Cover Girl- Copper Penny

God if you're listening would you come up with some change?
Cause I wake up every morning with a penny to my name.
---"Penny" by Idina Menzel




This swatch is from about 36 hours of wear. Obviously, not too good. Chipped, grubby looking, scuffed, etc, just not a good look.

I love the color though. It's a rich, coppery autumn-brown-red. It was very flattering on me, colorwise, and even if a little brush-stokey, the metallic finish was nice with the color. It is just very thick.

I had a coupon though and only paid 65 cents for it, yeehaw!

Report card:

Color= B+ (I like it, it's also a generally flattering color)
Formula= C (thickish and brush-strokey)
Brush= C+ (for the thickness of the polish, the brush was definitely lacking)
Price= B (was just 2.65 and I had a $2 off coupon)

Overall= B-

OPI- Yodel Me on My Cell + exciting news!

I went across to Switzerland
Where all the Yodellers be
To try to learn to yodel
With my yodel-oh-ee-dee
I climbed a big high mountain
On a clear and sunny day
And met a yodellin' gal
Up in a little Swiss chalet
---Frank Ifield "She Taught Me How to Yodel"




Lovely color! It's a pretty teal with a metallic shimmer. It wasn't as opaque as I would have liked, but applied well, especially considering it was a mini, which tends to give me probs. Whenever I run out, I do believe I'd like a full-size bottle. It would make for an awesome summer pedicure.

It's rainy and dreary outside today, so this swatch from a few weeks ago is just the thing to brighten my mood.

Report card:

Color= B+ (it's kinda generic in theory, but it's done right)
Formula= B+ (hits all the marks except it is more sheer than it ought to be)
Brush= A (basing it on a full-size bottle, since minis suck)
Price= D- ($8 is either good or bad, if you love or hate the polish, so it's a gamble)

Overall= B-

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++=

And the exciting news is I won a giveaway! My very first actually! It was hosted by Rachel Marie's Nails. I can't wait for it to arrive in my mail box!

Franken- "Aurora"

Aurora is the effort
Of the Celestial Face
Unconsciousness of Perfectness
To simulate, to Us.
---Emily Dickinson "Aurora is the effort"




I frankened this with L.A. Colors "Classic White" and L.A. Colors "Classic Pink" plus some Jazz "18K Gold" and some Sally Hansen "White Diamond." I like it, it has a very odd, but pretty, finish in my opinion. It looks fluid and milky, yet also metallic. It looks like the gold rays of dawn breaking, hence why I named it "Aurora." It was opaque in 3 coats and didn't have many issues formulawise. I like it, and decided it's a keeper. Oh, I dug around and it looks very similar to Chanel "Gold Lame." Fun!

Report card:

Color= A (I realllllllly like it)
Formula= A- (it's pretty good I think, maybe a smidge gummy)
Brush= n/a (this is a L.A. Colors bottle, came in a mini mani 2 pack)
Price= B+ (I figured this up to have cost me about $2.25, so not bad)

Overall= A-

OPI- Rising Star

The ugly mess you thought you were is fading fast
Now something's spoken through it's virtues
The night of black is rolling back at long last
The wheel of fate turns to your fortune
---Wishbone Ash "New Rising Star"




I knew I wouldn't like this, so I was meh with the swatching, sorry. I just don't like glitters that much. I like the red one, but the rest, bleh. Not a fan personally. They are very pretty and blingy though, just not my style.

Color is a super-shiny, bright foily glitter with a golden base. Application was decent, considering it was a mini and the brush sucked. Dried quickly as well.

Report card:

Color= B+ (it's interesting, I'll give it that, and pretty, if you are into glitters)
Formula= A (this was rather nice, considering)
Brush= A (well, rating for a regular OPI brush, not this one, which was a mini and sucked totally)
Price= D- (OPI are 7.50 to 8 bucks, which to me is too expensive for a polish I am not in love with)

Overall= B

OPI- Lucerne-tainly Look Marvelous

"I am a marvelous housekeeper. Every time I leave a man I keep his house."
---Zsa Zsa Gabor




This was part of a mini set I got for Christmas from OPI called "Irri-swiss-ables." This was my favorite of the set. It is a shiny, dark silvery foil/glitter. I has a great finish, only slightly gritty. It says a lot when I like a glitter, since I normally can't stand them.

To me, this color is worth any hassle a glitter might deliver. I wore this for several days. Since it is a mini, I may end up buying the full-size, once I wear through this one. I'm not really sure.

Oh, and if you are wondering what's up with my ring finger, it's lighter because I put a coat of Wet n Wild Blitzen on there out of curiosity.


Report card:

Color= A (pretty nifty)
Formula= A (pretty nifty as well)
Brush= B+ (well, this is a mini, so it's not the best, but normally OPI brushes are awesome)
Price= F ($8.50, even that is a big expense on my budget!)

Overall= B-

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!

nameless Wet n Wild, what are you?

One of the colors I thought my nameless Wet n Wild holiday gift-set pink might have been was Wild Card. Walgreens restocked their WNW display, so I snagged it. I knew when I saw the bottle in person that it was not my nameless color. I did a comparison anyway. Wild Card is more purple, while the nameless one is more pink and more duochrome with a somewhat metallic finish. I like both quite a bit, but Wild Card wins. It's just lovely.

Enjoy!

Comparison- Metallic Orange

I ended up with oodles of metallic, shimmery, or glittery oranges after Christmas. Pictured above, left to right, is Sinful Colors "Courtney Orange," nameless Hard Candy from a Wal-Mart gift set, a nameless Wet n Wild, also from a holiday gift set (Dollar General), and then lastly OPI "Take the Stage."

I did a quick and dirty swatch:




Thumb= SC
Pointer= HC
Middle= WNW
Ring= OPI

The Sinful Colors and WNW are almost identical. They have very similar quality as well, and are both pretty nice. The Hard Candy...whew boy. It's awful. Ain't worth a flying fart. Gritty, stinky, goopy, took forever to dry, ec etc. The fumes from the Hard Candy polishes was just God-awful. Something funky is going on with them. And Take the Stage is nice, but I just don't like glitters in general. It's difficult to apply. It dries nice though and was hardy.

If I had to pick a fave, it's definitely Sinful Colors. A close second is the nameless WNW. Third is OPI "Take the Stage" but only if you like that sort of finish. The Hard Candy one is worhless. It doesn't even earn "4th place" because that implies some sort of value. It's terrible. The bottle is ok though, if you empty it to franken with, but I'm finding it extremely difficult to get the glitter all out.

Hard Candy- nameless purple

Roses are red
Violets are purple
Sugar is sweet
And so is maple surple




This was part of a "Limited Edition" 4-polish gift-set at Wal-Mart this year for the holidays. I snatched it up on half-price clearance, so just $5 for 4 polishes. I only wanted it for the obvious Orly "Goth" dupe, but this ended up being a pleasant surprise. The orange and magenta glitters are atrocious. If you bought this set and haven't tried those yet, take my advice and toss them. All 4 of the polishes stink. They have a bizarre burnt-plastic, heavily chemical smell, a very strange thread of unusual fumes. Not your normal polish-fume, but a truly weird one, and I instantly get a bad headache from it. Insta-migraine, what joy! Those two stain like the dickens as well, so not only double up, but TRIPLE up a base coat. They aren't very opaque either. Took me 3 coats for those to get them opaque even somewhat.

But this post is about the purple one. It's got a slight duochrome effect and is a dusky purple metallic. It has that same odd fume as the others, but it's so pretty, I am willing to experiment with topcoats to hopefully counteract it.

Shown is 2 coats, but as you can see, it probably could do with a third.

If you aren't prone to migraines, and you like purples or duochromes, it would be nice to snag this set. Otherwise, I kinda get the impression that the orange and pink were the dregs of set, where they just sorta slapped something together to get the gift set on the shelves. Whatever that chemical is, they should definitely NOT use it again. It's AWFUL!

Report card:

Color= B- (pretty nifty, but not ground-breaking)
Formula= D+ (slightly poor dry time, and somewhat sheer, yet also staining. Main detraction is the bizarro fume)
Brush= C- (it's not the best, it's obviously cheap)
Price= D+ (HC runs $5, which is too much in my opinion. I've yet to be truly impressed with them)

Overall= C-

Wet n Wild- nameless "Shiver?"

A new day is coming
People are changing
Ain't it beautiful
Crystal blue persuasion
---"Crystal Blue Persuasion" by Tommy James & the Shondelles




Another of my nameless polishes I got in a Wet n Wild gift set shortly before Christmas. It was $4 for 5 polishes, not a bad deal, and they all seem to have great quality, especially considering the price. Ultimately, I've been frankening with most of them. They aren't really groundbreaking/unique colors, but the formulas are pretty nifty.

These colors were all nameless, but I googled around and I suspect this one is Shiver, or something very similar. It's a light, chilly blue. It's got a smooth, metallic/frost finish.

Ultimately, it's not a color I really see myself using over and over, but if blues or frosts are your thing, then this might be for you.

Report card:

Color= C- (not the most imaginative)
Formula= C (decent, especially considering the price)
Brush= B- (pretty good, but could be better)
Price= A+ (5 polishes for 4 dollars in a gift set! And WNW are usually a dollar anyway)

Overall= B-

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- nameless "Metallica?"

Slowly, silently, now the moon
Walks the night in her silver shoon;
This way, and that, she peers, and sees
Silver fruit upon silver trees;
---"Silver" by Walter de la Mare




This is one of those nameless Wet n Wild gift set polishes I got at the start of the holiday season. I am thinking this might be Metallica? Just not sure. I do know it's a silvery metallic with a slight olive-tone to it (my son even remarked that it was green, as I was painting them). It applies fairly well, evenly, not too much in the way of visible brush strokes, and it dried quickly. It was a bit thick and slightly difficult with the brush though, and prone to scuffs, even when fully dry. I felt it was a flattering color though, especially for my skin tone, though I suspect it would work for most people.

It's a fun polish that I think it great for the winter and spring months and can be dressed up or down, depending on your style and needs. You really can't beat the price either, it was $4 for 5 polishes. Just freaking wish I knew the names!

Report card:

Color= C (silver is sort of done by everyone)
Formula= B- (it's decent)
Brush= C- (mine is a little wonky, with some slightly splayed bristles)
Price= A+ (WNW are always cheap, no more than $1.99, and this was cheaper than that)

Overall= B-

Sinful Colors- Hot Spot

Me mind on fire -- Me soul on fire -- Feeling hot hot hot
---Buster Poindexter, "Hot Hot Hot"




This is a fun color. I thought I'd like it for winter, but it just really strikes me as more of a summer color, especially like for 4th of July. It's got a foil-like quality, and not just a frosty/metallic sheen. It's a classic blue with silver metallic sheen, that dries to a nearly matte finish.

It was fairly hardy and applied easily and dried quickly. It was a little prone to scuffs and I think it would benefit from a topcoat, although it would probably mess up the nice matte-quality of the finish.

Report card:

Color= C+ (it's kinda generic I guess, but fun)
Formula= C+ (the scuffs sorta detract from the overall experience)
Brush= B+ (slightly better than average)
Price= A- (just $1.99)

Overall= B-

Franken- "Apoplexy"

"Apoplexy is a sudden abolition of all the senses, external and internal, and of all voluntary motion, by the stoppage of the flux and reflux of the animal spirits through the nerves destined for those motions."
---Dr. John Arbuthnot




This was my attempt at a Paradoxal/Perplex type color. I took the remnants of the half-empty OPI Soho Nice to Meet You, plus a little black (Sinful Colors, Black on Black), plus a teal metallic with green and gold shimmer which was the sister color to the fuchsia/plum color, in an L.A. Colors' 2 pack called "Paradise." I dumped as much of the teal as I could. This was the result. As you can see, it's more grape-purple than grey-purple. It's ok though. I think it would have been better if the OPI didn't have the silvery shimmer to begin with, I think it throw's the whole intended finish off. I still think it's a pretty color, and it wears well.

Report card:

Color= A- (I think it's unique, and fun, and definitely a color I would like to wear frequently)
Formula= A- (the OPI was thick to begin with, but the addition of the newer, thinner polishes is great, and it maintained it's original OPI quality)
Brush= n/a (just happened to end up in the OPI bottle, which has an awesome brush by the way)
Price= A- (I estimate this cost me about a buck fifty, considering I was about to toss the OPI, it was too thick on its own)

Overall= A-

Wet n Wild- Rain Check

My name is Raincheck
In the afternoon
My name is Raincheck
Need a shot of rhythm and blues
---"Raincheck" by Van Morrison





It's raining and cold and dreary today, so I thought this would be an appropriate swatch for today. I bought this at Walgreens a couple weeks ago, halfprice, so just 49 cents. It's cheap, even without a sale, can't deny that. Given the price, and my high school experience with WNW, I was not too confident it would be nice. But, I love periwinkle, and this is kinda like that, plus frosty/metallic, which is something else I tend to enjoy.

The color is a frosty periwinkly-baby blue. In some lights it looks classic powder blue, and in others, it looks like it has a lavender base, and in some lights, it looks grey. I enjoy that effect. It is a very "cool" color, so I am relegating it to just winter and spring. Given the name, I am assuming they intended it to be a spring color.

It took 3 coats to get opaque, which is to be expected for metallics in my experience, and they dried quickly and thoroughly, so I didn't mind it at all. I even added a 4th coat for good measure, since I could tell I enjoyed the color and the finish. It lasted several days with hardly any wear, and it was hardy, with nary a scratch or scuff. Overall, it was 49 cents well-spent.

Report card:

Color= B+ (kinda boring I guess, but I like it)
Formula= A (hits all the right notes)
Brush= B- (was a little long I think, for this thin polish)
Price= A+ (really, can not complain about 49 cents, or even 99 cents at full-price)

Overall= B+

Sally Hansen- Fizz It Is

"Get Bizzy with the fizzy baby"
---Garbage "Get Bizzy With the Fizzy Baby"




Bleh. I really was looking forward to this color. It looks much less frosty in the bottle than on the nail, so that was a disappointment. In the bottle, it looks like a slightly shimmery creamy milk off-white. On the nail, it's FROSSSSSSTTTTTYYYYYY. It's like, pure frost. It's hard to see anything beyond the icy sheen. It's nice for a holiday mani maybe. If you like frosty. I like frosty though and this is too much for me. I think I'll franken with it later.

Good news is that it was only 50 cents, since I found it in a 2 pack for a buck at Dollar Tree. Also, considering its cheapness, the application wasn't so bad, although the dry time and finish ended up fairly lacking. It was gummy and ultra-imprintable for a long time and took 4 coats to get even this weak opacity. It might be nice for layering though, so I might try that before I send it off to the franken-pile.

Report card:

Color= F (way too frosty, it's distracting, and shows the brush strokes too badly)
Formula= D (it's definitely close to failing completely)
Brush= B- (pretty average, which shocked me considering the price)
Price= A+ (can't beat 50 cents! Gotta love Dollar Tree)

Overall= C

Savvy (Femme Couture) - Hazelnut

Under the hazelnut moon
I know the end is coming soon...
---song lyrics, "Hazelnut Moon" by Joel Willoughby




This is a nice polish. I think it isn't really "hazelnut" but more copper or bronze. It's a very pretty color and I think flattering for most people. But, honestly, it was expensive, especially since I have LA Colors' Topaz, which I feel is comparable enough in color, and maybe even superior in formula, and definitely WAY superior in price. Not to say this one is bad or anything, it's just that I like the Topaz better, and they are so similar, I feel they are kinda superfluous. Oh well.

Report card:

Color= B- (average I guess, and loses points since there are cheaper alternatives)
Formula= B+ (basically average, maybe a smidge better)
Brush= B (average)
Price= C ($4.29 at Sally Beauty- not too bad, but I think for their limited color selection, and small bottles, there are better investments)

Overall= B-

Finger Paints- Art You Blue?

Artists can color the sky red because they know it's blue. Those of us who aren't artists must color things the way they really are or people might think we're stupid.
---Jules Feiffer




I liked this color quite a bit on my toes. I liked it less on my fingers, but I still like it. It's a dark grey-blue, with a metallic sheen. For some reason, it looks a smidge greyer on my toes, which I like a little better. The formula is pretty good. The application and dry time are both maybe a smidge less than average, but the hardiness is pretty good. Unfortunately, after just a day, it was chipping fairly badly and they were big chunks coming off at once, not just a slow erosion. It's also fairly expensive, though I bought it during a sale at Sally Beauty. I paid 3.99 when it's normally a dollar more.

Even considering the negatives, I will definitely wear this color again- I like it well enough to.

Report card:

Color= A- (I like it a lot, even though I'd like it more if it were greyer)
Formula= B (it has some plusses and minuses, but ultimately I consider it average)
Brush= B- (pretty average, but maybe a tee tiny bit too long or narrow)
Price= C- (even tho I got mine on sale, I'm basing this on the usual price of 4.99)

Overall= B-

Nic's Sticks- I'm On a Deadline

Be able to meet any deadline, even if your work is done less well than it would be if you had all the time you would have preferred.
---Marilyn vos Savant (record holder for highest IQ)




Fun color! This and the Need It Yesterday were my two favorites of the 4 Nic's Sticks a friend sent me. This is a shiny, rich, blurple type color. It has a very faint metallic sheen to it as well. Like the others, it is difficult to apply with the brush, and the formula is slightly thicker than NIY. But it's just a fun color and worth the effort to me, if you have no other color like it. It reminds me of the base color to whatever that nameless Wet and Wild polish I shared with you recently is.

Report card:

Color= B+ (fun, and more interesting than average)
Formula= C+ (sorta thick especially given the delicacy required with the application)
Brush= C- (very difficult to apply adroitly with the thickness of the polish, but even if it were smoother, it would still be difficult)
Price= F (these things are expensive in my opinion, given the little you get for the price, and the added difficulty of application)

Overall= C-

Nic's Sticks- Need it Yesterday

But I'd trade all of my tomorrows for one single yesterday
To be holding Bobby's body next to mine.
---Me and Bobby McGee




This is just a fun color. And it ends up very glossy and smooth. It is hardy and so vibrant! It's a bright electric purple with some faint metallic sheen.

Now, I won't lie- the application with these sticks are tricky. And some of the formulas are even more difficult. For this one however, I found it fairly smooth and easily applied. It was fairly self-correcting also. Unfortunately, it took a while to dry. But if you are patient, you will have some very bright, very fun, lovely nails.

Report card:
Color= A (unique in my opinion, and very fun)
Formula= B (tricky with the stick-applicator, and slow-drying, but worth the effort)
Brush= C- (not really loving these quite yet, they tend to get somewhat globby and there's some drag, so there should be at least 3 coats)
Price= F (for the price, you could invest in something less tricky to apply and with more for the money)

Overall= C