Awesome Drugstore Find: Petites Color Fever Black Diamond

A couple months ago I had heard through the grapevine that a new Petites nail polish range was popping up at Rite Aid drugstores. The line is called Color Fever and it is quite different from the regular Petites lineup: the colors are bolder, the bottle style is different, and the price is higher at $3.99 per bottle. The bottles still hold the same amount as the classic Petites bottles (.25 OZ) yet we are paying more... perhaps we are paying more for the fancy bottle, maybe for the trendier colors. Price difference aside I am really fond of the Color Fever range so far.

My first purchase was Black Diamond... a charcoal creme with intermittent holographic glitter. I took it out of the bag after I walked out of the store and held it in the sun to see how impressive the holo was and I was pleasantly surprised! Black Diamond has since become one of my favorite drugstore finds.

Black Diamond, full sun

It took me two coats of Black Diamond to get a nice opaque finish. The formula is smooth and incredibly easy to work with, and it is surprisingly pigmented and full of holo particles. I had no dragging or spots when I applied my second coat.

As you can see the holographic aspect of the polish is intermittent in the sense that it isn't as in-your-face holographic as OPI My Private Jet. Black Diamond is similar to Color Club Revvvolution in terms of their holographic finishes, but Black Diamond leans more black than Revvvolution, which is dark gray in my eyes.

If you are a fan of holos, I would recommend picking up Black Diamond next time you're in Rite Aid! What a great little polish! I feel that it is worth the price tag, but there are some colors in the Color Fever range that I feel aren't worth the price... you could easily find full size 15 ml bottles of some of those colors for the same price.

What are your favorite drugstore polishes?

Color Club Magic Attraction

I decided to wear one of my favorite polishes yesterday, Color Club Magic Attraction. This is definitely one of my go-to polishes when I need a pick-me-up; it really sparkles like crazy and it makes me feel happy when I look down at my fingertips!

 

Magic Attraction, 2 coats in sunlight

Magic Attraction is a clear-based polish that is jam-packed with various sizes of holographic glitter that is incredibly vivid. There is also some rosy pink glitter, but it isn't nearly as noticeable as the larger holo glitter flecks. There may even be some silver in this, but I can't really tell.

Bling bling!

The pink glitter is easily noticed in my photos... I had a hard time catching the holographic rainbows on camera, but you can see here that the polish kinda leans to the pinkish side.

I see you, rainbow!

I tried taking several pictures to try to catch the best angles of Magic Attraction, but I could only get a SOMEWHAT good example of the glitter explosion when I took a blurry shot.

Out of focus!

 

This goes on easily for a dense glitter, it isn't goopy and it builds up nicely with a few coats. I would definitely recommend using a topcoat over Magic Attraction, though; since it does have quite a rough finish due to all the glitter! I didn't use a topcoat for these photos, but I usually use two coats of Seche Vite to get a smooth and glassy look. This polish wears like iron for me... I wore it once for nearly 5 days on top of Sally Hansen Nail Quencher and had no wear!

Close-up, partial sun

I have trouble using the paintbrush and acetone cuticle cleanup method when I use this and other polishes like it... the glitter just does not want to come off, and the acetone basically just loosens it on my cuticle. I'll take my rubber cuticle pusher and kinda pick the glitter particles off individually, so it gets to be quite a pain when I try cleaning up glitter manicures. I get frustrated especially when pieces of glitter get wedged under my cuticle! Annoying!

What are your favorite glitter polishes?

~Carley

My Silver Holographic Comparison

I recently received GOSH Holographic in a swap from a very sweet girl in Scotland. Once I opened the package I realized immediately that none of my other holographic polishes are anything like it. I took it out and swatched it and found that it is truly the most amazing holographic polish I own, and then I decided that it would be a great time for a comparison!

Nail Prisms Diamond, China Glaze OMG, GOSH Holographic, OPI DS Shimmer, Color Club Worth the Risque

What a lovely lineup! These are the five silver holo polishes that I own right now... and all five of them are unique. Each one has a different consistency and holo strength. Everyone should know that I am really a sucker for holos... I will pretty much buy any holographic colors that I can get my hands on.

Nail Prisms Diamond, 2 coats

Nail Prisms Diamond is the oldest polish in this group. It has a very thin and watery consistency, but that really had no effect or impact on the overall application. It builds up nicely and has a really nice shimmery holo effect. I first bought this polish back in 2004 (I believe) and it was the first holographic nail polish I had ever seen, and it became my go-to mani and pedi color for a couple years. I have gone through 2 bottles of Diamond, this one is my third.

China Glaze OMG, 2 coats

The holo effect in China Glaze OMG is much more dense compared to Diamond. The particles are smaller and seem to reflect more light which creates a more intense rainbow. The application of this polish is a little tricky for me... OMG tends to drag a lot on the second coat, and I have to swipe my brush just right to avoid bald spots. The end result is amazing, though; I get many compliments when I wear this on my tips.

GOSH Holographic, 2 coats

This is the most amazing nail polish I own at the moment. I wasn't expecting much from looking at the bottle, but when this polish dried I felt like my eyes were gonna fall out of my head. GOSH Holographic has the most intense holo effect I have ever seen, and I have nothing in my collection that even comes close to it. The application was difficult, as I had problems with dragging. I think this can be expected of this type of nail polish. Just like OMG, the issues with the application are totally worth the result! It really is a shame that GOSH polish isn't easily obtained in the US, because this is something everyone should be able to own!

OPI DS Shimmer, 2 coats

OPI DS Shimmer was my first DS polish. I had actually found out about it while Googling "holo nail polish" a while ago when I was wondering if there were other polishes like Nail Prisms Diamond! I found it on an auction site for an incredibly good price and I couldn't pass it up. Shimmer has a wonderfully smooth application and a beautiful scattered holo effect much like Diamond (it isn't as in-your-face as OMG or GOSH Holographic). I had no problems with dragging, and it dried incredibly fast. Shimmer is a great option for layering... I love putting it over dark blue cremes!

Color Club Worth the Risque, 2 coats

Color Club Worth the Risque is a great polish! While the holo effect isn't as pronounced as the other four polishes I've compared, I still really like it. The formula is great and I have never had any issues with application... it goes on smooth like buttah! I really enjoy using Worth the Risque as a Konad stamping color, especially over black. All in all this is a good holo for the money; I think I paid around $2.50 for it.

Group photo! Thumb to pinkie: Diamond, OMG, Holographic, Shimmer, Worth the Risque

I had a hard time maneuvering my hand into a position where all of my nails were visible, but I can clearly see that GOSH is the Holo Champion! Look at that baby glow! OMG is a close second!

My thumb went bye-byes.

And that concludes my comparison!

What are your favorite holographic polishes?

~Carley

A nice giveaway!

Fellow blogger Tara over at For Your Nails Only is holding a giveaway in celebration of hitting 20 followers! Congratulations, Tara! I'm right there with you! Here's to many more to come!

For Your Nails Only features a lot of different swatches and some really awesome nail art. Check out her Where's Waldo manicure!

~Carley

NOTD: Sally Hansen Insta Dri Wined Up

Let me start off by saying that I know that a lot of people either love or hate the Sally Hansen Insta Dri polishes. I think the hate is mainly based on the type of brush it comes with, as I haven't really heard many people complain about the formula itself. The complaints are typically centered on how wide the brush is, that it is moppy, that it is too big, and that it holds too much polish... I have to admit that the brushes did take some getting used to at first, but I really do love this line and the brush doesn't give me any problems. I had never seen the flat-type brushes before coming across Sally Hansen's Insta Dri lineup.

Wined Up, two coats in full sun.

Wined Up was one of the first Insta Dri polishes I purchased. It is a beautiful deep red with a rich shimmer that really glows when the sunlight hits it. The application is actually pretty nice... I half expected it to be terribly goopy, for some reason. It went on smoothly and I could have gotten away with one coat, but I chose to do two out of habit.

I was impressed that this polish dried to a pretty glossy finish... I didn't need to apply a quick dry topcoat to cure it or give it shine. Insta Dri stayed true to it's name and really did dry quickly. I will probably use a coat of Seche Vite next time, though... just to get some extended wear out of the manicure. I did have some noticeable tipwear after one day of doing laundry.

I'm ready for my close up! Look at that shimmer!

All in all I am pretty glad I picked this up! I have since added to my Insta Dri collection, and I would say that almost all of the colors I've gotten have been totally awesome. I did have some issues with Orange You Fast! though... that color was very difficult to work with!

I would definitely recommend buying Wined Up and other Insta Dri polishes if you don't find the brush a dealbreaker... though you might want to wait for a sale, because these run over $5 at Walgreens!

~Carley

Ten Things!

I am very flattered that KarenD over at Frazzle and Aniploish has tagged me with the Happy 101 award! Thank you, Karen, for being a follower of my blog!

The rules for this one:
1. Post who gave you this award
2. State 10 things you like
3. Give this award to 10 other bloggers and notify them with a comment

10 things I like:
1. Going to the movies. My boyfriend Damon and I go to the movies quite often together, it is something we have always done on a regular basis!
2. Traveling... it doesn't matter how! Car, plane, train, whatever! The best time of my life so far was driving from New Jersey to California with Damon. We had so much fun and we saw some pretty unforgettable sights, along with funny moments like getting lost and staying at weird motels!
3. Shopping. I *love* to shop. There is nothing I like better than just going to the mall and spoiling myself every now and then... even though I can't afford to do that very often.
4. The city of San Francisco... it is my favorite place in the entire universe!
5. I like turtles... they are my favorite animal! I will buy anything turtle-related!
6. Camping... I haven't been camping in a long time, but it has always been a favorite pastime of mine.
7. Nature. Kinda ties in with #7, but I appreciate and love nature. I like standing outside during a rainstorm, laying outside and looking at the stars, walking through the grass barefoot, digging my hands into soil to garden in the springtime. Mother Nature is my homegirl!
8. I like crafting! I love to make my own beaded jewelry, greeting cards, and embroidery floss bracelets among many other things!
9. I like spending time with my family. I don't get to see them often at all, but I cherish the time that I get to spend with them.
10. California... my home state. I love everything about it, and I miss it very much!

And now I tag the following blogs to receive the Happy 101 Award as well!

Little Music Boxes
Getcha Nails Did
Body and Soul
Vibrant Point of View
Scrangie
The Daily Nail
Susie's Home and Hobbies
Never Enough Nails
Tastes Like Glitter
Oh My Polish!

Nubbin NOTD

My nails are still pretty bad. I am battling the worst case of peelies ever, and it is starting to annoy me quite a bit. It has been way too long since I've posted a swatch, so I decided I'd take a couple pictures of what I'm wearing now.

NYX Sapphire, two coats

I picked up NYX Sapphire from an independent beauty supply store that specializes in... wigs. Yep, a wig store! They had two displays of nail polish, Ruby Kisses and NYX. I was delighted to finally find NYX!

Tipwear! Ahhhh!

 

Sapphire is quite a beautiful color, in my opinion. It is a deep purple-toned blue, and it reminds me of a precious gem, as the name suggests. The formula was surprisingly awesome... full coverage was achieved with only two coats. This polish is highly pigmented and went on ridiculously smooth. I topped my two coats with a coat of Seche Vite.

 

Close-up! Cheeeeeeese!

I am actually quite pleased with NYX's nail polish! I wasn't expecting it to be this good, and I am eager to swatch the two other colors I picked up, Jungle and Graffiti. I will definitely be ordering more of their line!

What are your favorite NYX colors?

~Carley

My nails HATE me!

I haven't been able to swatch at all lately, and I am really bummed about it. My nails had been growing nice and strong over the beginning of the summer, and I was really quite pleased and excited with how long they were getting (I've never been able to grow nails too far past my nailbed before splitting). I had been using my Swissco glass file, nourishing basecoats, and taking a mutivitamin every so often. I stopped taking the multivitamin and a couple weeks later ALL of my nails started splitting and peeling in the most awful way. I had to file them all down to absolutely NOTHING, and it really sucks!
Even though I have had trouble with my nails and I am now officially a Girl On A Budget, I still managed to amass a little haul during the week. I have really been conscious of my spending habits lately, so I haven't been buying as much polish as I normally do. I can't remember the last time I made an e-tailer haul! Imagine how I feel seeing all these amazing new collections coming out!

Anyway, on to my little haul! I had made a trip over to Sally Beauty Supply to pick up a cuticle pusher (I swear that was all I went in to get!) and I saw some new Savvy collections. Savvy is now called Savvy Femme Couture and is in a redesigned bottle: they kept the awesome square bottle but updated to a new cap and label.

Old Savvy versus New Savvy! Who wins?

I looked at both collections, one called Pop Rocks and another with a fairy tale theme. I immediately picked up Prince Ala Charm and left. The next day I felt a nagging feeling and decided to go back to get the rest of them (except for Knightly Armor, which I wasn't crazy about) in addition to two colors from China Glaze's Vintage Vixen collection: Emerald Fitzgerald and First Class Ticket. I also had to get Nina Ultra Pro Sailor, a deep blue creme.

Emerald Fitzgerald, Sailor, First Class Ticket

The fairy tale Savvy's are pretty appealing... they are all shimmery. I am actually not quite sure how to explain their finish, but they look like they will be amazing layered. They were each on clearance for $1.99, so I figured I can't lose.

From L-R: Purple Potion, Fairy Twinkle, Magic Pumpkin, Prince Ala Charm, Glass Slipper, Fairy Twinkle

Close up!

Close up of Fairy Twinkle. Look at that beautiful twinkly-ness!

Yesterday we went to the mall and I bought two new-looking Hot Topic colors, a bright blue and bright purple creme. It seems like most of Hot Topic's new nail colors are cremes! I was about to swatch them on my thumb, but in true Hot Topic polish tradition both of the brushes are wonky mops.

Hot Topic Blue and Purple

I am pretty much dying to swatch all these and start experimenting with the Savvy colors. I hope my nails will come around soon! I am tired of them looking like a hot mess!

~Carley