When I stopped in at Sally last week and picked up four of the Nina summer neons, it wasn't until I was swatching them on my nail wheels that I noticed they were very, very similar to the Electro Candy collection. Since I took off China Glaze Sun Worshipper last night (which, BTW, wore extremely well - no chipping or tip wear), I decided to swatch them and compare them today. All of these swatches are three coats of color, not including white basecoat where noted.
First up, Nina In The Spotlight and Color Club Volt of Light. In the Spotlight does not have the blue shimmer Volt of Light does. It has a pale gold shimmer instead. Here it is inside, under halogen light. I've used a base coat of Sally Hansen Insta-Dri in Whirlwind White on my index and middle fingers.
Both of these would really require a white basecoat unless you're into VNL, which I am not. I have In the Spotlight on my index and ring finger, and Volt of Light on my middle finger and pinky. Here they are beside a window on a sunny day.
In the Spotlight definitely leans a lot more towards the lemon yellow than Volt of Light does. In the bottle they are almost identical aside from the shimmer. Both of these would require topcoat to make them glossy. Here they are in the sun.
Unless you collect neon yellows, you probably don't need both of these in your collection. Next up is Nina Say Cheese and Color Club Tangerine Scream. These aren't really that close, but Tangerine Scream is the closest CC I have to Say Cheese. Here they are inside, under halogen light:
White basecoat on my index and middle fingers. Index finger and ring finger are Nina Say Cheese, middle finger and pinky are Tangerine Scream. Both of these have the Electro Candy blue/green shimmer to them. I would classify Say Cheese as more of a hot coral, and Tangerine Scream is definitely orange. Here they are inside, next to a window on a sunny day.
Coverage was pretty good for this set. It would probably require four coats to eliminate VNL, but it's nowhere near as sheer as the yellows. Here they are outside.
These are different enough that you can justify having both in your collection. Next up are the pinks - Nina Bubble Gums (gross name, ew) and Color Club Electro Candy. Bubble Gums does not have the blue shimmer. Its shimmer is a hot pink. These are similar in the bottle, but Bubble Gums leans a little warmer. Here they are inside, under halogen light:
White basecoat on my index and middle fingers. Index and ring fingers are Nina Bubble Gums, middle finger and pinky are Color Club Electro Candy. Inside, next to a window on a sunny day:
Bubble Gums is definitely more of a hot pink, and Electro Candy is a Barbie pink. Here they are outside.
Without a white basecoat you will have a little bit of VNL, but a fourth coat probably eliminates it altogether. As with the previous two, these are probably different enough to justify having both.
I've saved my favorite for last. I was a little disappointed by Color Club Ultra Violet - I was hoping for a more vibrant purple. I felt it was a little too "safe" for a neon collection, even with the awesome blue/green shimmer. Nina Grin and Berry It is everything I was hoping Ultra Violet would be. It is stunning. Here they are inside, under halogen light:
White basecoat on my index and middle fingers. Nina Grin and Berry It on my index and ring fingers, Color Club Ultra Violet on my middle finger and pinky finger. Even in the bottle you can tell Grin and Berry It is more vibrant. Here they are inside, next to a window on a sunny day.
And outside, in the sun:
I loved Grin and Berry It so much I put a coat of Seche over it and took more photos:
This is the first time I've photographed a purple, so I didn't really understand what you all mean when you say the camera doesn't capture it well. Now I do. This is much more vibrant in person. If you were disappointed at all by Ultra Violet, you will definitely want to pick up Grin and Berry It.
Something interesting I noticed while I was swatching these was that aside from Volt of Light, none of the Color Clubs needed a topcoat. I would have used one anyway if I was wearing them as a full mani. I also own the Vivid topcoat that came with the Electro Candy collection, but I didn't use it for any of the swatches.
Nina Ultra Pro is readily available at Sally Beauty Supply. I found these in an endcap display next to the other nail supplies.
Tomorrow I will have a NOTD to post. At least, I will once I decide what to wear. Have a great weekend!
I did a little test swatch when I took of Kiki, so I knew I'd have to do an opaque base coat. Here is the finished product:
My hands are not really this red in real life. Here's another one that is a little more color accurate.
Basecoat: Orly Ridge Filler (2 coats, for opacity)
This photo on the nail isn't that great but really captures the sparkle in the bottle. Here's another lightbox photo that is better on the nails:
Still kind of meh. Here's a photo inside, next to a window. I think this shows a little more of the base color and does a good job of showing the VNL (blech).
This is the payoff, though - here are a few from outside, under full sun.
See? Meh. Since I am working at home today I went outside to take a picture of this. It figures that it's been cloudless and sunny all week, but as soon as I go outside to take pictures, it's mostly cloudy today. Here it is in as much sun as I could find today.
Sparkly, but not spectacular, right? When I looked at the photos of this mani and got to this one I giggled like a little girl. This is inside under halogen light:
If I've done this right, you should be able to click on this one to embiggen it. Look at that sparkle and color! If the sun comes out for real today I'll go outside and take another photo. I'm going out to Rangers Ballpark in Arlington tonight so I'll at least take a photo with my phone and post it to Twitter, then move it here later (probably tomorrow). The breakdown:
I notice in the photos that it looks a little more orange than it is in real life. This is definitely pink, not in the least coral or orange.
This next photo is under somewhat more indirect light. I was trying to capture the shimmer but don't think I succeeded very well.
Basecoat: Orly Ridgefiller (2 coats - I was trying to help the opacity)
This was three coats but if I had been careful it would have been a two-coater easily. Here it is with Nfu Oh 55 over the top, under halogen.
You can see that in the bottle that 55 is a green glitter with copper flakes. The base is either clear or very, very sheer green - Jade is the New Black is dark enough on its own that I can't really tell. Here it is next to a window on a sunny morning.
And here it is outside, in full sun.
Basecoat: OPI Ridge Filler (1 coat, could have gone with straight base coat, but I'm afraid this will stain)
This was three coats. The consistency was thin and runny - there is still quite a bit of VNL and it is streaky, streaky, streaky. This would take at least four but probably five coats to be opaque.
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The sheerness is still pretty visible in this photo but it's not nearly as streaky. Here is the total damage - are you ready for this?
In the Spotlight definitely leans a lot more towards the lemon yellow than Volt of Light does. In the bottle they are almost identical aside from the shimmer. Both of these would require topcoat to make them glossy. Here they are in the sun.
Unless you collect neon yellows, you probably don't need both of these in your collection. Next up is Nina Say Cheese and Color Club Tangerine Scream. These aren't really that close, but Tangerine Scream is the closest CC I have to Say Cheese. Here they are inside, under halogen light:
White basecoat on my index and middle fingers. Index finger and ring finger are Nina Say Cheese, middle finger and pinky are Tangerine Scream. Both of these have the Electro Candy blue/green shimmer to them. I would classify Say Cheese as more of a hot coral, and Tangerine Scream is definitely orange. Here they are inside, next to a window on a sunny day.
Coverage was pretty good for this set. It would probably require four coats to eliminate VNL, but it's nowhere near as sheer as the yellows. Here they are outside.
These are different enough that you can justify having both in your collection. Next up are the pinks - Nina Bubble Gums (gross name, ew) and Color Club Electro Candy. Bubble Gums does not have the blue shimmer. Its shimmer is a hot pink. These are similar in the bottle, but Bubble Gums leans a little warmer. Here they are inside, under halogen light:
White basecoat on my index and middle fingers. Index and ring fingers are Nina Bubble Gums, middle finger and pinky are Color Club Electro Candy. Inside, next to a window on a sunny day:
Bubble Gums is definitely more of a hot pink, and Electro Candy is a Barbie pink. Here they are outside.
Without a white basecoat you will have a little bit of VNL, but a fourth coat probably eliminates it altogether. As with the previous two, these are probably different enough to justify having both.
White basecoat on my index and middle fingers. Nina Grin and Berry It on my index and ring fingers, Color Club Ultra Violet on my middle finger and pinky finger. Even in the bottle you can tell Grin and Berry It is more vibrant. Here they are inside, next to a window on a sunny day.
I loved Grin and Berry It so much I put a coat of Seche over it and took more photos:
