sally hansen: extreme wear original formulas has a lore within the nail polish community. i did not collect these polishes during their original release, but now, have a very small collection based on the recommendation of the whole community. some are worth searching for ... some are not. here are my notes. most of these i picked up at rite aids around the U.S., or walgreens. the way to spot an original ... the fat "x" vs. the skinny long "x" with the tail. "blue me away!" 130 one coat! yes, this photo is one coat of polish. this color is nothing new, but perhaps in 2013, it was. if you see the big, fat "x" on the label ... it is the original line: it may be worth the hunt. "sun kissed" 150 i really love this formula and color. if you find the original "sunkissed," it is something special. good formula and great color. "mellow yellow" 360 please save your money on this yellow ... it is not worth the hype. i have found better basic yellows in the cheapest of drug store brands ... despite what anyone tells you, this is nothing special. the color is nothing you cannot find elsewhere and the formula is pretty awful. "coral reef" 405 i like this coral a lot. the formula is pretty great, and i like a pink leaning coral creme. "pacific blue" 420 see below for dupes of this hard-to-find nail polish. this is THE famous pacific blue: opaque in one coat and bright enough to spot from across a room. so many have tried to dupe this original since the formula changed in 2014. i have some decent dupes, but this original is amazing. "breezy blue" 481 i am currently de-stashing this multi-coat burden. please do not bother with this shit polish. i love a light, pale blue, but this is not worth the application trouble. please, do not even hunt for such an original. "pacific blue" dupes!
(left) 'in the pacific" moonshine mani: great formula from this indie brand. i love it! (right, top) "mediterranean" jesses girl cosmetics: i love this drug store brand ... to be found at rite aids or jessesgirlcosmetics.com (right, bottom) "cabanna boy" julieg nail color: under the jesses girl umbrella, you can also find this terrific drug store brand at rite aids or jessesgirlcosmetics.com
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orly's fall 2017 collection is named the "velvet dream." it is certainly a dream to me. warning: this review will be excessively gushy. the colors, the formulas, the finishes ... it is all that i desire from a fall collection. i cannot wait for the leaves to turn! "silken quartz" i describe this polish as a pearly pinky champagne with no brush strokes; opaque in two coats. the luster of this polish is amazing, and NO FROST. this polish redefines an entire finish for me ... it's all of the classy and none of the old-lady. i am a fanatic for formula and this polish is all i want in an out-the-door neutral. "just bitten" this crelly is amazing. i liked it in two coats, but those picky about visible nail line, may want three. i have no shortage of reds cremes with terrific formulas in my collection ... but this blood red crelly is actually quite unique. generally, i am kind of messy in my application, but here there was no clean up. that is rare! must-have! "black cherry" this creme is a total surprise to me. i was turned off by the berry color ... UNTIL i put it on the nail. the creme formula is terrific (like all of the other polishes in this collection), but the color leans dark enough, and purple enough to be really singular and flattering. if i have to pick a "least favorite" in the collection, this would be it. however, i still adore it and will certainly wear it! so basically, the entire collection is incredible! "velvet kaleidoscope" i describe this as a duo-chrome with heavy shimmer. it might even be a multi-chrome, but i can only see a bronzy-gold shift to a rose. again, this is nothing i thought i would want in my collection. putting it on the nail, orly has made me a convert. it is the perfect surprise for my autumn. again, exceptional formula and i loved it in two coats. "blue suede" right up my alley, this blue crelly/creme leans a bit royal to navy ... like a less dusty denim in most lighting. beautiful to apply and the look is stunning. "november fog" this creme color is nothing unique in my collection, but the superior formula makes it worth picking up. this photo reads the color a bit too periwinkle. the actual color is lost duskier. we had a storm the day i swatched these polishes, and the cloudy sky appeared EXACTLY this color at sunset. it was perfect.
so orly gets better and better. orly's website lists their nail color as "Vegan | 12-Free Formula Never Tested On Animals." as far as i know, no other main-stream brand boasts 12-free polishes. does zoya? i think zoya is still 10-free. i have gushed that orly is now my favorite brand, hands down. they are stepping it up with a new wider brush, a generous bottle shape, and they are leading the way in formula right now. have you tried this collection? what do you think? in my collection i've found many discount brands that are dupes or very-nearly-dupes for some celebrated higher-end polishes. here are a few comparisons and recommendations to save you $$. "pragmatic" by sinful colors sinful shine with gel tech $2.99 "do you lilac it" by opi $8 not dead-on dupes, but similar, they both are opaque cremes with awesome formulas. "pragmatic" swings a little more warm-toned than "...lilac it," but i think you can save some cash here. "timber" by l.a. colors $0.99 "hunter" by zoya $10 for some reason, these two polishes photographed far differently than they appear in real life. side by side, they are very similar. "hunter" has the superior formula, but "timber" is not terrible for this discount brand. if you have a love for deep greens, i recommend investing in "hunter," but the $0.99 option is terrific if you want to get your feet wet. "kiss goodnight" by sinful colors kandee johnson shine collection $2.99 "the i's have it" by opi $12.99 (as part of 4-mini set) "kiss goodnight" differs from the opi creme with a fair amount of shimmer; yet for being the discount, "kg" has the better formula. i like both colors, but i must admit, you should take advantage of this dupe. "candy hearts" (left) and "bright lucite"(right) by sinful colors $1.99/ea. "i believe in manicures" by opi infinite shine $10-$12 "i believe in manicures" was the break-out hit of opi's 2016 holiday collection. at the end of the day, i prefer "bright lucite" above all. the formula is better than the opi polish, and the slightly duskier color is more flattering (on my olive skin-tone, at least). i included 'candy hearts" because it is from a more recent sinful colors collection, and may be easier to find at the drug store. either way, i recommend that you save your $$. "cheshire china" (left) and "kurtsey" (right) by sinful colors $1.99/ea.
"you're such a budapest" opi $10 full disclosure: both sinful colors polishes have a matte finish. "cc" is from a limited edition "porcelain matte" collection, and "kurtsey" is from the kylie jenner "trend matters velvet" collection. but with a shiny top coat, they both look remarkably similar to opi's famous "you're such a budapest." "...budapest" is also infamous for having shimmer too subtle to be seen on the nail. thus, i've included one dupe with shimmer ("kurtsey"), and one dupe without ("cc") for you to chose from. another cost saving trick: i buy most of my higher-end nail polishes from discount stores like t.j. maxx or marhsalls. there, opi, essie, china glaze, and butterlondon polishes can be found for $3.99-$4.99 a bottle vs. $8-$15 at full retail price. also, i signed up for the orly subscription box "color pass." i get orly's newest 6-bottle collection sent to me in the mail each season (4x a year), and the price works out to about $4/bottle. with this subscription, i also receive free goodies in each box: top coats, hand lotions and even jewelry. what are your favorite nail polish cost saving tips? do you have dupes worth raving about? let me know. lovely july. the longest, hottest days. with the excitement of warmer weather worn off, i found myself trying out all of those neons that i had to have, only to gravitate to more neutral colors. here are some of my favorites of the month. "melt your popsicle" olry over a white base coat, this famous (or infamous) orange neon is very striking. i did tire of wrestling with all of the coats to make it even. "leo" ncla this nude with a hint of periwinkle was just the savior i needed after all of the brights of june. a good formula, and a sweet look. what more do you want? (green dot is "pretty edgy" by essie.) "blue la la" sinful colors i finally found this sought-after creme nail polish whilst on a short business trip. the formula is great and i do like the color, but is it the most unique thing? nah. but a terrific polish, nonetheless. "it's in the cloud" opi i was led to believe, by many reviewers, that this polish from 2016 was nothing special. i picked it up at tj maxx and have found that the haters were all wrong. while not a great formula, (pretty typical for a white-ish opi shade), it's barely-there touch of grey makes a huge difference. the color loses the starkness of the pure white look, and takes on a classy glow. opaque in 2 coats, this is my new "go-to." "summer fling" orly lots of love for the 2017 summer "coastal crush" collection from orly. this coral was my unexpected favorite of the collection. a crelly that is opaque in 2-3 coats, the formula glides on, and the result is coral meets creamsicle. lovely. "rapid growth serum" by w7
this should have been in my april favorites: a growth serum undercoat that has really changed my game. i am seeing growth for the very first time on my nails; and a strength that has survived the crazy and sometimes intense physical-aspects of my job. i found this at tj maxx, and i panicked when i returned to pick up a back-up bottle: none to be found. while on vacation, i spotted several in an out-of-state tj maxx, and picked up 3 more to have on hand. for $2.99, it is my miracle. (in this photo, you can see julie g nail polish's "9 to 5" on my nails.) what were your favorites from july? i'd love to know! enjoy your august! |
AuthorI try to paint my nails adequately. CategoriesArchives
November 2017
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