OPI - Meep-Meep-Meep

Meep-Meep-Meep is a pinkish red glass fleck.  The bottle shows a little bit of gold flash but it is totally not visible on the nail.  It is very similar to Ali's Big Break.

Basecoat:  NailTek Foundation II (1 coat)
Color:  OPI Meep-Meep-Meep (3 coats)
Topcoat:  Revlon Quick Dry Top Coat (1 coat)

I like this OK.  It doesn't totally wow me, and it actually reads red a lot of the time, which I'm not a huge fan of.  However, it applied nicely, and seems like it would sparkle in the sun - if we ever got any.

Revlon - Starry Pink

Starry Pink is a pale pink jelly with two sizes of silver glitter.

Basecoat:  NailTek Foundation II (1 coat)

Color:  Revlon Starry Pink (3 coats)

Topcoat:  Revlon Quick Dry Top Coat (1 coat)

Even though I have a hate for visible nail line, I really like this.  Also, my cuticles are super scary in these photos - our weather's been mostly overcast, and I keep waiting for sun to take photos and it never shows up, so I end up giving up and taking photos in the morning.

Anyway, about the only thing I would have changed about this polish is that I would have gone for white or opalescent glitter instead of silver.  The glitter on the bottom two layers looks awesome, but the silver glitter in the top layer just looks weird and umatching.

Zoya - Dita

Dita is a bright berry pink creme.

Basecoat:  Zoya Ridge Filler (1 coat)

Color:  Zoya Dita (3 coats)

Topcoat:  David (1 coat)

However, these photos are literally the only place where it doesn't read as red.  So disappointed.  I was hoping this would be my go-to pedi color, but once it's applied... I had to try to get it to show as pink, and the huge majority of the time it just read as red.  Too bad.

Application was good, no problems with cleanup.  Minimal stainy-ness on the cuticles, even though this is a pretty pigmented polish.  I do want to note that there is a bit of VNL, both in photos and in real life, which is a shame.  I actually think it's a little more evident in real life.

Color Club - Hot Like Lava

Yep, another "NO TIME!" foil.  This is the hot pink from the Foiled collection.  (I'm wearing the paler pink on my toes - weather suddenly got really warm - like sandals weather - and this is my first pedi of the season.  I don't recommend foils on your toes unless they are PERFECT, or you have an AWESOME ridge filler base coat.)

Basecoat:  NailTek Foundation II
Color:  Hot Like Lava (2 coats)
Topcoat:  David (1 coat)

I wish this was a tiny bit brighter, but I'm totally pleased with this.  Please to ignore my awesome paper cut on my ring finger.  Ouch.

Application was awesome as usual, cleanup was minimal.

You know what I'd love to see?  A screaming neon foil.  That would be cool.

Zoya - Harlow

Harlow is a berry/wine matte.  It has a lot of sparkle with a top coat.

Basecoat:  Zoya Ridge Filler (1 coat)

Color:  Zoya Harlow (3 coats)

Topcoat:  David (on index and ring finger, 1 coat)

This was a little draggy in application but it really wasn't too bad once I got used to how much I needed to put on my brush.  For whatever reason, I keep buying the Zoya mattes and never wearing them.

Harlow looks amazing with a topcoat, but not really all that unique.

Zoya - Reece

After the gel polish disaster my nails were hurty and sensitive.  I went for a calm, pretty, no glitter polish.  Reece is untried for me - I bought it when this collection came out and I am sure I still have at least one other from this collection that is also untried.  Reece is a medium pink with a duo chrome shimmer.

Basecoat:  Zoya Get Even Ridge Filler

Color:  Zoya Reece (3 coats)

Topcoat:  David (1 coat)

I had a hard time getting the gold/green shimmer to show up in my photos - any of them.  In photos this looks like just a pretty pink frost.

Did I say frost?  Oh yeah.  Brush strokes like crazy - most evident in the third photo.  Still, it applied well - wanted to run into my cuticles a bit but nothing too bad, and cleanup was a snap.  I do have VNL in real life and in the photos, but with the brush strokes I'm not sure I would go to four coats.

Nubar - Prize

Nubar Prize is a medium pink jelly packed full of holographic glitter.  I'll warn you right now that these photos don't do it justice 

- it's overcast today so I had to resort to desk lamp (again).

Basecoat:  Nubar Foundation base coat (1 coat)
Color:  Nubar Prize (3 coats)
Topcoat:  Gelous (1 coat)
Topcoat:  Seche Vite (2 coats, one applied the morning after)

Prize is not nearly as bumpy and gritty as the Sparkle glitters are, but I still needed to use Gelous and multiple layers of Seche.  I have some tipwear that I think is a combo of tip wear and shrink - I've been doing things around the house this morning and my nails are a little longer than I usually keep them right now, so I think it's mostly wear.

I had issues with the brush in Prize.  I don't remember the brushes in the Sparkle polishes being as wide as this one is.  So - yep - I got it everywhere even though I was trying to be neat.  Cleanup went surprisingly well, though - the base color cleaned up super fast and it wasn't even a pain getting the glitter off my skin, either.

Some of these photos show a little bit of VNL - it is visible in real life, but you have to look *really* closely to see it.

China Glaze - 108 Degrees

108 Degrees is not only the average temperature in Dallas this summer, it's also a vibrant berry jelly packed with pink glass flecks.

Basecoat:  Salon Sciences Fiberglass Network

Color:  China Glaze 108 Degrees (3 coats)

Topcoat:  Seche Vite (1 coat)

In real life, the VNL is somewhat evident - for once, it's not as visible in these photos.  I'm not sure exactly why I left this untried for so long, but I'm definitely going to wear this one again - possibly as a pedi.  

This was a little bit runny and wanted to pool in my cuticles (photos were taken the next morning).  Cleanup wasn't too much of a problem though.

Orly - Flirty

I actually saw this collection for the first time when I was out at Sally's and picked up this color and Fresh.  I'm a little surprised that I didn't see anything on the blogs about it.  Anyway, this is a four piece collection - my Sally only had Flirty, Fresh, and a blue color I didn't care for - so I don't know what the other one was.  Flirty is a medium pink with tons of icy shimmer that reminds me of Essie Sew Psyched.

Basecoat:  Salon Sciences Instant Artificials (1 coat)
Color:  Orly Flirty (3 coats)
Topcoat:  Out the Door (1 coat)

This polish was a tiny bit thick, but it wasn't too bad.  I didn't have any problems with bald spots or uneven application, and it didn't feel goopy at all.  I took these photos after cleanup but before I scrubbed my hands and applied cuticle oil - so if you look closely you can see that the shimmer particles don't really clean up nicely.  I think this is kind of a "mom" color, but the shimmer rescues it from being an outright "mom" polish. 

Sally Hansen Nail Effects - Bling it On

Normally I try to not wear the same kind of color two days in a row, but I was in a HUGE hurry to put something on.  Also, I totally forgot to take a photo of the box before I threw it away.  Oops.

Bling it On is a multitoned pink glitter.  The base is clear, but you can't really tell unless you look very closely.  In the second photo there is a spot that looks like a wrinkle on my middle finger - nope, that's where I tore a strip too soon and put on another one right over it.

Some people say they can use one package twice, but I can't.  My only complaint about these strips is that they are almost all way too large for my fingers - I use the third largest one for my thumb, and then I usually use the three smallest for my other fingers (I can usually use one twice - I just flip it to the other end).  They are all pretty straight vertically, so if you fingernails aren't totally straight you might have an awkward gap on the sides of your nails (like I do).

I find that these are really easy to apply. I had a harder time than usual today because it's very warm here, so the polish strips were a little floppier than usual.  Still, I managed to not get any wrinkles this time.  I usually apply the strip, then let it "set" for a few seconds before carefully pulling the free edge taut and filing until it breaks.  I find that I rarely have rough edges this way.

Another funny thing - if this was a polish I probably would not have even bought it.  I actually like the multi-colored one much better (Frock Star, IIRC), and will probably buy that one again, just like I've already bought two more boxes of the flowered design.

Savina - Envy

With a name like Envy, you would think this is a green polish.

Well, you'd be wrong.

Basecoat:  NailTek Foundation II (1 coat)

Color:  Savina Envy (3 coats)

Topcoat:  Seche Vite (1 coat)

The third photo is probably the most accurate, color-wise.  Still, this comes across like a screaming neon pink, but it isn't really.  It's no ChG Pool Party or Essie Punchy Pink.  But it is extremely bright pink.  Application was about typical for a neon - a little bit draggy, and dried matte.  I have a little bit of VNL but it's not visible in real life.  I actually put on WnW French White Creme under this at first, but quickly decided Envy didn't need a white basecoat.  

I didn't post about this the day I put this on, because it was dark when I finished.  So I have a tiny chip in my index finger, because I was working on a cross-stitch before I took my photos.  That is something I noticed about this polish - I have a few Savinas, but this is the first neon I've tried.  It chipped like crazy - shortly after I took these photos I went out to run errands and looked down and half my thumbnail's polish had come off in one big chip.  

Still, I'd definitely wear this again if I wasn't planning to wear it very long.

Orly - Cotton Candy

Cotton Candy is not new or untried for me, but I felt like I needed a palate cleanser and didn't want to spend time looking through my untrieds.

Basecoat:  Salon Sciences Fiberglass Network (1 coat)
Color:  Orly Cotton Candy (3 coats)
Topcoat:  David (1 coat)

Application was really good.  I still had a very slight VNL but I'm probably the only person that noticed it.

This isn't my usual kind of summer polish color, but I feel refreshed and ready to get back to more vibrant stuff now.

MAC - Bad Fairy

Finally, I got my hands on Bad Fairy. In fact, I got a backup bottle, too.
Bad Fairy is a berry/gold duochrome foil.


Basecoat: Gelous (2 coats)
Color: MAC Bad Fairy (4 coats)
Topcoat: DAvid (1 coat)

Bad Fairy was not as opaque as I would have liked - it took four coats and I could still see some bald patches. My brush is a little wonky but not too bad. Cleanup was about like you would expect for a foil. I love this color but I'll wear it sparingly - as others have reported, I have a noticeable drop in bottle fullness after only one wear.

Orly - Galaxy Girl

Galaxy Girl is one of the Orly Cosmic FX polishes. I actually think this is my favorite one.
This is a gorgeous multichrome sparkle.

Basecoat: NailTek Foundation II (2 coats)
Color: Orly Galaxy Girl (3 coats)
Topcoat: David (1 coat)

This is a deep berry jelly base with sparkle. The sparkle flashes teal, pink, and purple. The teal is most dominant, you have to look at several angles to see the pink and purple flash. I suspect this is going to be a pain to remove (cleanup wasn't exactly a snap) but it is totally worth it.

Zoya - Alegra

Alegra is a berry colored glitter bomb.
Application was typical for a glitter - it flowed nicely but cleanup was a real biatch. I can still see VNL after three coats but I'm probably the only one who does.

Basecoat: Zoya Get Even (1 coat)
Basecoat: Zoya Anchor (1 coat)
Color: Zoya Alegra (3 coats)
Topcoat: Zoya Armor (1 coat)
Topcoat: David (1 coat)

This is a lot pinker than it appears in these photos. As usual, sun photos would help, but it's already dark outside. Very glittery - removal is going to really suck.

Skittles

Today I decided to wear skittles. I've never worn skittles for longer than a comparison, but I'm planing to wear this one until Friday. I was originally going to do funky French tips but I have so much trouble using those stupid tip guides. I thought I might have magically gotten better since I've really gotten into polish, but nope.
I'm not going to have time to change polish at all this week, and I couldn't think of anything I wanted to wear all week long, and hey, five untrieds done, right there.

This is two coats of Fiberglass Network, 3 coats of color, and one coat of Out the Door. From thumb to pinky, I am wearing:

Sally Girl neon pink
China Glaze Happy Go Lucky
Claire's itty bitty teeny tiny neon green mini
Savina Marine Life
Sinful Dream On

These all dried matte except for Happy Go Lucky. Happy Go Lucky and Marine Life were pretty much two-coaters, but I did three anyway. Marine Life is a gorgeous, vibrant teal, but it stained in the short time I had it on for my "do I need a white basecoat" mini-swatch. Dream On is a beautiful neon purple.

The Claire's mini.... the set I bought this in is a direct copy of the China Glaze Poolside collection. Right down to the shimmery blue. Their version of Flip Flop Fantasy has shimmer too, but otherwise they're identical. I own Kiwi Cool-Ada, and I did a mini-swatch of it for this mani and decided not to use it because it would have needed a white base. This mini isn't quite opaque either, but it's much more opaque than Kiwi Cool-Ada.

I didn't really have any application problems with any of these. Cleanup was relatively easy, also.

No new posts until Friday, so have a great week!