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 Prize 6

RED ALERT!  I REPEAT, RED ALERT!!!!  The AMAZING, beautiful, sweet Jen from Jindie Nails has donated another prize to the 1 Year Blogiversary Giveaway!!!  The winner will get to choose a bottle of their choice from Jindie's store!  HOW AWESOME IS THAT?!  I'm adding it to this prize, prize 6, and as such I've added Jindie's Facebook page into the Rafflecopter widget.  Once the winner is announced, I will let him or her know the code to use to obtain the polish of their choosing from Jindie's site.  Remember, to go here to enter!  All polishes were either purchased by me or were donated as part of the giveaway and not for review.

Ok, now that that bit of fun news is out of the way, let's take a look at the polishes in prize 6!  It's going to be a quick one so I can get to bed as soon as True Blood is over!

Prize Six

Sponsored by Wishes of a Blue-Eyed Girl, Amy's Nail Boutique, and Sharla Sells Avon.

 Julie G Mermaid's Tail, Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer Operation Hennesy, Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer Eleanor, Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer Birthday Wishes, Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer Self Satisfied, Amy's Nail Boutique Electric Eel, Revlon Whimsical, Avon Moonbeam, Avon Aurora, OPI mini Oy - Another Polish Joke, unpictured - Jindie of your choice.

Bottle Shots

Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquers Self Satisfied

To see a full review, you can go here.  Clear based polish with green shimmer packed full of neons in primarily green and yellow accented with pink, purple, orange, and blue as well as teal holo moons, neon green stars, fuchsia dots, and silver holo butterflies.

Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquers Operation Hennesy

Operation Hennesy is a navy blue based polish filled with blue, green, and purple hexes, and lime-gold squares.  This is three coats without undies.  Application and dry time were average.

Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquers Eleanor

Black based polish with fuchsia and blue shimmer, pink, purple, and blue hexes.  This one can be wore alone or with black undies depending on the depth you're looking for.  Again, application and dry time are average.

Amy's Nail Boutique Electric Eel

Electric Eel is a lime green straight linear holo with a golden glowy flash.  It's the flash that just knocks this polish out of the park.  It's just so glowy, like it's lit from within.

The holographic prism is quite evident, both indoors and outdoors in the sunshine.  Oh, and my kitties apparently enjoyed me taking swatch shots outside.

Application was medium - the polish was a tad thick, but applied without dragging or balding.  Dry time was medium, meaning it was dry within 5-8 minutes.

If you're looking for a bright and vibrant holo for the summer, Electric Eel is the perfect polish for you.  You can purchase Amy's Nail Boutique polishes at her store.  Follow her on Facebook for news and updates!

That's the last of the giveaway prizes!  I hope you guys are as excited as I am for this.  Since there are so many prizes and so many entries, it's going to take me some time to go through and verify the winners' entries.  That being said, I'm hoping to have an announcement by Monday, 8/12, at the latest.  Good luck, everyone!!

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!