This is such a gorgeous color- it’s unique to my collection. I did experience some streaking, and then when I applied topcoat (OPI RapiDry in mini bottle) It became even streakier (thank you tiny brush!) and bubbled slightly. Thankfully it looks completely fine. At least from a few feet away 😉
Archives for May 2011
Sh*t List #2: Overpriced Lip Stains
I have become a big fan of lip stains for the past few spring and summers. I’ve bought quite a few different kinds and I have found MY favorite. However, this is the sh*t list, so I’m going to tell you about 2 I hate.
I bought JM’s Lip Stain in Jive after swatching it on my hand in a Sephora. In those lights, it looked magical. As soon as last winter’s 20% off Friends and Family Sale was live, this girl was on it. These retail for $19 at Sephora.com, which, to me, is quite a hefty price. I have been able to find 2 great alternatives that work just as well, or even better. I will elaborate on those more in a ‘Things I Love’ post in the future, but I’ve included them for comparison in this post. It’s a decent lip stain. It dried out kind of fast, though, and I need to clean the felt tip a lot or the color won’t show up as well. It’s also kind of streaky. I just think it’s a rip off for that price, because for $19 I could buy multiples of my favorite lip stains. The only thing I like about this is that it’s Paraben-free. I am not one to watch out for parabens but when I have something that does it is nice.
Now, as for testing these and comparing them so you could see how bad they are, I pondered in between lip and hand swatches for a few minutes. But, lip swatches kinda creep me out when I do them, and hand swatches are okay. But then this popped in my head! I wrote down the name of each lip stain from the actual marker (as they are all felt tipped). The results are insane.INSANE I tell you! The Josie Maran one is alright, but the formula looks almost identical (not color) to the NYC one, which is $4.99. Yes, $4.99!!!!! NYC and Palladio are my favorite lip stain brands. You can get the NYC Lip Stain at Rite Aid or anywhere else that carries NYC. (Mine is in Forever Fuchsia, FYI). Palladio Lip Ink is available at Ulta for $5.99. I think the NYC one is my favorite because it lasts the LONGEST time. (I wore mine for my 10 hour school day and there were still remnants of it up to around hour 6)
What’s your favorite lip stain?
OPI Skull and Glossbones Swatch
This polish is from the Pirates of the Caribbean collection that launched earlier this month. It’s a really nice light/medium gray. In some lights it’d look more warm toned and some it would look cool. I noticed streaking on my right hand more because it is harder to paint that hand since it is my dominant hand.
This one lives up to it’s name-it’s really glossy!
Also, I attempted to do a cleaner mani and it worked out pretty well. I didn’t even have to do clean up. I just need to slow down 🙂
What do you think of this color?
First Attempt at Sponge Ombre Nails
Did this a while ago but I forgot to post it, so here it is! This is what I stamped over my baby blue nail polish comparison. I’ve been dying to do it for a while so I just went for it. Not the best, but it turned out okay. I believe I used LA Splash Blowfish Blue, and Sephora by OPI Mermaid to order for the sponging, and some E.L.F. Sponges for sponging. I plan on experimenting with better colors next time because I don’t think I had a good enough “gradient” effect but I got compliments on it.
Have you ever sponged your nails?
Mint Nail Polish Comparison: Featuring China Glaze, Essie, Revlon, and American Apparel
Just a little disclaimer: I know these swatches are so messy. I’ve realized that for this blog I just NEED to clean up my edges because the messy polish looks really bad! I will try to start doing that in future swatches.
Have you been searching for the perfect mint green? Have you been disappointed when buying something marketed as mint green but it turns out too blue? Fear no more! I have 4 “mint green” nail polishes to show and dissect for you to ease your shopping struggle. Keep in mind, I only have 4 mint green nail polishes and I’m sure there are tons more (e.g. Barry M Mint Green, MAC Peppermint Patti (LE), MAC Mischievous Mint (LE but recent), and probably a whole lot more that I am unaware of) The one’s I’m showing you are: Revlon Minted, Essie Mint Candy Apple, American Apparel Office, and China Glaze Re-fresh Mint (my favorite).
First, I’m going to talk about them individually (in order from favorite to least favorite), and then we will compare and contrast! Keep in mind, nail polish looks different both on different people, and in different lighting. There’s nothing wrong with that, that’s life! Also, I’m reviewing the polishes based on their “mint green”-ness, not on the color itself. I like all of these colors, some of them just aren’t mint green (in my opinion)
China Glaze Re-Fresh Mint, $6.99
This is my favorite!
-Very opaque (perfect in 2 coats)
-Decent wear
-Not too green and not too blue
– Good/Fair price for what you’re getting!
Not my fave, not least fave, but still a lovely color.
-Chipped Faster
-Needed 3 coats at least for an opaque finish (was streaky)
-Looks a little “dirty” on my nail (like it had grey added to it)
-GREAT price/widely accessible
Not my favorite!
-TOO blue, seems closer to Tiffany Blue than mint green.
-Watery Application, but only needed 2 coats.
-Wear was just “okay”
-A little expensive (and now hard to find)
“Least” Favorite
-Looked very dirty (like they added gray again)
-Pretty streaky. Needed at least 2 coats, 3 would be ideal to look as good as the others.
-Overpriced for the quality, It separates in the bottle VERY QUICKLY.
– Dov Charney (AA’s owner) is a creep and I don’t want to support his company (bought this before the scandals came back around!)
My final thoughts: All of them are good colors! I just wouldn’t consider them all mint.
As for “dupes” I think in most lighting and on my skin tone Minted was just a tad darker than Re-Fresh Mint, and AA Office was darker than Minted and had a more dirtier finish. I think Re-fresh Mint is comparable to Mint Candy Apple, but Mint Candy Apple has a ton of blue in it that make it look like an aqua, or a light version of Tiffany Blue.
Now, are you ready to see which is which? Here’s the “unveiling!” (not that it wasn’t obvious from me showing it on my individual fingers before…haha)
What is your mint nail polish of choice?