Winter Polish Throwback: Ho-Ho-Holly (Color Club) & Berry and Bright (Color Club) - Winter Affair 2012

I first snagged these from Sally Beauty Supply in their special edition Winter Affair mini packs from Color Club. I believe that only the packs from Sally's were scented and I've noticed that there's a definite color variation from what Color Club sent to other stores. I didn't realize that they were scented when I first got them (I didn't read the details on the pack, just the great bargain I was getting them for :p). The first polish I tried, Gift of Sparkle (blue in this pack but for other retailers it was a purple glitter) had this noxious blueberry scent that not only put me off swatching the other polishes in the pack, but put me off scented polishes in general. Now I wish I'd kept going.

Ho-Ho-Holly has a very light scent that doesn't feel overpowered by the usual scent of nail polish. Add to the fact that it's gorgeous and we have a winter winner. It's a green and gold foil that applies as smooth as butter. I could have stuck with one coat, but I didn't mind adding a second because it was so easy to do so.

Berry and Bright is a gorgeous shimmer packed ruby red that applies almost like a foil would. This could have been done in one thick coat, but two thin ones felt like a better choice for me. It's not as dazzling as Ho-Ho-Holly and it takes sunlight or strong direct light to really jazz it up (though don't get me wrong, it's pretty sparkly just not quite to the degree HHH). I also prefer the lighter scent in HHH; this one has a more cloying strawberry scent I'm not a fan of. I can put up with it for the pretty color though :)