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Claire's- Rain Drop

Raindrops keep fallin' on my head
And just like the guy whose feet are too big for his bed
Nothin' seems to fit
Those raindrops are fallin' on my head, they keep fallin'
---BJ Thomas "Raindrops"




Love this! I had been eying American Apparel "Mouse" for a while when I bought this, thinking it might be similarish. It's not, not at all, and I actually like it much better. This is a cool, slightly-blue-toned grey that I think would be flattering for most people. It applied well and dried at a decent rate. Only prob is it was easily imprintable, even days after, so definitely use a good topcoat. Shown above is maybe 2-3 days of wear, so you can see how every little ding or bump left a mark. As a mom of 4 year old twins, my fingers might see some heavy use, so this was unfortunate. I actually have since bought Zoya "Dove" which I much prefer and these are similar colors, if not dupes, and has superior quality, and honestly, not much difference in price. I think Claire's polish is expensive, even though they seem to always have a BOGO 1/2 off deal. I think it was 4.99 and that is just too expensive, when I can get China Glaze or Orly or Finger Paints, basically anything from Sally's, at a cheaper price for much better quality.

Report card:

Color= A (love the color, it's just fun!)
Formula= C+ (mostly good except for those naggy imprints days after, so remember, topcoat is a must for this one)
Brush= B (decidedly average)
Price= C- (just not priced right at all)

Overall= B-

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.

Maybelline- Iced Mauve

"Sir, we're on beige alert."
---aide to the Neutral Planet's President, on Futurama




This ain't mauve. It might be iced, but it AIN'T mauve. It's beige. I don't know why I bought this. I must have had a total brain fart. Oh, wait, I know why I got it, I wanted something similarly-toned to layer Wet n Wild "Blitzen" over. Blitzen can hold its own over just about anything, so it's less imperative to have this for undies now.

This is thick, chalky, and difficult to apply. It took too long to dry, despite the 50-second claim. Not only that, but it makes a weird dried-film on top, like you'd expect a fast-dry to be, but underneath took forever to set, so it gave me icky lines towards my distal edge.

So...

Report card:

Color= D- (maybe nice for mani hands, but kind of a weird, sallow beige, unflattering I think, the shimmer is ok though)
Formula= D- (very close to unusable, in my opinion)
Brush= C+ (fairly wonky, but not the worst by any means)
Price= B- (I paid 3.22 for mine I think, about average, but a waste considering my disappointment)

Overall= D+

PS, here it is over Blitzen.

Orly- La Playa

Hey Blue, there is a song for you
Ink on a pin
Underneath the skin
An empty space to fill in
--"Blue" by Joni Mitchell




This was a color I was "lemming" and finally found on clearance at Ulta this past January. The color is just gorgeous! It is a bright, yet also dark and dramatic blue and so glossy. However, as pretty as the color is, the quality...meh, it leaves something to be desired. You wanna guess how old the above mani is?

You probably are thinking a couple days or so. NOPE! It was just 12 hours! Yeah...you see why I am disappointed. But the color...oooh, it's so pretty. Maybe if I can find the right topcoat (I used Orly's Top to Bottom I think it was called). Either way, I love the color quite a bit, and certainly think it's worth another shot. Especially since it was basically a one-coater!

Report card:

Color= A (pretty dang beautiful)
Formula= C+ (thick, difficult to paint somewhat, and did not hold up)
Brush= B (pretty good, but not quite sturdy enough to maneuver the polish adeptly)
Price= C- (4.99 usually at most beauty supplies, not too bad if it were good quality, but it was disappointing. I at least found mine on clearance for 2.99)

Overall= B-

Color Club- Catwalk Queen

I'm a model you know what I mean
And I do my little turn on the catwalk
Yeah on the catwalk on the catwalk yeah
I do my little turn on the catwalk
---Right Said Fred "I'm Too Sexy"




Ooh, how pretty! It's a shimmery, vampy, plummy browned-purple. It applied like a dream and was just so flattering on my skin-tone. I think it probably would be flattering for most, even though it's so dramatic. It's just pure sexiness. I found this in a 7 pack at Ross for 7.99 so if you find it, it is worth the money. The other colors were good too, so it's a nice investment.

Report card:

Color= B+ (pretty, although not unique)
Formula= A (very close to perfection, just a smidge unwieldy with the thin brush)
Brush= C+ (thin and a little flimsy, not good with the thick polish)
Price= A (ended up a dollar a polish, which is kick-butt)

Overall= B+

Sally Hansen- Pink Rose Diamond

A rose must remain with the sun and the rain or its lovely promise won't come true.
Ray Evans




This is one of the Nail Prisms holos I got at Dollar Tree in the Sally Hansen 2-packs.

I will try and set aside my dislike of holos, but I am really generally not a fan. It just looks too techno or futuristic to me. I'm just kinda meh.

Setting that aside, I do like the base color, a funky, juicy, fruity pink, and the holo glitters are more subtle than the other Nail Prisms I got. It unfortunately was more sheer than the others, and very very similar to the Blush Diamond. You can see the difference between those two, and the Purple Diamond here.

Report card:

Color= C+ (not my style, and kinda cheap looking)
Formula= D+ (kinda took a while to dry, and had a dull finish, so a topcoat is a must)
Brush= D- (thick, bristly, and splayed...very poor)
Price= A+ (excellent, considering it was just 50 cents basically!)

Overall= C