Piggy Polish- Daylilly's and Music

I got rhythm,
I got music,
I got my man --
Who could ask for anything more?
---"I Got Rhythm" George and Ira Gershwin



So pretty in the bottle, a dusty minty herby looking pastel green. Unfortunately, shown is 4 coats, and as you can see, it bubbled and was just not drying correctly at that point. Not to mention, it was NOT big3 free and has a bizarre odor, triggered a migraine for me. I guess I'll stick with Revlon "Minted" but if I had my druthers, I'd prefer a more yellow-based green like this one per the bottle versus Minted's bluish-tinge which looks kinda cotton-candyesque.

And these were supposed to come with a little toe-ring but mine did not. It WAS on clearance for 1.99 at Ulta, guess I can't complain too badly. I do wish I had known it wasn't Big3 Free, but oh well.

Report card:

Color= D- (the bottle is so misleading, it just was not opaque enough at all and looked sorta vomitish until I put enough coats for opacity)
Formula= D- (runny, difficult to apply, and fumey)
Brush= C- (stiff and pokey, not good with the thin formula)
Price= D (I paid just under $2, but it's $7 usually according to a quick google, which I find sorta blah considering my experience with it- not a good investment personally)

Overall= D

PS and DON'T get me started on the name. It grammatically makes no sense. Not only is "daylilies" misspelled but there's also odd punctuation, making it possessive, but without a reference to what. It's like saying "Joe's and Crab Shack!" or "Gilligan's and Island". Just... not right.

Comparison- Teal Metallics

This is Sally Hansen "Lagoon" on the left and a mini Nicole by OPI "Jade in the Shade" that came in a Wal-Mart holiday gift set this past Christmas.

Here's my icky, blurry swatch, Lagoon on ring finger and JITS on pinky.


See, they look a LOT a like. JITS is not as opaque as the others. Since I have more of the Lagoon and it's more opaque and applies more easily, I used the other for frankening already. But I decided to swatch them so people can decide if they really need both.

Enjoy!

Wet n Wild- Caribbean Frost

I want to give people a taste of the Caribbean, and show them the fun side of me.
---Rihanna




This was my first recent WNW purchase since I've gotten back into polish, along with Blazed. They are nice. Maybe a smidge prone to bubbles. But for a dollar, I'll deal with it.

Caribbean Frost is a tealish green metallic. I really like it. It kinda shows brush-strokes though. But still, it's ok. For a buck, you can't hardly ask for the moon.

Report card:

Color= C- (pretty generic, everyone's got this color)
Formula= D+ (bubbly, thick, a bit unwieldy, took some time to dry)
Brush= C+ (mine is a smidge wonky)
Price= A+ (just a dollar)

Overall= C+

Wet n Wild- Morbid

I love the dead before they're cold,
Their blueing flesh for me to hold.
Cadaver eyes upon me see nothing
---"I Love the Dead" by Alice Cooper




Morbid is a very dark pine green base with green and teal shimmer. It was lovely and perfect for Christmas, despite it's Halloween-ish name, when I needed a dark, fancy-type green to correspond on my other hand, opposite the L.A. Colors Hot-Blooded.

It was $1.99 at Walgreens, but I got it on sale for $1.09. I bought Lust with it as well, and since I had been so impressed with that one, I had high hopes for Morbid. It's not that it is bad formula- it's not, it's actually great. The color is great too. My problem was the terrible brush. There are like 5 strands that are longer than the rest, and the rest seem sort of "fluffy" and puffed up. It's unusual. But, I guess for such a cheap price, you can't be too shocked. But it makes for a very difficult application.

However, ultimately, I really like this color. I will wear it again, and indeed, I wore it several times this month. I also layered WNW Blitzen over it at one point (pictured earlier) and absolutely loved that effect. I think Blitzen might be my favorite nail polish purchase of all year. It's certainly been the most versatile, despite being a holiday polish. I'll be rocking that bad boy come New Year's Day and I bet my birthday as well.

Anyway, Morbid's report card:

Color= B+ (pretty neat, but lots of brands have similar colors)
Formula= A- (pretty dang good, it might be a smidge prone to bubbles though)
Brush= F (practically useless)
Price= A- (even not on sale, $1.99 isn't bad)

Overall= B-

Borghese- Stellare Notte

Starry, starry night.
Flaming flowers that brightly blaze,
Swirling clouds in violet haze,
Reflect in Vincent's eyes of china blue.
Colors changing hue, morning fields of amber grain,
Weathered faces lined in pain,
Are soothed beneath the artist's loving hand.
---from the song "Vincent" by Don McLean




I know this is not the best swatch. It's the best I can do with my camera. I didn't like this polish as much as I knew I would from the bottle. From the bottle, it almost looks like a dream polish for me. I love duochrome and dark, dramatic colors. The 3 Ds if you will. However, I felt it was too thick, which dulled the chromatic effect, as well as made brush strokes fairly visible. Additionally, it took FOREVER to dry. Good news is that it's pretty pigmented and I didn't need more than 2 coats. I think one can be sufficient if you are ninja-like with your application.

Lastly, because it's so thick, it was prone to scuffs and scratches, which even further dulled the finish. This needs a good glossy topcoat fer sure. But the brush was AWESOME, as all Borghese brushes are IMO. And it is indeed a unique color. I am more than willing to retry this puppy later, in case for some reason the weather made a difference. It was raining when I tried it, so I am holding out hope that the humidity affected it, and I will also try a quick-dry topcoat and hope that makes for improvement as well. I really want this color to work.

Report card (pending review):

Color= A+ (unique, I haven't really seen much similar to it)
Formula= C- (ultra thick and slow-drying, plus a dull finish)
Brush= A+ (Borghese gots the best brushes)
Price= F (I bought mine on clearance, but normal price is 8 bucks, and unless it's a unique color, spend that money on OPI or something else)

Overall= B-

Cover Girl- Chocolate Mint

Michael: So I was thinking, if you haven't already got a cake, um, maybe going for one of those ice-cream cakes from Baskin-Robbins. Those are very good. Very Delicious.
Angela: Meredith's allergic to dairy, so...
Michael: She's not the only one that's going to be eating it, right? I think everybody likes ice-cream cake. It's not, uh, it's not just about her, so...
Pam: It is... her birthday.
Michael: Mint chocolate chip! That'd be good, how about some, mint chocolate chip?
---The Office




Ok, I know this is an old polish and supposedly NOT Big 3 Free. But I love it. It's such a fun duochrome and even though it's an old bottle, it applies like a dream and lasted forever. The base is a dark, definitely chocolatey brown and the chromatic sheen is a nice mint. It was also basically a 1 coater, but I put on two to bring out the fudginess of the brown and really give it good-staying power, since I loved it so much. It's a winner! I wish someone would remake this in a Big 3 Free formula, but oh well. And it also provided inspiration for me for a fun holiday polish. I didn't quite meet the mark on it myself with my attempt but I still want to try again. I want a red base with green duochrome. That would pretty much be my mani for the entirety of December til Christmas.

Report card time:

Color= A+ (ultra-unique)
Formula= A+ (easy application, quick-drying, glossy finish, opaque, and very hardy)
Brush= A (I've had better, but it was extremely good)
Price= B- (I paid like 3 bucks or so, including shipping, after finding this on eBay. Glad I got it)

Overall= A-

Revlon- Minted

"But your blood will be changed into a flower. Persephone, you were allowed to alter a woman’s body, Menthe’s, to fragrant mint: shall the transformation of my hero, of the blood of Cinyras, be grudged to me?”
---Aphrodite, said of Adonis, to Persephone




This is a fun polish. I found it a little difficult to apply, it is pretty thin. This is 4 coats, and I feel like it needed another. I loved it with the Cover Girl Nailslick's Chocolate Mint though. I saw it on another blogger's site and HAD TO HAVE IT. So I immediately scoured Ebay and got it. So I wore Revlon Minted on one hand and the Chocolate Mint on the other. A very fun mani for the growing chilly season.

The brush was great and it aided in the application, especially since it was fairly thin. This polish was a gift to me from a friend, but I do know they run around 3-5 bucks in drug stores. If you shop around, you can find them BOGO at Walgreens or other stores. I haven't ever really been too disappointed with Revlon polishes, and I think they are generally well-priced. They have a limited color palette though and I feel like they have very redundant colors. However, this is a fun color for them, very different from their usual reds, mauves, plums, and nudes.

Report card:

Color= B+ (very fun, but I guess everybody makes a mint color, so it isn't too avant garde)
Formula= C+ (thin and slow-drying, but hardy)
Brush= B+ (average to slightly above average)
Price= C (there are cheaper polishes for better or similar quality, but there are also worse ones that are more expensive.)

Overall= B-