Nail Polish Stress Test: L’Oreal Too Dimensional?

The other day I was cruising through Rite Aid looking for new polishes, when the L’Oreal display caught my eye. It had several items, including nail polish on 50% off clearance. I bought a couple including today’s test subject, Too Dimensional? Was that a good idea? Let’s find out!

Too Dimensional? is a hard polish to describe. It looks significantly different depending on the lighting. It’s a textured polish that seems to have duochrome properties. It can look more purple or gray depending on the light. It has iridescent shimmer and purple hex glitters mixed in to make it even more interesting.  I never got tired of looking at this one.

Here it is in LED light.

Here it is in sunlight.

And here it is in the indirect light I usually use.

This was easy to apply and I had full coverage in three coats. I let each layer dry completely before I added the next one. I did not use any top coat. The texture was somewhat abrasive but not distractingly so, and that always wears down a bit as soon as I start living life.

As a textured polish, it can’t be used to stamp or water marble. I bet it’d be fun to use with nail vinyls though!

So, how did it hold up?

It did pretty well. It made it two days before it was time to take it off.

Verdict: Good

This was a good find. I love textured polishes and unexpectedly finding this one makes me happy. You should pick this one up if you come across it. 

Nail Polish Stress Test: L.A. Colors Dare Devil

It seems like everyone’s getting into the wannabe gel scene these days. Today’s subject is a from  L.A. Colors new Color Craze Gel line, Dare Devil.

Dare Devil looks like a blue toned purple crème in the bottle that’s supposed to have a high shine. The reality is it’s more of a red toned purple jelly on the nails. I used two coats as per the directions. I thought it looked a bit streaky. It also wasn’t particularly shiny. I used one coat of their top coat, which did help somewhat.

This polish will stamp, but not easily. It didn’t do great with finer lines and details. Larger designs came out much better. It water marbles pretty nicely. The color did bleed somewhat, so I don’t recommend using this with contrasting colors.

So, how did it hold up?

 This only lasted one day, which seems to be par for the course when I test wannabe gels.

Verdict: Party Polish

This might be worth picking up if you’re into water marbling, or if you’re on Team Office Job. It actually performed the same as other wannabe gels I’ve tried, and this is one of the least expensive ones out there. This line of polish can be found at Family Dollar and is $2.49 a bottle.

Nail Polish Stress Test: Color Club We’ll Never Be Royals

I’m gradually test driving all the polishes from Color Club’s Oil Slick collection. So far I’ve tried Burnt Out, It’s Raining Men, and Cash Only. Today’s subject is We’ll Never Be Royals. How will this one stack up next to the others? Let’s find out!

We’ll Never Be Royals is a gorgeous duochrome which shifts from a metallic red, to pink, to a deep magenta with a strong purple flash. The color shift is very noticeable. This is one of those polishes where it’s fun to walk around and see the colors change.

The formula is on the thick side and went on smoothly. I only needed two coats, to which I added my usual coat of Seche Vite on top. I was a little worried when I put it on, as the application reminded me an awful lot of my experience with It’s Raining Men, which turned out to be party polish. 

I didn’t have any luck water marbling with this polish, but it stamps very nicely. The stamping does retain some shimmer. I can see me doing some nice Valentine’s Day nail art with this one.

So, how did it hold up?

Not well. It had substantial tip wear in just one day.

Verdict: Party Polish

 I love the color shift, and I’m totally doing nail art with it, but its poor durability is a major disappointment.

Nail Polish Stress Test: CVS Pop-Arazzi Lovely In Lilac

Earlier this year I reviewed a couple of CVS’ Pop-Arazzi polishes. They were Good.  Since it’s been a while, I thought I’d try another one that’s been in my stash of untested polishes; Lovely In Lilac.

This one does what it says on the bottle. It’s a lovely shade of lilac. It has a slight shimmer to it in the bottle, but the reality is that this is a crème polish.

Pop-Arazzi polishes have something of a reputation for being foul smelling. It definitely smells stronger than most polishes. If you’re sensitive to this kind of thing, it’s worth being aware of, but I found it to be well within my tolerance level. I’ve dealt with worse for sure.

I used three coats here, with one coat of Seche Vite on top. The formula was nice and smooth. It was a bit streaky but it went away with that third coat. I have to say, I really liked how this looked when I was done. My collection doesn’t have a lot of pastels, so I was hoping this one would do well.

Sadly, it’s too sheer to be of any use in water marbling or stamping.

So, how well did it hold up?

Unfortunately, it didn’t do well at all. It was game over after one day. Normally I get better wear out of lighter colors, but that definitely didn’t happen here. I also got a surprisingly large amount of chipping on my thumb for some weird reason. That's unusual for me.

Verdict: Loser Polish

Lovely In Lilac doesn’t wear well, stamp, or water marble.  It’s a crying shame because it’s such a great color. At $2.99 (which no one should pay for this brand ever), it’s just not worth it. Hopefully I can find something better in the same color.

Nail Polish Stress Test: Sinful Shine Royal Flush

A little while ago, I reviewed my first Sinful Shine polish, Prosecco. It ended up being the highest scoring polish I’ve ever reviewed, so the natural thing for me to do was buy a couple more when they were on a buy one get one free sale at Rite Aid, including today’s subject, Royal Flush. Is it as good as Prosecco? Let’s find out!

Royal Flush is a fuchsia purple crème. I was a little worried as I applied it. While it went on fine and all, the formula reminded me of previous wannabe gels I’ve reviewed. It had that same lacquer like texture when it dried. I used two coats here, with one coat of the Sinful Shine topcoat.

This polish will water marble. I used another Sinful Shine along with it, Diamond In The Raw, which I will be reviewing at some point in the future.

It turns out that Royal Flush also stamps, although I had some issues with that. Royal Flush is opaque enough to stamp over darker colors. However, you can see from this picture that the silver underneath makes it look different. More importantly, the top coat smudged the design somewhat. The formula has some “grip” to it when it’s applied, even when I used a fairly heavy coat to avoid that problem. I don’t want to make a judgement call based on my experience with one polish, but I’m kinda thinking this kind of polish may not be ideal for stamping.

So, how did it hold up?

It didn’t, and that makes me very sad. It was wrecked after one day.

Verdict: Party Polish

Looks like we’re back to standard wannabe gel performance. Phooey. I really wanted this to be another polish on par with Prosecco, but that definitely didn’t happen here! I’m not giving up on this product line yet though. I have three more Sinful Shines to check out. I hope they’re more like Prosecco, and less like Royal Flush. Being usable for nail art is no good if it’s not going to last. Definitely skip this one.

Nail Polish Stress Test: Del Sol Twice As Ice

Well, it’s been a full year since I started this blog, so happy blogoversary to me! To celebrate, I’m doing a couple extra reviews this week. Today’s target is Twice As Ice from Del Sol.

Twice As Ice is polish that changes color when exposed to sunlight. Indoors, it’s a very slightly orangey tinted base with holographic shards.

In sunlight it turns purple, and looks like a jelly polish. The transition takes 10-15 seconds or so.

It can change somewhat indoors or in overcast weather, but for the best results, you need to go actually 

outside.

I used three coats with my usual layer of Seche Vite on top. It went on as if it were a normal polish. I recommend applying this very carefully; you won’t be able to spot any mistakes until you’re outside. I found the holographic shards just didn’t distribute well on the nail. They don’t really lay flat and were a bit scratchy. However, I didn’t buy this for the bling; it’s all about the color change!

In fact, since the shard payout was so poor, I thought I might be able to use this polish for stamping. I tried stamping on my ring finger, and as it turns out, I’m right! There are some special challenges in using Twice As Ice for that, namely you have to do it while it’s in its indoor state. I used the spiderweb design from this plate, and as you can tell, the spider got left off because I couldn’t tell where it was on my stamper. However, if you used a design where orientation didn’t matter, the results would be impressive!

I didn’t try water marbling with it. The shards would be a problem, not to mention the color change aspect makes it impractical.

 So, how did it hold up?

It did pretty well. It’s hard to tell, but it went two days before I noticed enough damage to make me want to take it off. The shards started sticking up more which was a bit annoying as well. I would have taken that pic in sunlight, but this polish seems to make the weather turn overcast.

Verdict: Good

I think this is really meant to be a top coat unless you’re the kind of person that spends a lot of time outdoors. Still, it’s pretty good quality, and the fact that it actually stamps makes it an even more interesting find. I ordered mine from Del Sol’s website. As of this writing, it goes for $7.

Nail Polish Stress Test: Orly Color Blast Follow Your Path

Orly Color Blast polishes haven’t exactly blown my socks off yet. I feel that at $6.99 for a bottle that’s half the size of a standard bottle of polish, the quality had better be up there. However, when it goes on clearance for $1.65? Bring it! That leads to me today’s test subject, Follow Your Path from the Disney Dare to Dream Pocahontas collection. Was it a worthwhile purchase? Let’s find out!

Follow Your Path is a neon purple crème. I don’t have many neons in my collection, so I was hoping this one would do well. This went on in three coats. The finish was kind of on the matte side, which isn’t unusual for a neon. I threw my usual coat of Seche Vite on top and rolled with it.
 

I was a little concerned about the durability of this polish early on. As you can see from this pic I took as I was leaving for work, there’s already tip wear. That’s not a good sign.

It only got worse from there. This is the damage I got from half a day of not that much work.

I didn’t have any luck water marbling with this polish, but it does stamp nicely.

Verdict: Party Polish

Well, that’s another Color Blast polish that falls short. I can recommend it for stamping, but that’s about it. It’s a shame; I was really hoping this one would do well.  

Nail Polish Stress Test: Cinapro Sweet Tooth

Here’s a polish I’ve had my eye on for a year; Sweet Tooth, from Cinapro’s Nail Sugar collection. The problem is, it rarely goes on sale, the store display is absurd (the bottles are displayed upside down), and the polishes were sometimes separated or gunky. Still, I really wanted this polish, so I waited for an opportunity. Finally, Sally’s Beauty Supply added them to a Buy Two Get One Free sale. It was time to strike!

Sweet Tooth has large and small blue glitters in a duochrome base that shifts mostly between blue and purple. The color shift is bright and vibrant. It’s really easy to get distracted by how beautiful this polish is!

It also has a light built into the cap for some weird reason. If I’m experiencing a power outage, I guess this is the polish they want me to reach for? Except I’d have to find it in the dark in the first place…..

Light or no light, application was easy, although I used four thin coats to get opacity. I used one coat of Seche Vite on top. I didn’t find it to be rough or bumpy afterwards, something I could see happening with a polish containing that much glitter.

As you might expect, this polish can’t be used for water marbling or stamping. If only!  I bet it would look amazing layered with other polishes though.

So, how did it hold up?

It did well. It made it two days before the damage showed.

Verdict: Good

I’m glad this lasted as long as it did. I wasn’t sure how it was going to go considering the problems I’ve seen with it. I strongly recommend that if you decide to buy this, be sure to check and be sure it’s not gloopy or separated 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.

Nail Polish Stress Test: Revlon Scandalous

I love nail polish sales. I really do. I prefer sales where the price is straight up reduced as opposed to Buy One Get One 50% off. Then we get to the slightly more evil sales, where something is on sale for something like 3 for $5, but if you don’t buy 3 you have pay a slightly higher price. Tactics like that make me feel a bit jerked around. Paying less is paying less though!

That brings me to how I acquired today’s target; Revlon’s Scandalous. I picked it up the same time I purchased their Matte Pearl Glaze. It was part of a 2 for $4 sale, and no way in heck was I paying a noticeably higher price per bottle, even if it meant buying one more than I intended. Finding another bottle of polish I want to buy isn’t hard to do though.

Scandalous is a black jelly with large and micro purple glitter. It went on nicely with three coats, plus my usual coat of Seche Vite on top. I was expecting it to be on the rough side considering all the glitter, but it came out nice and smooth.

As you might expect, this polish is not good for water marbling or stamping.

So how did it do? 

This one did well. I’ve had problems with this kind of polish shattering or popping off the nail, but that wasn’t an issue here. It went a solid two days before there was any noticeable chipping.

Verdict: Good

This is a nice addition to anyone’s collection, especially if you’re in the market for something vampy.

Nail Polish Stress Test: Profusion Sugar Lacquer Set

Profusion is an interesting company. Their shtick is making really cheap cosmetics, usually eye shadow or lip gloss. A lot of their packaging mimics other companies’ products.

When I came across this set at TJ Maxx, I was quite curious as the packaging and product design was very similar to the Physicians Formula set I reviewed not too long ago. They even used the same interlocking bottle concept. I figured, what the heck, give it a try!

I decided to go for a set with a metallic dark blue, silver, and a purple jelly with purple glitter.

First and foremost, I need to address the biggest problem I had with this set: The bottles themselves. Simply put, they suck. The brushes will not stay in the cap. I had this problem with all three polishes. Even worse, one of the brushes actually fell out while I was using it.

Normally I would do a shot with nail art, and then stress test the polishes on their own. I’m not going to do that this time as there’s too high a risk of this polish making a mess I don’t want to clean up.

The formula was pretty good on these, I could have gotten the job done at two coats, but I went with three for all the colors. I was a little disappointed that the glitter in the purple polish was hard to see. The jelly base is pretty dark.

It water marbles well too, even the purple glittery one. I usually don’t have good luck getting glitter to play nice in the water, so that was a nice surprise.

 

Does it stamp? Yes. The silver did the best by a long shot. The purple and blue didn’t stamp as well as I had expected. Oddly enough the color from the purple and blue bled into the silver after the fact.

 

The polish held up pretty well. It lasted a full day of work with some tip wear, but nothing major.

Verdict: Unacceptable

The polish itself is good. Having the caps come off the bottles without the brush is not. Brushes falling out while in use is a whole other thing. I’m giving them the lowest rating to date because no one should have to protect their work area and wear a smock just to do their nails. Do not buy this!

It’s a crying shame really. The best polish in the world is useless if the bottles they’re in self destruct. They could have been a contender!

Nail Polish Stress Test: Everglaze Don’t Grape About It

Is it me or does it seem like extended wear polishes are cropping up everywhere? I have not had good luck with the ones I’ve tried so far, but I keep hoping one of these will actually work for me the way they claim. This time I’m trying China Glaze’s Everglaze, bought during one of Sally’s buy one get one free sales, of course. I’m not paying full price for potential broken dreams!

Don’t Grape About It is a lame pun is a lavender crème. The formula was easier to work with than the Endless Wear polish I tried. I had full coverage in two coats, which dried very quickly. I used the Everglaze top coat afterwards. It had a really nice shine to it. Could this polish be the one that survives the warehouse?

Nope. While I didn’t have catastrophic polish failure this time, it was pretty much trashed in one day. 

I didn’t have any luck water marbling or stamping with this polish. It dried too darn fast to do anything with it. 

Verdict: Loser polish

Fellow warehouse workers and retail people, I’m sorry to report this is not the polish we’re looking for.  I do recognize that any manicure of mine will die an accelerated death, BUT I do expect it to last longer than traditional polishes. With that said, people with office jobs might be able to get this to work. Everyone else should steer clear.

Nail Polish Stress Test: Finger Paints Violaceous Vase

Ever see a polish in the store, and want it, even when it’s not on sale? That was my reaction to Violaceous Vase, a recent release by Finger Paints. Was this a foolish and impulsive move? Let’s find out!

Violaceous Vase is a purple shimmer with small and large hex glitters. I would argue this is almost a duochrome in nature. I noticed it looked more pinkish or bluish depending on the light. This would obviously make a killer topper, but I was able to get full opacity with three coats. Is it ever pretty. This is one of those polishes where it’s hard not to keep staring at it. The shimmer is almost luminous!

The only downer is that polishes like this are no good for stamping or water marbling. Ah well, someday maybe. 

As for durability, it did great. I was able to wear it for three days before it got noticeably damaged. 

Verdict: Excellent

I feel totally justified for jumping on this one as soon as I saw it at Sally’s. I can’t speak to the chain as a whole, but I find waiting for my local store to get in polishes I want (if they ever do!) is no end of frustrating. I’m glad I don’t have to regret my impulsiveness!

Nail Polish Stress Test: Zoya Thea

I love Zoya’s Pixie Dust textured polishes. The glittery matte finish is gorgeous, and the wear time has been fantastic.  Sadly, Zoya is discontinuing them. They’re declaring the moment is over, time to move on. I grabbed Thea during a sale Zoya had to clear out some of their Pixie inventory. Was this a good idea? Let’s find out!

From the Wishes Holiday 2014 collection, it’s most definitely not like the Pixie Dusts of the past. I would call this a Pixie Dust in name only. It looks like it should be comparable to one of the Magical Pixie Dusts like Arlo, but this doesn’t dry to a matte finish, nor is it textured. Thea is a purple jelly with lots of different sized holographic glitters. You could say this is what you get when you remove the matte texture and leave everything else. There’s nothing intrinsically wrong with this, it’s just that I really liked the texture and I miss it here. 

This polish dried to a somewhat shiny finish. I actually went back to its product page to make sure I wasn’t supposed to top coat this. Sure enough, that’s what it says, so I didn’t. Like most glitters, it's not going to stamp or water marble.

So, how did it hold up?

 Not well at all. It was wrecked in one day. This polish is pretty darn brittle once it’s dried. 

I really wanted it to do better than this. I decided to try again, but this time, I added a coat of Seche Vite on top. In my opinion, it looks better shiny. 

 

This time, it survived two days before it was done in.

 Verdict: This is not a Pixie Dust Good

As long as you use a good top coat, curb your expectations, and only buy it when it’s on sale, this is a solid addition to your polish collection.

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.