Nail Polish Stress Test: Seche Uplifting

I’ve been a big fan of Seche Vite top coat, even with its flaws, so when I found of display of Seche nail polish at Ocean State Job Lot for $3 a bottle, I was all over that.

 Uplifting is a really pretty metallic purple. It looks like it ought to have a golden finish the way it looks in the bottle, but that’s not how it comes out on the nail. This went on in one easy coat. I put my usual coat of Seche Vite on top.

 It won’t water marble, but it stamps great! 

Sadly, it doesn’t hold up well. It was done in at the end of one day. Such a shame. If it had done better it would have been so awesome. 

Verdict: Party Polish - unless you’re into stamping

Even though it doesn’t hold up as just polish, it’s great as stamping polish. I actually went back and bought one of each of the other colors. At $3 a bottle, it’s worth it for that reason alone. I plan to review them as I work the large pile of polishes I want to try.

Nail Polish Stress Test: Zoya Posh

Matte polishes are pretty, but they’re known to not last as long as traditional polish. I tend to not buy them unless they legitimately interest me. Zoya Posh is something I probably wouldn’t buy on my own. As luck would have it, I got a bottle in a shipping mistake I was allowed to keep. Woohoo!

Posh is a lovely shade of wine red, with a red shimmer. It almost seems to glow on the nail. I used two coats with no top coat.

It doesn’t stamp or water marble. You also can’t stamp on it either. Something about the matte finish prevents the design from sticking. I suppose if you put a top coat on first it might work, but that seems beside the point.  

Does this one perform better than others of its kind?

Sadly no, although I was really hoping it would. After one day of work, it was obviously chipped.

Verdict: Party Polish

This is another great polish for special occasions that doesn’t hold up to everyday life.

Nail Polish Stress Test L’Oreal Masked Affair

This polish is from L’Oreal’s Dark Sides of Grey collection, which is currently available in stores as of this writing. I’d looked straight at Masked Affair in Rite Aid and completely ignored it. It looked like Yet Another Gray Polish and sailed completely under my radar. However, it was brought to my attention that it was more than it seemed, so I went back and bought it.

 Masked Affair is a silver polish with holographic effect. This one can’t truly be appreciated until you actually put it on. I swear it looks great everywhere except in the store! I used three coats, with my usual layer of Seche Vite on top. I love how this looks. 

It doesn’t water marble, but this one is good for stamping. I used it on the accent nail on my ring finger here. 

Looks aren’t everything though. How did it hold up?

It did great! It lasted a solid three days before the damage was noticeable. This is the type where damage doesn’t show as much as it could because of its color. I absolutely love that.

Verdict: Excellent

If you see this one, grab it! It’s durable, has a great holo effect, and stamps. It’s a worthy addition to everyone’s polish collection.

Nail Polish Stress Test: Claire’s Purple Mood Polish

Every so often, I’ll see a gimmicky polish that looks like fun, even though I know it might not work. Claire’s Mood Polish would be a good example. Being as it’s winter, I figured this would be the perfect time to test it out.

Although the label on the bottle says Purple, it never really looks that way on. It starts out looking like a darker pink, and turns to neon pink when warm. I didn’t really like how it looked in its transitional state. Normally I like how mood polish will create a French manicure look. This just looked like my nails were dirty. Meh. 

Here's how it looks all the way warm.

 

It’s a crelly, with a matte finish, so if you hate visible nail lines, turn back now. I used three coats, plus my usual one coat of Seche Vite on top to make it shiny. This doesn’t wholly come as a surprise to me, but this polish will not water marble or stamp.

Here's how it looked after one day.

I adjusted this photo to get the polish color accurate. This is its cold state.   

This particular morning, I did little more than get dressed and head out the door. No washing dishes, cooking, anything that might accelerate the doom of a manicure. Just as I started my car I noticed I already had some chipping. It only went downhill from there. Even with low expectations, this was a bottle of fail. 

Verdict: Loser Polish

While the color change effect is neat and all, what’s the point if it’s going to chip if you so much as look at it wrong? This one’s a waste of money.