NYX Pink Metal

Pink Metal is soft metallic pink.

Color: Along with nudes and neutrals I love nude and neutral metallic shades too! This one caught my eye at the NYX store. I love the pinky tone to it so it doesn't look so stark against my skin tone which I find with some silver or silvery white metallic shades. It's shiny, but it's also soft at the same time.

Formula: The formula on this is sheerer than I'd prefer. It took 3 coats to the get the opacity and I still found it to be a bit sparse in spots. It's not a bad formula and was very easy to work with, it just could be more opaque.

Price: This was $5 at the NYX store.

Overall: I do like this shade. I love the soft metallic pink and I find the color flattering. The formula could be bit more opaque for my liking. It's nice, but it's not the greatest.

My Rating: 4 out of 5 Paint Splatters

Happy Tuesday!

Nails Inc. The Mindful Manicure Collection

* I received the following products in exchange for my honest review.

Nails Inc. contacted me recently and asked if I would be interested in reviewing their new The Mindful Manicure collection. I was intrigued by this collection so I took them up on their offer. This Mindful Manicure collection is a set of 5 nail polishes that are infused with real gemstones. According to Nails Inc....

"This polish is inspired by gemstones, which are said to intensify a person’s aura, helping to clarify thoughts, channel energy, and heal. It’s a beautiful, on-trend nail polish with a feel good message. This polish is inspired by gemstones, which are said to intensify a person’s aura, helping to clarify thoughts, channel energy, and heal. It’s a beautiful, on-trend nail polish with a feel good message."

Now, I think these polish enhancing your aura and improving your mood is a bit of a stretch here. I'm not buying into that. I'm not a big believer in things like especially when you put it into nail polish form. I am really intrigued that these are infused with real gemstones and I love the soft and airy feel of these colors so I see where they go the idea for this theme.

Good Vibes (infused with clear quartz)
Wear for aura enhancing
*worn over a nude creme

Good Vibes is a clear top coat filled with rainbow iridescent flakes and glitters.

Better Together (infused with rose quartz)
Wear for friendship and love

Better Together is a pale pink with a silvery shimmer with a blue flash.

Future's Bright (infused with citrine)
Wear for happiness and heart shielding

Future's Bright is a pale peach with a glowing gold/pink shimmer.


And Breathe (infused with tourmaline)
Wear for stress relief and positive energy

And Breathe is a coppery pink frost with sparse iridescent glitter.

Balancing Act (infused with moonstone)
Wear for balance and wisdom
*worn over nude creme

Balancing Act is a pearlescent top coat filled with glowing pink/purple shifting shimmer.

Collection: Nails Inc. The Mindful Manicure 2017

Colors: These colors are soft and airy. I think these colors work for the collection theme. My favorite colors here are Future's Bright and both of the top coats. I think the top coats in this collection are real winners here. They're so versatile and high quality. The only color I'm not really enthused about is And Breathe it's really too frosty and the added glitter doesn't help it much.

Formula: These all had excellent and smooth formulas. I was afraid that Better Together, Future's Bright, and And Breathe would be sheer but they were not. They only needed two coats and the top coats I only needed one coat over a base.

Price: Each of these colors is $15.00 each. You can purchase them either from the Nails Inc. website or Sephora.

Overall: I think this is a nice collection. I love the softness of the shades and the infused gemstones. I don't think this is a collection that will appeal to some nail addicts because they're not as exciting as some indie colors. I would really recommend the top coats. I really think they're beautiful and the highlight of this collection. The price is a bit steep for my tastes on these, but this is a higher end brand of polish.

My Rating: 4 out of 5 Paint Splatters

Happy Tuesday!

Zoya Rocky

How about a pretty blue to brighten things up midweek? I picked up this color during Zoya's Black Friday sale. I've been on a creme kick lately and this polish from a summer collection a few years back caught my eye.

Rocky

Rocky is a medium soft blue creme.

Collection: Zoya Stunning Collection Summer 2013

Color: This is a sky blue shade to me and who doesn't love those? It's rich and vibrant while still being a softer color. This is a great blue!

Formula: The formula on this was OK. I used 2 coats above. I didn't find it self-leveled as much as I'd like it to, but it wasn't a bad formula either.

Price: This is $10 on the Zoya website. 

Overall: This is a gorgeous sky blue shade. I love colors like this and they will never go out of trend. The formula wasn't my favorite but wasn't bad. It's overall pretty good, but not my favorite based on formula.

My Rating: 4 out of 5 Paint Splatters

Happy Wednesday! 

Sinful Colors Couture For Sure

I think the only time we are going to even have a possibility of having anything interesting at the drugstore is going to be during the fall/holiday season. I was happy to see some new eye-catching Sinful Colors polishes recently with their Fashion Flash Luxe Glitters collection. I picked up a few of those including this purple. 

Couture For Sure (over a purple creme)

Couture For Sure is a sheer violet with pinky-violet shimmer and purple flakes. 

Collection: Fashion Flash Luxe Glitters Fall 2016

Color: What caught my eye with this color was the shimmer. I love when purples have an intense shimmer and this one has it. I also love the addition of flakes. It's cool combination especially for a drugstore polish at this price point. 

Formula: This collection I found I preferred layered, which I know these days isn't the ideal. These on their own are buildable, but they don't build up completely opaque and the more layers the clumpier it gets with the flakes. I layered 2 coats of this over a dark purple creme and I do really like the look of it this way. It's so much richer than on its own. The formula itself was easy to use and spread out evenly on the nail. 

Price: This was $1.99 at Walgreens.

Overall: I think this is a nice attempt from Sinful Colors. It's not the greatest on its own and for it to look its best it does need a backdrop. I'm not disappointed and I do like it, but thinking of what people's expectations these days I don't think everyone will be satisfied. For $1.99 and it being the only drugstore brand to reach outside the box these days I'm satisfied. 

My Rating: 4 out of 5 Paint Splatters

Happy Thursday! 

NYX Deep Grape

How is it already September? It will be Christmas before we know it. Time flies the older you get and I'm not sure I like that very much. Since it's September now let's start out with a vampy color. I purchased this one from newest NYX Cosmetics store in Orlando. I think I'm going to have to go back there and pick up some more of their polishes because I really like the colors I have so far.

Deep Grape

Deep Grape is a deep burgundy creme.

Collection: Core

Color: You can't go wrong with colors like this. This fall I'm really into either soft nude colors or deep vampy colors, no in between. This is a rich and deep red-violet that looks really chic and sophisticated on the nail.

Formula: This had a pretty good formula. Colors like this are not very forgiving if you get outside the lines as you can see on my pinky. That's to be expected though with colors like these. The formula was smooth, but I did need 3 coats for opacity.

Price: This was $5 at the NYX store, but it can be purchased for the same price on their online store.

Overall: This is a great all-around vampy color. It's not really unique I know, but it's a solid nail polish staple color. I love the richness of this shade and how elegant it looks on the nails.

My Rating: 4 out of 5 Paint Splatters

Happy Friday!

DIFFERENT dimension: Pretty Nauti Collection (3 of 8)

*I received the following products in exchange for my honest review.

Cosmoprof 2016 polish reviews have commenced! First off, I have a few polishes from Different Dimension's Pretty Nauti Collection. This collection is now available for purchase on Different Dimension's website. I love the variety of colors and cleve names in this collection.

Pier Pressure

Pier Pressure is a silver holographic glitters mixed with colors reminiscent of broken sea glass in a shimmery holographic base. (3 coats)

Bad Buoy

Bad Buoy is a navy blue jelly polish with added contrasting shimmers. (3 coats)

Ship Happens

Ship Happens is a white based crelly with added shimmer and glitters. (3 coats)

Collection: DIFFERENT dimension Pretty Nauti Collection August 2016

Colors: There are 5 more colors in this collection that I do not have, but I really like these colors. I love the variation of finishes I received in these 3 polishes as well. I love the richness of the blue in Bad Buoy. I'm a sucker for deep blues! I, of course, love a great glitter bomb like Pier Pressure.

Formula: The formulas on these were varied. Bad Buoy had a an excellent smooth and easy to apply formula. Ship Happens had a nice formula as well, but I found when I got to the 3rd coat which I felt it needed it was a little on the thick side on application. Pier Pressure is straight up glitter, so it requires a little more careful application on the 2nd and 3rd coats as it can start to thicken up on certain areas on the nail. That being said, I didn't have any substantial issues with the formula, just some little things I noticed.

Price: The entire 8 piece collection is $70.00. Individually, Pier Pressure is $10.00, Bad Buoy is $8.75, and Ship Happens is $5.00. They all can be purchased on the website.

Overall: I like the theme of this collection, the color selection, and the variety of finishes. Bad Buoy is a great blue that I think will be universally loved. There were a few minor formulation issues, but nothing that I wouldn't expect from polish formulas like that. I also like that there is a variety in pricing dependent on the finish. There is something for everyone.

My Rating: 4 out of 5 Paint Splatters

Happy Monday!

Different Dimension Totally 2.0

I've mentioned before that I love indie grab bags. I really think indie grab bags are my favorite way to shop indies. I'm entirely too overwhelmed and too busy to keep track of what is available in the indie market. It's just too hard to narrow down favorites and make decisions, so grab bags are perfect for someone like me. I always tend to put them on wishlists too for gift exchanges which is how I ended up with this Different Dimension beauty!

Totally 2.0

Totally 2.0 is a neon highlighter yellow with scattered holo.

Collection: 80's Baby All Grown Up Summer 2015

Color: I'm not really a yellow polish person at all, unless it's really special. This one is pretty special. It's very blinding and I love the saturation of color. The holo effect in here is subtle, but I prefer it that way. It gives this polish some dimension and depth.

Formula: The formula on this was OK. It does have some typical yellow polish traits. I used 3 coats here and you can tell the formula is a bit thinner in some spots. It was easy to apply though. In hindsight, I should have added a top coat because this does dry down to a satin finish.

Price: N/A. This one isn't available for individual purchase, but it could end up in a grab bag!

Overall: I do really like Totally 2.0 even though I'm not a big yellow fan. I love the vibrancy of this shade and the subtle holo effect. The formula was easy to apply, though it did have some expected yellow polish properties. All in all, a nice polish.

My Rating: 4 out of 5 Paint Splatters

Happy Friday!

Sephora Formula X Euphoria

*The following product was purchased with a gift card provided by Sephora in exchange for my honest review. 

I have been a fan of Sephora's Formula X line since it's fruition. I love how they have different finish collections within in the Formula X line. One of their newer collections is the Black Quartz collection that features color glitter in a black jelly base. I have one of those colors to show you today.

Euphoria

Euphoria is a black jelly base with pale pink glitters.

Collection: Sephora Formula X Black Quartz Collection 2015

Color: This is actually my favorite color this collection. I love this pairing of the black with the pale  pink. It's not a color combination I see often and I love the elegant look of these colors together. This isn't an in your face bling monster, which I sometimes prefer. It's on the softer side of the bling scale but it still has some glitz.

Formula: This formula was good. I used 3 coats above. This formula does dry matte and gritty, so top coat is a must. These colors are not attractive the way it dries. Top coat brings them to life.

Price: This is $12.50 at Sephora.

Overall: I like Euphoria. I really like this color combination as it's unique to me. I also like how Sephora has successfully accomplished the black jelly glitter. I've seen a lot of black jellies with glitter where the glitter gets drowned out by the black jelly base. The formula is alright and the fact it dries to matte finish isn't ideal. That can be fixed with top coat, but a glossier finish would have been better!

My Rating: 4 out of 5 Paint Splatters

Happy Monday!

Throwbacks Week: China Glaze Sexagon

It's time for another week of throwbacks. I have a fairly coveted throwback to share with you today from China Glaze's Kaleidoscope collection. This is probably one of my oldest nail polishes in my collection and it's definitely one of those polishes I wouldn't ever part with under any circumstance. I'm not sure it holds the value as it did a few years ago, but it's still a treasured polish in my collection.

Sexagon

Sexagon is a silver scattered holo.

Collection: China Glaze Kaleidoscope 2009

Color: This is a pretty straight forward silver scattered holo. I love the glittery look of scattered holos. The holo effect here is moderate. If were to ask me about the holo effect a few years ago I'd tell you it is strong. Today, we have much stronger holos.

Formula: I think age has a done a bit of a number on this polish. It has thinned out tremendously and the pigment has separated from the base quite a bit. I had to continuously shake this one up to keep it together. I used 3 coats here.

Price: I see one bottle of this on eBay for $24. If I didn't have this I couldn't see myself paying $24 for it considering mainstream brands have lost their value in comparison to indies. That being said, if you like vintage polish it maybe worth it to you.

Overall: Sexagon is nice little gem in my collection. I can't say it's my favorite holo in the least, but 4 years ago before indies, I would of definitely said it was one of my favorites. It's a nice little polish. Time hasn't been kind to the formula, but it will remain safe in my Helmer.

My Rating: 4 out of 5 Paint Splatters

Happy Monday!

Wet n' Wild Lost in the Wild Flowers Collection

I found drugstore limited edition collection that caught my eye recently. I've really been paying extra attention lately to what's available in stores nail polish wise. I feel like I really haven't bothered looking the past year because everything has been such a let down. I'm really trying to find stuff though, and Wet n' Wild's Lost in the Wild Flowers collection had cute cohesive summer polish colors. This collection only had 4 polishes, but I love the look of them all together.

Leaf Me Be

Leaf Me Be is a spring green jelly.

Poppy Culture

Poppy Culture is a bright red-orange creme.

Cherry Blossom On Top

Cherry Blossom On Top is a medium rosy pink creme.

Wild Wild Violet

Wild Wild Violet is a medium grape creme.

Collection: Wet n' Wild Lost in the Wild Flowers Collection Summer 2016

Colors: I like these colors as a cohesive collection. The colors are perfect for summer and nice change from the expected neons. I love Leaf Me Be it's really unique green with a jelly formula that I wasn't expecting. Poppy Culture is another color I really like from this set as I love bright red-oranges for summer. I'd say Cherry Blossom on Top and Wild Wild Violet are a bit of a let down. These colors are not original and I really wish they were brighter. They're pretty blah compared to the other two colors.

Formula: I used 3 coats for Leaf Me Be and 2 coats for the rest of the colors. I really liked the formulas on all of these. My issue was the brush. The MegaLast brushes are really big and some had some wonky bristles that made it challenging to apply.

Price: These were $1.99 each. That's a steal!

Overall: I do like this collection. I think I like the colors as a collection more than I do like them individually. Poppy Culture and Leaf Me Be are definite favorites besides that point though. I think they're solid great colors. The formulas were good, but the brushes aren't my favorite.

My Rating: 4 out of 5 Paint Splatters

Happy Monday!

Third Week Throwbacks: Revlon Tropical Temptation

I have another tried and true throwback for you today. This is another one of those polishes that's an oldie that I break out year after year. Corals are colors I used to appreciate more in past years. I still like them, but when it comes to spring and summer colors I tend to gravitate more toward mint greens and blues these days. That being said, I'm always up for a great coral and this Revlon has never let me down.

Tropical Temptation

Tropical Temptation is a bright pink-toned coral creme.

Collection: Revlon Core Collection 200X-2011(?). I'm not sure when this polish was released, but I'm pretty sure it was discontinued in 2011.

Color: I love pinky corals and this is one of my favorites. This is perfect level of brightness to in a nail polish. This isn't neon or too bright. This isn't the type of brightness that will overpower you. I love the creme finish on this and it's the perfect summery shade.

Formula: The formula on this isn't the greatest especially by today's standards. It's thin and streaky on first application. It does smooth out and you can get an opaque look in the 3 coats. If I didn't love this shade of coral so much, I'd probably be more disappointed with it, but I adapt to it.

Price: I bought this for around $4 in 2009, but it's no longer available sadly. I do *think* Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear in Coral Reef is a good substitute.

Overall: This is a beautiful coral shade that never goes out of style. It's definitely the type of color everyone needs in their polish collection. The formula is let-down compared to nail polish formulas today, but I still love this color despite it's faults.

My Rating: 4 out of 5 Paint Splatters

Happy Friday!