Stuck With Bargain Bin on a Budget?

Greetings, folks!

You're on a budget. Spending $10 to $20 for a single bottle of polish just isn't feasible. Does that mean that you're stuck with bargain bin leftovers? 

Absolutely not. 

First off, drugstore polish makers have really upped their game. Wet 'n' Wild, L.A. Colors, Pure Ice, and Sinful Colors are all polishes that you can find for less than two dollars. Between these four brands, you can find pretty much anything your heart desires (even holo!). L.A. Colors doesn't always have the best formula, but the other three are pretty safe bets. Sinful Colors has put out... what... 7 new collections this year? And Pure Ice has some amazing formulas--"Show Stopper", for example, is a two coat yellow polish. Not even OPI has mastered that yet. Not to mention Pure Ice's glitters are amazeballs.

(There's also Sally Hansen polishes for less than $3, but I'm still mad at them.)

(Yes, I can hold one hell of a grudge.)

There's also the option of buying in bulk. This is a larger investment up front, but worth it in the long run. Nabi Cosmetics (found on Amazon and Ebay) runs great deals where you can choose a bunch of polishes for a discounted price. Several years ago I purchased a set of 20 polishes for $24.00, putting each polish at $1.20 a piece. Last time I looked (last November) their polishes were even cheaper. I also bought the Seche Vite Pro Kit from head2toebeauty.com for $18.75. This kit is 4.5 ounces--the equivalent of 9 bottles. That puts each bottle at only $2.08. You can't get that deal at Sally Beauty Supply!

Another thing to look for is sales. Oftentimes Sally Beauty Supply will have "buy two get one free" sales on their polish. Zoya is also great for sales... last year their Black Friday Sale was 70% their entire site! That meant Zoya polishes for only $3 a bottle! 

Online e-tailers are also an option. These include sites such as the aforementioned head2toebeauty, 88beauty, transdesign, and holler. 

And of course it never hurts to peruse someone's destash. There's always a destash happening! Right now there are at least three that I know of: Phoebe Moon's, Alli Evette's, and Stacey's (formerly Polished Ways on YouTube). I believe Jessika and Juanita will be destashing soon as well. You can simply Google "nail polish destash" and find all sorts of goodies for great prices. Sometimes you can even snag indie brands for super cheap. 

Oops! NOT Dupes!

Greetings folks,

I have erred in my way!

In a recent haul post, I mentioned that Pure Ice "Eskimo Kisses" was basically the exact same as Pure Ice "Don't You Wish", but with a blue tinted base. I was wrong. Here's a swatch of each of them over China Glaze "Combat Blue-ts":

As you can see, they are actually a bit different. "Eskimo Kisses" is there on the left, and "Don't You Wish" is on the right. "Eskimo Kisses" has smaller, more dense glitters with a few big glitters here and there, while "Don't You Wish" has larger, more sparse glitters. The latter polish allows a bit more of the base color to show through.

I have swatched "Eskimo Kisses" on its own. Although those glitters are fairly dense and the base is lightly tinted, I don't think you could get it opaque on its own. "Don't You Wish" definitely wouldn't get opaque on its own. 

Yes, the polishes are similar, but they are not dupes as I had thought. My apologies for the error! 

Pueen Nail Stamp Starter Kit Review

Good afternoon folks!

Today I'll be discussing the Pueen Nail Stamp Starter Kit that I recently purchased at Walmart for $9.98.

So what all do you get for $9.98? Everything you see here:

• Stamper: You'll get a single-ended jelly stamper. This is on the smaller side, and won't pick up an entire image on the plate enclosed. However, I found that it's rather easy to hold despite it's small stature. The head came ready to stamp right out of the box--I didn't even have to wash it with warm soapy water. The head is a bit firm for my tastes, but by no means as hard as the rubber heads of old. In my limited experience with this stamper, it does seem to work better if you push down on the image rather than roll, and then roll the image onto your nail. Everyone is different, however, so a different technique might work better for you.
• Scraper: You'll also get the typical crown-shaped Pueen scraping card. For me, this was a bit difficult to control. It's much smaller and more stiff than the Bundle Monster scrapers I'm used to. The one good thing about this card, though, is that it's nearly impossible to scrape too hard. 
• Plate: This kit comes with Pueen's Nail Party 01 stamping plate. The plate itself is very thick and sturdy, and the designs are well etched. There's a good variety of designs to choose from, so I think there's something here for everyone. I'm a big fan of the amoeba/blob pattern myself. 
• Polishes: No kit would be complete without some stamping polishes. Pueen included the two basics, black and white. I'll warn you, though: unlike some stamping polishes, these should not be used as regular polish. They will crack when they dry! They do work well for what they're intended for, however. Just out of curiosity I pit them against Bundle Monster's black and white stamping polishes. As you can see here, they're pretty much identical. (This is the image that's under the glare in the above photo.)

Price wise, this kit is a fairly good investment. I'm not sure it would be the greatest for beginners, though. While the stamper head isn't bad, it can be a bit finicky if you're not used to stamping. Still, $10 for a 5-piece set isn't too shabby. 

But if I knew before I purchased what I know now, would I still purchase the kit? Ehhh, probably not. Maybe I've just gotten used to Bundle Monster products, but I think I'd probably go for one of their kits instead. While they are more expensive, you get a lot more stuff and have much larger variety to choose from. 

With that being said, if you see a Pueen stamping plate you like, grab it! Their plates are phenomenal. Even their small round plates are very well etched and easy to work with. As I mentioned in the last post, I also picked up their Fairytale Lovers 01 plate, and I'm absolutely in love with that thing. Worth every penny and then some. 

More Walmart Stuffs!

Good evening folks!

So... I was naughty again. I bought more nail stuff. 

I saw NailStamp4Fun's video on the new Pueen Nail Stamp Starter Kit a couple of weeks ago. I figured, well, I need to grab some batteries for my son's toys, so I'll just pop into Walmart and take a peek at it. 

"Take a peek" turned into a mini-haul:

As you can see, I did go ahead and pick up the Pueen set for $9.98. I'll be reviewing this and comparing it to BMC products after I've had a bit of time to play with it. 

Hanging right next to the starter kit was a very interesting Pueen stamping plate called "Fairytale Lovers 01" for $3.88. This plate is gorgeous. There's not a single image on this plate I don't like. I'm not in love with the hearts image, but I do still like it. Every other image on this plate is stunning, breathtaking, awe-inspiring! Or should I say mani-inspiring? I cannot wait to play with this! 

And of course, since I was wandering through the nail stuff, I had to take a gander at some polish. Pure Ice didn't have anything that I needed, Sally Hansen is still on my shit list, Color Club hasn't yet made it to my Walmart, and Sinful Colors was nowhere to be found. However, Wet 'n' Wild had a couple of colors worth notice. One was a gorgeous sky blue that I cannot remember the name of--but I put her back, since I have soooo many blues already. But this garnet burgundy beauty I just had to bring home with me. Her name is "Burgundy Frost" and she cost me a mere $0.93. Don't let her name fool you, though. She is not at all a frost finish. She's a lovely luster with an easy two-coat formula. 

All in all, a pretty good haul for only $15!

Budget-Friendly Feature -- Wet 'n' Wild Ready to Propose

Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen!

Today I'll be featuring Wet 'n' Wild "Ready to Propose". This is a lovely gold polish that I purchased at Walgreens for $0.99. 

I have a tendency to prefer my gold polishes a bit more on the yellow side, but I have to say that this is probably my favorite gold that I own. It definitely leans more brown than yellow, but it's not that murky kind of brown that you can find in some golds (Sally Hansen "Golden-I", for example). 

The formula on "Ready to Propose" is phenomenal. It glides on smooth, isn't too runny, and is opaque in two easy coats. It's also great for stamping and water marbling. It does have a tendency to show a wee bit of brush strokes, though, so if that's something you abhor... this may not be the best option for you. I, of course, don't mind brush strokes at all, as I've mentioned before. 

The only downside to this polish isn't so much about the polish itself, but the entire line in general. I always have an issue with the Wet 'n' Wild Wild Shines not letting go of their brushes. You know... when you go to open your bottle and the cap comes off but the brush is still stuck in the bottle? Argh! I know this can happen with any brand, but it sure seems to happen a lot more often with the Wild Shines. And you know what I find a bit humorous? I have some Wet 'n' Wild polishes that are about 20 years old (no joke! still use 'em!) that very rarely have the brush-sticky issue. 

So, is "Ready to Propose" worth the $0.99 I paid for it? Absolutely. I mean, you really can't go wrong with something that cost you less than a dollar. And this is such a pretty color, with a great formula, that works with all types of nail art. I highly recommend! 

I'm Not Sure I Want to Play with Sally Anymore

Good evening, folks.

Remember in the last post how I was talking about how Sally Hansen "Royal Rage" was a bit of a disappointment?

Yeah... "a bit" turned out to be a big understatement. 

I'm sure by now you folks know I'm a big blue fan. So for me to say any blue polish is absolute junk is pretty dramatic. 

This polish is absolute $(#!*ing JUNK! 

I'm fairly certain I have never bought a polish, worn it once (for ONE DAY) and said, "Yeah, this shit needs to go." Especially relating to a blue polish. 

"Royal Rage" is a royal pain to apply. I know I probably got a little spoiled considering my first jelly polishes were Zoyas, but this Sally Hansen is so incredibly awful!! It's really more of a crelly formula, though. A really crappy crelly. It runs everywhere. It's streaky. It's patchy. It drags on itself. Even after three coats it wasn't opaque, and it was bumpy. This polish has the worst formula I have ever dealt with, hands down. Don't waste your $2-3!!

Now, I know that Sally Hansen has some good polishes. I have "White On" and "Golden-I" and I love them. Yet... I have more fails than wins. "Royal Rage", "Pixel Perfect" (which I have mentioned in a previous post), "Jazzy Jade", and "Tango-rine" aren't so awesome. "Jazzy Jade" doesn't have a bad formula, but the color looks nothing on the nails like it does in the bottle--it's very flat and not at all jazzy. "Tango-rine" is a great color, but the formula is soooo thin that it's easily a 3 to 4 coat polish. 

So after the "Royal Rage" fiasco (did I mention it chipped in less than 18 hours??), I'm really starting to think that I should just stay away from Sally. Why bother when I can grab a Pure Ice or Sinful Colors polish for cheaper that will probably have me singing rather than snarling?

Yeah, bye bye, Sally Hansen.

Larger Haul from Walmart.com

Good evening ladies and gents!

Today I'll be going over some goodies that I purchased from Walmart.com. I'll give you a forewarning, though... this post will have a bit of ranting in it.

So my mom came to me one evening and said that she wanted to place an order online, but needed $5 worth of more stuff to get the free shipping. "Want some polish?" she asked. Well now, you know, and I know, and she knew that was a silly question.

Of course I do! So I managed to narrow the gobs of bottles down to 3 to hit that $5 mark for her.

But then I ran into a problem. I realized that I only had two spaces left in my wall rack! OH NOES! 

So what did I do to solve the problem? 

... I bought another rack. And some more polishes to fill it. 


Yes, addiction has me in its clutches.

Including the three that Mom got with her order, I ended up getting 11 polishes--it was supposed to be 12, but apparently one was on backorder so Walmart refunded me for that one.

First on the left is Pure Ice "Moonlight", which was $1.98. Here begins the rant. Online, it looked to be a deep blue with silver shimmer. It is in fact a muddy grey/brown with purple shimmer. That shimmer doesn't even show up on the nail. Thus, you're left with... mud, basically. This polish was the biggest disappointment of the bunch. I didn't even think Pure Ice could make a bad polish, but this one proved me wrong. I don't like it one bit. I'll use it, somehow, someway, because I paid for it... but I won't enjoy it.

Second comes L.A. Colors "Dimple". This is just a basic pumpkin orange creme. It's a teeeensy bit streaky on the second coat, but I think with careful application it can work. Certainly worth the $0.98.

Third up is Pure Ice "Eskimo Kisses". This looked pure white online, which would make sense given the name. It's actually a holo glitter in a slightly blue tinted base. While pretty, the base isn't tinted enough to change any base color other than white. So if you already have Pure Ice "Don't You Wish", don't bother buying this one. They're exactly the same except for that tinted base.

Next up comes Sinful Colors "Mint Apple". Online? Mint creme. In reality? Very dark mint with tons of gold shimmer. Cute, but not what I really wanted. Was it worth $1.98? Eh, sure. I'll use it.

Fifth in line comes the second biggest disappointment. I paid $2.49 for Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear "Royal Rage". Online it looked to be an in-your-face neon royal blue. Nope. It's a dull blue with an awful crelly formula. This one's a three-coater--there's no way to hide the streakiness on that second coat. Still, it is a blue, so it'll get used.

In the middle of the pack we have Wet 'n' Wild "Casting Call", which was $0.98. This one was actually a pleasant surprise. I thought this would be much more pink, but it turns out it's actually more of a terra cotta color. I'm in love with it! The formula is great, too. Bonus: it water marbles like a champ.

The seventh polish was a roller coaster. Online, Pure Ice "Chrome on Over" (which was only $1.55 instead of the usual $1.98 Pure Ice price, for some reason) looked to be a gunmetal color. I was upset when I received it and discovered it's more of a purple. But then I swatched it, and ohhhh my goodness. GORGEOUS! This baby is my favorite of the bunch. Oh, and she's a one coater! 

Next is Pure Ice "Dollface", which was actually true to color. She's a lovely light peach creme. I put this in a water marble with "Casting Call" and it turned out great!

Then there's Pure Ice "Teal Appeal". I had seen this one in stores for quite a while and always thought about snagging it, so I finally did. She's a little closer to navy than teal, in my opinion. There's really not a whole lot of green in there. Still a great creme polish for the price, though, and I'm glad I picked her up.

The tenth polish is Wet 'n' Wild "Who is Ultra Violet?". This is a lot more pink than it looked online, but it's still a very nice purple creme. I was very bummed when it didn't work with the next polish in a water marble. I'll have to experiment some more to see if it cooperates with other polishes. 

Last but definitely not least we have Pure Ice "Sweet Serenity". This is a lovely light lavender creme (that I am wearing right now!). She's almost opaque in one coat, but I did get a patch here and there. I do tend to be a bit heavy-handed though, so those of you who aren't so aggressive might be able to get this polish opaque in one coat. That's pretty impressive for such a light colored polish. Absolutely worth every cent of the $1.98 that I paid. 

Mini Haul from Walmart.com

Greetings folks!

Today I wanted to show you a few goodies I got online. I needed a new bottle of Pure Ice "Bottom Line" base coat, so of course I snagged that at $1.98.

Then I needed... okay, so I didn't need Color Club "Blue Skies Ahead", but after watching Moon Baby Nails review a few polishes from the Mood Changing collection, I really, really wanted to snag at least one! The one I purchased goes from a cornflower blue to a nice deep lavender in cold conditions. Be warned, though: if you put a top coat on these polishes--as most people tend to do--the polish won't react as well to temperature change. When I received the polish it came in a box labeled "gel polish", but I didn't think anything of it... Surely it was just generic packaging. Then after six days of wear and only one tiny chip and no tip wear, I began to have doubts. Would I be able to get this stuff off?!? Thankfully, it comes off just like regular polish. Whew! I did go over budget on this baby, though. $6.44... yikes! But with the cool color changing properties, the lovely color, and the longevity, I don't feel too bad for splurging. 

I also bought a body pillow case, and that brought my total to just under $35 (since when are pillow cases so damn expensive?! eeeesh). To get free shipping, I needed to put myself above that line. So what did I do? Bought more polish, of course! 

(I think I may have fallen into the "addicted" category... rutroh.)

I snagged a bottle of L.A. Colors "Aquatic" for $0.98. I'm a wee bit disappointed in this one. Online, it looked considerably more green. Like... an aqua color, which would have made sense given the name. Sadly, it's nowhere near aqua. It's much more of an ink blue color. I don't hate it, by any means. I actually have it on my toes right now. I'm just bummed it wasn't what I thought it was. But those are the troubles you run into when shopping online.

Another trouble of shopping online is that there are soooo many to choose from... Too many to choose from. 

Yep, there will be another haul post coming soon.

Budget-Friendly Feature -- Nina Ultra Pro Caribbean Blue

Hey there ladies and gents!

Today's feature will be Nina Ultra Pro "Caribbean Blue" I purchased this at Sally Beauty Supply during one of their Buy 2 Get 1 Free sales, so I paid $2.79 per bottle (that's also with my Club Card, of course).

She's a beautiful aqua blue. I've never been to the Caribbean, so I can't say for sure if this really is the color of the waters there. However, this does remind me of the beaches of Sarasota, Florida. The water there is so incredibly clear and gorgeous that you can see right through it.

Unfortunately this polish's formula is see-through, too. Even at three coats, there's still a wee bit of VNL. I usually use this as a topper. If you put this over black, it turns more green. I actually did a manicure once where I did a black-to-white gradient and put this over it. It looked amazing! Well, it looked mostly amazing--if my gradient skills were better it could have been phenomenal. It's a little hard to tell from this picture, but hopefully you get the gist.

One downside to the Nina Ultra Pro polishes is the brush. However, I think I'm in the minority on this. NUPs have a very wide paddle brush. For most folks, that's a good thing. For me, though, with my super narrow nails, it creates a problem. On my pinky and ring finger nails I actually have to turn the brush sideways. Otherwise, I end up with even more polish on my skin than usual. 

So is "Caribbean Blue" worth the $2.79 I paid for it? Yeah, I'd have to say she is. Would I pay $4.00 or more for her? Probably not. But at less than three dollars, "Caribbean Blue" is such a stunning color and very versatile as a topper, so I think it was money well spent.

Budget-Friendly Feature -- Bundle Monster Wavelengths

Greetings folks!

Today we'll be featuring Bundle Monster Wavelengths--one of their metallic creative arts polishes (stamping polishes).

I paid $11.99 for the entire metallic set. The set includes six polishes, putting each one at only $2.00. I can't remember for certain if I purchased these on Walmart.com or bundlemonster.com... I think it was the former and I got free shipping.

Wavelengths is a gorgeous royal blue metallic. As of yet, I haven't used this as a regular nail polish, so I can't say anything in regards to application or longevity. However, as a stamping polish, this stuff is phenomenal. The formula is thick enough to fill your image and stamp easily, yet thin enough that you don't have to worry about dragging polish clumps around. (Yes, I've had that issue... I won't mention any bornprettystore names.)  :p

I also haven't had any problems with it staining my stampers as some blues have a tendency to do. 

Overall, this is a great stamping polish that I know I can rely on to stamp beautifully every time.

So is it worth the two bucks? Yes, indeedy. For $2.00 a piece, the entire collection is worth it--even though the gold is a little dull and the pink is definitely not metallic. All stamp wonderfully and in my opinion are a great deal.

Budget-Friendly Feature -- Sally Hansen Pixel Perfect

Greetings ladies and gents!


Today's Feature is Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear "Pixel Perfect". This is a glitter polish featuring different sizes of black and white hex, circle, and bar glitters.

I paid $2.49 for this at Target. 

Usually the Sally Hansen Xtreme Wears have pretty good formulas, but this was my first time trying one of their glitters. I have to say... I was not impressed. You have to do a lot of fishing and dab-placement to get a decent payoff of glitter. The sponging method doesn't really work with this because you end up with a big chunk of glitter in one spot and nothing on the rest of your nail. The clear base is also rather thin and has a tendency to pool in all the places you don't want it to.

In the photo I painted on the first coat, and then fished, and fished, and fished some more to strategically dab the rest on. (This is over Nabi "Pastel Minty", by the by)

While the polish has a pretty cool concept, the work required to make it look decent just isn't worth it, in my opinion. 

So was this glitter polish worth the $2.49 I paid for it? Sadly, I have to say no on this one. Thicken up the base a little bit and pack more glitters in there, then we might have something useful. Until then, I'd say go for one of the other black and white matte glitter polishes that are out there.

To Destash, or Not to Destash... That is the Question!

Good day, ladies and gents!

I find myself to be in a bit of a pickle. I'm considering doing a small polish purge. 

On the one hand, there are a few polishes in my collection that I just never reach for. On the other hand, I do have a system that will eventually make me go through these particular polishes. 

I abhor being wasteful, so I feel as though just getting rid of these bottles without using them would be a travesty. Yet I also wonder why I'm hanging on to them when I don't really care for them. 

While it would be nice to free up some space, that of course will inevitably lead me to spend more money on more polish. 

I have considered putting up a destash on storenvy or somesuch, but I have to wonder if it would be worth it. As I said before, it would be a small purge, and I wouldn't sell them for more than a dollar--most of them have been used at least once. 

What do you folks think? Should I try to muddle through these polishes and maybe empty the bottles in a decade? Or should I destash and send them to homes that will appreciate them more than I do?

Budget-Friendly Feature -- KleanColor Metallic White

Good afternoon folks,

Today we'll be discussing KleanColor Metallic White.

This is available as part of a 12 piece set which you can purchase on Amazon for $11.99. That puts each polish at only one dollar! 

The color is a gorgeous shimmery, glittery white. That's because the formula on this polish is basically just that: a shimmery white glitter in a clear base. The glitter is packed in there, though, making it a very thick polish. However, because it is so thick you can get this opaque in only two coats. 

If possible, wear a peel-off base coat under this gem... she will want to hang around for a long, long time otherwise.

One thing to note about the KleanColor brand is that they stink. I can't say for certain, but I don't believe these polishes are even 3-free. 

I'm constantly raving about the KleanColor metallics collection on YouTube, but I have to be honest: this polish is my least favorite of the bunch. Don't get me wrong, though. I still love it. I'm just not a huge fan of trying to get it off. Plus it doesn't work for stamping, so that's a bummer.

So is it worth a dollar? Heck yeah. Despite being more clingy than my last boyfriend, this polish is a stunning, blingy, crystal-snow-like masterpiece. 

Budget-Friendly Feature -- Nabi "Teal"

Good day, ladies and gents!

Lately I've been focusing a lot on the new YouTube channel, and my poor blog has been put off to the wayside. We can't have that now, can we? Therefore, I've decided I'm going to start a new series, entitled "Budget-Friendly Feature". In this series I'll go over random polishes in my collection and tell you about the color, the formula, whether or not I think it was worth the price I paid, and any other info I think might be relevant.

Our first Feature is Nabi "Teal" (not to be confused with "Teal II"). I bought a lot of 20 polishes from Nabi on ebay for $24.00, putting each bottle at $1.20.

Unfortunately I took a horribly shadowed picture, so the actual color is a bit hard to see. However, this is a stunning teal with just a light dusting of shimmer. 

This formula is definitely on the thinner side--it does require three coats for full opacity. I'm wondering if perhaps "Teal II" has a better formula? I may never know, since I am now on a definite no-buy. My rack is full to the brim and I just cannot justify buying more polish until I use some up! 

So is Nabi "Teal" worth the $1.20? In my eyes, yes it is. I've gone through half of this bottle. Normally I shy away from three-coaters, but the color on this baby is worth it. That's saying something, since I am incredibly lazy and the less work I have to do, the better.

What do you guys think? Would you try this polish for the price, even though the formula leaves a bit to be desired? Have you tried "Teal II"? Let me know!

Also, if ever there's a polish you've seen me use (either here, or on YouTube) and you'd like me to put that particular polish in a future Feature, speak up! 

Zoya Earth Day Exchange Haul

Good afternoon, ladies and gents!

Today I'll be going over the polishes I snagged in Zoya's Earth Day Exchange promotion. Every year Zoya has an Earth Day sale in which they'll give you a discount on their polishes in exchange for sending them your unwanted polishes to be disposed of in an environmentally friendly manner. This year they offered 50% off, plus free shipping. That puts each polish at only $5! Sweet! Keep in mind, however, that you do have to order at least 6 polishes. 

You don't absolutely have to send in old polishes--you can take advantage of the promo regardless. If you'd rather, you can donate your polishes to a shelter, which is what I'll be doing. I'll be donating 12 polishes, some makeup, baby diapers and wipes, nursing pads, feminine hygiene products, and some baby food. 

This promo runs until May 10th, so if you'd like to get on board you still can. 

Let's get into the fun stuff, shall we?

From left to right we have the Naked Manicure Lavender Perfecter, Dove, Giovanna, Frida, Estelle, and Indigo.

The Lavender Perfecter is Zoya's award-winning color corrector. It is supposed to reduce the appearance of discoloration and staining. Does it work? Well, I'll have a first-impressions video up on YouTube soon!  ;) 

Dove is a very light grey creme. She does seem to be a wee bit on the taupe-y side to me, but I've been needing a light grey for a while and she'll do nicely.

Giovanna is a gorgeous metallic green with a hint of blue. I do have a similar polish in Finger Paints "Van Gogh's Verdigris", but the formula on this one is much better.

Next up is Frida, which is a teal jelly. If you recall, I also picked up Katherine a while back, which is Zoya's purple jelly. I'm not entirely sure whether the formula on Frida is better, or whether I've just gotten more attuned to working with jellies--either way, this one applied with fewer patches and streaks. I'm looking forward to trying some pond manicures with her!

Then there's Estelle. Oh dear Goddess... Estelle is... she's goooorgeous. She runs in the same family (collection) as Ember and Cinnamon--though I had no idea all three were in the same collection until after I had ordered Estelle. She is a stunning blue chrome. I thought to myself, "If Estelle is the blue version of Ember, she may just replace my current favorite polish." Unfortunately, she's quite a bit darker than I had thought, so the crown still remains with Nabi "Cobalt Blue". She's still amazing though, so I have no regrets about snatching her up.

Last but most certainly not least, we have Indigo. I was stuck on Zoya's website with 5 polishes in my cart and couldn't decide on which polish to go with to hit that 6 polish requirement. I finally settled on Indigo, which is a rich indigo (go figure) color with a tiny smattering of holo. I wasn't super excited about this one... until I pulled it out of the box. She is so gorgeous!! She instantly became my favorite of the order, and quite possibly my favorite Zoya! In fact, I'll be using her for the manicure commemorating my son's first birthday. I'm in love...

If you've taken advantage of this promo, or are considering doing so, let me know what polishes you pick(ed) up!

Water Marble Tips

Greetings folks!

In this post I'll be sharing some tips I've learned over the years about water marbling. Some tricks I've learned from Colette at My Simple Little Pleasures (if you haven't yet checked out her YouTube channel, please do!), and some tricks I've learned through trial and error. 

The Container:

• You don't want to put your water in a container that's too large. Unless you have larger fingers and plan on dipping all five at once, you don't want to use a bowl. Try to find something that's relative to your finger size and how many fingers you want to dip. Otherwise, it will take quite a bit of time and polish to build your bullseye, and when it comes to water marbling time is of the essence
• Don't use a container that's too small. Again, you'll want something relative to your finger size and dipping plan. Even if you only plan to dip one finger at a time, too small of a container won't allow you to drip many rings and you may end up with a lackluster design.
• Use a container that's deep enough to allow you to dip your fingers through the polish and not bump your nails on the bottom.
• For simplicity and cost-effectiveness, use a sustainable container--something that you can re-use every time. You can clean it with acetone after every marble, or if you're lazy like me you can clean it after every dozen marbles--it doesn't affect how your next marble will turn out.
• I use a glass tea-light candle holder. I have thin fingers, and can dip three fingers at a time.

The Water:

• Use room temperature water. I cannot stress this enough! If your water is too cold, your polishes will dry too fast and you won't be able to draw your design. If your water is too warm, your polishes will become thick and gloopy and won't spread. They'll also tend to blend together more if they're too warm, which will result in a "muddy" look. I put my water in a bottle and leave it out for a while (at least a day) so that it's the right temperature when I'm ready to use it. Putting it in a bottle will also keep my cats from drinking it!
• If you have hard water, I strongly suggest using filtered or bottled water. Hard water has a lot of minerals that may make it harder for your polish to spread. I have hard water where I live, and get much better results using filtered water. If you don't have hard water, you may be able to get away with regular tap water. 

The Polish:

• No one brand of polish has great marblers across their line. It's always a good idea to do a test run with all the polishes you plan to use to make sure that they'll spread and won't dry too fast.
• In my experience, polishes that tend to spread well are the ones with thinner formulas. Drugstore brands are great for this, but again, no one polish brand has perfect marblers across the board. 
• Don't be afraid to use different brands in one marble. 
• If one color doesn't want to spread too much, go ahead and drop your next color. Sometimes a polish will push the previous ring out. If it doesn't, that previous color may have to be abandoned.
• Most glitter polishes won't work for water marbling. However, if you really want a glitter in your marble, try it out! 

Dripping:

• Drip relatively close to the surface of your water. If you're dripping from too high, the polish will sink to the bottom of your container.
• Work quickly! You don't want your polish to dry before you've had a chance to draw your design. It's a good idea to have all of your polishes open and ready to go.

The Design:

• Use a tool with a fine point. A specialized water marble tool, an orange stick, or a pin will all work. I use a toothpick.
• Use your tool to anchor your bullseye to the container by lightly pulling the outer ring to the sides of your cup in a few places. This will keep the bullseye from moving around while you're trying to draw your design.
• Start drawing at the second or third ring. The outer ring is typically dry by the time you get to this point.
• Use a very light touch when drawing through the polish. Going in too deep can drag the polish or create holes in your design. 
• Wipe your drawing tool off on the side of your cup or on a paper towel after every swipe through the polish. 
• If your design requires that you draw into the center of your cup, you'll probably get a clump of polish in the center. Use your tool to lightly dip through the clump to remove it.
• Try to work quickly. If you allow your polish to dry, you won't be able to draw your design.
• There's no hard and fast rule as to what design you should use. Experiment! Go crazy! Be completely random! HAVE FUN!

Dipping:

• Try to dip your finger(s) as parallel to the water as possible.
• If you're dipping more than one finger at a time, try to dip your fingers at exactly the same time. Otherwise, the first finger dip will pull the polish and skew the design on your other finger(s).
• Don't bump your nails on the sides or bottom of your container! I'm a klutz and have done this more times than I can count...
• Before removing your fingers from the water, make sure that you clean the surface to ensure no leftover polish clings to your nails. Try not to bump your nails with whatever cleanup tool you're using (I've done this too. Meh.).

I hope these tips were helpful! If there's anything I've forgotten or if you have any questions, please don't hesitate to leave me a comment and let me know!

Pure Ice "Girl on the Run"

Greetings gals and guys!

Today we'll be going over this beauty here. This is Pure Ice "Girl on the Run". She is a quick-dry glossy top coat. I'll be discussing her pros and cons, as well as how she compares to Seche Vite.

I'm a huge fan of the Pure Ice brand. They have fun, funky colors for a great price. Every time I'm in Walmart I'm scoping out their stuff.

...But I never knew "Girl on the Run" existed. Crazy, right? Thankfully SistaChic mentioned it in her "Unpopular Opinions" YouTube video. If only that video had come out before I purchased the Seche Vite Pro Kit--the equivalent of nine bottles of Seche Vite... I had to try it, though. I had to! So here's what I think:


Pros:

• Price: "Girl on the Run" costs the same as other Pure Ice polishes--just under two dollars a bottle.
• Dry time: Pure Ice really surprised me on this one. This stuff dries within five minutes, easy.
• Shine: She's a high-shine beauty. She's got a gloss that won't fade for several days.
• Consistency: She's nice and smooth and a bit on the thinner side.
• Nail art: "Girl on the Run" has not smeared my nail art once. Sweet!

Cons:

• Wear time: Unfortunately I noticed some major tip wear after only a couple of days. After about the third day she'll start chipping like crazy. For me personally, this isn't really a huge problem since I rarely wear a mani for more than four days. However, for someone who wants longevity, this may not be the best top coat.
• Smell: "Girl on the Run" does have a bit of a funk to it. You won't be able to smell it once it's dry, but if you're sensitive to smells this might put you off.

Compared to Seche Vite:

• Price: Seche Vite retails for around eight dollars a bottle. If you get the Pro Kit, you'll pay about $2.08 per bottle plus shipping. That's a great price for Seche Vite, but it still can't beat out Pure Ice.
• Dry time: I daresay the two are pretty even on dry time. 
• Shine: Pure Ice wins out here, too. The shine on Seche Vite does tend to fade after a couple of days.
• Consistency: Again, Pure Ice is the winner. Seche Vite will get very thick and goopy once you've made it through half the bottle. With Pure Ice, you won't need to add a thinner to use the whole bottle.
• Nail art: Both top coats are great for nail art. Neither will smudge your work (if you're careful).
• Smell: Both products have a smell to them, though I would have to say that Pure Ice's is a bit worse.
• Wear time: Here's where Seche Vite wins out by quite a stretch. I once wore a water marble mani topped with Seche Vite for three weeks. I'm not sure that mani would have lasted a week with the Pure Ice. 
• Availability: You can easily find Seche Vite at any Sally Beauty Supply, as well as a few online retailers. "Girl on the Run" is only available at Walmart, and tends to sell out quickly.

So who's the winner? I think that depends on what you intend to do with your mani. If you want your manicure to last a good long while, I would say stick with Seche Vite. But if you're like me and change it up at least twice a week, Pure Ice has the upper hand--if you can find it. 

If you can find it, I'd really recommend giving "Girl on the Run" a try. She's inexpensive, and if you end up not liking her, chances are one or two (or a dozen) of your friends would be willing to buy it off you. 

I know my next top coat purchase will be another bottle of "Girl on the Run". Now I just need to get through these nine bottles of Seche Vite... 

What to Wear?

Good afternoon, ladies and gents!

We've all been there. It's that pivotal moment in time when you're standing in your closet, staring blankly at your clothes. There are so many options! Too many options. You can't very well go wandering around in your underwear, though, so... what do you wear??

The same can be said for nail polish. In fact, it may be even more of an issue with nail polish. Should I go with a glitter? A frost? A creme? Do I want to wear a green or an orange? Do I go with a plain mani, or do I do nail art? Maybe I'll do some stamping... but which plate do I use? 

Many a time I've sat in front of my polish rack, doe-eyed and drooling. Minutes would tick by, and my poor naked nails would stare up at me accusingly as if to say, "Pick something already!" After wasting so much time, I decided that I needed a system.

The first system I incorporated included a list of nine manicures I could choose from: French tips, gradient, water marble, dotticure, stamping, decals, boo box, stripers or striping tape, and glitter or plain. This way I would use all the nail art supplies that I have.

(I'm not sure I've explained my "boo box" before, so I'll touch on that quickly. My boo box consists of polishes that are really old or are colors or finishes I don't really care for.)

I could do a water marble for one manicure, and then a gradient for the next. I wouldn't allow myself to do another water marble until I had gone through the entire list. However, I did let myself have a little flexibility by combining manicures--for example, I could do a French tip with stamping, but count it as a french tip so that I could stamp again. Or I could do decals with something out of my boo box so that I could do decals again. 

It was a decent system, but I still ran into the problem of what colors and finishes to use. And since I had a tendency to gravitate towards certain polishes, other polishes that I liked weren't getting used. Thus, the second--and currently used--system was born.

I created a spreadsheet that listed every polish, base coat, and top coat that I own--even the boo box polishes. When it's time for a new mani, I'll pull up random.org and have it pick a number. I'll then go through my spreadsheet to find which polish coordinates with that number. I have to use that particular polish in my next mani. I can wear it on its own, or combine it with other polishes to do nail art. If random.org happens to pick a base or top coat, I have free reign in the nail design as long as I use that particular base or top coat. 

Still, even this system isn't perfect. For example, the most recent polish picked is Nabi's "Abyss", which is a chunky blue glitter. I really don't want to wear this on all my nails, so I plan to do a couple of accent nails with it. The problem is that I can't decide what to do on my other nails! I've decided to go with KleanColor "Metallic Aqua", as it matches the glitter very well, but I can't figure out what nail art to do with it! I've even tried falling back on the old system... I'm just stuck. 

I really can't complain, though. These systems have definitely cut down on the slack-jawed, brain-dead, staring-at-my-polishes-for-hours dilemma.

How do YOU decide what to wear? 

Swapping Spaces

Hey folks!

So... I've started my own YouTube channel (it's Mani on a Budget over there, too, in case you're interested). Since I'll be covering the manis I do over there, I think to reduce redundancy I'm going to change things up a bit here on my blog.

What I'll be posting here will be my hauls, a few tips and tricks, recommendations and reviews of products, and a bit of general mayhem. 


To start off that trend, I'd like to discuss the lovely polishes I picked up in Zoya's "try4free" promotion. In this promotion you could get four polishes for free if you paid the promotional shipping, which was $15. That puts each polish at only $3.75!

 Of course I went and lost the photo I had of all four... but if you follow me on Instagram (@jennravenwing) you've already seen them. This one here is the entire reason I hopped on the promo bandwagon. This is "Remy". I just heaved a dreamy sigh, because... well, because she's dreamy! "Peacock Blue" comes to mind first and foremost when trying to describe her. She's a deep blue base with teal and gold shimmer. "Remy" has the typical Zoya formula--excellent to work with. She did stain my nails quite a bit, but the color is so very worth it!

I also picked up "Oceane", because I'm a nut for the blues. Especially the cobalt/aqua blues. "Oceane" is a bright aqua blue with lots of blue shimmer. I haven't worn her yet, but I'm betting she may stain, too. 

The third color I snagged was "Zuza", a gorgeous turquoise. She also has gold and silver shimmer running through her. I was really surprised at how opaque she was, being a bit of a lighter color. She's the only turquoise in my collection, and I'm excited to try her out.

Polish number four was... not a blue! Whoa....  It's "Cinnamon". Zoya's website describes "Cinnamon" as a "classic bronze liquid metal", but to me, it's much more brown than bronze. I'd say it really does look like its namesake, yet in a metallic form. Definitely something new to my collection!

I'm seriously considering water marbling with "Oceane", "Zuza", and "Cinnamon". Or maybe just "Oceane" and "Cinnamon". 

At any rate, $3.75 for a polish that's normally $10 is a pretty damn good deal, and I'm glad I took advantage of the promotion. From what I understand, Zoya usually has an "Earth Day" promotion as well, where they offer 50% off their polishes. I, unfortunately, won't be able to take advantage of that one, but if you're interested be sure to follow them on Instagram @zoyanailpolish to stay in the loop!

Stamping with "Splash!"

Greetings folks!

Today I'll be doing a quick run-through of this stamped mani:



For my base coat I used Pure Ice "Bottom Line" ($1.97 @ Walmart). 

I then applied Wet 'n' Wild "Black Creme" as my base color ($0.99 @ Walgreens).

The stamping plate I used was Bundle Monster's XL-02 ($3.20 per plate @ Walmart.com). I used the jumbo clear stamper that I got from Born Pretty Store for $2.99. 

Then I broke out my Pure Ice "Splash!". Now, I honestly didn't think this would stamp, as it's a very sheer, very shimmery polish. But boy, was I wrong! It stamped like a dream. I would suggest using some kind of protective barrier, though--liquid latex, tape, etc. The shimmer did not want to let go of my skin!

As usual, I topped off the mani with Seche Vite ($2.08 @ head2toebeauty.com).

The overall look is very subtle, but when the light hits that gorgeous blue shimmer... I just heaved a dreamy sigh... it flares to life. 

It just goes to show that it never hurts to try anything and everything. Even if you think it's not going to work, it may surprise you and end up becoming a stunning manicure!

Gifted Goodies

Good afternoon folks!

Today I'll be sharing with you some of the goodies I received over the holidays. But before I do that, I'd like to give some quick updates on some of the products I've already talked about.

First up, we have a couple of Wet 'n' Wild polishes: "Be More Pacific" and "Ready to Propose". Both of these are stainers. I wasn't terribly surprised about "Be More Pacific", as greens, blues, and dark reds do have a tendency to stain--especially in the lower budget brands. But I was rather shocked that the gold stained. It turned my fingernails brown! Honestly, though, staining isn't a major issue to me; my nails are always painted anyway.

As for the Born Pretty Store stuff, the stamper works beautifully. I love it. But the stamping polishes are garbage. They not only stink to high hell, the white doesn't even work at all! The black is okay, but not very pigmented. The nail studs that I purchased are okay, but the special shapes (hearts, stars, etc.) are too big to lay flat on my nails. However, I have very narrow nails with a very strong c-curve, so this might not be an issue for most people. 

I've also figured out how to get the Nicole Diary stamping plates to work (mostly). I was so used to working with the BMC XL plates that I was scraping and pressing my stamper too hard on the smaller, less deep images of the ND plates. It's still going to take some practice, but I think I can get all the images to pick up now.

Remember when I said that Jess warned about China Glaze "Combat Blue-ts" drying super fast? She wasn't kidding. You can get away with three strokes... maybe four if you're quick, but that's all the wiggle room you have. If you try to manipulate it too much, you'll end up picking up the polish you already laid down. Still, it's a stunning color, and the matte look is awesome, so I feel that it's well worth it.


Alright, let's get into the new stuff, shall we?

So, I know I said I was on a "no buy" for a while, but there were a couple opportunities I just couldn't pass up. 

The first was Zoya's Black Friday sale. Uhmmmm HELLO! Zoya for $3 a bottle?! How could I not take advantage of that? 

Prior to this sale, I didn't own--nor had I even tried--any Zoya polishes. So when the chance arose to snag some for so cheap, I was all over it. I wanted to see what the hype was about! I didn't go too crazy, though. Originally I had 9 polishes in my cart, but I reigned myself in and only ended up buying four. These beauties are "Ember", "Tangy", "Elisa", and "Katherine". 






"Ember" is so amazingly luscious. When I first received it, I was worried. I thought, Oh hell, this looks a lot more orange than it did on my monitor. But then I swatched it. I am so in love! I know this sounds crazy, but if I ever run out of her, I might actually pay the full $10 for another bottle. She's a bright orangy-red with an amazing luster--damn near chrome-like. "Tangy" is a funky, fun green shade unlike anything I had in my collection. "Elisa" is a gorgeous crimson red. I'm not normally a fan of reds, but this Zoya is amazing. "Katherine" is a deep purple jelly. I wanted a jelly because I'd like to try pond manicures and jelly sandwiches. I've never worked with jellies before, so I was a little surprised at how streaky it is. However, I'm still excited to work with it. All of these polishes just glide on like butter. The hype for Zoya is well deserved!

Another deal I wanted to take advantage of was the $5 off coupon from Sally Beauty Supply. I was given this coupon when I went in to grab some acetone and nail wheels. You could get $5 off any purchase of $5 or more. So I figured I would grab China Glaze "Tis the Sea-Sun" from their recent Seas and Greetings holiday collection. Surprisingly, I didn't have any corals in my collection, so this was a great addition. Between the coupon and my Beauty Club Card, I paid $1.49 for the polish. 




Now on to the presents! My dad did a great job picking out some polish for me--so good, in fact, I can't help but wonder if he had help from his wife... hee!  He sent me the 12-piece Kleancolor metallics collection. Now, in reviews I've seen online, the original collection that was released two years ago had a "Metallic Black". Whether it was a packing error or whether they've replaced that original black I'm not sure, but in its place I received "Golden Nightmare" which is a black with gold micro-glitter. The other colors in this collection are white, orange, red, pink, mango, yellow, green, sapphire, purple, fuschia, and aqua. 


These colors are soooooo gorgeous. I'm in love with the entire collection. A lot of these are one-coaters. The white does take two, but... it's white. That's to be expected. They're amazing on their own, but folks... if you slap a glossy top coat on 'em... they come alive!  I've heard that Kleancolor polishes work great for stamping, too. I can tell you, though, that the white and the "Golden Nightmare" do not work. I think they have too much shimmer/micro-glitter. The price point is great, too. You can get this whole set on Amazon for $11.99, which puts each polish at only a dollar!

Unfortunately, there are some downsides. These polishes do stink a bit. And... they bleed. I'm not sure what it is, but once you put a top coat on these bad boys they will melt right before your eyes. If you're doing a plain mani, this is a boon. But if you're trying to do nail art, it's definitely a bane, as can be seen in this photo of a recent mani. I thought perhaps I hadn't let it dry long enough, but that proved not to be the case. I let the other nails dry overnight, and the next morning made sure to float my top coat. Yet I got the same result. I sat there and watched in horror as it bled more and more as the top coat dried. 

Still, for the price and the color payoff, I think these polishes are great.




I asked my mom for Sinful Colors "Snow Me White" for Christmas, but as per usual, she took it 18 steps further and got me all these goodies!


The first item was a package of plate sleeves from Bundle Monster that hold various shapes and sizes, along with a pouch that can hold my stampers, scrapers, and other stamping supplies. These are sturdy sleeves with metal ringlets--they'll hold up for a while! The only downside is that they're not completely clear, so it's a wee bit hard to see the images through the plastic.

She also got me a 25-piece round plate set from Bundle Monster (plates 301-325) and a 25-piece round plate set from Pueen (plates 01-25). It's taken me a bit of practice to get used to these plates, as I had the same heavy-handed issue that I did with the Nicole Diarys. But both sets have some awesome images. I'm excited to use them! 

Instead of the Sinful Colors polish I asked for, Mom got me the Bundle Monster duo of "BAM! White" and "Straight Up Black" stamping polishes. Both work great. "BAM! White" is very opaque! I highly recommend! 

She also got Bundle Monster's "Poli-Peel", which is a liquid latex barrier. I haven't tried this yet, but I'm betting it's a lot better than the crap I got from China. Especially since said crap is now completely dried out and unusable. Pbbt. 


That's all I have for you today! Now that the holidays are over hopefully I can catch up on some of the manis I've done. 

Have a fantabulous day!