Comparison Thursday: Light Teal Holos

This comparison is going to be short and not very good...  Admittedly, I forgot to write down my application notes when I took these pictures, so we're going to be relying mostly on the aesthetics of these polishes...  I do have some general memory of application, but I won't be able to get into the nitty-gritty of how many coats, etc...  My bad!  But I didn't want to let this week pass without a comparison.  So, let's get this started!

I purchased these myself or they were given to me as gifts from friends.

From left to right: Liquid Lacquer Teal Tails, Monster Polish Rainbows in the Sky, China Glaze Don't Be a Luna-tic, OPI Blue Moon Lagoon, and Enchanted Polish Ocean Potion.

To be honest, there isn't a whole lot similar between them other than they're all in the basic general mint/light teal holo family.  Otherwise, they're all pretty diverse.

Teal Tails

This polish was created for my blog's 1 year birthday last year, so it's not available anywhere.  It's a medium teal with a strong green flash.  The holo is a little tighter than a scattered holo, but it's not quite linear.  Application was easy and required little cleanup.

Rainbows in the Sky

Rainbows in the Sky was created by Monster Polish for my actual birthday last year, and I'm not sure if she has anymore laying around.  It's a lovely shade of teal but leans ever so slightly grey.  RitS is more of a creme based holo, which gives it a denser look that's also more scattered than the rest.  The thick and creamy consistency makes this polish super easy to apply.

Don't Be a Luna-Tic

DBaLt is the most linear of the group with the smallest holographic particles.  Unlike many other bottles, my bottles of the China Glaze Hologlams were all very holographic.  In the bottle, they're not much to look at, but once on the nail, the prism catches the light and goes crazy.  Application for DBaLt was a pain, though, much like its older counterparts the OMG collection.  I highly recommend using an aqua base to help with application.  Otherwise, it's probably the most pigmented of the group and required the least coats.  The Hologlam collection was discontinued last year, but you can still find them around the clearance bins of your local beauty supply shop.

Blue Moon Lagoon

Blue Moon Lagoon is a super hard to find polish that, while pretty, isn't quite worth the hype.  It's closest in color to Rainbows in the Sky while being more linear.  The holographic particles are on the larger side, and it is probably the least opaque of the bunch.  Application isn't terrible, but you do have to apply several coats for opacity.  You also have to be careful of pooling and flooding your cuticles.

Ocean Potion

Honestly?  I don't really know why I put this guy in here...  It's much darker than the rest and is a true teal versus the others' minty qualities.  Application was easy, even though I only have a decant of it in a mini bottle.  This one has been long discontinued and is very very hard to find.  I am very lucky that I was able to swap a decant of one of my Enchanteds for this bad boy.  The holographic particle size is around the same as Blue Moon Lagoon, but there's more of it, which makes the rainbow a little more pronounced.

I like them all for different reasons, and I've kept them all except for the China Glaze.  I just couldn't get over that application!  So, which of these do you like best?

(PS if this post is a bit incoherent in any way, I apologize!  I'm exhausted and about to crawl directly into the bed, which, if you know me, is unheard of!  10:30 and tired is not a normal Julie behavior!)

I purchased these myself or they were given to me as gifts from friends.

Golden Oldies Thursday (a Few Weeks Late and on a Wednesday): Skittles

Yes, this post was supposed to go up on March 6...  However, I'm still going to say that I've actually been staying on top of the GOT Polish Challenge!  I've done every single mani so far, and I've at least posted all of the blog posts so far - even if they aren't quite with the right week.  So, tonight's post will be what I should've posted two weeks ago, skittles!

Here is the GOT Polish schedule of events if you would like to follow along or participate.

Remember the rules:

• The polish you use must be at least a year old.
• If you haven't been a polishaholic for that long, you can use the oldest polishes you have.
• The polish should be previously used, but if you're stuck, you can use a polish from your untrieds stack.
• You can use more than one polish as long as it fits the rules.

I purchased all polishes in this post.

Since it's hard to truly gauge a polish off of application on one finger, I'm going to skip the review of these polishes for a later date.  Instead, let's just look at the pretty pictures.

I used from left to right: Nerd Lacquer Outed by a Probot, Elevation Azure Caverns, Elevation Ubsunur at Night, Liquid Lacquer Mocking Bird, and KBShimmer Hex Appeal.

Probot, AC, and Hex Appeal are all three coats with one coat of KBShimmer's Clearly on Top.  Ubsunur and Mocking Bird, however, are both four coats with one coat of KBShimmer's Clearly on Top.

You can purchase Nerd Lacquers at her store, sometimes, but you'd probably be better off purchasing them from blog sales.  You can purchase Elevations here.  You can purchase Liquid Lacquers off of blog sales as she is no longer running a shop.  KBShimmer polishes can be purchased here.

So, what do you think of my skittles?  Have you enjoyed following this challenge?  I've been really enjoying seeing what everyone has done and their interpretations of the themes!

I purchased all polishes in this post.

An InLinkz Link-up

Comparison Thursday: Bright Pink Holos

Happy new year to everyone!!  I hope that everyone had a very happy and safe holiday!  I had a blast hanging out with some old friends and meeting new ones at my old college stomping grounds.  It was so much fun!  So, this first post of the new year is getting back to one of my favorite series on the blog - the Comparison Thursday series!  Tonight, we're going to take a look at a few bright pink holos, some that are easy to find and others that are either limited editions or long discontinued.  Shall we?

 China Glaze QT, China Glaze Infra Red, Avon Starburst, and Liquid Lacquer Danger is my Middle Name

First and foremost, the similarity: all four polishes are practically the exact same shade of bright pink.  And that's pretty much where the similarities between the four end.  As you can see, QT and Infra Red are both tightly linear while Starburst and DimMN are scattered.  Let's take a closer look.

QT

QT is a lovely bright pink polish from the China Glaze OMG collection that was released in the spring of 2008 and has since been discontinued.  The holographic prism is tight and crisp in even low lighting.  Application, however, is a bit of a pain.  I used my Nfu Oh Aqua Base in order to aid with application, but it was still a bit difficult to work with.  It dragged, balded, and clumped.  While the end result is quite pretty, it's definitely one of those handle with care holos.  I'm planning to hold onto it because of its sheer difficulty to find, but, honestly, there are other holos that are the same color that have better application, that are easier to find, and that aren't as expensive.  You can occasionally find a bottle of QT on blog sales or eBay, but they aren't available in stores any longer.  I found mine out dusty hunting last year.

Infra Red

Let me first note that there appears to be more than one batch of the China Glaze Hologlam collection...  All of the polishes from this collection that I purchased from Sally's are extremely holographic, even in low lighting, even though they don't look holo at all in the bottle.  I have seen others' photos who aren't even remotely as prismatic as mine, so this could be a bit of an anomaly.  Either way, though, my Infra Red is as tight, crisp, and vibrant as my QT.  As you can see here, they are pretty much exact duplicates of one another.  I'm not sure how I got lucky to get one with such a vibrant rainbow, but I'm very pleased that I did.  Application was about the same as with QT - easy to clump, bald, and drag, so make sure you take great care when applying.  You can still find the Hologlam collection at retailers where China Glaze Polishes are sold.

Starburst

Unlike QT and Infra Red, Starburst is a scattered holographic.  It reminds me of the super popular Zoya's (Storm, Blaze, Aurora) in that it has that irregular holographic glitter that creates such gorgeous depth.  Application and dry time for Starburst were both great.  No dragging and I didn't need to use my Aqua Base.  As far as I know, these are still available from your local Avon Lady (you can talk to mine here!).  

Danger is My Middle Name

DimMN is scattered much like Starburst.  Application was easy in a few coats, and it also has that gorgeous depth that you see in Starburst.  I will say, though, that the rainbow is much more apparent in the Liquid Lacquer than the Avon.  However, the Avon is much more easy to obtain than the LL as the LL was a super small batch with only a few bottles ever made.  You can still find them on blog sales, though, if you look hard!

In conclusion, QT and Infra Red are pretty much exact duplicates...  Well, at least my bottles are.  Starburst and DimMN are very close duplicates, but the Avon is much easier to find than the Liquid Lacquer, especially since the creator of LL has closed up shop.  So, which is your favorite?  Do you have any of these polishes?  What's your opinion of the Hologlam collection?

1 Year Blogiversary Giveaway Prize 5

We're almost to decision day, everyone!  Please make sure that you've entered through the rafflecopter widget, which can be found here.  Today's post will be all about prize 5.  All polishes in this prize were either purchased by me or donated for the giveaway and not for review.  Also, I just wanted to say that all swatches come from my own personal stash.  Everything in the giveaway is brand spankin new!

Here's prize 5 again:

Prize Five

Sponsored by Wishes of a Blue-Eyed Girl, Liquid Lacquer, Polished 10, and Sharla Sells Avon.

LA Girl 3D Purple Effect, LA Girl 3D 3D Silver, Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer Birthday Wishes, Julep Hailee, Liquid Lacquer Teal Tails, Liquid Lacquer Washed Ashore, Liquid Lacquer Stick a Fork in Me, Revlon Heavenly, Avon Eclipse, Avon Super Nova, and Sally Hansen Vitamin E Nail and Cuticle Oil.

I only have 3 to show you tonight, the three Liquid Lacquers!  This set is a trio created specially for this giveaway.  Based on the beach, there are two linear holos and one glitter topper.  Let's check it out!

Bottle shots:

Teal Tails

Teal tails is a sea foam green linear holo that flashes teal.  As you'll be able to tell in the photos, it's a real chameleon.  Outside in the sun, it's a vibrant teal, but inside it's a soft sea foam.

Application was like a typical holo.  You have to be swift as you're painting each nail, or you may start to bald or drag.  Otherwise, the consistency was nice and only needed two to three coats for full opacity.

 Indoor lighting.

Dry time was average.  The holo is more noticeable in person than in the photos.


Stick a Fork in Me

I don't really do nudes often.  They don't look right with my skin tone, and I like vibrant and bright colors better.  However, as soon as I saw Stick a Fork in Me in person, it was love.  Fork is a nude linear holo with an orange flash.  Did you see that?  Orange.  Flash.  I've never seen any other nude holos with orange.  It works really well with the theme, too, as it reminds me of sunburned skin from too many hours on the beach.

Again, application was typical to a holo.  I didn't use an Aqua Base, though, but it didn't effect application or performance.

The orange flash is just gorgeous.  I couldn't stop staring at my nails when I wore this beauty.  Seriously unique and so in love!


Washed Ashore

Washed Ashore is a clear glitter topcoat that has teal, blue, gold, and caramel hexes and dots.

Washed ashore is the perfect glitter topper for these two holos.  Over Fork, it reminds me of the waves crashing on the beach, chock full of foam, bubbles, seashells, and other sea creatures.

Application was easy, the glitters were easy to get out of the bottle and easy to place.  Just a great and easy experience all around.

Over Teal Tails, it takes on a whole new look.  It reminds me of looking down into the ocean and seeing all the stuff floating in the sea.

You can purchase Liquid Lacquers at her store here.  Follow Melissa on Facebook and Instagram for news and updates!