Dancing? My Pointe Exactly

The Polish:
BC: Revlon - ColorStay Base Coat
Jelly: OPI - My Pointe Exactly, one coat on either side of the glitter
Glitter: The Lady Varnishes - Catch Me Dancing, one coat between layers of jelly
TC: Seche Vite

I haven't ever been super fond of Catch Me Dancing. It just never lived up to the image I had of it. Last time I wore it, I finally got it to look alright in a pink jelly sandwich. This time I thought I'd try it in a grey sandwich, but I still don't love it. Again, it's just alright.

And I've been trying to purge lately, so it's not with a heavy heart that this one goes into the purge box. I've given it enough chances to wow me, but I'd always just rather wear something else. It's a fine polish, but I won't ever reach for it. I want to get to the point where I only own my favorite polishes, and this belongs only in a collection of good polishes.

Wear: Slight peels on Day 2, which is fair, as I haven't used a cuticle remover in a while. Removed on Day 3.

Eggnogoholic

The Polish:
BC: Revlon - ColorStay Base Coat
Color: Girly Bits - Eggnogoholic, three coats with matte before the third
Matte: China Glaze - Matte Magic, before the third coat
TC: Seche Vite

Ugh, again with this streaky mess? Okay, to be fair, it definitely looks better than the last time I wore this polish, but still, Eggnogoholic just doesn't live up to the ideal form of itself. In an attempt to counteract the steakyness, I used a matte coat before the final coat of polish to level everything out, but it only helped a little.

I COULD put this polish into purgatory and wear it again over a pure white... but I feel like two chances is all something really needs. If I don't love it, it needs to go. Ain't nobody got time fo' dat! Straight into the purge box with you.

Wear: Light lifting on Day 3, removed immediately

Cinderella

The Polish:
BC: Revlon - ColorStay Base Coat
Color: Sinful Colors - Cinderella, two coats
TC: Seche Vite

Cinderella was one of my favorite polishes a few years ago, but it's been quite a while since I wore it last. So I thought I'd see if I still love it.

It IS a pretty color, isn't it? A nice sheer, pale blue with pink shimmer. You can't tell very well from the pictures, but it IS rather streaky. It's pretty noticeable in person. I have some light blues that are nicer, not as streaky and that I like better, so my immediate thought is that I can purge Cinderella.

It WAS a little gloopy when I applied it, though. So.. you know.. maybe I want to thin it out and give it another chance? I used to have a place for polishes in purgatory, ones that I wanted to give one more chance. I'm going to continue that practice, starting with Cinderella.

Wear: Removed on Day Four with no noticeable wear

HD Lily

The Polish:
BC: CND - Stickey
Undies: Revlon - Calla Lily, two coats
Topper: Milani - HD, one coat
TC: Seche Vite

Oh my goodness, a soft palate cleanser. Thank god. After so much color, especially polishes that weren't really my thing, this was JUST what I needed. Something soft and simple and clean-feeling.

HD doesn't work as well over Calla Lily as Sugar did, nor does Calla Lily go as well under HD as
Air did, but that's okay. It's not perfect, but it's just right for right now. <3

Wear: Some slight lifting on Day 4, nothing unbearable until Day 5

Warm and Tulle

The Polish:
Treatment: OPI - Nail Envy
BC: CND - Stickey (left hand only)
Main: OPI - Warm and Fozzie, three coats
Accent: Sally Hansen - Teal Tulle, three coats (reversed on right hand)
TC: Seche Vite (over Warm and Fozzie only)

I don't know if I'm feeling this. Why do I still have VNL (visible nail line) after three coats of Warm and Fozzie? Gross. It's still nearly visible on three coats of Teal Tulle, too! Come on, guys!

This is Warm and Fozzie's second chance, so it goes directly into the purge box. Bye, Felicia.

Teal Tulle, on the other hand.. I was resisting wearing it because I figured it'd be tricky to work with. It's definitely not as awesome as Crystalline, but application was fine. It definitely needs at least three coats, which is unfortunate, but it's not a bad color. Think I'll keep it around for a little while longer.

Wear: Small chips on Day 3, peels on Day 4

Dashboard Dreamer

The Polish:
BC: CND - Stickey
Color: China Glaze - Dashboard Dreamer, three coats
TC: None

I was kind of looking forward to this one, but it disappointed me. Three coats and still patchy and streaky? Yuck. Ain't nobody got time fo' dat. It's a fine color, but the application is too finicky. Purge.

Wear: Removed immediately

Winter Party

The Polish:
BC: CND - Stickey
Undies: China Glaze - Dandy Lyin' Around, two coats
Glitter: Forever Polished - Winter Party, two coats
TC: None

Meh.. I just wasn't feeling this. It's just not special enough for me, and I need the real estate on my racks for things that I love. Purge.

Wear: Removed immediately

Pucci-licious Iridescents

The Polish:
BC: CND - Stickey
Undies: Color Club - Pucci-licious, two coats
Left Index: Revlon - Heavenly
Left Middle: Jordana - Lunar Lights
Left Ring: KleanColor - Take a Hint
Left Pinkie: Zoya - Monet
Right Index: Colors by Llarowe - Opals and Lace
Right Middle: Cameo Colors - Let It Snow
Right Ring: Confetti - Pink Confetti
Right Pinkie: Sally Hansen - Disco Ball
TC: Seche Vite (under the glitters and over)

Iridescent glitters are my favorite. I love how ethereal they look, and they always catch my eye. I've been collecting them for a while, and I'm pretty sure I can say that I have too many. It's time for a purge. I've swatched all eight over a neon-ish purple creme, Pucci-licious. Let's try not to cling too tightly to these, now, Holly, no matter how difficult it is. I need to get rid of some, so I have to be ruthless. It'll feel better when I'm done. It'll be nice only having a few that I absolutely adore.

And of course I would start with Heavenly. I've had Heavenly for a while.. since I first started collecting as an adult, if I recall. It has such nice squares and hexes.. it's super cute.. and unique! So I'm keeping it. >_>

Lunar Lights and Take a Hint are pretty similar. They have both larger hexes and smaller microglitter. They're nearly dupes, but Lunar Lights has a little more microglitter while Take a Hint has more larger hexes. It breaks my heart to choose between them, but if I'm honest with myself, I need to choose Take a Hint. I like the ratio of glitters better. It's just so hard to put Lunar Lights into the purge box because it's sooo super pretty in the bottle... *sigh*

Monet, on the other hand, is easy to purge. It has a pretty poor consistency. I had heard that when it came out, and that's why I didn't buy it. It came up during the local swap, however, and that's why it ended up in my hands, anyway. But it's just not as good as my other iridescent glitters, so back out it goes.

Opals and Lace and Let It Snow are similar-ish. They both have small hexes, microglitter, and these adorable matte white glitters. Let It Snow, however, only has hex whites, but Opals and Lace has a mix of tiny white squares and hexes mixed in with the larger white hexes. The latter also has some almost undetectable yellow shards floating around. It's difficult to choose between them, but need to admit it--Let It Snow smells. It has a strong odor. The brush in mine has also become stiff, so it's difficult to apply. It's a hard thing to do, but Let It Snow needs to go into the purge box... :(

Pink Confetti and Disco Ball are both only microglitter. Looking very closely, I can just barely tell that the glitter in Pink Confetti are just the tiniest bit larger than Disco Ball, so.. I guess Disco Ball... to the Franken box. *nod* I'm pretty sure I can find a Frankening use for it eventually.

Hey, maybe Lunar Lights can hang out with it in there! ... No.. I can't do it. I just can't get rid of Lunar Lights, even if it's only to the Franken box. It's too pretty in the bottle. It can hang out on the shelf some more. *hugs it*

Final Tally:
Keep: Heavenly, Lunar Lights, Take a Hint, Opals and Lace, Pink Confetti
Purge: Monet, Let It Snow
Franken: Disco Ball

Wear: Four days to lifting

Boris & Nicole

The Polish:
BC: CND - Stickey
Color: Julep - Boris & Nicole, two coats
TC: Seche Vite

Well, this color was a surprise! Not really a good one, but definitely a surprise, nevertheless. In the bottle, Boris & Nicole looks like a shimmery brown. I'm not really one for those sorts of colors, but a friend pushed it into my hands, telling me that it's the PERFECT fall color and that I HAD to have it. Well, alright then..!

So imagine my shock when the first coat applied incredibly RED. Not just reddish, like Cosmic Fates, but completely, undeniably RED. At two coats, the color deepened, and the gold shimmer added to the depth nicely.. but it's still super red...

Inside, sometimes it looks like that red-leaning brown shimmer I expected, but then I move under the light again and remember that nope, it's actually red.

Wear: Some tipwear on Day 3, chips and slight lifting on Day 4

Cosmic Fates

The Polish:
BC: CND - Stickey
Color: Color Club - Cosmic Fates, two coats
TC: Seche Vite

Hey, check it out. I actually found a Halo Hue I don't like.

I mean, it's fine. It's a good formula, strong holo, like the other Halo Hues, and applies well. But the color.. It's a coppery-rosey-redish-pink thing that I just can't get behind. I mean, it's a fine color.. I just really don't do warm colors, myself, I think.

That's okay--I have a friend that does. And Cosmic Fates is so awesome that it deserves a good home.

Wear: Five days, though very slight lifting started at the end of day four.

Daubingy's Beau

The Polish:
BC: CND - Stickey
Undies: Sinful Colors - Beau Khaki, two coats
Glitter: Finger Paints - Daubingy's Garden, one coat
TC: Seche Vite

Look! Look what I did! I've had Beau Khaki for about two years. I almost purged it probably twice because it's a creme, and I'm awful at application on cremes. But the color was perfect, so I wouldn't let myself let it go. Instead, I kept practicing off and on, and just recently, my application skills have improved a little. And it's just enough that I can finally wear Beau Khaki! Eeek! *proud*

I got Daubingy's Garden when Sally's did a free Finger Paints promotion a few months ago. It was the most unique thing on the wall, so I thought I might as well give it a go. In the bottle, it's kind of duochrome-y, but on the nail, you can see it clearly: navy blue and gold/green iridescent hexes in two sizes. The glitters go on easily, but stick together rather easily, as you can see, so application is a little tricky.

It's actually a lot prettier in person than in pictures. I feel kind of fancy wearing this mani, especially considering how long I worked to get application right in order to wear a creme like this!

Wear: Lifting on Day 4. :( Applied a coat of Gelous and an extra coat of SV on Day 3 to give it more shine and maybe help it last longer, but it seems to have done the opposite!

A-Crush

The Polish:
BC: Revlon - ColorStay Base Coat
Color: Sinful Colors - A-Crush, two coats
TC: None

A-Crush is a matte cornflower blue creme. Color was a bit tricky to capture, but it's closer to the first picture than the second two.

Application on this one was a little messy, but it's so cute, right? It's similar to Bikini So Teeny, so I probably don't need it. I hesitated buying it, but it was only $2, and it's matte~.. I'll probably just throw it in the main stash and deal with it later. >_>

Wear: Four days. Minor tip wear on day two, major cracks on day four

Beyond

The Polish:
BC: CND - Stickey
Color: Color Club - Beyond, two coats
TC: Seche Vite

I was skeptical about Beyond when I picked it up because I don't normally wear black polish. I was proven wrong about that, though, because Beyond is Ah. Maze. Ing! <3 In typical Color Club holo fashion, the linear holo is crazy strong and fantastic.

Application was smooth, too, and gave me zero problems. I just adore these Color Club Halo Hues!

I enjoyed it so much that I took very many pictures. Nothing absolutely perfect, unfortunately, but lots of really great ones. It was hard to pare it down to just four to share.

Wear: Five days, slight lifting beginning on day four

Vespa

The Polish:
BC: None
Color: Zoya - Vespa, three coats
TC: None

Meh. I'm totally not feeling this one. I was surprised, really, because I love my other Pixie Dusts, and this was a cute color in the bottle. I think it probably just doesn't go with my skin tone. The inside pictures are okay. They turned out better than expected...

But that outside one, you can totally see what I mean, right? Bleh. Purge box.

Wear: TBA (applied Thursday)

Peaceful Opposition

The Polish:
BC: Revlon - ColorStay Base Coat
Color: Orly - Peaceful Opposition, three coats
TC: Seche Vite
Matte: China Glaze - Matte Magic, one coat (bottom two images)

I picked this up at the annual Salon Brands sale for a dollar, and it was probably a good use of a dollar, I think. This polish is alright, but I think what I like the most about it is its name. I'm not sure if I actually like the polish itself or not.

It's a sheer white base with silver hex and square glitters. It's pretty similar to Popular/Starry Pink, though the glitters are larger in this one, and the base isn't pink. I need to purge about 20-ish polishes coming up sometime soonish, and I probably don't need to keep both of them. Just need to decide which I like better.

Then I added a layer of matte, and it turned out even cuter than shiny! That definitely adds to its keep-ability.

Wear: Four days to lifting. I thought it would be quicker because of the matte, but I was happily proven wrong.

Spellbound

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

Spellbound is suuuuuuch a pretty cornflower blue color just packed full of holo glitter and scattered holo loveliness. I just adore it! <3 The load of glitters DID make it top coat hungry, even with a thick coat of SV. So I think next time I wear it, I'll probably layer some Gelous over it before the SV.

Unfortunately, like I've mentioned before, I'm back to doing my nails only about once a week, on the weekends, because commuting the hour drive each way to and from my work, on top of everything else teaching entails, is rather taxing. So I waited all~ week to put it on Saturday morning and take beautiful pictures of it... and then, what do you know, it's freaking cloudy! Grrr! *sigh* So.. better pictures will have to wait until May, I suppose. :P

Wear: Six days. Lifting started on day three, so I mustered up all my strength and somehow left it alone until I got home, the went over it with a coat of Gelous and another of Seche Vite. I wonder why my wear time hasn't been great recently.. maybe the new bottle of BC I opened..?

Interstellar Space

The Polish:
BC: Revlon - ColorStay Base Coat
Color: Orly - Interstellar Space, three coats
TC: Seche Vite

I've passed this polish up so many times. When it first came out, I was interested. The whole Galaxy FX collection seemed very indies-inspired. Seeing them in the store though.. they just weren't quite the type of polishes I would wear. So I avoided them when they first came out. And again when they went on sale. And again when I've seen them on blog sales. But when Interstellar Space appeared at a local swap, I decided, what the heck? and went for it. Turns out I'll try most things if I can do it for free!

And I'm so glad I did. It's actually super adorable. Very much like something Hare Polish would put out, indeed! The base is rather sheer, but it builds nicely, at least in person. In pictures, it seems like it could use some undies. That blue and green shimmer is just the prettiest thing and mixes so well with the dark base and purple and gold glitters.

I'm back to taking pictures inside again.. Boo! I hate not having a good time available to do my nails and take pictures during the daylight hours of the week. :( Plus, this time I got a little carried away on some of my clipping... oops! Regardless, Interstellar Space is a gorgeous first-fall-mani-of-the-year. <3

Wear: Chips on day three, boo.. :/