REVIEW of Pure Ice Polish in Gossip! With SWATCHES

Hello peanuts,

I think bright pink polishes exist to torment me. They never want to photograph properly. Something about the color makes my camera crazy. I would normally just stick to the bright pinks I already own but you know I can't resist a cheap polish or a good deal and I was able to get this with a bunch of other polishes at a discount during the last San Gennaro festival. And yes, my residual Gossip Girl fandom probably pushed me over the edge into picking this polish in particular.

Color: Gossip! is a bright pink creme polish. Gosh, it's nice to just type "creme" again. It's so much easier than working out any of the other finishes. The color of this polish is a little trickier to pin down. I've seen "fuchsia" and "magenta" and "orchid" slapped on so many products of different shades that at this point they're meaningless to me. Gossip! is a bright pink that doesn't smack you in the face like a neon pink but isn't dark enough to be a jewel tone. It's your average bright pink. It's a little blue-toned but really it's just the pink you grab when you're not looking for something terribly specific.
Formula: The formula isn't notably thin or thick.
Application: The first coat of this polish went on smoothly. It wasn't perfect and self-leveling but it was very fluid with no drag on the brush. I did have to even out the polish a little. With the second coat I had to even it out more with the brush but it still wasn't causing me major problems. However, the polish wasn't covering the nail evenly. The third coat went on smoothly but there was no way to completely fix the manicure after the first two coats. The polish was opaque at three coats with slight patchiness.
Wear: I started getting tip wear very early with this polish. I wore this polish for longer than I should have because I just couldn't find the time to switch out the polish and the tip wear was very bad by the time I removed it.

CONCLUSION: This is one of those cases where you get what you pay for. The color of the polish is fine but it wears very poorly, chipping easily and application isn't great. I wouldn't recommend it.

SWATCHES

REVIEW of Zoya Tinsley With SWATCHES

Hello socialites,

I am still a little out of it. This cold isn't really draining my energy but having to blow my nose every other minute is not fun. Still, I'm determined to start getting out these polish reviews whether my camera and photo-editing software feel like cooperating or not. I held back on buying Tinsley when it first came out but hearing so much positive word of mouth I decided to add it to a Zoya haul during some promotion or other. You know how it goes.

Color: Zoya Tinsley is a shimmery warm pink polish. Is it a foil or a flakie or a shimmer or a glitter? I don't know. It's a thin polish but a sparkly one. It doesn't have the base or density of particles that I'd associate with one particular finish. It's also difficult to describe the color. In normal light I'd call it a a warm pink polish with flecks of gold embedded in it. It's not a duochrome but because of all the gold, it can appear quite warm and orange-y. At night in artificial light it takes on a new penny copper quality. Basically, it is what it is. Yeah, sick me is not having any of it.
Formula: The formula is very thin and sheer.
Application: The first coat applied sheer but very sparkly. The polish went on smoothly but it wasn't easy to even out. The polish ended up thicker where the brushstrokes overlapped. The second coat of polish increased the opacity but the polish was still nowhere near opaque. At three coats, the polish was still nowhere near opaque.
Wear: I wore this polish for about five days. It didn't wear particularly well. It didn't chip but I got tip wear quickly, especially since I wasn't able to really wrap the tips of my nails.

CONCLUSION: Personally, I'm not a fan of this polish. I might wear it again but it's not one that you have to have in your collection. Application isn't great. Wear isn't great. And it's very, very sheer. I like the polish when it's pink with gold flecks but the orange and copper color it can take on loses me completely. It's not flattering with my skin tone. I would only get this one if you're really in love with the color.

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Update

Hello lovely readers,

I'm just checking in since I haven't been blogging much lately. Don't worry. I'm still around. You can find me if you need to. I haven't really felt like going to any of the sample sales this month. It's just not worth it to leave the house for that reason in this weather. Speaking of leaving the house in this weather, I'm very sick right now which is slowing down my testing and writing process. Additionally, I'm still struggling with the polish swatches not being color accurate and while my online shopping addiction has given me plenty of items for haul posts it's just too cold to pop outside to take photos so you'll just have to wait for the reviews. Please bear with me through this awful winter. Hopefully some more polish and makeup reviews will be coming in the next few weeks.

Much love,
Cat

REVIEW of Sephora By OPI in Queen of Everything

Hello cupcakes,

It is finally time for my review of Sephora by OPI Nail Colour in Queen of Everything. And yes, I'll admit a significant percentage of the reason why I picked it up was because of the name. And also because the finds at the Big Lots I visited in San Francisco were rather disappointing. It's not like I needed another silver polish. Though, let's be honest, at this point it's not like I need most the polishes I'm buying. I could be a gypsy manicurist if anyone would let me near their nails without a license.

Color: Queen of Everything is a silver metallic polish. Call it a frost. Call it a shimmer. Call it a chrome. It really doesn't matter. It's your basic silver polish with a smooth finish and visible brushstrokes.
Formula: The polish is a little bit thick.
Application: The first coat of polish glided on very smoothly though the brushstrokes were immediately apparent. Also immediately apparent was the terrible and potent chemical smell. I mostly do my own manicures so it's not like I'm a stranger to the scents that various polishes and nail care products give off. But this was offensive enough to have me choking on the fumes. The second coat also went on smoothly but with visible brushstrokes. This is one of those polishes that requires careful application. On short nails this polish was almost opaque in two coats. I added a third for full opacity. I will note that while this polish goes on pretty smoothly, it gets harder to keep things neat with each successive coat so I would not recommend overworking this one with your brush or adding any more coats that necessary. You could also try waiting longer in between each coat.

CONCLUSION: I wouldn't enthusiastically recommend this polish but if you want a basic silver for your collection and you can get this cheaply it might be worth picking up. I think I only paid two or three dollars for this bottle. I have flashier silvers but this is a nice alternative when you want that color without grabbing too much attention.

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