Beau Khaki (Sinful Colors)

Coming back to nail polish after a very long time. I want to continue to use this space to document what I have and how it looks on me. Going to try to release any urge to compare my application skills (which have obviously regressed) and my nails to more professional bloggers. 

This is for me. So I want to keep that as the focus. 

Okay. Intentions set.

Now back to an old favorite with an absolutely horrible name. You can tell how old the bottle is from this picture. Still love this green though. 

Beau Khaki (Sinful Colors)

Bottoms Up (SinfulColors) from the SinfulShine line

A great basic blue creme with shine for days, Bottoms Up (SinfulColors) goes on nice and easy. It was opaque in two coats. It was also a bit odd in that in the shade it looked rather teal, and actually I probably wouldn't have bought it if the display it was in was better lit. It's alright though.

Spitfire (SinfulColors)

I leave the polish world alone for a few months and I come back and SinfulColors not only produces a lemming worthy shade in that time but also promptly decides to make it HTF (Hard To Find) by discontinuing, or at least it seems that way, the entire line from their most popular retailer! Leaving alone the fact that I just bought the raved over Prosecco for three times its former price, I decided to go ahead and snag whatever shades were left of the line in my local Walgreens. For the most part, I'd ignored the SinfulShine line, thinking it would always be here and I'd have an opportunity to try it when I ran through all the SinfulColors shades. If I only new.

In any case, here's a lovely blue toned lilac called Spitfire, radiant orchid anyone? My one complaint is that it is rather sheer and runny for a pink creme, and definitely below SinfulColors' creme standards, and it took three coats with some drying time in between to reach opacity. Otherwise, it's super shiny and pretty and dries rather fast so I'm not feeling like I have to complain much too much. I really wish they didn't decide to let this drop from circulation at Walgreens.

Valentine's Day Flirt with Hearts Collection: Pink Smart (SinfulColors) & Love Sprinkles (SinfulColors)

SinfulColors is revving up for the new year, planning ahead for February with the Valentine's Day Flirt with Hearts Collection.

This is Pink Smart a lovely standard bubblegum pink creme that was easy to apply and quick drying in two coats. Meant to be layered over it is Love Sprinkles. It's made up of white and pastel pink hex glitter of multiple sizes and white heart glitter. Very pretty, but almost too girly. If I did wear the glitter I'd use it on perhaps just an accent nail. Fair warning, you will have to fish for the heart glitters.

Prime Purple (Sinful Colors) & Purple Diamond (Sinful Colors)

More polish from the Silk + Satin collection. This is Prime Purple (Sinful Colors), a lavender semi-matte with a rubbery finish. It applied easily and was opaque at two coats. No complaints!

I decided to have put a coat of Purple Diamond (Sinful Colors) to give it a very delicate shine. Purple Diamond is extremely sheer so it's really best over other purple polishes. Very pretty!

Beige of Honor (Sinful Colors)

Beige of Honor is a taupey beige creme that was in the Silk + Satin collection display despite not being an alternative textured polish. Still, it's a great neutral, and at three thin coats, not a bad polish at all. I'm hoping that SinfulColors continue to improve their neutral options. Beaches and Cream,  Nirvana and Vacation Time cannot be enough!

Beaches and Cream (Sinful Colors)

Beaches and Cream is a new release from Sinful Colors. I believe it slid in under the Silk + Satin collection group, or at least it's been on the displays for the collection. It's a great neutral creme (and if you get in real close there's even the slightest hint of shimmer), perfect summer to fall transition. The cream has just enough yellow to give it some warmth but not so much that it loses its quiet quality. Application's good, two coats and it's opaque, though I do warn that it can get pretty thick. A great addition to the Sinful Colors brand.

Pinky Glitter (Sinful Colors) & Hottie (Sinful Colors)

These pretty darlings are Pinky Glitter (Sinful Colors) and Hottie (Sinful Colors).  

Pinky Glitter is a lovely baby pink glitter packed with multi-size small glitter flakies. It is a very sheer jelly, but three to four coats is worth it for the final look. I'm loving it for my extra femme days when I want my tips to feel all dainty and the like.

Hottie is a blue jelly packed with the same kind of glitter in Pinky Glitter. It has the same consistency and needs the same amount of coats. These would also look good over other polishes, especially Hottie over dark polishes. Throw a top coat over these two for maximum glitz; they don't dry matte but not as shiny as it could be.

Spotted A Bit Of Yellow Out There - Yellow Spotted (Sinful Colors) & Yellow Out There (Sinful Colors)

I'm enjoying yellow nail polishes recently. They get a bad rep because of their formulas but I can sometimes get past it because of how pretty yellow shades look with my skin, especially when worn in the summer. Sinful Colors has been on a nail polish release marathon for spring and summer, here's two more I picked up recently.

Yellow Spotted (Sinful Colors) is a bright yellow with lots of shimmer, enough that it changes the consistency from a creme to something... else. The formula makes it a cousin to Cinderella (Sinful Colors). Polishes with this kind of formula usually have troublesome application, which this did. It was very sheer, and I barely got some opacity at three coats. Allow for the polish to dry between coats to allow for any success in application. Aim for three even coats.

Over it, I layered Yellow Out There (Sinful Colors), a yellow jelly base with with a sparse spread of small round and bar glitter. I swiped two coats over Yellow Spotted to get the look I have in this pic. It was a bit too sheer to work alone, but it looks absolutely great over other yellows. I also like that the bar glitter is spread out and not at all overpowering. Lovely :)

Peppered Amazon (Sinful Colors) & Splash (Sally Hansen)

Peppered Amazon (Sinful Colors) is an absolutely stunning green with silvery flecks all throughout. This polish is BRILLIANT. Applies like butter and achieves opacity at two coats. I have zero complaints and I absolutely encourage you to get this as soon as you can!

Okay fine, just one complaint.
It will STAIN.

Here it is with Splash (Sally Hansen). Splash is a mixture of royal blue, light blue, and white hex glitters in a clear base. It doesn't have a very good distribution of glitter, but the combo is pretty enough.

Violets Are Blue (Sinful Colors)

accent nail is Peppered Amazon (Sinful Colors)

Violets Are Blue is lovely periwinkle blue with silvery shimmer from the Mod In Bloom Spring 2014 collection. I don't know why I keep buying these kinds of polishes, specifically light blues with shimmers, for some odd reason I have as much luck with them as with yellow polish formulas. Pretty result, horrible application. It was tricky just getting to three coats without it gooping all over.

PiPaya (SinfulColors) & Solar Flux (Snful Colors) - Summer 2014 Silk + Satin Collection

Sinful Colors is on its usual strategy of marathon collection releases (which I don't mind since they've been better at not just recycling old shades all throughout). One of them is their Silk + Satin collection for Summer 2014. The finish of these polishes is between a creme and a matte finish, ending up with a lovely subtle rubbery look. I got picky and grabbed the two shades that got my attention first.

PiPaya is a lovely coral based shade of red. Application was butter and I got what I wanted at two coats. I love the softness of this semi-matte look, especially on this shade. Definitely my favorite of the two!

Solar Flux is a buttery pastel yellow with the slightest green tinge. The rubbery finish isn't as visible on such a light shade, but it is still visibly different than a creme yellow. Application quality of yellows isn't different when you change their finishes. It was certainly tougher than PiPaya, and at three to four troublesome coats not at all easy. Pretty thing all considered.

Polish News: SinfulColors' Beats Out Top Nail Polish Brands

I started this blog with the sole purpose of never paying obnoxious prices for nail polish. On occasion I may try one or two of the fancier brands like Butter London et al, and of course there are indie polishes at indie prices, but for the most part, I prefer to keep it simple.

So it was not at all unwelcome when Consumer Reports declared SinfulColors (specifically, Go Go Red - guess I'll have to pick it up for swatching later) the better buy not only over brands like Sally Hansen and Revlon but luxury brands like Chanel's Le Vernis polish line that breaks banks at $27 a bottle.

Here's what they had to say:

For $27 per bottle, Chanel Le  Vernis nail polish had better be spectacular, especially if adding bottles of top coat and base coat brings the total cost to $79. But that  “exclusive formula” was bested by five other polishes, including one that costs just $2 per bottle.

How we tested. We hired a professional manicurist to apply the tested polishes to 10 volunteers in our  Yonkers, N.Y., headquarters. The panelists wore two products simultaneously, each on every other fingernail of both hands. On the seventh, 10th, and 14th days after each manicure, two trained testers evaluated the panelists’ fingernails and scored wear. We recruited 10 additional volunteers to apply and remove the polishes at home and assess ease of use.

What we found. Sinful Colors, which is a CR Best Buy; CND Vinylux; and Revlon looked very good at day 7 and good at day 10. In our home-use tests, CND Vinylux also took less time to dry. No products looked good at day 14. Sally Hansen and Covergirl looked good at day 7 and fair at day 10.

As for Chanel, four of 10 home-use panelists said it chipped the day they applied it...

Bottom line. Sinful Colors is top-rated and a CR Best Buy. It takes longer to dry than the other polishes, so if quick drying is important, choose CND Vinylux. It’s sold online and in nail salons; the others are sold online and in stores. If the convenience of one-step application appeals, try Sally Hansen or Covergirl.

 If the only complaint is that it takes too long to dry, I'll take it and grab a top coat! There are plenty quick dry top coats out there, and SinfulColors even has their own solution with Quick Dry.

Quick Dry (Sinful Colors)

Consumer Reports recently performed a best buy study of nail polish brands out there and in a surprising win SinfulColors won. However, one of the only complaints was that SinfulColors didn't dry as fast as some of the other brands. I found this surprising, as I rate it comparable to China Glaze's drying time, and of course it depends on the polish type- textures dry faster than mattes which dry faster than shimmers which dry faster than cremes which dry faster than jellies.

It is important to note though, that SinfulColors has their own solution to this problem with Quick Dry. I didn't expect much from this product. As a faithful Seche Vite user, l stay critical of quick dry top coats. I was unexpectedly proved wrong. This product does as advertised.

It's not something I could swatch since it dries the polish but maintains the finish. I've tested it on mattes and textures, it just dries the polish without affecting it's finished look which is absolutely perfect. It is not a top coat- doesn't fix/hide minor flaws in applications, doesn't add a glossy shine- but it is a true quick dry.

The consistency is thin and oily and glides easily on the nail without marring the mani. True enough, nails dry quickly and you can touch them or brush them on fabrics, though I'd still be wary of bumping them against sharp or hard surfaces. A great buy, especially for the price.

Happy 4th of July Weekend w/ Rain Rubber & Red Tired from the SinfulColors Full Throttle Textured Collection

I have enjoyed the offerings of the textured collections from various brands, even sorely regretted missing SinfulColors' own earlier Crystal Crushes textured collection. What I never liked were textured collections that didn't add glitter to their formula which just resulted in awkward looking finishes in my opinion. However, I am prepared to eat my words on the matter, but only for this particular collection. This collection's textures are without glitter but very subtle so as to not look absolutely ridiculous.

My nod to the July 4th weekend festivities:

First up is Red Tired is a lovely amaranth red that applied easily. I will note there was still some VNL at two coats and I couldn't be bothered to go for the third coat. I love how subtle the texture is, visible but not obnoxiously so.

Rain Rubber is an azure blue with absolutely wonderful application. It applied perfectly in two coats with no problems.

These two polishes are definitely enticing me into getting the rest of the Full Throttle collection, especially the pink and orange ones.

Cinderella (SinfulColors) Swatch & Review

Cinderella is arguably one of SinfulColor's most popular shades. It's a gorgeous almost pastel blue with silver and pink shimmer. Unfortunately, this kind of shade (reminding me particularly of my experience with Blue Lagoon from Revlon) has application issues. Applying this polish requires that each coat is left to dry before the next is applied. It also requires at least three coats to gain any kind of opacity. However, Cinderella is a singularly beautiful polish that depending on my mood, I will struggle through just to have on my nails.

24/7 (Sinful Colors) Swatch & Review

It was 80 degrees out here yesterday.

In December.

If the weather gives me summer temps, then I feel I have to give as good as I got. With respect to the particular madness that is the weather out here lately, which usually means we're in for an ice storm or something like that, I broke out a neon.

24/7 (Sinful Colors) is a blue-toned neon pink polish. It dries matte like most neons and application is to the standard of matte polishes. This means a little care is required but I managed it with two coats for these swatches. I've seen it marked as a dupe for Shocking Pink (China Glaze), but then again it's not exactly difficult to find neon pink dupes.

One the best ways to wear my favorite black & white glitter polish, Sticks n Stones (Ninja Polish) is to layer it over a neon. I'm never over how fun this glitter is. No nail ever looks like the other and I feel like I discover a new shape or size of glitter (even though by now I had to have seen all the shape and size combos).

What are your favorite layering combos?

Holiday Rebel (SinfulColors) from the Glitz & Glittered collection

Businesses in my area already have their holiday decorations out and on grand display. So I guess it's not too soon to figure out what to wear to all the winter holiday parties. This is Holiday Rebel from SinfulColors holiday Glitz & Glittered collection. It's a fun mix of multi-size red & green hex glitter with a surprise sprinkle of large holo glitter.

over Rags to Riches (Rimmel London); that flare is the holo catching the red from the other glitters

over Gold Medal (SinfulColors)

Enchanted (SinfulColors)

Enchanted (SinfulColors) is a grapey purple that I first noticed in the Enchanted/Muse Collection back in 2012. I noticed that a bit more care is required for application; two coats is good enough, but it requires care. Case in point my pinkie; I started off a bit carelessly and corrected my technique with the other fingers.

Neptune (SinfulColors)

I have no earthly idea why I hadn't swatched this yet. I snagged this early on when it first caught my eye in their incredible Cast Away spring collection last year. I actually had multiple shades from this collection and I stupidly got rid of them thinking I'd come across them again like I do with most SinfulColors collections. I was mistaken. I shed a figurative tear every time I think of the hole that Zeus, Olympia, and Athens, created when they left my stash.

I'm not sure how Neptune escaped the accidental purge but I'm really glad it did. She's a gorgeous dark sea-blue base with silver shimmer all throughout. It's just a little sheer and while you could probably do 2 careful thick coats, make your life easier and just go for 3 easy coats. One of my favorite blues ever, let alone from SinfulColors. I hope that they use their tendency to re-promote with the colors from the Cast Away Collection.