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.