I didn't care about them, but then I saw DV8 and it instantly became my biggest lemming. I pranced around dusty hunting for a little while in 2011, and acquired some delightful goodies, including this one! It's only half a bottle, but the bewildered salon lady only wanted $2 for it anyway, so I went for it. I'm going to need a backup, because this has to be one of my favorite holos. I have several favorite holos, but this is really great!

As usual, in the shade, not spectacular, but still a pretty blue! A lot of the OMGs look super dull in the shade, but not this one. Oh, and I should note that this had the opposite formula of L8R G8R. It was nearly solid in 1 coat, and it was a nice thickness.

♥♥♥

Layla Ocean Rush looks similar, but it doesn't have that teal lean of DV8. It's definitely more holo though. HITS Hera is another nice one, but the base looks jellyish, if that makes any sense? The finish is different, and it's more green-leaning.

Have you tried DV8? Thoughts?

Thanks for looking and commenting, and have a great week!

China Glaze L8R G8R

China Glaze L8R G8R was released with the Spring 2008 OMG collection. All the OMGs are named after text-speak abbreviations, like LOL and IDK. Coincidentally, this afternoon I'll be saying "L8R G8R" to my internship! I'm really thankful to have been employed (and PAID), but I am ready to go back to class. Well, not Chemistry...I'll never be ready for Chemistry. >___>

Anyway, L8R G8R. It's a light, yellow-toned green linear holo. In the shade:

You can see a faint hint of holo, but it's a fairly boring color in the shade, IMO. In the sun:

Nice and rainbow-y! I have to admit, the base color is not my favorite. And I am not crazy about the formula either. It's a thin and watery 3-4 coater, and definitely the worst of the OMGs I've tried. But it sure does look pretty in the right lighting.

Oh, and make sure you don't use a base coat. You will regret it if you do.

Nfu Oh 66 looks similar, but more holographic, cooler-toned, and more silvery. Layla Jade Groove is the same way. Pupa Holographic Light Green looks pretty similar, but Pupa is a European brand.

Have you tried L8R G8R? Thoughts?

Thanks for looking and commenting, and have a great weekend!

Color Club Harp On It

Color Club Harp On It is part of the first six Halo Hues released in late 2012. It's a flashy silver holo, and I am just smitten. Here it is in the shade:

Look how holo it is, even in the shade! With the holos that were available a couple of years ago, you'd be getting this in bright, direct sunlight. Harp On It, in the sun, is amazing.

Eeeeee. So pretty. I had some trouble with the formula, but I think that was because I used a base coat. Regardless of the patching, it evened out nicely in 2 coats, and it dried fast, so that's good.

I find that with holos, when my camera tries to focus on the rainbow-y particles, it winds up dimming the effect in photos. So if you look at my index finger in that last photo, which is not as focused, that's much closer to what Harp On It looks like in person.

How do you feel about the Color Club Halo Hues? What's your favorite silver holo?

Thanks for looking and commenting, and I hope you're having a great week!

China Glaze When Stars Collide

China Glaze When Stars Collide is from the widely anticipated Hologlam collection which was released this past spring. Unfortunately, they're not as great as most of us had hoped, but they did manage to put out some pretty unique colors! I originally wanted Galactic Grey, Strap On Your Moonboots, and When Stars Collide, but when I realized my beloved nail supply wasn't going to be getting them in (and therefore I'd have to pay full price), I decided I'd only get this one.

Like most linear holos, it is pretty boring in the shade, and looks like your standard plum metallic. In the sun though, it's quite pretty!

It's certainly not as rainbow as the Color Clubs, for example, but the rainbow is smooth and the color is unique.

I can't say I'm too pleased with the formula though. I used 3 coats, and it had a tendency to get lumpy if you go over the same spot more than once. You can see the results of this on my ring fingernail...but this is easier to work with than the OMGs, for sure.

When Stars Collide looks pretty similar to Dance Legend Optical Illusion and Layla Misty Blush, but When Stars Collide is definitely the weakest of the three. Optical Illusion looks a bit warmer, and Misty Blush looks a bit cooler, but all three look quite nice.

Have you tried When Stars Collide, or any of the other Hologlams? What did you think?

Thanks for looking and commenting, and I hope you're having a great week!

A-England Dragon

Aaaaand here is Dragon! Dragon is a fern-y green scattered holographic with the added bonus of some gold shimmer.

Well, the gold shimmer isn't exactly visible in the shade, but it'll come out in the sun.

Dragon was even in one coat, but I found that a second coat added depth.

One thing I should note was that Dragon's formula wasn't quite as good as Saint George. It had a slight tendency to get a little lumpy if you go over the same spot more than once, but a couple drops of thinner would probably fix that.

Yayyy, shimmer! Admittedly, I am not quite as stoked about this one as I was about Saint George, but to be fair, Saint George is pretty hard to beat.

Dragon reminds me a bit of La Femme Unica, but Unica is definitely more olive than Dragon. It's also more holo, and lacks the gold shimmer. Of the two, I'd definitely choose Dragon, personally!

Thanks for looking and commenting, and have a great week!

A-England Saint George

Whoops! Apparently I forgot to finish writing this post before scheduling it...sorry if you've seen it already, haha.

A-England Saint George was released with the Legends collection in early 2012. It was A-England's second collection, and to me, a HUGE improvement from the first! I think they were probably establishing themselves with some more basic colors with the Mythicals, which makes sense, but none of the colors were particularly interesting to me...and then they did this. I remember looking at Legends swatches from Ommorphia and Scrangie and thinking OMFG I NEED SOME OF THESE, except somehow it still took me over a year to cave and buy them. I am so glad I finally did, because these are just beautiful. You'll see Dragon on Monday, but in the meantime, here is my favorite:

As you can see, Saint George is a scattered holographic teal. There's no distinct rainbow to be found, but that prismatic shimmer imparts a TON of depth. I hope you don't mind the mini pic-spam I've got for you today, I'm just really excited (and hella late to the party)!

The great thing about scattered holos is that they don't look nearly as boring in the shade as linear holos do. Of course, they reach their full awesomeness in bright, direct sunlight, but this is still pretty freaking fantastic.

*dies*

Saint George has a thick, super opaque formula. It's almost perfect in 1 coat, but I did need a second. And I would also recommend keeping thinner on hand. I will probably add a couple drops before using it again. It wasn't unmanageable in its original state though, just a bit thick for my liking. Here's another photo...because I can!

Top 20 material for sure. And now I am even more excited about Briarwood! It looks sorta like the scattered holo version of OPI Royal Rajah Ruby, and you KNOW I will be all over that.

Now, as for similar polishes...I think this is pretty unique. L.A. Girl recently released a collection of scattered holos that included a teal, but the finish is very different, more like the Milani holographics in a jelly base. There's also Glitter Gal Lizard Belly, which is not only much greener but a linear holo. Basically, if you like this, I would absolutely recommend it! It's a really special color in my collection, I think.

Thanks for looking and commenting, and enjoy your weekend!!

Color Club Beyond

Color Club Beyond is from the 2013 Halo Hues collection. It is an AWESOME black linear holo. Ever since I saw pictures of the holo My Private Jet, waaaaaay back when, I've been lusting after a black holo, but didn't want to pay those kinds of prices, and skipped out on other black holos for various reasons. I am once again pleased to say that Beyond is exactly what I wanted! It's amazing. Here's a picture in the shade, so you can see the base color:

And here it is in the sun:

Yaaaaay rainbows. It's actually more holographic than that- my camera has a hard time picking up the rainbows, so if you look at the bottle, that's closer to what it's like. I tried snapping a super awkward photo to get the rainbow to show up better:

This is much closer to how it actually looks- especially at the blurry nails. I think the rainbow sort of disappears when my camera focuses on it :| Here's another photo, because...why not.

Yeah, it chips quickly, but it's a holo so no surprise there. It's solid in 2 coats, and I had no trouble with application.

Luckily, there are lots of options for us black holo lovers now. HITS Zeus looks pretty close, but slightly less holo, Ozotic Pro 526 looks blacker but less holo, and Layla Flash Black is a lot more holo but more of a dark grey, but these are all pretty cool.

Have you tried Beyond, or any other black holos? What do you think?

Thanks for looking and commenting, and have a great week!

Zoya Blaze

Hah, after a month straight of an indie, it almost feels a little odd to post a commercial polish! But this one is an absolute stunner. Zoya Blaze is from the Ornate collection, Zoya's offering for this past holiday season. The Ornate collection had the distinction of containing Zoya's first holos: Storm, Aurora, and Blaze. Predictably enough, I'm not crazy about the purple, but I was surprised to find that not only did  I not care for the black, I fell for the red/pink/berry/whatever you want to call it!

Prior to this, I had been having some trouble with my manis. Lots of disappointment. Unlike Eclectic, Valerie, and Kelly, Blaze was just delightful to work with. Smooth formula, with a good drying time. I found that Blaze was even in 2 coats, but a third added depth. Here it is in the sun:

I did apply top coat before taking these pictures, but I want to point out that it was quite shiny alone! You could forego the topcoat if you were so inclined. It's weird and unexpected how much I like this color. When I wore it, I even did my pedicure to match. That almost never happens.

Oh, and for the record, the holographic bits are a lot more rainbow-y in person. More camera problems...

So, my 3 year-old niece has picked up on my ever-changing nail color, and always grabs my hands to inspect them when she sees me. She seemed to really like this one, because when she looked at it she grinned at me and said, "Naz! Pretty color!!"

I can't think of any dupes for this. I know Picture Polish recently released Shocked, but that is a lighter and brighter pink. There's Ozotic Pro 621, which is definitely red with slightly orange-y undertones, Picture Polish Monroe, which is a vampy red. Not to mention, 621 and Monroe both have different kinds of scattered holo finishes! They are all pretty colors in their own right, but I'd still choose Blaze over them.

Have you tried Blaze, or any of the other Zoya Ornate colors? Thoughts?

Color Club Cherubic

Color Club Cherubic is from the first Halo Hues collection that was released late last year. That collection consisted of your standard pastel holographics, so I wasn't that excited, but I've been holding out on buying linear holos for a couple years in the hopes that cheaper, flashier ones with better formulas would be released. No Nfu Ohs (that bottle, BLEGH), no Laylas (bad formula, too expensive), no HITS (not a fan of that finish, bottle shape, or price). So basically, the Color Clubs are exactly what I was waiting for. Was I disappointed? HECK NO.

Cherubic is supposed to be a tan/nude holo, but I think I'm too warm-toned for that to work, so it's more like beige. 2 coats, no top coat, in the shade.

You can still see a weak rainbow, even in the shade! My OMGs, in this lighting condition, displayed no rainbow whatsoever. Here's a better look at the base color:

See what I mean? Not a nude for me, but still a very nice color. Now, let's look at it in the sun.

BAM. RAINBOWS. Awesome. Love. I used base coat, but no top coat. Application was perfect, and it was solid in 2 coats. I also love how quickly it dries! I slapped on a coat of Essie Fill the Gap and 2 coats of Cherubic, and my manicure was solid in 5-7 minutes. I also bought Harp On It and Beyond, and while I haven't photographed those yet, I have worn them and I gotta tell you, they are just as awesome. Yes, they do chip quickly, within 1-2 days for me, but holos are pretty notorious for their bad wear, so I don't think it's a big deal.

Since these Color Clubs were based off of Nfu Oh holos, it probably isn't surprising that Cherubic is similar to Nfu Oh 62, and by extension, Make Up Store Madeleine. Layla Coral Glam is also a nude, depending on your skintone, but it is a lot more peachy.

Have you tried any of these holos? What do you think?

Thanks for looking and commenting, and have a great week!

Green Spam for St. Patrick's Day!

China Glaze L8R G8R - 3 coats, no base coat

Chanel Peridot - 3 coats, no top coat

China Glaze Glittering Garland

Color Club Snakeskin - 2 coats, no top coat

Don't Mess With OPI - 2 coats, no top coat

Illamasqua Rampage - 3 coats, no top coat

Illamasqua Rampage + Pure Ice Heartbreaker, 1 coat

Illamasqua Rampage + Pure Ice Heartbreaker + Nails Inc. the Wyndham, 1 coat

Illamasqua Rampage + Pure Ice Heartbreaker + Nails Inc. the Wyndham + Essie Matte About You

Hard Candy Envy, 2 coats, no top coat

Green Holo Franken, 2 coats, no top coat

Green Franken, 4 coats

Sinful Colors Mint Apple, 3 coats, no top coat

Ulta Tip the Scales, 3 coats, no top coat

Essie Pretty Edgy, 3 coats, no top coat

Thanks for looking, and I hope you had a great St. Patrick's Day!