Sally Hansen Insta-Ombre Review and Swatches

*Press Sample*

I think it's safe to say ombre is the trend of the decade. From hair to home decor, you can find it anywhere! Sally Hansen just released a line of polishes to help you achieve the ombre look on your nails. I really love the look of a glitter gradient on nails and it's a go to look for me, so I was excited to give these a try! The bottle says to apply one coat to the full nail, wait a minute and apply a second coat starting at the middle of the nail, wait a minute and apply a third coat to just the tips. 

Let's take a look at the 4 I have to show you and I'll give you my thoughts at the end of this post.

Gold Grade is a fine yellow gold and silver mix.

Copper Cap is fine copper and silver glitter.

Layer on Lilac is purple and silver glitter.

Grey-diant is charcoal and silver glitter.

My thoughts: I really like the subtle and delicate look these give to bare nails. I find that it took some extra dabbing here and there to get an obvious gradient look. I also didn't bring the first coat all the way down the nail because I feel like that contributes to the overall gradient look better. These polishes can easily be layered over another color for a different look. I will be posting that on my Instagram (mynailgraffiti) soon. The formula was very thin and easy to work with, especially for a glitter.

The only complaint I have is that it can be hard to get a true gradient look with just the one size of glitter in this bottle. I think these would have been even better if it came with a second bottle of slightly larger glitters to use at the tip to mid point. But that said, I feel like it's harder to find bottles of superfine glitters (as opposed to larger glitters) like these to use in a gradient look so they are very helpful to use in achieving it.

This collection is limited edition and retails for around $6/bottle.

Have you picked up any of these yet?

*Product sent for review in exchange for my honest opinion.

Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Poolside Paradise Swatches and Review

*Press Sample*

Sally Hansen has a new Miracle Gel collection for summer called Poolside Paradise and I've got 4 of the 7 shades to show you today. This is my first experience with the brand's Miracle Gel line so I was excited to give these a try!

Pink-A-Colada is a bubblegum pink. A little on the sheer side, I believe I did 4 coats. If your nails aren't permanently stained like mine, 3 would probably do the trick.

Rum Punch is a deep medium pink. This is 2 coats.

Swimsical is a saturated teal blue. 2 coats.

And the best for last, my favorite, Life's a Peach. This isn't quite a neon but still very bright. Loving this as a pedi right now!

If you appreciate the longevity that the Miracle Gel line offers, this collection has some great picks for summer color. These retail for about 9.99/bottle and can be found anywhere Sally Hansen is sold.


*Product sent for review in exchange for my honest opinions.

Sally Hansen Red Snapper + Leopard Stamping

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Good evening, readers!

Hope everyone is wrapping up a good weekend. :)

I recently did a stamping mani after quite a while. I need to get some better stamping polish, I think! Any suggestions?

I used a new stamper and scraper from Born Pretty for this mani. Sally Hansen Triple Shine Red Snapper is my base, which I love. I also made a couple accent nails with China Glaze Fairy Dust.  

I love the look of black and red together! Fun but a more simple mani.

You can find all of Born Pretty's stampers and scrapers *here*. They also have some new stamping plates that look gorgeous!

My code (AMG10) will get you 10% off too!

*Product used in this post sent for review in exchange for my honest opinions.

Sally Hansen Color Foil Selected Swatches and Review

*press sample*

 

It's Friday, which automatically makes it a good day. ;)

 

I have some of the Color Foil collection from Sally Hansen to show you guys today. I'm sure you've heard the buzz about these by now! They are reminisecent of their Chrome line in the early 2000s. I had a bottle from that line in high school that I was obsessed with so I was super excited to see this finish return!

 

I have 5 of the 9 polishes all cool colors because that's what I gravitate towards usually. I did 2 coats of each polish. One almost covers entirely, the second was mostly to perfect the finsh.

 

 



Cobalt Chrome is a blue with a slight hint of turquoise.

 

Leaden Lilac is a blue-violet color. Very unique!

Titanium Flush is a rosy pink shade. Pretty sure I had this exact color from the Chrome line back in the day!

Purple Alloy is a medium purple. Also part of my current mani!

And finally, Minted Metal is a lovely light green.

Chrome finish polishes do best without a base coat to get the smoothest application, however they do show imperfections on the nail, so buff beforehand to get the smoothest finish. These do have a very mirror like finish and dry almost instantly! Which is great for a quick mani when your short on time.

Who else is loving this new collection from Sally Hasnsen?

 

*Polish sent for review in exchange for my honest opinions.

Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Liquid Mani-a Matte Collection 2014 Swatches and Review

*press sample*

Hello and happy Monday!

I've got swatches of Sally Hansen's latest Insta-Dri collection and this time it's MATTE! This finish has been popping up more frequently (at least to me) and it's a welcome change for another option to mix up your typical manicure. I received half of this collection for review but because the Insta-Dri line is my fave from Sally Hansen, I had to get the rest when I came across them in Walgreens!

If you are familiar with matte polishes, you know they dry very quickly, take more effort to apply, and don't typically last as long as a glossy finish polish. But don't let this deter you! I'll give you some tips and tricks at the end of this post! Let's take a look at these beauties first. I did 2 coats of each.

White Pick It Fence. A white creme. White is notoriously a difficult shade to apply so this was the most finicky being a white and matte but it's nothing that can't be handled!

My personal fave is Coastin' By. Because who can say no to a perfect mint creme?!

Mauve Matter is a nude with pink undertones. This is great for a natural look with the matte finish giving it a little twist.

Mattitude in Motion. A bright pink. This one almost has a rubber finish to it...can you tell?

High 'n Dry is a true blue. It's very pigmented and I only needed a 2nd coat to help even out the coverage of the matte formula.

And finally, In a Haze. A gorgeous purple.

I honestly think the Insta-Dri signature flat and wide brush is a match made in heaven for applying a matte polish. Since mattes dry quickly, you have to work fast to get an even layer on the nail and this brush spreads to cover the majority of the nail in one swipe! Love it.

A few tips for applying matte polish:

* Skip base coat. Matte polishes will apply more smoothly instead of dragging and skipping over the smooth base.

* Buff your nails. Matte polishes tend to show ridges on the nail once dry and buffing will provide an even surface for a more flawless application.

* Hurry up and wait. Matte formulas dry much faster than a glossy finish, so to get a flawless application work quickly on each coat. But once you've completed a coat, wait for that to dry for a few seconds before doing a second coat, otherwise the polish will drag and create uneven patches.

*Make a sandwich. To help extend the wear of a matte polish, apply a coat or two of your matte polish and once that's dry, top it off with a glossy top coat making sure to wrap the tips (very important!). Once your top coat is dry, apply another coat of your matte shade. This really helps! I wore Coastin By as a full mani using this technique and after 48 hours there were only minor chips at the tips of my nails which is pretty good for a matte!

Are you loving these matte Insta Dri shades as much as I am?

*Product was sent for review in exchange for my honest opinions.

Born Pretty Store Feather Nail Polish Swatch and Review

Good afternoon!

If you are into glitter polish at all, then I think you will like this post! Born Pretty has their own take on the microbar glitter trend with 8 versions of the matte bar, some combined with metallic glitters. I haven't seen anything like these anywhere else yet and I think they are my favorites so far!

Lots of pics, so get comfy and enjoy!

As with most polishes Born Pretty carries, these are numbered not named. Also, they are numbered on the site for checkout purposes but come with different numbers on the bottles. For reference, I will use the numbers listed on their site.

#6 has pastel blue and white micro bars as well as small blue hex glitters. This is one coat over Sally Hansen Triple Shine Oyster Bar.

#3 has white microbars mixed with blue and purple holo hex glitters. This is one coat over Orly Frisky.

#1 has white and aqua microbars with light green holo metallic glitters. This is one coat over China Glaze Too Yacht to Handle.

#7 has white microbars and black hex glitters. This is one coat over LCN Some Like It Hot.

#5 has pink and white micro bars with pink, red and purple holo hex glitters. One coat over Sation Super Nail-tural Powers.

#2 is silver holo micro bars. One coat layered over Dr.'s Remedy Passion Purple.

#8 has purple and white micro bars with blue and purple holo hex glitters. This is one coat over Essie Dive Bar.

#4 has orange and white micro bars with red hex glitters. This is one coat over Wet n Wild Inkwell.

 Fun collection, right?! The formula is really good for all of these. The glitter wasn't too sparse and spread pretty evenly. I can see these needing a bit of thinner over time, though.

You can find these glitters *here* for $4.99! Get an extra 10% off by using my code AMG10.

Tell me your favorites!

*Product sent for review in exchange for my honest opinions.

Sally Hansen Triple Shine Swatches and Review

*press sample*

Hey guys!

Hope everyone had an awesome weekend. I spent a good part of mine reorganizing my makeup and nail polish. I'm probably going to have some additions to my blog sale sooner than later!

Today I am showing you swatches of a few polishes from the newest line from Sally Hansen called Triple Shine. Below is the new bottle shape. The caps pop off to reveal one that's easier to use for application. The top cap rattles around a bit when they are attached which makes it seem a little cheap. However, the brush is very similar to the Insta-Dri brush (which I know some people don't like, but I am a huge fan), but a bit smaller. Makes it very easy to paint on a coat in one stroke.

Ok! On to the swatches...

This is Fanta-sea in 2 coats layered over Zoya Neely. This is a versatile topper and it has a nice delicate feel to it as well. 

Oyster Bar is a metallic, slightly frosty silver. I did 3 thin coats for coverage. The thinner the coats, the less brush-strokey the finish will be.

Next up, Sparks Fly. This is 2 coats over Sation Cast a Spill On You. The base is a sheer blue that makes this better as a topper. I like the big glitters in here because it adds to the bling factor!

And finally we have Twinkled Pink over Zoya Areej. This is 2 coats. With it's iridescent glitters, I bet this would also look good over black.

I've seen the Triple Shine line popping up in Walgreens stores in my area. There is a wide selection with 29 colors in various finishes to choose from.

Have you tried any Triple Shine polishes yet? Any favorites?

*Product sent for review in exchange for my honest opinions.

Pop Culture Cosmetics Swatches and Review

*Press Sample*

Hi lovely readers!

I have a post full of eye candy for you today! Have you heard of Pop Culture Cosmetics before? This is an indie brand with a TON of polishes to choose from...it's glittery goodness to the max! I have 5 of their newer polishes to share with you today...let's take a look!

First, is Piñata Killer, part of the Anniversary collection. Holy cow, there is a LOT going on here! I am pretty sure that I didn't even get every glitter on my nails that is in the bottle. So many different kinds! I had the best luck getting a blob of this and swiping it on some paper and then picking and choosing which glitters I wanted to place where. That way I got a nice variety. I did one coat and then the pick and choose method over Zoya Elodie. I really like the iridescent glitters in here, they really complement the matte glitters.

Next up, is Beyond the Fence from the Factions collection. I did 3 coats here and placed a few of the larger glitters. There are moons, stars and circles in this one!  This one has a lot of depth to it and I really love the shimmer in the base...a perfect fall shade!

Another polish from the Factions collection, this is The Peaceful. The cherry red base is richly pigmented and I only needed 2 coats to cover. I placed a few of the larger circles but most of them came out well on their own as I was painting. I like this spin on a classic polish color...who said red polish had to be boring? ;)

Next up is a personal fave of mine, Purple Holo-versary, also from the Anniversary collection. I layered 2 coats with a few larger glitter placements over Sally Hansen Grape Escape from the Insta-Dri line. This could be built up to cover on it's own in more coats as well. Everything works together so well in this polish...just gorgeous!

Last but not least, a polish from the Pop Culture Seasonal polish selections called Be Mine Frankenstein. This is such a creative twist on the typical colors we see in most Halloween polishes. The shape glitters really contribute to that but I am also loving the tiny metallic glitters as well. Those really bring it all together. This is 2 coats over a black creme. Some larger glitters placed.

I want to note that the fact that I had to pick and place some of the larger glitters in these polishes is not a problem with the polish itself, just a characteristic of the large, shaped glitter in general.

 I would love to know what you think of these!

I am a huge fan of Pop Culture Cosmetics  (I have yet to post some of my personal purchases here on the blog!). One look at their site and I know you'll be hooked too! SO much eye candy to be had! Another thing I like about PCC is that they offer minis. I can pretty guarantee I will never use an entire full size indie so I like having this option.

*You can purchase Pop Culture Cosmetics polishes on their website, popculturecosmetics.com, or on Etsy.

*Follow them on Facebook and Twitter as well! Need incentive? You'll find a giveaway going on that ends in 2 days!

*Polish sent for review in exchange for my honest opinions.