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- 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

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+

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-

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

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

Arissa- My Favorite Red

When in doubt, wear red.
---Bill Blass




This isn't the best picture. We've had nearly no sun for a while, it's been drab and wet and dreary outside. Anyway, this is a pretty color, and I think it's a jelly. This is 4 coats and I think it really needed another. It has a very slight shimmer and it also has a pink cast to it, so I don't think it's straight-up red. More of a fruit punch kind of red and more appropriate for spring or summer in my opinion. It was just 2 bucks at my local Family Dollar. They only had 3 colors, this one, a really dark red, and a purple glittery color. I bought this and the purple.

It's ok, especially considering the price, but I don't think it's anything special, and certainly not my favorite red as the name proclaims. But it's fun in its own way.

Report card:
Color= C (pretty standard, nothing to write home about)
Formula= B- (very sheer, but still a nice polish to work with, and dried fairly quickly with a pretty glossy finish, and it seemed hardy as well)
Brush= B+ (slightly better than average. I really liked the slightly rubberized-feeling handle)
Price= B+ ($2 is all. Well, it might be a good investment if you need a good red jelly to franken with, or maybe a fun glossy red for summer or spring, but I think it is likely to be overshadowed by other reds you probably already have in your collection)

Overall= B-

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+