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.

Borghese- Angelica Blush

Baby
You're my angel
Come and save me tonight
You're my angel
Come and make it all right
---Aerosmith "Angel"



This is a polish I picked up on clearance for 2.19 at Walgreens right after Christmas. My L.A. Colors Classic Pink for french manis turned out bupkis. It was streaky and sheer, so I slated it for frankening (it now has a new life as a yummy golden-pink champagne color, which I've dubbed Aurora and I'll feature soon, or dreckly as my granny says.)

So, I picked up this color, hoping it would fill that now-empty spot. It is a mixed review. On one hand, it was thickish and somewhat streaky- at first application. Luckily, it smoothed out and took on an even glossy, milky-pink tone at 2 applications. My advice is to do the first application thin, then a moderate coat for the second application, to have even coverage and a nice, cushy finish once dry.

Ultimately, this will suit my purposes well and I am no longer in search of a sheer pink for french manis.

Report card:

Color= C+ (this is 'bout as generic as it gets, but hey, classics are classics for a reason I guess)
Formula= B- (suitably average, but would be nice if it were quite so thick)
Brush= A+ (love Borghese brushes)
Price= F (these run $8+ a Wags. If you want to spend that, buy OPI or something else)

Overall= C+

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-

China Glaze- For Audrey

"Do you think we have a chance tonight?
As streetlights sing on Audrey’s song"
---Audrey, Start the Revolution, but Anberlin




This is a bright, peppy, zippy robin's egg blue. The formula is extremely thick, and took a little while to dry, and was smudgey/imprintable for a while. It was fun though. I just wish I could find a similar color in a much nicer formula. It was fairly opaque though. I really don't have much else to say on it. Love the color, but the formula was a let-down.

Report card:

Color= A (very fun, nice, flattering on many skin tones)
Formula= D+ (very thick, globby, took a while to dry)
Brush= A- (nice, I tend to like China Glaze brushes)
Price= D+ (it's 5.99 I think? Kinda expensive)

Overall= C+

L.A Colors- Pink-a-boo

Pinky Dinky's always thinking big.
Yessarooni Positooni
Zip Zam Zoom!
Pinky Dinky Doo
---from kids' show, "Pinky Dinky Doo"




This is a fun little color, but it's too sheer I think. It's a candy-toned classic pink. It's youthful and fun but might smack of bimbo I suppose, depending on how you are dressed. I loved it for my toes though, and it lasts well there.

The brush was a little thin on this bottle. The formula was sheer and runny, so it was streaky at first and the thin brush did not help matters. I ended up using 4 coats. It dried at a decent rate at least, and it only cost a buck.

Report card:

Color= C- (very unoriginal, albeit classic. I've seen it done better elsewhere)
Formula= D+ (very sheer, took 4 coats for some opacity, thin, runny, etc)
Brush= C- (too thin, sorta flimsy)
Price= A+ (just a dollar)

Overall= C+

Nicole by OPI- Scene Stealer

"The scene is dull. Tell him to put more life into his dying."
---Samuel Goldwyn




I loved this color in the bottle. It is so pretty and demure and classy and fitting for all occasions. I love it. It's a light violet-toned pink. It has a very extremely faint shimmer that in my opinion was not detectable hardly at all once dry.

Now, for all my high expectations for this, considering that I have never really had a bad experience formula-wise with Nicole by OPI polishes, I must say, I am quite disappointed. It was very sheer. That I can deal with. But it was also thick and globby and streaky and dried after like...eons. And when I say dry, I mean, it was "dry" but still was easily imprinted and smudged. 48 hours later, it was STILL imprintable and smudgey. But, I love the color so much, I plan on retrying it soon. Maybe something was off that day.

Report card:

Color= A (really pretty and flattering for most people I'd say)
Formula= C (thin, sheer, took forever to dry, was smudgey forever)
Brush= C+ (too flimsy for the polish's consistency)
Price= D- (I got mine in a 2 pack for $6.99, but normally they are 7.50, which is pricy, considering you can get China Glaze or Orly for less, and OPI for similar)

Overall= C

Nicole by OPI- Spring Romance

"Hey, where did we go
Days when the rains came?
Down in the hollow
Playin' a new game
Laughin' and a-runnin', hey hey
Skippin' and a-jumpin'
In the misty mornin' fog
With our, our hearts a-thumpin'

And you, my brown eyed girl"
---Brown-Eyed Girl, Van Morrison




I wanted Love Your Life from Nicole by OPI a while back after spotting it on someone else's blog. Or thought I did, I guess I should say. I spotted this similar polish, Spring Romance, in a bin at Goodwill. Now, some may scoff at second-hand polish, but beggars can't be choosers, and I like to recycle, and save money, so whatever. I don't think it was tried, it didn't look like it at the neck of the bottle, but you never know. Anyway, it was $1.99. They had a half empty, half-dried bottle of some uber-gold Love My Nails, completely retro, for the same price. I declined. I didn't think it was retro in a good way.

I think the difference between Spring Romance and Love Your Life is that LYL is more pink and silver glitter-based, were Spring Romance is more purple and multi-colored glitter-based. I haven't got a bottle of LYL to compare, but that's what it looks to me when I google around. Spring Romance has large, pinkish heart-shaped glitter mixed with oodles of regular-sized glitter in a rainbow of colors, all in a slightly lavender-tinged based.

I think the hearts are not ample enough inside the bottle, and so heavy that it makes applying them difficult. Hard to get them on the brush when they immediately start sinking to the bottom after you get done mixing it up. When you do get some hearts on the brush, its an act of Congress to get them in the proper location. By then, the runny, glitter extra polish is globbed around and drying fast as you try to do damage control before everything is completely ruined. Maybe I am just too clumsy at application, maybe I just need some practice. Personally, I really don't care enough to try again. I would love to ditch this polish. I wish I could filter out the hearts, I do like the other glitter. It's the hearts that throw everything into a tizz.

*This is over the WNW "Lust" btw, if you couldn't tell.

Report card:

Color= B+ (close, but no cigar)
Formula= C+ (dried too fast, was too runny)
Brush= C- (too flimsy and thin for the large glitter)
Price= D- (even though I got mine for $1.99, they retail for $7.50 or so at Wal-Mart. This bottle was def not worth it IMO)

Overall= C

Pure Ice- Sea Shell

She sells sea shells by the sea shore...




This is an ancient polish of mine, from high school I'd wager. I was (and still am) all about pearlescent, opalescent, duochrome awesomeness, and especially sheer polishes, so this was a love of mine. It was the birth of my love of "lazi mani's". One coat and I'm good to go, my nails are interesting and subtly fancified. I'm normally not much of a girly girl.

My mom found this amongst her polishes at their house and gave it back to me. I must have overlooked it when I packed for my new house. I decided to give it a whirl, to see if it was still worth keeping or if it had not aged well, and whether it was analogous to any other polishes I have. It doesn't appear to be, except maybe a Sally Hansen Nail Prisms "White Diamond." I'm going to do a full on comparison soon.

Sea Shell is very aptly named, as it looks like that mother-of-pearl type flash you see inside shells. It has a golden and silver flash and then a very rosy pink on another. As I wore it, I kept thinking about how it might look interesting for layering, especially wondering how it might look over a brown. I added layering it over Orly Prince Charming to the list of experiments. Kind of a cherry cordial look perhaps?

It's also very sheer, this is 3 coats, which I wanted to do only to see if it could gain full opacity. I actually prefer it sheer, as was it's original intention, for my lazi manis. I still like it for that. It is a discontinued polish but I noticed in googling for other swatches that it is in stock at ABeautifulSecret.com in case you'd like to own it. It has an interesting smell too, almost a citrusy or perfumey aroma, these might have been a scented collection? It smells unlike any of my other polishes. If I had to guess, it is not Big 3 Free. Mine does not say.

Report card:

Color= C+ (I understand that this isn't a color for everyone)
Formula= C+ (it is kinda slow-drying and was prone to scuffs and scratches for about 12 hours, which was annoying, especially since it's been my experiences that sheers should dry quickly)
Brush= B (average)
Price= B+ (I think it was $2 and that's what Pure Ice runs even now)

Overall= B-

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

Wet n Wild- nameless "Wild Card/Mauve Frost?"

Pink it was love at first sight
Pink when I turn out the light
Pink it´s like red but not quite
And I think everything is going to be all right
No matter what we do tonight
---"Pink" by Aerosmith




This was one of those Dollar General holiday gift set Wet n Wild polishes I got. They claim to be "Wild Shine" polishes on the bottle but list no name or number. I googled around and I think it is either "Wild Card" or "Mauve Frost" but I can't really be certain. It could be something different entirely, something discontinued or maybe even not released at all at this time.

It's frosty pink with a slight golden duochrome flash. It's a powdery pink and reminds me of a gauzy negligee. It smacks of Dynasty for some reason. It looks like the perfect color for a blouse Krystle Carrington would be rockin.

It's a fun, demure, bimbo-pink color that has it's place I think, but I just wasn't too wowed tbh. I love pink nail polish, and there are others I'd rather wear. It was kinda thick and had a tacky, gummy feel for several hours, not to mention its sheerness. But it was fun and I think would be flattering on most skin tones and nail lengths, so it is fairly versatile, if that's a color you like.

Report card:

Color= C (it's unusual, but not tantalizing)
Formula= C- (has some issues)
Brush= B- (actually not too bad considering)
Price= A+ (it was $4 for 5 polishes, so SCORE!)

Overall= B-

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-

Sally Hansen- Purple Diamond

Purple haze all in my brain
lately things don't seem the same
Acting funny and i don't know why
excuse me while i kiss the sky
---Jimi Hendrix (Purple Haze)




I bought this with a ton of others at the dollar tree in 2 packs. This is "Purple Diamond" from the Nail Prisms line. It's a fun color, but not something I'd wear regularly. I'd wear it at glammy-fun events, and maybe on my toes during the summer. It's a violet-purple with pretty obvious silvery holo glitter. It applies well, or would, if it didn't have the single most piss poor brush I have ever in my life witnessed. It's like a pipe cleaner, it's so twisted and splayed outward. Serves me right, it was just 50 cents. It dried quickly and was fairly hardy and dried into a nice glossy finish.

Overall, it's not a color I see myself wearing frequently. But, if you love purples and holos, I guess it would be a good investment.

Report card time:

Color= C+ (it's different I guess, but not versatile, and not my style)
Formula= B+ (definitely somewhat better than average)
Brush= F (the absolute worst of all my brushes)
Price= A+ (can't beat a buck, especially for a 2 pack!)

Overall= B-

Nicole by OPI- It's Possible

It's possible for a plain yellow pumpkin to become a golden carriage. It's possible for a plain country bumpkin and a prince to join in marriage.
---song from Rogers and Hammerstein's Cinderella




I immediately thought of this movie when I saw the name of this polish. I watched that movie with my mom as a kid and it is a very cherished memory. Aside from that, this color did not live up to my expectations. I looooove metallic, shiny polishes and especially purple-tinged ones. And since I like the quality of Nicole by OPI, I was very surprised by the streakiness of this one. The color is great. It just streaks sooo bad. And it's kinda thick.

I like it on my toes though, I just don't think I'll be putting it on my fingers. It would be a fun color for year round but I see it more a winter and perhaps early spring.

Report card:
Color= B (fun, but a little generic. Just about everyone makes a metallic lavender)
Formula= C- (applies fairly easily, but it thick and streaky)
Brush= A- (I like NOPI brushes)
Price= D- (this was a gift for me, but they are 7.50 normally, and otherwise too expensive for me to buy frequently)

Overall= C

Sally Hansen- Golden Cinnabar

Who is the girl who lives in my dreams?
Seduced by the kisses of Cinnabar Sweet
---Mercury Rising "Seduced By The Kisses of Cinnabar"




This is a flamboyantly chromatic polish, one that my camera and photography skills are unable to capture. It has a variety of flashes, depending on the light, from golden to greenish to pink to a ruddy salmon-color. In the bottle, it looks as if it will contain darker flashes, so I had surmised this might be a fallish type shade, but nay not so. I definitely consider this too poppy and perky and is much more fitting for spring or summer.

The formula was ok, especially considering it was an el cheapo Dollar Tree find. It felt a little thick on my nails and remained slightly tacky and prone to fingerprints for the entire twenty four hours that I wore it. I wasn't as in love with it as I hoped to be and was eager to try something different, so I changed it. All in all, it's an ok polish, but unless you just really like duochromes and flashy pinks, I wouldn't bother I guess. I prefer other duochromes much more, like Nina Ultra Molten Copper. The formula is just much nicer and the flashes are more fluid.

Report card:
Color= C (Meh...I was surprised, since from the bottle it looks to be such a unique color, but I think it's so different that it must be an acquired taste)
Formula= C (I have had much better, even for just 50 cents, which is what I paid for it)
Brush= C (kinda doing that cheapie flaying about thing, not cool)
Price=A+ (woot, just 50 cents, and I certainly don't feel like I want my money back or anything, so it's all good)

Overall= C+

Sally Hansen- Rose to the Occasion

"When you came along, with a strange new song
and the sweetest innovation
And you said "One should never fall in love,
but rise to the occasion..."
---Nanci Griffith "Rise to the Occasion"

---




Wow, my pic does NOT do this justice. It is such a gorgeous pink with a delicate, barely-there shimmer. It is so fun and retro-looking. It immediately makes me think of Barbie's high heels, My Little Ponies, and my coveted LA Gears. I love it.

The polish is decent, although it definitely needed at least 2 coats and then another coat of a good topcoat, since it was fairly gritty looking without it. It also only lasted about a day. I probably could have done a better job with the application and maybe a better job with the topcoat, so it might have lasted better, but I'm not thinking it would have been much more than another day. Sad, because I really love the color. Even with the shoddy formula, I'll be whipping this out again in the future, for whenever I feel like being totally rad.

On to the report card!
Color: A (LOVE IT, absolutely FUN. Not for everyday and every skintone, but I personally dig it)
Formula: C (worse than average, but it was not so awful that I won't wear it again)
Brush: C+ (sorta thin, sorta flimsy, but got the job done)
Price: A+ (found it at Dollar Tree in a two-pack for a buck. So 50 cents? I'm there!)

Overall: B

OPI- Chicago Champagne Toast

"A cause may be inconvenient, but it's magnificent. It's like champagne or high heels, and one must be prepared to suffer for it."
---Arnold Bennett

---


This is a polish I've had forever. I may need to chunk it. It was amazingly thick and globby. I don't recall it being that bad when I applied it in the past, so maybe it's just bad. I love the color though, a rosy frosty delight. I'm unhappy with the formula, but again, it may just be because it's an old bottle. It was thick and unwieldy, and only because of the nice brush did I even get it halfway properly applied. It took a while to dry as well, and this was just two coats. Hours later it was still VERY tacky to the point where it was impossible for me to cook dinner without destroying it. Alas, this only lasted for a few hours. I thought I had painted it in time for it to be dried before I had to begin dinner, but it just refused to dry. I'm sad, it kinda used to be a standby for me. I think the color is great for year-round but especially for the fall and winter or fancy occasions. I guess it's ok though, I have a similar frosty rosy pink color by Borghese, La Strada Rose, which I REALLY liked. I'll swatch that soon. Whenever my nails get a smidge longer. They are still fairly stubby.

Report card is as follows:
Color= B+ (it's a generic sort of color, but I like OPIs knack for delicate shimmer)
Formula= D (I'm holding out hope that it's just an old bottle, and if I can come across it again, I would be up for revisting this grade. I normally love OPI)
Brush=A- (better than average for sure, but not the best)
Price= D- (OPI is $$$, at least in my neck o' the woods)

Overall= C