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!

Third Week Throwbacks: Revlon Just Tinted Desire

All of my throwback posts are making me miss when drugstore polishes were good. Indies really have pretty much eradicated the need for cool drugstore nail polish. That's not a bad thing at all because now we have such a wide selection and variety of cool nail polish out there online. It's just I miss finding some awesome stuff at the drugstore where it's more accessible. The Revlon Just Tinted collection was a cool offbeat collection created by Revlon a few years back, that fed our desire for jelly nail polish. Speaking of desire...

Desire

Desire is a bright medium pink jelly.

Collection: Revlon Just Tinted Summer 2011

Color: This is a pretty standard nail polish color, but it's jelly! Jellies I still think are a pretty under-developed area of the nail polish market, and in 2011 a drugstore jelly was an amazing find. I love these brightness of this pink and squishy look.

Formula: This formula is pretty sheer. You could wear these in less coats for a very sheer/tinted effect or you could do like all the other nail polish addicts and build it up in 3-4 coats for full on jelly effect. I used 3 coats here. The formula was easy to work with and apply.

Price: This can be found a few etailers still reasonably priced.

Overall: This line and Desire were a great find, and some of my first true jelly polishes in my nail polish collection. Plus, I just loved the bottles! Beautiful color and a nice nostalgic memory.

My Rating: 5 out of 5 Paint Splatters

Happy Friday!

Weekend Un-Lacquered Reviews: Revlon Color Burst Lip Butter- Wild Watermelon

I wanted to share with you today one of my "go-to" lip colors for summer. This is one I've already started wearing a couple days a week, and I can only see that continuing. I wore this one a lot last summer too. This one is part of Revlon's Color Burst Lip Butter line. I love this line so much as I find this the perfect medium in between a lipstick and a tinted lip balm.

Wild Watermelon

Swatches:

Color: This is a beautiful mix of a juicy red, pink, and coral shade. I'd say this definitely leans toward a red-coral shade. What I like about this color is it's very wearable. The color pay off on this lip butter is excellent. It's not heavy handed as it's a sheerer wash of color, but it's definitely more pigmented than a tinted lip balm.

Formula and Feel: Excellent formulation. This feel very moisturizing on the lips without being heavy or sticky.

Application and Wear: This glides easily on the lips and there is no need to layer it for more pigmentation. This wears well too. I only needed to reapply this after eating or drinking.

Price: This can be purchased in the $4.50-$8.00 range at major drugstores, big box stores, or Ulta.

Overall: This is a beautiful juicy lip color for summer. I love the pigmentation and how wearable this color is . The formula is great and it feels very comfortable on the lips. I definitely think this is a must have in your lipstick collection for sure.

My Rating: 5 out of 5 *Golden* Paint Splatters

Happy Sunday!

Revlon Confident

I have another one of the nail colors from the Revlon Boho Chic Gucci Westman collection to show you today. I reviewed the color Artsy a few weeks ago. This is a limited edition collection for fall/winter. The fact that winter is tagged in there makes me think this collection should hang around some stores for a little bit.

Confident

Confident is a bright red jelly base with red hex and bar glitters.

Color: This is a bright in your face cherry popping red. I'm red girl. I love red polish, and if you want a in your face red, this is it. I can't say this my favorite shade of red as I find it a little too warm-toned for my taste, but it is a nice color.

Formula: The formula on this was A LOT better than on Artsy. I think this is the case because there is more a of balance between the base color and the glitter. That being said, the formula wasn't a win either. It can be a bit tricky, but it was so much easier to apply than Artsy. I used 3 coats here.

Price: I paid around $5-$6 for this at CVS.

Overall: This is beautiful blingy red polish. It is different from red glitters and jelly red glitters I own, so it stands out as original. I can't say it's a huge hit for me though. I would of preferred a more cooler shade of red, and the formula was just OK. Nice polish, can't really knock it, just not all I would of wanted it to be.

My Rating: 3.5 out of 5 Paint Splatters

Happy Friday!

Revlon Artsy

I came across a beautiful collection of polishes recently in a Revlon display. The display was fall collection called by Boho Chic by Gucci Westman. Gucci Westman is a makeup artist. I had to Google her. I may be a nail blogger, but my knowledge of the cosmetic and fashion industry is lacking!

This display had 4 nail polishes 3 blingtastic glitters and one shimmer. I picked up all the blingtastic glitters of course. Glitters make me salivate. I have one of those to share with you today.

Artsy

Artsy is a sapphire blue jelly jam packed with blue hex and blue bar glitters.

Color: This is the perfect blue. I love jewel-tones for fall, and this hits the spot. This is the perfect sapphire blue. The jelly base is rich in pigment, and the blue glitter is plentiful.

Formula: Oh Artsy, this is where you become a bit fartsy. There is so much glitter in here that is really messes with the base. The glitters stack on top of each other in application, and the jelly base just can't really level around the glitters. This can really be a hot mess application wise. I used 3 coats above. Sad face.

Price: I paid around the $5-$6 range for this at CVS. This Boho Chic collection is limited edition, however, this particular polish will become part of the permanent Revlon line.

Overall: I can't get enough of this blingy sapphire blue jelly glitter. I really love this as a polish, but the formula really kills it. Despite that, I can't chuck this one at all, it really is just too beautiful. I will most likely never wear this as a full mani, but I could see myself definitely sporting this as an accent nail. If you love jelly glitters like me, you may be willing to make this work for you. If you're not into glitters so much, I think you can pass.

My Rating: 3 out of 5 Paint Splatters

Happy Tuesday!

P.S. Nail'd It a nail art competition show premieres tonight on Oxygen at 9pmEDT/8pmCDT. I'll be watching! Who else?

Revlon Balinese Bay

I have to share with you another polish from the Revlon Haute Rocks Pebbled Texture collection. If you want to see my full thoughts on the formulation of these polishes I recommend you check out my review of Moroccan Oasis. Short version, these were marketed as textured glitters, however, I found these to be better suited as glitter toppers through my experience. Your experience maybe different. 

Balinese Bay over Broadway Nails Easter Annie

Balinese Bay is a mixture of magenta, black, lavender, and holo glitters in a sheer milky base.

Color: This is a an unexpected glitter color combination for me, but I absolutely love it. This really mixes colors with edge with colors that are soft. I adore this, and out of all the Pebbled Texture polishes this one is my favorite.

Formula: As you can see from the bottle the glitters are heavier than the base. The base floats to the top while the glitters sink. This made this difficult to apply as full coverage glitter as this was intended. I used 2 coats over a base. Even though these are called "Pebbled Textured" these glitters are smooth and not textured. I did find I got more coverage with Balinese Bay than the others in this collection though.

Price: I found this in the $5-$6 range at CVS. This collection is limited edition, but I'm still spotting these at the drugstore. 

Overall: I am in love with this as a glitter topper. In fact, I think I'd put it as a contender for one of my favorite this year. The color combination is beautiful. Again, as a this was meant to be this doesn't really work out though. Revlon would of been so much better off presenting these at glitter toppers. 

My Rating:

As a Pebbled Texture 1 out of 5 Paint Splatters

As a Glitter Topper 5 out of 5 Paint Splatters

Happy Friday! 

Revlon Lana'i Lagoon

I have another one of the Revlon Haute Rocks Pebbled Texture polishes to share with you today. I suggest if you missed last week's post on Moroccan Oasis you head on over there. I explain thoroughly my issue with this line, and why I'm choosing to share them differently. Bottom line, I personally find these perform better as glitter toppers, rather than textures.

Lana'i Lagoon over Revlon Coastal Surf

Lana'i Lagoon is a sheer milky base with light blue, dark, blue, and micro silver glitters.

Color: This is a beautiful mix of blue glitters. I love the color of this glitter. It's hard to go wrong with blue glitter with me.

Formula: Again, I had the same results with Moroccan Oasis. The glitter here is heavier than the base, so I was getting significantly more base on my nail than glitter. I used 2 coats over a base above. This also dries so lumpy, dull, and ugly looking I had to put top coat on it. It does not have a nice textured finish like other textured polishes.

Price: I paid around $5-$6 for this at CVS.

Overall: I love this as a glitter topper. This is beautiful that way. As a Pebbled Texture, I appreciate Revlon's effort in trying to dabble in texture polishes, but they really didn't create a user friendly texture polish. The base needs to be able to support the glitter, and it's just not doing that. This makes it a royal pain to achieve the look they've suggested.

My Rating:

As a Pebbled Texture 0.5 out of 5 

As a Glitter Topper 4.5 out of 5

Happy Monday!

Revlon Moroccan Oasis

I first heard about the Revlon Haute Rocks collection on Nouveau Cheap. I instantly was drawn to the concept and colors. These were labeled as Pebbeled Textures. I thought these were a cool idea, and a little different from the other textures we see. I felt this way until I saw swatches. These are in my opinion lumpy dumpy messes the way they were intended, however, I still wanted to try them myself and make them work.

I think these fail at being "Pebbled Textures", because the base formula is sheer and doesn't support the base whatsoever. On that account, Revlon fails, but I made these work as glitter toppers, and I think they look great that way. Some people could get these to work in a few coats on their own, but I did not have any luck at all that way. 

Moroccan Oasis over Revlon Modern Grace

Moroccan Oasis is a sheer milky base with periwinkle, greenish-gold, blue, and holographic white glitters.

Color: The color of this glitter is great. This is why I was attracted to this and others in this collection. The color combination in this glitter is soft and pretty.

Formula: As you can see in the bottle, the glitters in this are heavier than the base. This base is very watery, and I found I always got significantly more base on my brush/nails than glitter. The application wasn't disastrous, but I could not get this to build on my nail smoothly or nicely without looking messy. I used 2 thin coats over the base above, and honestly I think this result is nice. I also top coated this as well, these dry really waxy, and I find it looks really unappealing. Also, these are not "textured" as other textured polishes. The glitter gives it dimension, but doesn't really have that textured feel. 

Price: I paid around $5-$6 for this at CVS.

Overall: This is a tough. The way I chose to use these, I think they're great. I actually love this polish that way. If these were labeled glitter toppers, I'd give this a 5 star glowing review. These are meant to be textures and used on their own though. The way they were intended I could not even get to work for me, nor did they look nice that way at all. You may have better results than me, but I'm going to pretend these are glitter toppers and move on from "Pebbled Texture" aspect! 

My Rating:

As Pebbled Textures 0.5 out of 5 Paint Splatters

As Glitter Toppers 5 out of 5 Paint Splatters

Happy Monday! 

Silvery Mani w/ Two Silvery Accents

*Have you entered my Cult Nails Road Trip, Anyone? giveaway yet? Giveaway ends on Friday night!

I've been admiring lots of manis lately featuring multiple accent nails. I then read in the most recent issue of Nail It! magazine that two accent manicures are on the list for 2013 fall trends. I always wanted to try this, but wondered if it would look funky on me. I decided to give it go and this was my result.

I really like this! I wasn't really sure to place my accent colors, but I ended up choosing the middle and ring fingers. I honestly think it doesn't matter where they go as long as you like it!

These are the polishes I used:

L-R: Revlon Aloof, Color Club Orna-minted, and Zoya Trixie

I painted my thumb, pointer, and pinky with Aloof, my middle finger with Trixie, and my ringer finger with Trixie topped with Orna-minted.

Revlon Aloof actually inspired this mani. This color was part of the Limited Edition Revlon Edgy Elegance 2011 collection. I actually found this at K-Mart yesterday in the clearance bin for $1! It's so hard to describe this color, I'd say it's a white with an intense silvery shimmer. This polish is probably HTF now, but I'd check Big Lots. I've seen some of this collection in those $2 Revlon Packs. I think I just got lucky at K-Mart.

Anywho, I'm glad I tried this, and it's something I'll definitely be doing more in the future!

How do you feel about multiple accent nails?

Happy Wednesday!

Revlon Lagoon Afternoon

I have another polish from the Revlon LE Haute Tropics collection. I have big buyers remorse over this one. I saw the color and thought "Wow, what a cool looking blue!". Once I purchased it, the whole way back home in the car I was thinking "Darn it, I'm pretty sure I have a color like this!". As soon as I got home I knew exactly what color to compare it to, and I was right. I bought a dupe, and a really sucky dupe at that.

Lagoon Afternoon

Lagoon Afternoon is a bright blue creme.

This is basically the exact same color as China Glaze Hanging in the Balance.

Color: Nice pigmented blue! The color is nice, but it's not original.

Formula: HORRIBLE! The formula was thin, messy, and flooded my cuticles. This applied unevenly and streaky. Yuck. Terrible.

Price: I don't remember exactly, but I think I paid around $5 for this at Walgreens.

Overall: Pass on this one. If you want a color like this go with the China Glaze version. The formula is better. I know the China Glaze will be more expensive in stores, but I think the higher price is worth it. I really can't find any redeeming qualities on this one. Well, the name is cute? Still, not worth it!

My Rating: 1 out of 5 Paint Splatters

Yeah, I gave it one paint splatter for the name. Haha.

Happy Thursday!

Revlon Mai Tai Ask?

Lately, drugstore trips have been pretty boring. I've hardly gone to CVS or Walgreens because whenever I would go in I wouldn't find anything. Last week was a different story. I walked into Walgreens and saw many displays of new and limited edition drugstore polishes. This was a little too exciting for me, and I did go a little crazy shopping them. One new limited edition collection I spotted was by Revlon called Haute Tropics. Haute Tropics has a mix of bright and bold colors. I really liked the assortment because the colors definitely are on trend for the season, and the major pull here is at a drugstore price. I picked up this next color from the collection.

Mai Tai Ask?

Mai Tai Ask? is a bold creamy orange creme that leans a hint to the coral side. 

Color: I'm not typically an orange person, but I do really love those creamy oranges though. This is a great orange color, it's not neon, but it's bold and vibrant. 

Formula: The formula of this and I will go ahead and say the others in this collection too, left a lot to be desired. I'm trying to remember if it's Revlon in general who has a formula like this or if it's just these? The formula was very much on the thin side. I prefer a thinner polish formula, but this was too thin to the point it was very hard to control and would pool up in my cuticles. I was so frustrated at the application of this I almost gave up on swatching it. Not good. 

Overall: Beautiful pigmented color, but a pain in the behind formula. :-/

My Rating: 2.5 out of 5 paint splatters

I honestly don't remember how much I paid for this,but I think it was probably around $5.00. 

Happy Tuesday! 

Revlon Girly

When I first heard about Revlon Girly I got that instant nail polish addict primal instinct of  "MUST FIND THIS NOW". Girly is a fun glitter, and it's a drugstore brand. We all know drugstore brand fun glitters are not always easy to find, so this enticed me.

Revlon Girly over Milani Juno

Girly is a mixture of different shades and shapes of purple and pink glitter in a pink milky base.

Here it goes...

I don't like this. I layered over a pink because I initially didn't like how it looked on its own. I found it too glittery, so I thought if I layered it I would like it better. I don't hate this, I can't even put my finger on why I don't really like this. I absolutely love it in the bottle, but not so much on the nail. I wish I could describe to you why I don't like this that much , but I really can't. Meh, sorry. Blogger fail. I know this is a popular one, so many of you will like it. There is nothing wrong with it really, it just isn't my cup of tea. 

Happy Monday! 

Revlon Brilliant Strength- Dazzle

I bought today's polish on a whim. I found this polish in the new Revlon Brilliant Strength line. I really liked it from first glance, but I couldn't find any swatches or information on this particular color. This is one of those polishes that looks promising in the bottle, but in all honestly I expected it to be a real failure. Dazzle well exceeded my expectations, and well...dazzled me! Let me show you why...

Dazzle

Dazzle is warm bubblegum pink jelly with iridescent glass fleck glitter( they could be micro flakes I don't know!) and teeny micro iridescent glitters. 

When I purchased this I thought it would be a sheer french manicure-style polish that would not be buildable in the least bit. I was wrong. I used 3 coats for this swatch. This is a gorgeous pink jelly, and the iridescent glass fleck glitter in here is absolutely beautiful. The little flecks seem to subtly flash violet, pink, and gold depending on the angle and light. The formula on this was also really great. I LOVE the brush! It's a flatter, shorter brush, with a medium width. This isn't a wide and thick brush like some other brands. I think this is my favorite type of brush to apply nail polish with!

I think this polish could easily go under the radar, because many people might assume it would be too sheer. This is really beautiful color with an amazing finish. I also think for the nail art gals out there, this would be a really pretty background for some Valentines nail art! 

I bought this one in 2012, but I didn't swatch it until 2013, that's too bad because it probably would of been in my Top 20 of 2012! That being said, I'm going to call it a must have! 

Happy Tuesday! 

Revlon Colorstay Coastal Surf

I don't know what was wrong with me, but for awhile I thought the Revlon Colorstay polishes were like gel polishes that you could only use if you had one of those UV lights and stuff. I avoided getting them thinking I needed to buy a bunch of other things to use them. I finally realized they they are just "gel-like", but not really gels. You can use it like you would normal polish. I'm sure I was only nail polish addict to think it was something else! Shame on me! Anyways, once I realized I did not need any high-tech riff raff, I picked up one I had be eyeing, and I love it!

Coastal Surf

Coastal Surf is bright and light sky blue creme.

You NEED this. I'm calling it a must have. This color is gorgeous. I love a great blue. I first thought this maybe dupey to Sally Hansen Blew Me Away, but Coastal Surf is lighter. The formula on this is divine. I'm so used to average-good formula, that when I get polish with amazing formula I notice it instantly. It is very pigmented and applies like butter. It is a 2 coater easily. Plus, Coastal Surf is an awesome polish name. Then again, I love anything ocean related.  I'd have to say my first experience with Revlon Colorstay polish is a great one. I'm glad my dodo brain finally realized these were not some high tech polish for polish wizards. 

 

Happy Friday! 

Revlon Posh

You do not need to adjust your screens. I did buy this green polish! I am very impressed with the new Revlon shades. It was MUCH needed. Revlon's previous core line was some of the saddest bunch of granny colors I've ever seen. I'm glad they've revamped their image and now are offering some trendy and funky shades. I saw this green, and I couldn't pass it up.

Posh

Posh is a true green creme.

I say it's a true green because I do not feel this leans either warm or cool. It's just green. I'm sure there are better ways to do describe this, but that's not my forte! The formula on this was nice. Like, I said I'm so impressed with the Revlons lately. I think their formula has improved as well. Great polish all around!

What do you think of the new Revlon polishes? 


Happy Thursday!

Revlon Top Speed Electric

Sometimes...you have to accept the fact that some colors will just never work on you......

Revlon Electric

Electric is warm yellow shimmer.

This looks HORRID on me. I love the idea of yellow polish, but majority of the time they look bad on me. Yellow is definitely the color I have the least of in my polish collection. I think I currently have 2, this one has already been swapped or sold. Yellow also tends to have so many formulation issues. The formula in this one was actually quite good. If you have a warmer or darker skin tone I bet his would look great on you. On me on the other hand....yuck!

Happy Friday!

Revlon Raven Red

I already am skeptical about posting this.  My red polish posts tend to get passed over :(. I know reds are not favorites among nail bloggers and nail polish addicts. I get they can be predictable and not really unique. The thing is I love reds.  I think you really cannot go wrong with a great red. It's a classic, and I think everyone at least needs a few reds in their stash. This is one of my favorite red cremes.

Revlon Raven Red

Raven Red is a darker red creme.

This is not a blaring bright red. This is a great red creme for the fall/winter months. It would be a great red anytime of year really. It is slightly darker than other reds, but it's not vampy. This leans slightly to the blue-toned red side, but it's definitely reads more neutral on the nail. I think this would be a flattering red for many skin tones. Also this is a core line color, so it's not going anywhere.

Happy Thursday!

Revlon Starry Pink

A a subdued chunky glitter polish? Is that possible? I've always loved glitters, but lately sometimes I can find some to be a bit much. I know...blasphemy! Sometimes, I'd like to have some sparkle on my nails that doesn't always translate into a eye-blinding bling factory. I didn't think this was possible, but Revlon proved me wrong.

Starry Pink

Starry Pink is a pale pink creme with small and large hexagonal silver glitter.

This is a win. I love this because sometimes I like to wear a more natural and clean color on my nails, but I don't want it to be boring. This is the best of both worlds. This is a very wearable color with that little special umph.  What is also great about this color is it isn't sheer. I can't tell you how annoyed I get with pale pinks being sheer and taking 5 coats. This is opaque in 3 coats. This is an original color. I wouldn't have ever expected a color like this especially from Revlon.

On that note...kudos to Revlon! You've really impressed and surprised me this year!

Happy Friday!