ILNP King and Queens

I have to say from 2010-2012 holographic polishes sucked. Indies changed that for all of us, and I think we all are very thankful. I had not dabbled much in indie holos until this year, and I was in for a holo-shock! I have for you today one of ILNP's holos from the spring collection.

King and Queens

King and Queens is a saturated magenta/fuchsia linear holo.

Color: Holy-holo, this is another no joking around polish. This is a bright and vibrant holo. The color itself is saturated and vibrant too. I hate holo finishes that gray-out or take away from the base. The base and holo live in perfect harmony here.

Formula: Excellent easy to apply formula. I used 2 coats above.

Price: This is $10.00 on the ILNP site.

Overall: Outstanding holo that ticks all the boxes. So impressive, I can't think of much else to say about it!

My Rating: 5 out of 5 Paint Splatters

Happy Friday!

Throwback Thursday: Misa Bikini With a Martini

My brain completely stopped functioning last month. I totally forgot about Throwback Thursday last month. I am SO sorry! That was not intentional at all! Throwback Thursday is back now.

I have a bright neon for you today, and a neon I rarely see in nail polish world--neon red. I see a lot of wannabe neon reds, but this one is the real deal. This real deal is made by the brand Misa, a brand I so wish was in stores because they make some nice polishes.

Bikini With a Martini

Bikini With a Martini is a neon red semi-jelly.

Color: This color isn't joking around, and it is even a little bit brighter in person. I currently am wearing this, and it attracts attention. This is a hot red, and I'd say it does lean a touch to the orange side of things, but I'd still call it red.

Collection: Look on the Bright Side Summer 2008(?)

Formula: Very smooth and easy to apply formula. You can get away with 2 coats easily. I call this a semi jelly because it's not quite a jelly, not quite a creme. I'd call this 80% jelly 20% creme. This does dry on the matte side like most neons, so top coat is a must!

Price: This is currently $3.00 on Head2Toe Beauty

Overall: I love this red. I don't own any neon reds like this at all, this definitely fills a hole in my collection. I also don't know of any colors like this out right now. Gorgeous in your face red neon!

My Rating: 5 out of 5 Paint Splatters

Happy Thursday!

Way-Cool Mani Wednesday: Purple Balinese Bay

Picking up on yesterday's post with Broadway Nails Easter Annie, I loved it so much I decided to do a fun mani with it!

Polishes Used: Broadway Nails Easter Annie and Revlon Balinese Bay

Happy Wednesday!

Broadway Nails Easter Annie

I stopped by Dollar General recently and discovered a new to me nail polish brand. The brand is Broadway Nails. I can't say this brand is entirely new to me, because I swear I've seen they have nail art supplies or other products? This was the first time I saw nail polish by them though. The cool thing was their nail polish was $1 each. The even better thing is they had a handful of pretty nice colors.

I know sometimes at Dollar Tree or other dollar-type stores I will bypass the nail polish because a lot of it is junk or dated colors. Mind you, Broadway Nails nail polish had some junky colors, but they had handful of nice ones too. This is one that caught my eye.

Easter Annie

Easter Annie is a bright pastel lilac creme.

Color: This is on the verge of being neon. This is bright, and I love a bright pastel. This is not a color I'd expect to find for $1. I adore this color. I've always wanted a color like this and honestly never found it before now.

Formula: This formula is almost perfect. I did have some self leveling issues with this, but that was it. I did not have any issues with streakiness, chalkiness, thickness, or anything that you'd expect in a pastel/bright color, much less a $1 one.  I used 2 coats above. I am really impressed.

Price: I got this for $1 at Dollar General.

Overall: This is going on my of contenders for Top 25 of 2014. This is excellent in so many ways. This is a must have. I am so impressed, and it's only $1! Really? I'd give this 5 out of 5 if it weren't for the self leveling issue, but compared to mainstream brands who have twice as many issues with pastel formulas, I don't consider it a biggie at all!  Go find Easter Annie!

My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 Paint Splatters

Happy Tuesday!

The New Black Jewel Heist

I love a good deal. When I see something at an massively discounted price I feel like I won the lottery. That's how I felt when I discovered multiple sets of The New Black lacquer at TJ Maxx and Marshalls. I had seen these sets at Sephora and Ulta for $10-$22 a set. I found multiple sets of these at those discounted stores on clearance for $2-$4 a set! Score!

I went into an Ulta in the same shopping center the same day and saw some of the same sets I bought at the $2-$4 at their retail $10-$22 price. Incredible validation and pride right there. I had always been intrigued by these sets, but never wanted to pay full prize for them. I struck gold, and I am still gloating about it a week later!

Here is one of the sets I bought. The individual polishes do not have names though. I'll also be doing one finger swatches with these as the bottles are super tiny.

Jewel Heist

This is a bright orchid creme.

This is a hunter green shimmer.

This is a cobalt blue shimmer.

This is a cherry red semi-jelly.

This is a gray-silver subtle multichrome that shifts green and purple.

Color: I love these colors together. This is what drew me to this set and the others. I like someone choosing color schemes for me. I love the variation in finishes with these. The brightness of the orchid color is great. I love the richness of the shimmers and the multichrome is a great touch!

Formula: I was very impressed with the formulas here. I only needed 2 coats for each of these swatches. I typically average 3 coats on most nail polishes, so this was a nice surprise! The most challenging formula was probably the orchid one as I did have some self leveling issues.

Price: I paid $4 for this set at TJ Maxx. I can't guarantee you'll find the same set at your stores, but definitely check it out. This set originally retailed for $22. Yes, these are very teeny tiny bottles, but I still think it was a good deal for me.

Overall: I'm happy with this purchase. I snagged a great deal. I love the color options and I was impressed with the formula. I can't complain!

My Rating 5 out of 5 Paint Splatters

Happy Monday!