Sleigh Bells in the Snow

The Polish:
BC: Revlon - ColorStay Base Coat
Color: Fair Maiden Polish - Sleigh Bells in the Snow, two coats
TC: Seche Vite

I DO wish the holo on this were stronger. It would be so gorgeous if it were. As it is, it's still pretty, but maybe slightly boring. (What? Me calling a white shimmer boring? What's wrong with me?)

The last time I wore this, I had contemplated decanting it into a Megalast bottle for the better brush. Still considering.. I just hate to change an indie's bottle.. or any bottle, really.. I've only done it once, and that's because the brush was absolutely destroyed and there was nothing else to be done. Hmm... I'mma keep it in this bottle still for now. Maybe some time in the future.

I also want to do a comparison between this and Excelsior! They're pretty similar.

Wear: Five days, though some chips on day two? What? Hmm.. maybe Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is doing more damage to my nails than I thought it was. This was day three of BJJ, so we'll see... :/

Sugar Rush

The Polish:
BC: Revlon - ColorStay Base Coat
Color: Sugar - Sugar Rush, two coats
TC: Seche Vite

I do enjoy this style. Very cute. I wonder how this one compares to the original Nails Inc. it's a dupe of. Seems like it might not have as much glitter as the original, though you can play around with it, as I did (unintentionally) with the ring finger.

I don't hear much about the Sugar brand when it comes to polish, though I've seen their clothes and shoes around before.. This is the only polish of theirs that I have; it came from Kohl's.

Wear: Five days, peels at four

Nude Shimmer

The Polish:
BC: Revlon - ColorStay Base Coat
Color: Sally Hansen - Nude Shimmer (Diamond Strength line), two coats
TC: None

Huh.. Why do I even have this color? It's totally not my style. Let's try it on anyway, shall we? Ignore the weird bubbles showing up in the bottle.

Uh.. no. Just no. Too pearly and brush stroke-y. Definitely not my color.

You know what? I have a friend who would appreciate this polish much more. Let's just give it to her. Purged.

Wear: Removed immediately

Pink Spritz

The Polish:
BC: Revlon - ColorStay Base Coat
Color: Gap - Pink Spritz, two coats
TC: None

Don't let the good picture fool you, this polish has a pretty poor formula. It's streaky and the iridescent glitters are lumpy. It reminds me of that terrible grey franken I tried to make.

I could probably make it work with some matte between coats and some Gelous over the top, but I just don't care enough. Purge box.

Wear: Removed immediately

Moonlit Waves

The Polish:
BC: Revlon - ColorStay Base Coat
Main: Rain City Lacquer - Moonlit Waves, two coats
TC: Seche Vite

Moonlit Waves is suuuuch a pretty. Gold and silver hexes and squares in the perfect blue jelly.

So sparkly!

I normally have trouble with tip wear on this one because I always forget to wrap my tips, and it starts to show after a day or two. But this time I remembered to wrap my tips, yay!

Wear: Four days, peels at three, unfortunately

B. Adorable

The Polish:
BC: Revlon - ColorStay Base Coat
Sheer: L'Oreal - B. Adorable (Bijou Facets line), two coats
TC: Seche Vite

Hmm... nope. Don't think I like this one. It's just not doing anything for me. I bet it would B. great for a little girl who liked Elsa. It definitely looks like an Elsa type polish. Why don't I do more little girl nails?

Of course I COULD wear it over another polish, which is what it's meant for. It's meant to add an extra layer of shimmery, glittery cute to a creme. That's just not how I wear polish. Purge box.

Wear: Went on vacation and forgot to count.

French Star Dust

The Polish:
BC: Revlon - ColorStay Base Coat
Undies: Winmax New York - Nail French #11, three coats
Glitter 1: Black Cat Lacquer - Lucky Star, one coat
Glitter 2: China Glaze - Fairy Dust, one coat
TC: Seche Vite

I'm.. uhm.. not entirely sure what's going on on my fingers today.

It was just supposed to be #11, the polish that started my addiction. It's been a couple of years since I wore it last, and.. well, frankly, it's not as magical as it was when I was a muggle. I'm bored with it now... :(

Plus, I put on three coats, and it's really only a two coat polish. At two, it's a nice sheer shimmer. At three, it's almost a metallic white. And it has so much shine! It's hard to get a good picture because of all the glare.

So anyway, then I wanted to add some glitter because I was bored, but I picked out one that didn't really show up well against the undies. So I threw on some Fairy Dust because whatever, who even knows anymore?

Edit: I added some stamping on day three, mostly just playing because I was bored. Two turned out alright, the third didn't. Oh well.

Wear: Four days

Star's Whisper Dance

The Polish:
BC: Revlon - ColorStay Basecoat
Layer 1: Sally Hansen - Whisper (Smooth & Perfect line), two coats
Layer 2: Rainbow Polish - Shooting Star, one coat
Layer 3: OPI - Care to Danse?, one coat
TC: Seche Vite

Hmm.. purple again? I'm still not sure how I feel about purples. This is a softer lavender, but still.. feels kinda awkward on me.

And I made sure to put a layer of jelly over the top of the glitter, because I still dislike glitter without it. It always seems like, "Well, you had a nice mani going there.. and then you spilled some gunk on it." Even with a top coat, glitter seems to just be sitting there on top of the nail. Looks much more complete with a layer of jelly over it. *nod*

Wear: Three days to peels, which means it's time to use some cuticle remover

Stone Table

The Polish:
BC: Revlon - ColorStay Base Coat
Color: Love, Angeline - Stone Table, two coats
TC: Seche Vite

This polish is one of my favorites. It's so sparkly and shimmery and gorgeous! It's like my nails are beautiful unicorns. <3

I didn't get good shots of the pretty shimmer, though. The last time I wore it, I didn't get awesome pictures, either, because my skills weren't very good, but at least you could see the shimmer and iridescent glitters.

Wear: Chips at day four

Whimsical Skyline Air

The Polish:
BC: Revlon - ColorStay Base Coat
Undies: New York Color - Skyline Blue, two coats (left hand)
Undies: Sally Hansen - Air (Smooth & Perfect line), two coats (right hand)
Glitter: Revlon - Whimsical, two-ish coats
TC: Seche Vite

I'm actually incredibly embarrassed to show this mani off today. I feel like this whole mani looks awful. But! No regrets. I'm always growing and learning. Hiding my mistakes isn't conducive to learning, so here they are. No hiding. I'm voluntarily displaying my mistakes so that I can grow better.

I even tried to do some cleanup with the makeup brush dipped in acetone, but I suck at that, too, so it is what it is. Plus, I don't think I actually like these colors together. The Skyline Blue is too dark and shows off the green base in Whimsical. On the other hand I tried Air because it's a lighter blue, and it turned out better. Just.. pretend to ignore everything and check out the color only, alright? Ignore everything else?

I put my stash back together and started a new little section--polishes I want to revisit before purging or allowing back into the general population. Skyline Blue and Whimsical are both in purgatory, so expect to see them again soon before I decide their fate.

Wear: Removed on day four with minimal wear

Pastel Saran Wrap

The Polish:
BC: Revlon - ColorStay Base Coat
Undies: Essie - Hi Maintenance, two coats
Saran Wrap color 1: Sally Girl - Simple
Saran Wrap color 2: Balloons in the Sky, a franken
TC: Seche Vite

This is the first time I've done a saran wrap mani. The first time I've done anything remotely resembling nail art, actually! I can't decide if it's cute or stupid, but all things considered, I think it looks alright for a first attempt, though admittedly better from farther away than up close.

I kind of hated using the saran wrap, though. By my second hand, I was just kind of dabbling the polish on with the brush, and it turned out pretty similar. Maybe I'll try it again some time, but I think before that, I'll probably try sponging first.

Wear: Removed on day four with minimal chips

Ain't No Excelsior!

The Polish:
BC: Revlon - ColorStay Base Coat
Main: Contrary Polish - Ain't No Sunshine, two coats
Accent: Different Dimensions - Excelsior!, two coats
TC: Seche Vite

No frankens, minis, or untrieds today. My untrieds are back at zero, and I've been getting bored with the other colors for now. I'm not putting my stash back together just yet because I think I've accumulated too many new ones to fit on my two shelves. Thus, I have two new tasks! Wear the ones I've only worn once and purge where possible.

And meh. I just don't love Ain't No Sunshine as much as I did when it was on my lemming list. It's not that great of a color (more green-leaning than I like), and I don't love the formula, either. I've been holding onto it because I want to like it. I found it on a blog sale and was very excited for it, so I've been telling myself I like it. But the fact is that I just don't. So, quick, before I change my mind! Into the swap box it goes!

Excelsior!, on the other hand, is very cute. It has a faint linear holo, but you can only see it in the sun. Most of the time, all you can see is its pretty pink shimmer. It doesn't have an awesome formula like my stronger holos, but it's cute, so that makes up for it.

Wear: Five days until slight peels

Simple Azucar

The Polish:
BC: Revlon - ColorStay Base Coat
Main Color: Sally Girl - Simple, three coats
Glitter: Silly Bee's Chickadees - Azucar, one thick coat
TC: Seche Vite

I always forget how much I love Azucar. I think this may actually only be the second time I've worn it! But it's sooo pretty. Like an even better version of Pirouette My Whistle. Love! <3

Simple, however, I'm not so sure about. It's a fine shade of lavender, and I'm not even put off by wearing purple. It's an acceptable formula for a creme, not too thick, though it DID require three coats. Eh. It's a mini, so I'll keep it around. It would be great for a galaxy mani, if I ever get around to doing one of those. Here's Simple on its own:

Wear: Chips on day four

Snowman Jizz

The Polish:
BC: Revlon - ColorStay Base Coat
Color: Snowman Jizz, a franken, two coats
TC: Seche Vite followed by China Glaze - Matte Magic

Still playing around with this one. It's still not quite how I want it. A tad on the thick side, just a tad too sheer..

Plus, I've learned, I need to apply it over another white. On its own, it picks up a little pink from my hands and turns more strawberry than snow.

Wear: Six days! Even despite the matte, this wore like iron for some reason.

Cinderella's Dress

The Polish:
BC: Revlon - ColorStay Base Coat
Color: Cinderella's Dress, a franken, two coats
TC: Seche Vite

I always forget I have this one. It started out as a franken dupe attempt of Raindrops, but over the past year or two, I've added extra stuff to it, like some NOPI - Nothing Kim-pares to Blue and various silver glitters. I always forget how much I actually like it.

Wear: Peels on day two, removed on three. Not sure why such a short wear time... Maybe it didn't like the Revlon? I don't think it was because I needed cuticle remover, but perhaps it was.

Calla Lily Sugar

The Polish:
BC: Revlon - ColorStay Base Coat
Undies: Revlon - Calla Lily (ColorStay line), two coats
Topper: Indecisive Lacquer - Sugar, one coat
TC: Seche Vite

I reeeeeally like how this one turned out. Since I was trying to copy the cool thing that happened when I did Sparkling Garbage over that sheer duo-chrome-y purple, it wasn't quite what I was expecting, but it's still super lovely. It's the same soft, delicate grey My Pointe Exactly is that I love so much, and it's sparkly!

Excuse the wear. Somehow my photos were better on day three than they were on day one!

Wear: Removed on day five

Matte Hottie

The Polish:
BC: CND - Stickey
Color: Sinful Colors - Hottie, two coats
TC: China Glaze - Matte Magic over Seche Vite

Oh my goodness, hey! I finally got this polish to photograph right! I, uh... I have no idea how I did it, actually. These pictures were taken immediately after I finished applying in the same backyard, with the same camera phone that I always use.

I wondered afterward if the matte had finished drying when I took them, so I went outside two hours later to take more, and they turned out horribly, as usual. I don't know what the deal is! I have no idea how I actually took good pictures for once, and it's so frustrating because without that knowledge, I won't be able to replicate it! It seems like I did the exact same things. Grrr.. :/

Wear: Peels on day two

Rainy Day Magic

The Polish:

BC: CND - Stickey

Color: Rainy Day Magic, a franken, one coat

TC: Seche Vite

Don't let the name confuse you. This magic is super underwhelming. I knew from last time wearing it that I didn't want to layer it, so I tried my best to get one, solid coat. Still turned out like poo. I'm feeling less patient than normal and just want to toss the whole mess. I know I could probably fix it somehow, but I don't care enough. I'm not gonna be the one to do it. Into the swap box it goes.

Wear: Removed immediately