Nail Polish Stress Test: L.A. Colors Ever After

I was cruising through Walmart the other day when I happened on a new L.A. Colors display. One of polishes stood out to me as being really pretty, so I thought I’d give it a try even though it’s a wannabe gel. That polish is today’s test subject, Ever After. Was this a good idea? Let’s find out!

Ever After is from L.A. Colors’ Color Last collection. In the bottle, it looks like a lavender polish with a really nice iridescent shimmer. Heck, the bottle design on this line has the cap matching the polish, so I was all set for a knockout mani. However, it turns out this polish is quite sheer. It still looks pretty, but not what I was hoping for. Application was easy. I used three coats hoping for opacity that never happened, and used one coat of their Crystal Top Coat as recommended.

This polish is too sheer to stamp. It can potentially water marble but it’s so sheer I don’t know that I’d bother with it.

According to the sticker on the cap, this polish is supposed to last ten days. Did it?

Of course not. This polish chipped big time on the first day. It’s easiest to see on my index finger where I have polish missing all around the edge of my nail down to the cuticle, plus big chips at tip. The same thing happened to my middle finger. I’d say this stuff is pretty brittle.

Verdict: Loser Polish

I was super disappointed this polish came out as sheer as it did. It’s shades of Hurt No Living Thing all over again, without the excellent wear time. With that said, I think this would look good layered over other polishes, and I’ll keep it around for that. Otherwise it’s another polish that makes promises of long wear that it can’t keep. You don’t need this one.  

Nail Polish Stress Test: Claire’s Spring Fever

If you’ve ever stopped in a Claire’s, you may have noticed their layered polishes. If you did, I bet you wondered “what does that look like on?”  Let’s find out together!

I chose Spring Fever, a nice combination of pastel pink, blue and lavender cremes. The pink and blue make me think of Pantone’s 2016 colors of the year. I figured I’d go with colors that would go well with each other. 

Application was interesting. The polish came out predominantly pink, with a few faint blue streaks.  I didn’t see any lavender until I’d almost finished the last coat on my right hand. I’d consider the formula to be on the thicker side. It took three coats to get full coverage. I used my standard coat of Seche Vite on top. All in all this didn’t look like I’d used some groovy polish. It was more like I’d painted my nails with a brush contaminated with a different color. I’m assuming the streaks would look more colorful and pronounced over time, but you only get one chance to make a first impression. This did not impress.

Spring Fever didn’t do well water marbling. I suspect the thicker formula that allows it to stay layered in the bottle is the reason. It was just too goopy to work, but it came close! Stamping didn’t fare much better. It didn’t do well with fine lines and details. Even the designs that did stamp okay were ruined as soon as I applied top coat. That’s a major bummer.

So, how did it hold up?

Better than I expected. It lasted a solid two days before I decided it had to come off.

Verdict: Good

I’m not crazy about how this polish looks by itself. I guess if you wasted some or just kept on using it, you’d get more interesting results eventually. I think this would best be used as a backdrop for nail art. It usually sells for $4.50. If you’re really curious about this one, hold out for a good sale first.

Nail Polish Stress Test: Nicole by OPI I’m Stucco On You

In my world, textured polishes have been one of the greatest things invented since sliced bread. They’re easy to apply, and are some of the longest lasting polishes I’ve used. I’m sad their moment is pretty much over. However, I’m going to enjoy them as much as I can before they vanish off the face of the Earth for good.

As the name implies, I’m Stucco On You is a textured polish from Nicole by OPI’s Roughles collection. It’s got a lavender crème base with red and blue specks.  

I like how they labelled the caps on this series in that they make it clear there’s something different in the bottle. For bonus points, they also put the instructions on the cap; no top coat needed here. I wish more companies did this. Mouseprint on the bottle can be difficult to read!

I’m Stucco On You gave me full coverage in three coats. I let each coat dry before I used the next one. The texture is noticeable but not distracting. As per the directions I did not use a top coat.

 

The red specks kind of threw me. At first I thought I’d missed spots, but on closer examination, I was relieved to see that wasn’t true

I’ve heard polishes like this can be used for water marble, but something about having gritty swirls on my nails doesn’t appeal to me, so I didn’t go there. This would definitely be a good canvas to stamp on. Stamping with? Definitely no.    

So how did it hold up? 

 I was a bit disappointed with the durability of this one. It only lasted two days. I’m used to getting three or more out of a textured polish. All things being equal, this was much easier to remove.

Verdict: Good

While this isn’t the best of its class, it’s still a decent polish. I got this from TJ Maxx as part of a set of two for $6.99.

  

Based on how long it didn’t last, I’d say grab it only if you can get it for $3 per bottle or less. It’s a decent polish but not a must have.