NYX Sweet Sin

Today, I have an NYX polish to share with you. NYX polishes are sold on their website or their retail stores only which is unfortunate because they really make some great polishes. I wish they were more readily available!

Sweet Sin

Sweet Sin is a purple-gray mauve with a bronze shimmer.

Collection: NYX Core

Color: Yes! I love this color. This is an awesome neutral purple paired with a gorgeous fiery bronze shimmer. I love this color combination. I don't see colors like this often I appreciate NYX having it in their line up.

Formula: This had a nice a smooth formula. I used 2 coats above.

Price: This is $5 on the NYX website or in a NYX store.

Overall: Excellent polish. I adore this color and that bronze shimmer. The formula was great and the price was awesome too. I just wish they sold NYX polishes in other stores.

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

Happy Tuesday!

ILNP Central Station

I love ILNP polishes and I think them and KBShimmer are probably my favorite indie brands. They're just so good at what they do in all aspects of their business. I also think I like them because they keep it fairly simple. They mainly just have seasonal collections, which is so much easier for me to keep up with! That being said, I do have a ILNP shade to show you I picked up this past fall.

Central Station

Central Station is an impressively delicate soft brown neutral shade with a subtle grey undertone that manages to radiate the perfect amount of warmth with holographic pigment and sparkle.

Collection: ILNP Fall Neutrals 2016

Color: I love this smoky brown shade. It's not too brown or too grey it's just right. It's hard to go wrong with neutral shades like this one. They're really flattering and chic. I love the addition of the holo in this as it elevates the shade, but it's still soft and doesn't go into Blingtown territory.

Formula: This had a smooth and easy to use formula. I used 3 coats above.

Price: This is $10.00 on the ILNP website.

Overall: This a nice and solid neutral polish. I love the color and the added sparkle. The formula was great and like everything ILNP I'm impressed and I think most people would appreciate this color.

My Rating: 5 out of 5 Paint Splatters

Happy Tuesday!

Kokie Cosmic Dust

I have another Kokie Cosmetics polish to share with you today. This color immediately caught my eye, but I was hesitant to purchase it because it reminded me a lot of Zoya Yuna. I don't like buying dupes, but I couldn't help myself from really needing this polish either. It was just so striking in the bottle, so I took a gamble! Turns out, it was a good gamble because they're not dupes. I have a comparison below too.

Cosmic Dust

Cosmic Dust is a deep smoky grey with gold and silver glass fleck glitter.

Collection: Kokie Cosmetics Core

Color: They're not dupes and they're really not that similar either. Kokie's Cosmic Dust doesn't have the blue-tone of Zoya Yuna. Cosmic Dust also has silver and gold glass fleck glitter and it's much more intense than Yuna's. I love this color! I love how it's jam-packed with glass fleck glitter. It gives creates a lot of interest while still being a smooth polish.

Formula: This had an excellent formula. It was smooth, buttery, and easy to apply. I used 2 coats above.

Price: I paid $5.99 for this at the Christmas Tree Shop. This is also available at Bed Bath & Beyond locations that feature a Harmon cosmetics section or on the Kokie Cosmetics website.

Overall: I know on my last post on this brand, I enjoyed it but wasn't too keen on the price. I thought it was a bit too pricey for drugstore, but this polish changed my mind. This was a really well made and beautifully thought out polish. It's a definitely step up from the Sinful Colors range in innovation and formulation, so I think it does warrant the $5.99 price tag. I just wish this was available in more stores. I think this would be a brand that nail polish addicts and the general public would appreciate.

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

Happy Tuesday!

O-My Jewels Patience

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

I have another polish from the new to me brand O-My Jewels to share with you today. You know what I've noticed lately outside of my nude and neutrals obsession? I think I'm backing off a bit on glitter. I know, I know. Glitter is one of the reasons I fell in love with polish in the first place, but lately, I've been gravitating toward cremes. I'm really into clean and simple nails/nail color these days. This O-My Jewels color fits the bill.

Patience

Patience is a neutral gray creme.

Color: Gray can sometimes be a tricky color for me. If it's too warm toned it doesn't look great on me, but this one is nice. It's really a true neutral tone it's not warm or cool it's right in between. I love this medium shade of great too because not only is it neutral it's not too dark or too light!

Formula: This had an excellent 2 coat formula:

Price: This is $7.25 on O-My Jewels website.

Overall: There isn't much to add to this color. It's a great shade with an equally great formula. You can't really go wrong with a color like this one.

My Rating: 5 out of 5 Paint Splatters

Happy Monday!

Sally Hansen Steely Serene

I have one of the polishes from the new Sally Hansen Color Therapy collection. This Color Therapy line includes argan oil that nourishes and moisturizes nails. It's not only a nail polish, but a treatment too. I can't make claims on the treatment factor. I use a treatment base coat by Sally Hansen's called  Nail Rehab Rx as a base coat already, so my nails have been in good shape prior.

I will say, I don't normally test out wear time before I swatch them for the blog. There are just too many factor that can contribute to that, however, this polish has some serious staying power. I was really impressed. This may not be the case for everyone (the whole many factors part), but it certainly caught my eye.


Steely Serene 

 Steely Serene is a medium putty (grey-nude-purple) creme.

Collection: Sally Hansen Color Therapy 2017

Color: I LOVE this color. You know I'm still on the nude-neutral train and this is an amazing neutral shade. It's a very chic and flattering color. I could easily wear this all the time and it would go with everything and always look classy.

Formula: This had a smooth and easy to apply formula. I used 2 coats above.

Price: I paid around $7-$8 for this at Target.

Overall: This wore like iron on me as well as another color from the line. I got around 6 full days of wear time with this without any chips. No chips at all. I had some tip wear and my nails grew out a bit on the bottoms, but no chips! I was shocked and very impressed. That on top of the gorgeous color and formula makes this a great polish. I highly recommend this color or at least trying a polish from this line.

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

Sinful Colors Where Oh Werewolf?

I guess it's only Sinful Colors we can really rely on these days for drugstore nail polish. Most of their collections are repromotes or repeats, but they do throw a new shade here and there on occasion. One of the new shades I spotted in their Halloween collection recently was this Walgreens exclusive.

Where Oh Werewolf?

Where Oh Werewolf is a medium gray with a silvery glass fleck shimmer.

Collection: Sinful Colors Halloween 2016 Walgreens Exclusive

Color: This a very saturated and creamy gray base color. I love the opacity of this gray and I adore this glass fleck shimmer. It really pairs nicely with this color and gives it some interest. 

Formula: I had my doubts before I even opened this bottle. I thought this was going to be a sheer color that needed 5 coats to look right or would have to be layered. I was wrong. This is a very opaque color. The formula on this was phenomenal especially considering the price tag. I used 2 coats. 

Price: This was $1.99 at Walgreens.

Overall: This is a winning polish for me. It ticks all the boxes of great polish and the best part is the price. It's hard to find polishes with this type of shimmer and formulated so nicely for only $1.99. This could easily be a $9-$10 indie. Its polishes like these that give me hope that drugstores and mainstream brands might start to reignite themselves. I truly miss being able to shop in store for great nail polish and find them at a great price. This one is a keeper! 

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

Happy Thursday! 

NYX Seattle Storm

I was really excited to know that NYX Cosmetics opened up a store at a mall near me. NYX is definitely my favorite drugstore beauty brand. I especially love their lip products. I was really excited to be able to see all of their products in one place. Ulta has a pretty good selection, but it's nothing like having a whole store dedicated to NYX products. The store was tiny, but one of the first things that caught my eye is that they sold nail polish in their store. NYX has gone through a few bottle designs and lines of nail polish, but I've never seen them in a store. I was drawn to this color in the store and had to pick it up.

Seattle Storm

Seattle Storm is a grey-beige with a hint of lavender creme.

Collection: Core

Color: We saw the emergence of these greige/gravender colors in 2010-2012, but they haven't lost their appeal to me. I find myself more drawn to colors like this now than I did back then. I love a great neutral especially in those transitional times of seasons. It's still summer, but I'm ready for fall. I just don't want to dive into fall all the way yet. These are the types of colors I reach for now. It's a great color for any occasion or season really.

Formula: I wasn't really expecting much with this formula, but I loved it. It was perfection. It wasn't too thick or too thin. I felt the brush was great too and I had full control of the formula and application. I used 2 coats here.

Price: This is $5 at NYX Cosmetics stores or on their website.

Overall: Seattle Storm is a great neutral creme. I love this color because it's so sophisticated and chic without being ordinary. The formulation on this was excellent and even the price is great considering how much nail polish is these days. This is a definite win for me.

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

Happy Monday!

Sinful Colors Kylie Collection Slay Grey

Oy vey. I didn't realize how involved this Kylie Jenner Sinful Colors collection went. There many sub collections of mattes and other stuff, that honestly I couldn't tell you everything. I don't even know. I *think* Slay Grey is part of the Precious Metals & Crown Jewels part of the collection that is then part of the Sinful Shine Gel Tech line. Are you confused yet? So am I.

I can't say I'm a fan of Kylie Jenner or anything Kardashian/Jenner for that matter. I give kudos to this family for knowing how to rake in the dough, I bought into it buying this color. That's about where the compliments end though. Materialistic stuff, fashion, luxury just isn't my thing. I have 4 pairs of shoes, 2 handbags I rotate between, and I live in jeans and t-shirts. I'm a very simple person. Any other simple jeans and t-shirt people out there?

Back to nail polish!

Slay Grey 

Slay Grey is a soft grey with golden/green glass fleck shimmer.

Collection: Sinful Colors Sinful Shine Gel Tech Kylie King Precious Metals & Crown Jewels Collection 2016. Haha, try saying that a few times in a row.

Color: I adore Slay Grey, despite the cringey name. This is a soft neutral flattering shade with a gorgeous glass fleck shimmer. I adore this and I will give Kylie or whoever made this for Kylie credit for using a glass fleck shimmer with this. I miss glass fleck shimmers!

Formula: Excellent formula. I found this formula very smooth and so easy to apply. I used 2 coats.

Price: I believe I paid $2.99 for this at Big Lots, but I've also seen it at Walgreens.

Overall: Kylie and her Kardashian/Jenner clan can have all the money and glam, but I'm happy with this pretty nail polish. The color is stunning and I'm all about that glass fleck shimmer. The formula is on point and the price is great. Kylie just might make it as a contender in my Top 25 of 2016 polish list.

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

Happy Friday!

Cuccio Grey's Anatomy

*The following product was provided in exchange for my honest review. 

Yes, I still have Cosmoprof polishes to share with you. This one is from the brand Cuccio which is a brand exclusively used in salons, but you can find some online. This color is from their current winter NUDEtrals collection.

After the holidays I am over colorful and loud nail polish, at least for a little while. The first weeks of January I stick to neutrals or soft tones. The first of the year is the perfect time for palette cleansing polishes before we break out the colors of spring. My jaw dropped when I saw this color at Cosmoprof. I thought it was one of the most beautiful colors I've seen with a gorgeous finish.

Grey's Anatomy

Grey's Anatomy is a soft gray-blue packed with gold and bronze microglitter.

Collection: Cuccio NUDETrals Winter 2015

Color: Ive mentioned on this blog before how much I love cool-toned colors paired with warm metals. This is stunning combination of a dusty gray-blue with that intense fiery gold and bronze glitter. It's a color combination I wish I saw more of in nail polish because it is so beautiful. I love this muted shade with that teeny bit of glitz.

Formula: The formula on this was OK. I so wish this formula was spectacular because this would be an all star polish in my book. The base of is it a bit sheer and thick. I wish the base had a creamier consistency rather than a sheer almost gel-like one. It's not terrible, but it's not good and not what I'd expect from a salon brand. I used 3 coats.

Price: This is around $8 if you look around for it online.

Overall: I am head over heels in love with the color of Grey's Anatomy. The beautiful soft gray-blue base and that glitter makes a gorgeous polish color. The formula leaves a lot to be desired though which is very disappointing considering how much I love the color itself.

My Rating: 4 out of  5 Paint Splatters

Happy Monday!

KBShimmer Winter 2015 Collection (7 of 14)

*The following products were sent in exchange for my honest review. 

It is my absolute favorite time of year. It's the build up to Christmas! I don't like Christmas itself because then it's practically over. The build up to Christmas is the absolute best part. Almost two whole months of glitter, sparkle, cheer, and Christmas songs! I know some people absolutely hate this time of year, but I love it. Yes, I'm listening to Christmas music as I write this blog.

That being said, we have our first indie winter/holiday collection out already. This one is by KBShimmer and I have 7 of the 14 shades to share with you today.

Chilly Pepper

Chilly Pepper is a true Christmas red creme. (2 coats)

Coal in One

Coal in One is a charcoal gray linear holographic. (2 coats)

Brrr-tiful Dreamer

Brrr-tiful Dreamer is a muted grape crelly with aqua, silver, purple, and fuchsia glitters. (3 coats)

sELFie over Chilly Pepper

sELFie is a holographic glitter in a clear base with green, silver, and red glitters. (1 coat)

Fleece Navidad

Fleece Navidad is a soft silvery light gray polish with holographic sparkle and blue micro flakes. (3 coats)

Claws and Effect

Claws and Effect is a dark purple leaning navy holo polish with blue/pink shifting glass flakes. (3 coats)

Yule Worthy

Yule Worthy is a warm burgundy leaning chocolate brown with micro metal flakes. (2 coats)

Collection: KBShimmer Winter 2015 Collection

Colors: KBShimmer always covers all bases in their collections. This collection is no exception. There are a great mix of traditional holiday colors and non-traditional colors. The colors are all saturated and pigmented. I love the richness of these shades and how vibrant they are. Perfect for the holidays! Please note these are only 7 of the shades! You can view the rest here.

Formulas: These all had really good formulas. They applied easily and smoothly. sELFie is on the thick side as it's a very dense glitter. I dabbed it over a base color, but it can be worn alone in 3 coats.

Price: The glitters and holos are $8.75 each and the cremes are $7.50 each. You can purchase these on KBShimmer's website.

Overall: This is a beautiful winter collection. I love the variety offered in the colors and finishes. The formulas are on point. I wouldn't expect less from KBShimmer! My favorites from this bunch are Chilly Pepper, Yule Worthy, Claws and Effect, and Fleece Navidad. KBShimmer also had released some limited edition mani shot scents for the holidays as well as some awesome holiday themed water slide decals! The links I posted above will show all the winter offerings!

****Special Promo*** All orders over $75 will receive KBShimmer pink cosmetic bag. Each bag will include a full sized bottle of Clearly on Top, a KBShimmer emery board, KBShimmer magnet, Holiday Glitter Mix, 0.75oz mani shot, lotion sample, scrub sample, and soap sample (scents will vary). No code needed! Offer valid while supplies last. 

My Rating: 5 out of 5 Paint Splatters

Happy Friday!

Third Week Throwbacks: Sally Hansen Opulent Cloud

There is one aspect of nail polish I do miss that has almost gone away since the advent of indies. I really "the hunt". Before indie nail polish mainstream and drugstore nail polish is all we had to shop from. When someone spotted an amazing drugstore nail polish that became the "it" polish that everyone had to have. Pretty much any drugstore nail polish that was spectacular was almost always limited edition.

This meant stalking multiple Walgreens and CVS stores to find this polish. I remember hitting 4-5 drugstore a day trying to find some of these highly sought after nail polishes. Sure, it was time consuming and frustrating, but it was also part of the fun! This Sally Hansen polish was one I hunted for.

Opulent Cloud

Opulent Cloud is a steely gray-blue with an intense golden shimmer.

Collection: Sally Hansen HD Fall 2009

Color: The color is exactly what the appeal was with Opulent Cloud. I love the combination of cool and warm tones in one polish, and this is exactly that. This gray-blue with that warm golden shimmer is such a beautiful and unique combination.

Formula: The formula on these is decent. This color is a bit brushstroke-y, but I can forgive it for the type of color it is. I used 3 coats above.

Price: Sadly, I think this one is impossible to find at this point to purchase.

Overall: I love Opulent Cloud. This color combination is amazing, and I love how unique this polish is even 6 years later. This one isn't going anywhere in my collection!

My Rating: 5 out of 5 Paint Splatters

Happy Wednesday!