Wheel E13: Drugstore Glitters

Today's Nail Wheel Wednesday is all about glitters from drugstore/mass market brands. Spoiled was at CVS for a while, Pop-arazzi came in to CVS after Spoiled left (not sure if it's still there as I haven't been in a CVS in going on a year now), Urban Nails I don't even remember where that came from but it sure isn't high end or an indie, Bonita was at Rite Aid and KMart, and PXL is (I think still) at Rite Aid.



(all 3 coats plus clear topcoat)

1. Spoiled Show Me the Money [has evaporated quite a bit]
2. Spoiled Use Protection
3. Spoiled Pet My Peacock [evaporated to the point I needed to use a lot of thinner to even be able to put it on this wheel]
4. Spoiled Trust Fund Baby
5. Spoiled Shuffle the Deck [looks like this has some bleeding glitter in it]
6. Spoiled Ants in My Pants
7. Spoiled Jewelry Heist [has some iridescent glitter in it that would have benefitted from layering over black]
8. Pop-arazzi Hit the Goldmine
9. Pop-arazzi Sparkle-fetti [interesting mix of small multi glitter in a controlled palette and larger holo hexes; I like it a lot]
10. Pop-arazzi Pageant Girl
11. Pop-arazzi Seeing Sparkles
12. Pop-arazzi Perfectly Peacock [like 7, would have benefitted from a dark base]
13. Pop-arazzi Never Too Rich
14. Pop-arazzi Star Shine
15. Pop-arazzi Yin Meets Yang (over peachy neutral base)
16. Urban Nails unlabeled (over peachy neutral base)
17. Urban Nails unlabeled [looks like this has some bleeding glitter in it; I like multi glitters but the balance in this one seems off to me, though maybe it looked better before the bleeding]
18. Bonita unlabeled [from the Jolly Nails set]
19. Bonita unlabeled [from the Jolly Nails set]
20. PXL Pixellated Color Pink Glitter [swatched earlier this year]


Bottles 1 through 4:



5 through 7:



8 through 11:



12 through 15:



16 through 20:

Wet 'n' Wild 1 Step Wonder Gel

Let's just call this a Throwback Thursday post, as it will include a mani I wore at the end of January, weeks before the big trip that I just caught up on all my NOTDs from. Today's focus is the new-ish Wet 'n' Wild 1 Step Wonder Gel line, which is yet another "gel without a light" offering from a mainstream brand. The selling points here are a) it's only one step, without the need to buy a matching topcoat like other "no light gel" lines, such as Sally Hansen Miracle Gel, and b) low price for a gel-like polish, $4.99.

The first shade I chose to try from this line was Lavender Out Loud, which I picked because it seemed like a good basic dusty lilac creme. Since the bottles are opaque, picking a color means relying on the labels which seem like they're meant to represent the color inside or just opening the bottle to take a peek.



If you choose to peek, you'll see a wide but not too wide flat brush.



There's a difference between 1 Step and one coat; I used two coats of Lavender Out Loud for full coverage. The color was a decent match to the label color, and the shine was good without topcoat (which supposedly is not needed, as that would be a second step).





I wasn't able to give the first shade a good wear test, so I tried another shade, Bye Feluschia, a hot pink shimmer. I did two coats, then added Bonita Big Dipper, a silver holo glitter topper, on some accent nails. I did do a top coat on the accent nails, figuring they weren't really part of the wear test anyway. Here it is in a warm-toned room light (my lightbox was not with me when I did this mani).



The color of this one wasn't as close a match for the label as the lilac was. Maybe due to the shimmer? Here's the color in natural light coming in a window.



The advertising material for this line touts up to 2-week wear. That wasn't happening for me. One day later, I was missing pieces. One, on my left index finger, was the fault of a peelie, but other nails weren't looking pristine.

Left hand after one day:



Right hand after one day:



Moral of this story: I'm not giving up my topcoat. I don't know that this formula is enough better than something like Wet 'n' Wild Megalast to justify the price. Though it's still cheaper than a lot of brands, so if they come out with a color I like I might buy another from this line.

Recent NOTD: New Year's Refresh

You may recall the Incoco 2015 strips I wore leading up to New Year's Eve (from my NOTD catch up post):



Of course once it was 2016, I couldn't be going around with last year on my nails, yet I didn't have time to do a full mani change, so I transformed some of the gold strips by covering them with Wet 'n' Wild Black Creme and topping that with a gold and holo glitter from Bonita, Golden Girl, plus Diamond Dry top caot. This, my friends, is a lesson in warm gold versus cool gold.



Holo popping in direct light:



The sun actually came out for a while, too:





I did eventually take off this mani (foil method for the win, what with glitter on top of strips) and am now giving my nails a treatment week. I've been having good luck alternating Duri Rejuvacote with Qtica Nail Growth Stimulator. It was Duri's turn this time.



Hope 2016 is off to a good start for those of you reading!

Winter and Holiday Displays

We in southeastern Michigan had our first snowstorm of the season this past weekend, so it feels like a good time to share the winter and holiday displays that have been showing up at stores.

This first display isn't marketed as a holiday collection, but the colors read like one to me. It's the Bonita Forget Me Not display as seen at Rite Aid. Six shades: Golden Girl, Tinman's Brew, Mo' Money, Do the Flamingo, You're My Lobster, Forget-Me-Not.



The Bonita Holiday Helpers set, also at Rite Aid, is clearly meant for Christmas. It's got four polishes (green, red, silver glitter, and white) and Christmas nail stickers for $4.99.



I saw the Bonita Holiday Helpers set at Kmart as well, but they had something Rite Aid didn't: this year's Jolly Nails set from Bonita. It's a different mix of colors than the one I swatched from last year.



Kmart also had a Bonita set called Color Star that looked more summery than wintery, but there it was, newly displayed in the same area as the holiday stuff.



I saw the Butter London Invite Only mini set at Ulta. It's labeled limited edition, and the shades don't look familiar to me, but as every holiday season, I'll need to study the Butter London site to see which shades appear in other gift sets before I make a decision about what to buy. Colors in this one are: Pash, Vapour, Lock In, Peep Hole, Glad Rags, and OTT.



The China Glaze Cheers collection for the holidays showed up at my Ulta. As sometimes is the case with China Glaze, the bottles were arranged randomly in slots with no labels, so it wasn't possible to be sure how many shades there are supposed to be just by looking. Thank goodness for the internet, which tells me there are twelve colors: Coal Hands Warm Heart (charcoal glitter), Don't Get Elfed Up (green shimmer), Soiree I Didn't Do It (green glitter), Mix and Mingle (purple creme), Brand Spankin' New Year (purple glitter), Better Not Pout (berry shimmer), Winter Down for What (red creme), Peppermint to Be (ruby shimmer), Ugly Sweater Party (red glitter), Son of a Nutcracker (orange shimmer), Bring on the Bubbly (gold glitter), Break the Ice (silver gitter).



I've seen several different Cover Girl displays tied into the new Star Wars movie, some of which have nail polish in them, some of which polishes have Star Wars stickers on the caps. They don't seem to be marked clearly with which shades are limited edition and which are repromoted existing shades. I saw these first two at CVS. The one on the left has topcoat (no Star Wars sticker on the cap) and Red Revenge (stickered). The one on the right has Smokey Taupe (no sticker) and Speed of Light (sticker). I don't know if the non-stickered slots were supposed to have other colors that sold out or what.



These next two Cover Girl Star Wars displays were at Rite Aid; all the polishes had Star Wars stickers. The polish colors in the one below are Golden Opportunity and Diva After Dark.



This next one has Emerald Blaze and Snow Storm.



A different Rite Aid had two other Star Wars displays. This first, which I assume is Light Side, had Speed of Light polish and Top Coat.



The Dark Side had Red Revenge and Nemesis polishes.



I saw this small Cover Girl Star Wars display at Bed Bath & Beyond. The only polish shade here was Red Revenge.



A couple Essense displays popped up at Ulta. The first, Happy Girls Are Pretty, had the I Heart Trends nude colors that were already in the regular endcap: I Nude It, I'm Lost in You, Pure Soul, and Nude Sweet Nude.



The second Essence display, which didn't seem to have a name, had four I Heart Pastels polishes: So Lucky, Sweet at First Sight, Bubble Bath, and Do Nuts.



The Essie Winter 2015 collection appeared first at my Ulta. Six shades here: Apres-Chic (silver), Peak Show (pink), Virgin Snow (lilac), Altitude Attitude (red), Shall We Chalet (slightly darker red), and Haute Tub (black). I've seen this collection as well in the Nail HQ at a CVS that still has one (the store closest to my house has pretty much gutted theirs). There's also a four shade display I've seen at some Rite Aid stores; that lacks Peak Show and Altitude Attitude.



The only place I've seen Essie LuxEffects for Holiday 2015 so far is Ulta. This is a four-shade collection of glitters in clear bases. Left to right: Tassel Shaker (two slots), Frilling Me Softly (one), Fringe Factor (two), and Fashion Flares (one).



Walgreens has an LA Colors Color Craze Diamonique nail art kit with a five mini polishes, a mini top coat, a wheel of rhinestones, and a "pick & place" tool. Not bad for only $5.



Ulta has the OPI holiday collection Starlight. The full collection is 18 shades, which is about a dozen more than I can pay attention to at any one time. There are apparently three variations of the small six-color display; my store had the shimmers and glitters one. Left to right: No More Mr. Night Sky, Two Wrongs Don't Make A Meteorite, Press * For Silver, Infrared-y To Glow, Let Your Love Shine, and Ce-less-tial is More.



The big display at my Ulta had 13 shades, with Ce-less-tial is More being in both this and the small display. Top row: Guys & Galaxies (two slots), Love Is In My Cards (three), Ro-man-ce On the Moon (two), I'm in the Moon for Love (two), Base Coat. Middle row: Ce-less-tial is More (two slots), Cosmo with a Twist (two), Give Me Space (two), The Center of the You-niverse (two), Top Coat (two). Bottom row: I Drive a SuperNova (two slots), Super Star Status (two), By the Light of the Moon (two), Is This Star Taken (two), Comet Closer (two).



Meijer had a new Orly Color Blast display. The top row has two different 3-piece kits: After Midnight (Teal Pink Gloss Glitter, Multicolored Gloss Glitter, Deep Purple Gloss Glitter) and City Lights (Silver Multicolored Gloss Glitter, Hot Pink Gloss Glitter, Navy Blue Gloss Glitter). The bottom row has individual bottles: Glitz and Glam, Price of Fame, The In Crowd, Blvd of Dreams, Baby Pink Creme, Amethyst Color Flip, Champagne Gloss Glitter, Pearly Pink Neon, Fluorescent Fuchsia Neon, True Neon Pink, Pink Coral 3D Glitter, Green Color Flip, Rose Chrome Foil, Pink Luxe Shimmer, Plum/Gold Color Flip, and Star Tours. These names are an odd mix of nondescriptive, very descriptive, and inaccurately descriptive.



Rite Aid has three holiday displays from Ornaments. The first has crystal topped polishes with Santa and Christmas tree designs on the caps, ice cream polishes (because ice cream is cold like snow? I don't know), nail art polishes, and candy cane handled lip gloss (I think it's gloss anyway).



The second Ornaments display has two sets of mini polishes and a trio of lip glosses.



The third Ornaments display has the snowmen polishes we've come to know and love at this time of year. I didn't see any eye catching new colors; I think some are new to snowmen bottles, but not new colors/finishes overall.



This is the first holiday season the Pop-arazzi brand has been around; their holiday offering as seen as CVS is a 15-shade set of minis. The colors all seem to be core, but the bottles sure are cute. Shade names: So Cheeky, Frosted Fairy Tale, Kiss Ya Later, Spice is Nice, Info Red, Pretty in Pearls, Hit the Goldmine, Cinn-Ya-Mon, Star Shine, Glam Factory, The Hue is Blue, Sapphire Desire, Money Honey, Orchid Crush, Down the Runway.



The Rimmel Royal Plush limited edition holiday collection display includes five Love Glitter polishes: All Glittered Up (red/blue/silver), Tinsel Toes (gold/silver/blue/copper), A Crush on You (blue/green), Queen of Bling (gold), and Mistletoe Mischief (gold/copper). All of these appear to have shredded glitter flakes in a clear base; I haven't bought any yet because I really am trying to reform my free spending stash enhancement ways. I've seen this display only at Meijer and KMart so far.



Sally Hansen has released six holiday gift packs in the Miracle Gel line. Each has a colored polish and a top coat. Polish shades are: For the Thrill (glittery gold), Game of Chromes (metallic shimmery gold), Ruby Shimmers (glittery red), Mad Women (shimmery pinkish red), In a Flurry (glittery silver blue), Combustealble (shimmery greenish blue). I spotted the display below at Bed Bath & Beyond, but later saw the same shades in a sidekick display at a CVS.



The SinfulColors Glitz and Garlands display for holiday 2015 has been at my Rite Aid since the end of September, but I've been pretending not to see it because I'm still cranky about how early the Christmas retail machinery cranks up. Left to right: Blue by You, Red Eye, Queen of Beauty, Snow Me White, Call You Later, Pine Away, Gilded, Holiday Rebel. I believe all are repromotes or core shades.



The SinfulColors holiday display The Finishing Touch is at Walgreens. This has some new colors, though many core and repromotes, too. Top row: Snow Me White, Decadent, Gold Medal, Flake Out (new), Ruby Glisten, Flake Out (new), Holiday Rebel, Green Ocean. Second row: Ice Dream, Pride, Purple Heart, Top Coat, Sugar Sugar, It's a Wrap (new), Ice Dream, Sugar Sugar. Third row: Casablanca, Silver Crush (new), It's a Wrap (new), Top Coat, Holiday Rebel, Black on Black, Silver Crush (new), Touch of Class (new). Fourth row: Star Studded (new), Steel My Heart (new), Out of This World, Velvet Ribbon (new), Star Studded (new), Sugar Sugar, Velvet Ribbon (new), Twilight Twinkles (new). Fifth row: Gogo Girl, Flake Out (new), Top Coat, Gogo Girl, Sugar Sugar, Green Ocean, Gold Medal, Ruby Glisten. Bottom row: Supernova, Gilded, Red Eye, Pine Away, Blue By You, Snow Me White, Gilded, Red Eye.



At what I've come to think of as "the good CVS" even though it's Nail HQ is usually a mess, I saw the Wet 'n' Wild We're the Wild Cats display with six limited edition ColorIcon shades: Where My Ho Ho Hos At, Los Feliz Navidad, Bring the 'Pagne, Holiday Spirits and Wine, Naughty and Iced, Garnet My Heel Broke.



Zoya Matte Velvet for Holiday 2015 showed up at my Ulta in a timely manner; they seem to be getting much better about getting this brand in than they used to be. Left to right: Aspen, Sue, Amal, Iris, Yves, Honor.



Ulta also had Zoya Sugar Plum Surprise, which I hadn't really heard anything about. Three shades: Renee, Marjorie, and Cindy.



I haven't seen Studio M or FingerPaints holiday displays yet; they're probably out there but I don't hit stores quite as often as when I had to be in the car every day for work. Hope what I did see at least gives you some idea what to look for if you're in the US and planning to do some Thanksgiving weekend shopping.