1 Year Blogiversary Prize 2

Again, this is going to be picture heavy, so less chit chat and more photos!  All of the polishes in this post were either purchased by me or donated for the giveaway and not for review.  Tonight, I only have three polishes from the prize to show you as well as an example Avon - a different color but from the same collection.  Let's get down to business!  As always, click on the photos to enlarge them.  To enter, go HERE.

Here's the second prize again:

Prize Two

Sponsored by Wishes of a Blue-Eyed Girl, Kelara Lacquers, Polished 10, Soflajo, Elevation Polish, Sharla Sells Avon, and Nail Bed Dreams.

Kelara Lacquer Happy Blogiversary, Color Club (unnamed pink), Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer Birthday Wishes, Soflajo My Sign's Aqua-rium, Elevation Polish Magens Bay, LA Girl 3D Dazzling Pink, Avon Saturn, Julie G Gumdrop Rock Candy, and Bath and Body Works PS I Love You Shower Gel. 

And here are bottle shots of the polishes in the prize:

Avon Starburst

The first polish I want to show you is Avon Starburst, which is a scattered holo in dark fuchsia.  The Avon in the prize is Saturn, which is an orange scattered holo.  

Can I just say that this polish was AMAZING?!  Like, seriously amazing.  It probably could've been one coat, but, as you guys know, I'm weird and did two.  

These photos are zero cleanup.  ZERO. CLEANUP.  Do you get what I'm saying?!  Amazing polish.  Such depth and opacity.  I'm almost speechless.  Looking forward to trying my hand at stamping with this beauty!

Kelara Happy Blogiversary

I used 1 coat of Happy Blogiversary over Barry M Strawberry Ice Cream.  Happy Blogiversary is a pink shimmer with multiple color and sized hexes.

Application was easy.  The brush strokes in the macro aren't evident at all to the naked eye.

Here it is with NYC Matte Me Crazy.

Since this was a custom, you can only get this polish from my giveaway!

SoFlaJo My Sign's Aqua-rium

My Sign's Aqua-rium is a glittery teal matte.

Application was easy, but it took a little bit longer to dry than the others.  This is three coats without a topcoat.

Here it is with HK Girl topcoat.

And here it is shiny with topcoat but blurred so you can see those gorgeous glitters.

Elevation Magen's Bay

I love her little pic and signature!!

Elevation Magen's Bay is a custom I had made for me by Lulu, the creator of Elevation.  I sent her photos of Magen's Bay in St. Thomas, Virgin Islands as inspiration, and this is the beauty she came up with!

A light teal base with teal and light blue dots, hexes and squares.

This is two coats.  Super easy application with a very quick dry time.

Again, since this was a custom, you can only get this polish from my giveaway!

You can get Avon products from my awesome Avon Lady, Sharla, and you can follow her page here.  You can purchase Kelara at their store.  Follow Tara and Kellen on Facebook and Twitter.  You can purchase SoFlaJo at her store and on Etsy. Follow Jody on Facebook. Lastly, you can get Elevation polishes at her store and Llarowe.  You can keep up with Lulu at her blog.

Aren't you guys loving these customs?!  I absolutely love them all!  And, man, I'm digging all of the holos in these prizes!  

Comparison Thursday: Purple Holos

Today's Comparison Thursday may look like one I've done before, but it's not...  If you're interested in checking out my comparison of lavender/lilac/light purple holos, you can do so here.  Tonight's purples, however, are more pigmented and true purples than the pale almost silver holos I compared before.  So, let's get to it!

Dollish Polish Waiting for my Mr. Big, Color Club Wild at Heart, China Glaze LOL, Color Club Eternal Beauty, Layla Ultra Violet, and Kelara I Love Lamp.

All six polishes are very pretty in their own right, but I wouldn't say that there are any exact duplicates in the bunch.  Eternal Beauty and Ultra Violet are close, but not exact duplicates.

Waiting for my Mr. Big

I don't really know why I added this one to the comparison.  It's pretty clear in the bottle that it's not a dupe of any of the rest of them.  It's much more pink than blue on the scale of purple compared to the rest.  And while it's pretty and unique, it also isn't super holoy.  The rainbow effect just doesn't live up to the standards of the rest.  Mr. Big has been discontinued, but you can find other Dollish Polishes on her site here, as well as multiple etailers.

Wild at Heart

Wild at Heart is definitely the deepest purple holo I own.  It's absolutely gorgeous with such deep pigmentation that it only requires a couple of coats for full opacity.  Application was alright with a slight bit of dragging and balding.  I didn't use my Nfu Oh Aqua Base because I wanted to see how these would all work over regular base coats.  The rainbow takes on a more red, pink, and purple vibe while not showcasing the other colors as much.  It's also a bit more scattered than the other holos in this comparison.  I found my Wild at Heart at a Salon, but I've also seen it at the Bed Bath and Beyond near me.

LOL

Ahhh, the much coveted LOL...  Application for LOL, as with all of the OMGs I own, was atrocious.  Second in horribleness only to Ultra Violet, which we'll get to in a moment.  You have to work hella fast and you can't go over spots you've already painted, otherwise you'll drag and bald in a big way.  The holo for LOL is probably the most linear of the bunch as China Glaze used a smaller holo particle than is used in any of the other purples I'm comparing tonight.  However, it definitely isn't the most in your face.  It's very pretty and the depth is nice, but it's not really my favorite.  If you're a collector, by all means, see if you can dusty yourself a bottle.  However, I don't think that they're worth the price tag some people have placed on them in sales groups and blog sales.

Eternal Beauty

So now we've finally come to my favorite.  The Color Club Halo Hues collection has got to be my absolute favorite collection ever made.  Ever.  And that's saying something!  The holo is the most in your face of the six polishes, and it's also quite linear.  The best part?  Application was amazing.  Not only did it go on smoothly despite the lack of an aqua base, but it also was easy to manage while I was applying.  It didn't drag, clump, or bald, which is a huge improvement over their old formula.  I purchased my bottle on Amazon, but some people are finding them in stores and even in the clearance bins of stores.  I've never seen one in the wild near me, so that's why I went the online route.

Ultra Violet

Hands down the worst polish of the bunch.  The holo is beautiful and almost as vibrant as Eternal Beauty, but the application was a nightmare.  Again, I didn't use an aqua base, so it's probably my fault, but this polish definitely isn't made for someone who is just starting out in the polish world.  It balds as easily as George Costanza loses his toupee after pissing off Elaine!

(Source)

But really, it's a massive pain in the butt to work with.  As you can see, the color is almost the same shade as Eternal Beauty, but it's just a hair lighter.  They both have majorly intense holo pigmentation, but I can't help but come back to the application issues.  If I had to choose between the two, hands down the choice is Eternal Beauty.  I purchased this bottle from a friend at the request of a reader to compare it to Eternal Beauty, but you can purchase Layla holos at Ulta.

I Love Lamp

The last holo in this sextuplet of purple holos is Kelara's I Love Lamp.  It's on the lighter side, but still much darker than the pale purples I compared before.  It has a purple shimmer to it on top of the holo, which made it more difficult to capture the rainbow in my photos.  The rainbow is bright, but not nearly as bright as UV or Eternal Beauty.  Its application is also quite nice without any dragging, streaking, clumping, or balding.  You can purchase Kelara Lacquers at their online store.

My final verdict?  For the darks, I think I like LOL better than Wild at Heart, but it's not worth the cost.  For the lights, Eternal Beauty wins hands down.  I need to get a couple of backup bottles of that guy, stat!

So, what do you think?  Do you own any of these purple holos?  Which is your favorite and which could you do without?

*I was not financially compensated for this post.  All items in this review were purchased by me for my own use.  The opinions are completely my own based on my experience.  For more information, please see my Disclosure Policy in the tab above.*

Comparison Thursday Brown Holo Redux Plus a Review

I've received two more brown holos since I posted my brown holo comparison, so I thought it would be a good idea to do a review of one and add a comparison at the bottom!  First, let's take a look at Model City Polish Dipping Chocolate.  Get ready for some serious picture spam!

*I was not financially compensated for this post. I received a sample of Model City Dipping Chocolate for review purposes. All other polishes in this review were purchased by me for my own use.  The opinions are completely my own based on my experience.  For more information, please see my Disclosure Policy in the tab above.* 

I received a sample of Model City Dipping Chocolate for review purposes.

Color: Deep chocolate brown.

Finish: Holographic – pigment gives polish a rainbow in the sunshine.

Blurry shot to show the holo.

Bottle / Brush: Round mini bottle – wand and brush are just long enough to reach the bottom of the bottle.  However, the fact that it’s a mini makes application a little tricky.  Requires a steady hand to apply evenly without pooling.

Opacity: High – opaque at two coats!

Glitter Application: N/A

Consistency: Thick – thick or it can be clumpy, but is easily remedied with some polish thinner.

Overall Ease of Application: Hard – applies with some dragging, streaking, or balding.  Spreads well with manipulation.  Requires quick work to get a smooth result.

Stampability: Not tested for stamping.

Dry Time: Medium – dry to the touch with minimal smudging in 3-8 minutes.

Overall Thoughts: Out of the four true chocolate brown holos I own, Dipping Chocolate is the most holo.  It gives the most bang for your buck.  Application was a bit hard as it dries quickly and requires you to work fast to keep it from balding or dragging.  Otherwise, I loved the fact that it's so pigmented that it only takes two coats while retaining such vibrant holoness.

Now, let's take a look at Dipping Chocolate compared to a few other brown holos.  You can read my first review here.

From thumb to pinkie: Enchanted Polish February 2013, Model City Polish Dipping Chocolate, Kelara Lacquers Chocolate Wasted, Enchanted Polish Hot Chocolate, and Indigo Bananas With a Spoon in It.

The easiest application of the five is Chocolate Wasted.  

The most pigmented is also Chocolate Wasted.  However, the most vibrant is Dipping Chocolate.  It's brown is much richer and deeper than the others.

February 2013 isn't a true brown, but it still flashes brown in some lights, so I thought I'd add it to the lineup.  With a Spoon in It is more like a latte than a chocolate brown, and it has some pretty cool flashes of pink and gold with gold shimmers.

You can purchase Model City Polishes at Nina's Etsy store.  Follow Model City on Facebook and Instagram.  You can purchase Enchanted Polish at her store, Llarowe, and Mei Mei's Signatures.  Follow Chelsea on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.  You can purchase Kelara at their store.  Follow Tara and Kellen on Twitter and Facebook.  Lastly, you can purchase Indigo Bananas at her Etsy store.  Follow Andrea on Facebook, Twitter, and IG.

Which is your favorite?

Holo!!!!!

Let's take a sneak peek at Kelara One Man Wolf Pack, which is part of their Double Rainbow holographic polish line.

*I was not financially compensated for this post.  All items in this review were purchased by me for my own use.  The opinions are completely my own based on my experience.  For more information, please see my Disclosure Policy in the tab above.*

Color: Gun metal silvery gray holographic.

Finish: Holographic – pigment gives polish a rainbow in the sunshine.

Bottle / Brush: TKB hexagon – lid is tapered at the bottom and larger at the top, which helps with handling the brush and application.  The wand is an average length.  The brush is thin but long, so you have to make sure you don’t load up on polish on your brush otherwise it may pool up on your cuticles.

Opacity: High – opaque in two coats!

Glitter Application: N/A

Consistency: Medium – applies easily and doesn’t flood the cuticles.

Overall Ease of Application: Medium – applies well with minimal pooling, dragging, streaking, or balding.  Spreads well without much manipulation.

Stampability: Not tested for stamping.

Dry Time: Medium – dry to the touch with minimal smudging in 3-8 minutes.

Overall Thoughts:  Kelara is one of my favorite indie brands for a reason!  The consistency of One Man Wolf Pack is soooo good.  Sometimes holos are a massive pain in the butt to apply, but I can honestly say that isn't the case with any of the polishes from the Double Rainbow collection.  Wolf Pack has elements of linear and scattered holoness, which makes it really pop in the sunlight.  It definitely leans more toward gun metal silver that looks a little like stainless steel than silver.  The rainbow isn't very strong in indoor lighting, but it's still very pretty.  In the sun, though, the rainbow shines through easily.  I have used two coats here, and it's perfect!

You can purchase Kelara Lacquers at their store or Etsy.  Also, follow them on Facebook and Twitter for news and updates on new collections.

Do you own any Kelaras?  Which is your favorite?