Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Miss Wanderlust and Miracle Gel Top Coat Reformulation

Oh, hey there! It has been a while! I actually have a post today - with nail polish! I do apologize for the abrupt absence, but I felt the need to step back and focus on other things for a while. I have been working on my novel quite a bit and have hit the half way point to my word count goal! It's very exciting! I have also been doing the mom thing all summer long, full of play dates and park trips and a few excursions to a nice cool watering hole when the Texas heat just gets too much for us. 

I'm not saying that I am back full force yet, but I am saying that I'm not gone for good either. In fact, I actually have some nail art on my digits and i am pretty stoked, you guys! But today's post is the standard swatch/review. Baby steps, right?!

Please Note: Products shown were provided by the company/creator for review purposes.

 

Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Miss Wanderlust

LOOK Proud Memorial Day Nail Art

Hey all, happy Memorial Day weekend to all my US friends! Today's post is a bit different than the NOTD/nail art posts I normally publish. A couple of weeks back, I posted a swatch review of a new drugstore brand called LOOK Nail Color (read the original post here) and had a very unpleasant experience with the brand. After my review, LOOK contacted me stating they had inadvertently sent me "hand poured" samples which they use for promotional photos and that they would be sending me "production quality" samples as well with no expectation of an additional review.

I did do a comparison swatch between the two set and attempted the original nail art design I was planning for the first post with the new samples and in all honesty, these are much, much better. If I had gotten the "production quality" samples, my review would have been very different! The formulas on all three are so much easier to work with and apply a lot better. I am a bit annoyed by the "hand poured" discrepancy but I am impressed that LOOK took the time to reach out to me and correct their mistake.

So! Now that I got all that out of the way, I can show you my original design that I had planned the first time around!

Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Polish System Grey Matters

Hi friends! Hope you all had a great weekend! The weather was gorgeous after a super rainy and cold week, so we took advantage and had a great time at the dog park. Well until we ended up covered in mud! But that's usually what happens when your small person goes after a rogue tennis ball and slips into a puddle, lol!

So if you follow me on FB (you totally should, btw) you may have seen a few pics from a five day wear test that I did with the new Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Polish System. Let me preface by saying five whole days wearing the same color is sooooo hard! I maybe go two days with the same color. But I sacrificed myself all in the name of beauty blogging!

Please Note: Products shown were provided by the company/creator for review purposes.

Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Two Step Polish System

Maybelline Bleached Neons Summer 2014 LE

Oh hai friends! Many apologies for the sporadic posting as of late! I just don't know what it is about my schedule sometimes. I can go a whole month without anything crazy going on, and then the universe seems to decide to dump everything on me at once! April (running into May) has consisted of school stuff non stop, parties, brunch dates with fellow nail gals, more parties, camping trips, wedding receptions, birthdays. Oi. I don't see a free weekend in sight! I'm hoping to keep posting at least once a week, but don't get too worried if I go radio silent for a little while.

But, I do have a fun summer collection to share today! And I wanted to get these out a.s.a.p. since they are LE (limited edition) so you guys will have a chance to grab them if you like the swatches!

Please Note: Products shown were purchased by me for my personal use.

Maybelline Color Show Pink Punch (Bleached Neons Summer 2014 LE)

Pink Punch is a vivid bubble gum pink neon. The color has a slightly faded, or washed out look going with the "bleached" theme.  This is three coats on its own without a white base. The formula was pretty standard for a neon, streaky and thick. I did experience some cuticle drag in between the first and second coat. Allowing a bit more dry time between the second and third remedied the issue. Top coated with HK Girl by Glisten & Glow for a shiny finish.

Maybelline Color Show Coral Heat (Bleached Neons Summer 2014 LE)

Coral Heat is a red leaning coral neon. It looks kinda dupey for ChG Flip Flop Fantasy, but I don't have it to compare. This is three coats on its own without a white base. The formula was thicker and more difficult to work with, but not a complete loss. Thicker coats, with plenty of dry time in between make application possible. But it is still a pain! Top coated with HK Girl by Glisten & Glow for a shiny finish.

Maybelline Color Show Ultra Violet (Bleached Neons Summer 2014 LE)

Ultra Violet is a vibrant orchid purple neon. Out of all of them, this is the most neon, and captures that "bleached" look the most. This is two coats on it's own, without a white base. The formula was much more workable with a relatively easier application. Top coated with HK Girl by Glisten & Glow for a shiny finish.

Maybelline Color Show Citrus Collide (Bleached Neons Summer 2014 LE)

Citrus Collide is a pastel yellow neon. It has both the pastel and neon quality, without the chalkiness you would expect of a yellow this light. This is two coats on it's own, without a white base. As problematic as some of these are, I expected Citrus Collide to be the worst, but it actually isn't that bad. The formula is thick, but not horribly so (Pink Punch, Coral Heat and Bleached In Peach were all noticeably thicker). After a streaky first coat, a thicker second coat made it opaque. It did have some leveling issues, but top coating it smoothed everything out. I did notice that using a top coat changed the color slightly, bringing out the neon more. Top coated with HK Girl by Glisten & Glow for a shiny finish.

Maybelline Color Show Lime Accent (Bleached Neons Summer 2014 LE)

Lime Accent is a lime green neon.  It again, balances that pastel, yet neon so well. This is three coats on it's own, without a white base. Surprisingly, the formula was very thin and watery. But I was able to get full opacity with three coats, so all in all, not so bad. Top coated with HK Girl by Glisten & Glow for a shiny finish.

Maybelline Color Show Bleached In Peach (Bleached Neons Summer 2014 LE)

Bleached In Peach is a yellow toned peach neon. I am swooning for peach shaded this year, and so wanted to love this one. This is three coats on it's own, without a white base. The formula was in between Pink Punch and Coral Heat in terms of thickness and work-ability. I am hoping that a generous dose of thinner will help it some, because I can't let it go! Top coated with HK Girl by Glisten & Glow for a shiny finish.

Maybelline Color Show Dayglow Teal (Bleached Neons Summer 2014 LE)

Dayglow Turquoise is a bright blue neon. While this doesn't quite have the faded/bleached look as the previous colors, it is still bright enough to be a nice option. This is two coats on it's own, without a white base. It also boasts the best formula out of the bunch, almost a one coater. But I felt that a second coat would give it more life. Top coated with HK Girl by Glisten & Glow for a shiny finish.

I love the concept of this collection. I am all over the bright/neon pastels. And I think these capture the Bleached Neon look quite well. While about half of these are problematic, they are not without hope. In some cases, polish thinner might be a viable option. My favorite, based on color and formula is Ultra Violet, but I have my fingers crossed for Bleached In Peach!

Please Note: Products shown were purchased by me for my personal use. All opinions are my own. For more info, please read my disclaimer.

Maybelline Color Show Bleached Neons are available for a limited time. Products are available at many drugstore locations, including Walgreens. Prices vary by location.

Revlon Chroma Chameleon Amethyst

Hello lovelies! Short and sweet post today, no need for a lot of chatter when there's a pretty duo chrome to swoon over!

 

Revlon recently released a Limited Edition line of Duo Chrome polishes called Chroma Chameleon; great name, not so great (as in waaaay over done) collection. Every single polish has been done before, and within the last year even. Most are dupes of the China Glaze New Bohemian Luster Chromes, and of course there's even a Peridot version. Amethyst is the only one that I haven't seen a bajillion replicas, so naturally that is the one I grabbed! Pretty sure it's a dupe of Zoya Ki, however.

 

Please Note: All products in this post were purchased by me for my own personal use.

 

 

 

Revlon Chroma Chameleon - Amethyst

 

Amethyst is a smokey purple/steel grey/green multi chrome. The color shift is really strong, but only in daylight. The formula was good, a lot more manageable than the Sally Hansen Lustre Shines, comparable to the China Glaze ones. A bit thin on the first coat, solid in 2 if you are careful. I ended up using 3 because I had a few patchy spots. Quick dry time, no application issues.

 

 

Shade

 

After all the duo chrome collections from last year, I am kinda burnt out, especially since there hasn't been anything new or exciting in any of them. For me, this is just a rehash and a big ol' let down. Out of eight polishes, this is the only one I liked, and for a hoarder like me, that usually doesn't happen.

 

These are limited edition, so if you missed out on any of other duo chrome collections, and you want to grab some, get them while you can. They retail for about $9 a piece and are available in many drugstore locations.

 

Products shown were purchased by me for my own personal use. All opinions are my own.

Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure Black & Blue

Hey all! Here's my 101st post! I'm still really excited to have made it to that first big milestone. Don't forget to check out the give away going on for my 100th post special ; )

 

Today, I have another one of the new reformulated Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure polishes that have recently been released. This one is a duo chrome!

 

Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure - Black & Blue

 

Black & Blue is a blue/purple duo chrome in a blackened base. It is a beautiful polish, but the duo chrome color shift is really weak. So weak, I couldn't even pick it up with my camera. You get a nice purple flash in very low lighting, but that's about it. The purple glow around the edges is pretty much all you see otherwise. Formula was okay, nothing fantastic, though. 3 coats, as it applies a bit sheer. I also used a top coat because it dried rather dull. Average dry time, as well.

 

I feel a bit underwhelmed by it, overall. Sally Hansen can do a killer duo chrome when they want to, and I was expecting a little more from this color. But not everything can be amazing!

What do you all think? Is it worth it despite the disappointing color shift?

Fashion Friday #2

Hey guys! Sorry today's post is later than normal. I fell and bruised up my knee a couple of days ago, and have since been reduced to keeping it iced, and motionless. So I am running behind on quite a few things!

 

Inspiration Look

 

Used:

Maybelline Color Show - Green with Envy

Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear - Sun Kissed

Zoya - Ziv

 

This mani is inspired by one of my fav local designers. Melissa from Katastrophic Designs has an aesthetic similar to my own. She uses non traditional color combinations in interesting ways. She is super talented and a really cool chic! She also makes the cutest Teddy Bear aviator hats ever! The mani is simple enough to create, using tape or nail stickers for the angled tip and a gold accent nail to complete the look!

 

 

 

Inspiration Look

 

Used:

Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear - Black Out

DIFFERENTdimension - Ditz

 

A simple Valentine's look using a dotting tool to make little hearts. I kinda wish I had done this yesterday for my V-day mani!

 

More nail art & fashion inspiration next week!

New Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure - Shoot The Moon

Hello everyone! It feels so nice to be blogging on a regular basis again! I really do love my little space of the giant interwebs & all the pretty polish I can share.

Today I have a new color from the newly reformulated Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure nail polish line. If you aren't familiar (and you can read all about it here from Nouveau Cheap) with the re-release, it has a lot of the old favorites, along with new and previously limited edition colors added to the mix. I have yet to find a full display, but I came across a small sample display at my local Walgreens, and picked up this lovely polish.

 

Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure - Shoot the Moon

 

Shoot the Moon is a pewter colored foil and it's super pretty. Even though it is primarily silver, it does have sparse flecks of green, gold a copper twinkling in the mix. In some lighting, it has a very distinct greyed out silver tone, others it almost looks gold. Formulas was very nice and smooth, no dragging, streaking or the like. I did use a top coat, because it dried too dull for my taste, foils need to be shiny! 2 coats will get a nice coverage. Good dry time as well.

 

 

I never really paid too much attention to the old line, nothing stood out or grabbed my attention (except the LE golden lily that I missed! ::sobs::), but I am glad I picked this one up and will be on the look out for some of the new shades!

Sally Hansen Lustre Shine: Scarab

Happy Saturday! Today, I have another color from the Sally Hansen Lustre Shine collection - Scarab.

 

Sally Hansen Lustre Shine - Scarab

 

Scarab is a gorgeous, shiny teal duo chrome that shifts to blue (think China Glaze Deviant Darling). The color flash isn't as dramatic as Firefly, but it is still very pretty to look at.

 

Formula is the same as the others, thick, longer dry time, 2 coats for full coverage. It did seem a bit thicker than the rest, and I also had a bit of bubbling, but I wasn't really patient with my coats.

Still love it, despite the flaws, but I'm not as blown away by this one as the other three I've purchased. I'm still debating on whether or not to pick up Plume since it is a Peridot dupe (& I already have OPI Just Spotted the Lizard, another dupe), but all the swatches show it to have a bit stronger golden base. I don't know, guess we will have to wait & see! I also have yet to find the two mysterious colors rumored to be part of this collection - Azure, a dark shimmery blue, and the unnamed purple that was seen in promo pics. I will keep an eye out though!

Sally Hansen Lustre Shine: Lava and Copperhead (Pic Heavy)

A few weeks ago, I saw a post floating around twitter, about a new Sally Hansen collection of duo chrome polish called "Lustre Shine" and searched for swatches, bottle shots and any info available. I fondly remember Sally Hansen's Prism collection (even tho I no longer have any of the bottles! ::sob::) and had insanely high hopes for this one. Apparently, each polish has silver infused in the formula, which adds to the luminescence. I literally stalked every beauty department I came across looking for the new line, and finally found them today!

 

Sally Hansen Lustre Shine - Lava

 

Lava is a gorgeous pink/red/orange/gold duo chrome glass fleck foil. It looks very similar to MAC Bad Fairy, but I don't have MAC to do a comparison. 2 coats for full sparkly coverage. Formula was okay, I did have a bit of drag while swatching and if I went too fast over a previous stroke, I would lose some glitter. The trick is load up the brush and go slowly! It was a bit slow on the dry time, as well. 

 

 

Daylight

 

It has an incredible sparkle in full sun. That lense flare, in the last pic, was not added in photoshop. Almost too much shine for my little camera to handle!

 

 

 Sally Hansen Lustre Shine - Copperhead

 

Copperhead is a coppery reddish brown/purple duo chrome. Now this is a great fall color! Unique for a duo chrome too. I don't think I have seen a color shift like that! The purple flash is a bit toned down, but it is there, especially outside. The silver particles really stand out in this one, creating such a pretty twinkle! 2 coats again for this one as well, which is good for a pricier polish. Formula was okay, not the greatest. It has a tendency to show brush strokes if you're not careful with application. Dry time was slooooowwwww. Even with a top coat of Seche Vite, I still managed to wrinkle my pinky nail a few minutes afterwards.



 

Daylight

 

 

They are a bit on the pricey side for drug store polish, $8.49 at the Walgreens where I got mine. Overall the collection has eight shades, and I have seen six of them. There are at least two more on my list (of the six I have seen), Firefly and Scarab. But those will have to wait until my bank account is less empty. Lava is really special, and I think everyone needs to grab that one. Copperhead too, if you like unique looking polishes!

Have you seen any of these? Which ones are on your wish list?

Nail of the Day: Heart of Glass

After getting all the new Zoya polishes, I decided to play around with some different layering glitters and came up with this really pretty glitter gradient.

 

Sally Hansen Diamond Strength - Glass Slipper over Zoya - Dannii

I really love Glass Slipper. It's deceptively interesting. At first glance, it looks just like a simple silver fleck, but it has iridescent micro glitter and the silver fleck has an opalescent sheen to it. To me, it really looks like tiny shards of glass. Especially on this mani. I love the irregular, jagged look!

Spoiled by Wet n Wild Swatches

Good morning, everyone! I have several swatches of Wet n Wild's Spoiled line of polish, sold exclusively at CVS. This is a "new to me" line. I used to work for a competitor of CVS (shhhh, don't tell!) before I had my daughter & out of habit, never shop there. After doing a bit of blog lurking, I found a swatch of  a lovely rosy pink foil & did a bit of spontaneous polish purchasing!

 

 

 

Spoiled - Shrimp on the Barbie

 

Shrimp on the Barbie is a warm rose pink base with gold flecks. This is my kind of polish, and the one that caused me to splurge! It's everything I look for, color-wise & finish. I'm a huge sucker for glass fleck/foil polish.



 

 

Bottle shot

 

Good coverage for a $2 drugstore polish. 3 coats for smooth, sparkly color. Average dry time. It does need a good top coat, the foil dulls a bit after it dries.

 

 

Shiny shot ....dies....

 

It looks so lovely, both in and out of the bottle. Definitely worth the splurge.

 

 



 

Spoiled - Toad-ally Amazing

 

This one is a very familiar minty green, slightly turquoise cream that has been so popular since China Glaze For Audrey. The main difference is this one has a very soft, subtle silvery shimmer. Oh it won me over with this little extra!

 Bottle Shot of shimmer

 

This one was a tiny bit on the thick side, & it dragged if I went too quickly with the next coat. 2 coats for full coverage, but I did a third to even it all out.

 

 

Spoiled - I'm So Jaded

 

So this isn't exactly Jade, it's a bright lime neon. I was really surprised how bright it is. Also, unlike traditional neons, it dries to a satin finish instead of matte. Either way, I actually liked this one a lot! It was a bit sheer on the first coat, but quickly built up and was opaque after 3 coats.

 

 

 

Spoiled - Paying with Platinum

 

I am in love with this one, definitely a "ooooh" moment when I put it on. I knew it was a duo-chrome when I ordered it, but golly, it's amazing. I really wasn't expecting this much color shift from a cheapo drugstore brand. A bit similar to Zoya Adina, but I'm pretty sure the silver/purple/green color shift is brighter & more pronounced in this one. It was really hard to capture all the different flashes of color, but check out the bottle! Blue/green/silver/purple all in one polish! And yes, it all translates on the nail!

 

 

 

Silver/green shift

 

Formula wise, it was a bit tricky. The first coat was super sheer, so I did a thicker coat, the second time around & it took for ever to dry. 4 coats total.

 

 

 Low light

Once I figured out how to apply it, I knew it would be one of my favorites from the set. Love a good duo chrome.

 

 

 

Spoiled - Deeper Diver

The white balance on my camera ate the pretty teal of this color & turned it to an inky blue. The actual polish is a blackened teal jelly base with gold fleck & bright teal micro glitter. Despite it being so dark (I'm not a fan of dark polishes), I found this one to be really pretty, especially the contrast of gold flecks.

 

Bottle Shot

 

Out of all the polishes, I got, this one had the worst formula. The jelly base was really sheer, 4 coats for full coverage. Not to mention, something about the fleck glitter caused horrible streaking and clumping, and it dulled almost completely when it dried. No where near as nice as Shrimp on the Barbie. It also stained really bad. My hands and nails were covered with blue splotches after I took it off.

 

Close up

 

Despite the horrible formula, I still swoon over this one. I'm not one to give up a polish if it's pretty, regardless of it's flaws.

 

 

 

Spoiled - Trust Fund Baby over Visibly Slimming

 

Trust Fund Baby is a clear polish loaded with medium gold, blue and black hex glitter and pink square glitter. I layered it over Visibly Slimming with is just a basic black cream. A good choice if you need a black polish in your stash.

 

 

One coat

 

I got this glitter simply because I don't have too many clear glitters in my stash. It's nothing super special, but pretty none the less. Good for layering or nail art. I actually want to do a glitter gradient over a grey base, with this, sometime.

 

Two coats

 Three coats

 

My only issue with this polish is the glitter application. I really had to go slow and work at the placement, otherwise, I took off glitter after each swipe.

 

 

One of the biggest issues with every polish was the awful brush. It was uneven and fluffy, which can cause application problems if you aren't patient. I've seen some brush pics on other blogs with stray bristles, lucky, none of mine had that problem.  Overall, for a cheap drugstore brand, this line is a good choice if you are in need of a quick polish fix. I'm pretty sure I will be getting more in the future.

 

Spoiled by Wet n Wild is sold exclusively at CVS & CVS online.