Essie Too Taboo topped with HOLO

Essie Too Taboo

2 coats over a base of Essie Blanc

topped with Cover Girl City Lights

Last year I bought the mini set of Essie Neons from 2014, and I decided to give it a try last week.  I first did a base of the Blanc that was included in the set, and it was no bueno. Very patchy and uneven, but I went ahead and pushed forward with the color. I did two coats of Too Taboo and followed with a coat of NYC Grand Central Station.

The resulting mani was just.... lacking. I had hoped that the color would balance out the uneven white, but it didn't. It just gave me uneven color. 

So I did what I always do with a failed mani, I topped it with holo goodness. Much better!

OPI Lincoln Park After Dark Suede topped with CoverGirl City Lights

 OPI Lincoln Park After Dark Suede (1 coat)

topped with CoverGirl City Lights (1 coat)

I needed a quick mani last night and remembered that the OPI Suede line usually worked well, as they dried super fast and usually covered in just one coat. Sadly, LPAD Suede was a bit thick so I added some thinner, and I think I did't let it mix well enough because I wasn't very happy with the uneven mani I got.

As I have done in the past, I grabbed my old favorite CoverGirl City Lights for a rescue! LOVE this!

Revlon Holographic Pearls

Revlon Holographic Pearls

(1 coat over China Glaze Frosty)

I am such a sucker for a holographic topcoat! Yes, I have China Glaze Fairy Dust, Nicole by OPI Extra Snowflakes Please, and Cover Girl City Lights, but of course when I saw Revlon released a line of Transforming Effects topcoats, I had to have Holographic Pearls.

And I am pleased! I was a bit bored with my China Glaze Frosty main, although it was pretty, so I added a coat of Holographic Pearls and LOVE! Definitely pick this one up if you don't already have a holo topcoat in your collection, or heck, even if you do!

Sparkles Save a Bad Mani

Cover Girl Boundless Color in City Lights (1 coat) (sorry, discontinued!)

over

Sephora Formula X in Prophecy (2 coats)

 

Do you ever do a mani, and something just goes so so wrong? This mani seemed to be a lost cause (more on that in a minute), but just one coat of a holo glitter saved the day! I am sad that City Lights is discontinued, but there are two others that are easy to find and work in quite the same way: China Glaze Fairy Dust and Out The Door Northern Lights Silver Hologram Top Coat. Swatch and Learn has a great comparison post here.

 

Anyway, back to my failed mani. A few weeks ago I read beautygeek's review of the Sephora Formula X Brushed Metallics line and I knew I had to have Prophecy. You've got to check out her pic! It's amazing.

 

But on me..... it crackled! It was so very strange. I used my normal base of NailTek II, which I guess the Sephora X did not play well with. The first coat of Prophecy was very streaky but I figured the second coat would even it out. No! The second coat made it crackle! Just like the crackles of a few years ago. I was so frustrated, and I was late and I was tired and wanted to get to bed. I grabbed my trust bottle of Cover Girl City Lights, which has saved me before, and let it work the magic. I ended up loving how this mani turned out.

 

I'll have to try Prophecy again, I guess with a different base. Anyone had better luck with something else?

 

 

2013 Ulta OPI Holiday Minis

2013 OPI ULTA Exclusive! Cheers To The Holidays 4pc Mini Set

(currently $6.95 on www.ulta.com)

OPI Checking My List (2 coats)

topped with

OPI Gift Tag... You're It! (1 coat)

When I picked this up I was excited to see OPI do a holo glitter topcoat that reminded me of two of my favorites, CoverGirl City Lights and China Glaze Fairy Dust. I chose the pink shade to do my first mani with this set.

I found the formula of Checking My List to be sub-par for OPI... it was watery and patch and at 2 coats it was pretty uneven. But since I planned on topping it with the glitter, I moved on.

I am sad to say that Gift Tag... You're It! won't be replacing, or even joining, City Lights and Fairy Dust as a fave. It was a bit hard to apply. Almost a gel-like texture, the glitter didn't apply evenly. Nicole by OPI did a fabulous holo glitter topper a few years ago in their holiday mini set called Extra Snowflakes Please and it is great, so I am surprised they didn't just duplicate the formula here.

Also of note is that there is no mention of Ulta on the box..... it's the first year I've noticed that.

My Collection of CoverGirl Polish

I don't have very many CoverGirl polishes, but the new Hunger Games collection is causing me to add to my collection!

Seared Bronze

Rogue Red

Violet Flicker

Pyro Pink

Scalding Emerald

all 5 from the Hunger Games collection

Ruby Dust

Amethyst Mist

Disco Dazzle

City Lights

I purchased all off these about 5 years ago at Target. City Lights is my favorite- I have used it so many times! It's a China Glaze Fairy Dust dupe.

Amethyst

Sangria

I purchased Amethyst to do a Paradoxal/Perplexed comparison, and Sangria was the first Glosstini  I purchased to see what the hype was all about- Sangria is definitely a fave.

NOTD: OPI Dim Sum Plum topped with Cover Girl City Lights

OPI Dim Sum Plum (2 coats)

topped with Cover Girl City Lights (1 coat)

Cover Girl City Lights is a mani fixer! Saturday night I planned a mani using OPI Dim Sum Plum (an untried from a few years ago) but I think I've got a bad bottle of NYC Grand Central Station because when I applied GCS as a topcoat, the mani went bad. All of the sudden, there were brush strokes and bubble galore.

But I remembered that a nice holo glitter can cure most any issue, so I slapped it on there and was so happy with the result.

NOTD: Sephora by OPI Teal We Meet Again topped with China Glaze Fairy Dust

 

Sephora by OPI Teal We Meet Again topped with China Glaze Fairy Dust

I really love holo top coats like Cover Girl City Lights, so I knew I needed to pick up China Glaze Fairy Dust the next time I was making an order from TransDesign. At just $2.99, it's a must have! I am so glad I got it.

And I've got to tell you... this manicure wore like iron. I polished first with the teal on Tuesday night, and then added the Fairy Dust and another coat of GSC on Thursday morning. When I took this off on Sunday afternoon, I did not have a single chip and barely any tip-wear... I was just tired of it and ready for a change.

Details

Brand/Name:  Sephora by OPI Teal We Meet Again topped with China Glaze Fairy Dust

Number of coats in pic/topcoat?: 2 coats of teal topped with 1 of NYC Grand Central Station, then 1 coat of China Glaze Fairy Dust topped with another coat of NYC Grand Central Station

Price: $2.99

Purchased from: www.transdesign.com

NOTD: Nicole by OPI All Reindeer Go to Heaven topped with Extra Snowflakes Please

Last month I picked up the Nicole by OPI Merry Must Have Minis at Target for about $10, and I am absolutely loving this set. It contains four shades: All Reindeer Go To Heaven, Extra Snowflakes Please, Miss Claus' Night Out, and How Rude-olph!

I was excited to see that Extra Snowflakes Please is a dupe for my beloved Cover Girl City Lights.

Nicole by OPI All Reindeer Go to Heaven

topped with Extra Snowflakes Please

and look at those gorgeous multi-colored glitters in low light with a flash!

Hope you have had a happy holiday season!

Dr.'s Remedy PASSION Purple w/ Cover Girl City Lights

Dr.'s Remedy PASSION Purple

topped with Cover Girl City Lights

After my success last time I used City Lights over blue, I had to try it again. And I really like it over purple too!

Disclosure: The Dr's Remedy polish was sent to me for review purposes. The Cover Girl polish was purchased by me.

NOTD: Sephora by OPI Countdown to the Kiss plus bonus

Sephora by OPI Countdown to the Kiss

from the Glimmer Wonderland Collection

Oh, it was a blustery day yesterday! Absolutely no sun, ugly cloudy, and rainy. Absolutely no chance for a good outside pic. Such a shame because this was quite a pretty shade! It's an opaque royal blue with medium glitter that is a bit lighter blue.

I had some time last night before bed, and one of my nails broke a bit so I spent some time filing them down. Then I decided to try topping it with a Cover Girl sparkle topcoat that I picked up a few years ago, but hadn't had a chance to try.

Sephora by OPI Countdown to the Kiss

topped with Cover Girl City Lights

WOW! Isn't that pretty in the sun? This may be my new favorite topper. I can't stop staring at my nails! I added two coats of the CG sparkle topcoat and then topped it with SV.