App Stress Test: Snupps (iOS/Android)

One of the challenges of having a big polish collection is trying to not buy the same thing twice. My memory is quite good, but on occasion, I’ve accidentally bought a dupe or two. I’ve also held off on buying something because I was pretty sure I had something similar. I’m at the point where I need to catalog what I have in some way.

Recently, I heard about the Snupps app, and it sounded like it’d be just what I needed, so I thought I’d give it a try. This review is based on my using the app over the course of a few weeks, to be sure updates and such didn’t change my opinions.

With Snupps, you can take a picture (or use one you already have) of whatever it is you collect, label it, and sort it into different folders the app calls Shelves. You can have an item on more than one Shelf, and there’s plenty of opportunity to get as detailed as you want.

What I Liked:

•  Creating new entries is easy. You can either do this in batches, or one at a time.

•  You can sort entries in batches as well.

• Your entries are not stored on your device, so this won’t eat up big blocks of memory.

•  Snupps has a sharing function, which can be useful. For instance, if you know someone who wants to shop for you, but doesn’t want to buy something you already have, they can double check your collection first.

•  This is a free app that doesn’t have annoying ads all over it.

•  Your collection can be synched across devices.

What I Didn’t Like:

• You need to keep those batches small. I found if I tried to do more than seven at a time, the app would crash and I had to do it over.

• The way you select which Shelf an item is going to can be problematic. You have to tap on the list to access it, then tap the Shelves you want. I found that on occasion, it’d register a double tap, leading to something being shelved where I didn’t want it. I’d like to see an “are you sure?” function added so I don’t have to go and double check what I just did. 

• As your entries are stored in the cloud, you can’t access it if you have no signal or Wi-Fi. I’d like the option to either store everything on my device or store it in the cloud.

•  Autocorrect can be annoying. I would have to reenter names more than once because it doesn’t understand I really meant to type what I did. 

• The app will sign you out when it updates.

Verdict: Good

In spite of its annoyances, Snupps is a useful app. Once I got the bulk of my stash Shelved, I found adding more polishes as I bought them to be pretty easy. I think this is useful for someone who is starting to accumulate, but could be frustrating for someone starting off with a big collection. 

https://www.snupps.com/

Nail Polish Stress Test: Forever 21 Blue Jewel

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. I love textured polishes. I love their ease of use and generally superior durability, so when my nail polish BFF sent me Blue Jewel, I was excited to try it out. Textured and my favorite color? Yessss! *fist pump*

Blue Jewel is one of those polishes that begs to be worn in the sun. Even though I hate that round shiny thing in the sky (it BURNS!), I had to get a shot of it in daylight so you can see how gorgeous it really is. It’s got an iridescent quality to it that just isn’t done justice otherwise. 

It went on in three coats, no problem. I just made sure to let it dry in between coats. It’s not coarse like some textured polishes at all. If you really wanted to make it shiny, you could probably do it without much trouble. I did not use any top coat with this.

Obviously you can’t stamp with this, and I don’t bother with water marbling this kind of polish.

So, how did it hold up?

This didn’t last as long as I expected. It was pretty banged up after one day, but not dramatically so.  It wouldn’t be a big deal to touch up the damage. 

 Verdict: Good

Compared to others of its kind this isn’t the best in class. However, if you like textured polishes but hate the removal this is still a good choice. I’m looking forward to getting plenty of use out of this one.

Nail Polish Stress Test: Cover Girl #LaserLight

I was cruising the polish section of my local Rite Aid looking for polish bargains when I came across some Cover Girl polishes on clearance. I’ve never tried this line, so I picked up a couple to test drive. One of them is #LaserLight from their Glowing Nights series. It was only $.94, how could I resist?

#LaserLight is an inky black jelly. I’m not sure how this polish got its name. Glowing? This color? Nuh-uh!

It went on easily, taking three coats for full coverage. I used three coats with the usual layer of Seche Vite on top to make everything nice and glossy.

I didn’t have any luck water marbling with this, but it does stamp. Its inky quality gives the stamped design a nice effect. If I’d been thinking, I would have used this for a text design. Next time!

So how did it hold up?

I was impressed with how it did, especially since it’s a dark color. It went a solid three days before it was done in.

Verdict: Excellent

Ignoring the silly name, (seriously, who names a black polish #LaserLight?), this is a good find, especially for the price!

Pausing to say thank you.

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Nail Polish Stress Test: Revlon Gel Envy All In

Ahhh, wannabe gel polishes. I want to believe in them so much, but every one I’ve tried so far has been loser polish. I keep trying them, because I keep hoping one of them will actually work! That brings me to today’s polish, All In, from Revlon’s Gel Envy line.

All In, is a dark gray base with a strong blue shimmer. It looks like it should be a duochrome, but it isn’t. I used two coats here with the Gel Envy topcoat over that. It dried fairly quickly, no issues there. If anything, I found it was easier to apply than traditional polish.

I did try stamping and watermarbling with it. Watermarbling was a fail; it dries too quickly. It’s too sheer for stamping. The results just aren’t worth it.

The really important question is how well did it hold up?

To my supreme disappointment, it didn’t. Once again, I had tip wear on the first day that can’t be ignored. *sigh* To be fair, this is the least damage one of these wannabe gel polishes has suffered on me, but this doesn't say long wearing to me.

Verdict: Loser Polish

Once again, a polish that claims to last up to seven days fails to last even one. I guess this is another one for Team Office Job. At least I didn’t pay much for it. I grabbed it during a rare 40% off Revlon sale at Rite Aid. At least that eases the pain of my disappointment. 

Nail Product Stress Test: Sinful Colors Henna I Do Nail Wraps

Continuing on my nail wrap journey, I came across this set from the Sinful Colors Bombay Nights display for $2.99. As of this writing, it’s still available in Rite Aid and Walgreen’s.

I honestly wasn’t sure how to use these. The directions on the package said how to apply them, but I was unsure how these would look on bare nails. Was this supposed to be like a negative space manicure? I debated for a bit and decided to put them on my nails straight. Nail wraps traditionally don’t go over polish, right?

The designs themselves are pretty, and have a little bit of sparkle in them. I was hopeful when I applied them, but when I was done, I got……..

…that.

These look awful.  Application was difficult. These things wrinkle like crazy for one thing. No matter what I tried, I couldn’t avoid it. The fact that the wraps are clear helps make it less noticeable, but I know this looked bad. Then there’s the design. It’s not nearly dark enough so it looks…..well…..like crap. There’s no way anyone with a darker skin tone could wear these on their own.

Then there’s the matter of trimming them at the end. I tried using a file left over from the Essie wraps, a nail file, my buffer, it didn’t matter. I ended up with horrible looking ragged edges.

They reminded me of Essie’s wraps in that it feels like I coated my nails in a heavy layer of glue. At this point, I really didn’t like how they looked or felt on my nails. I was thiiiiiiiiis close to taking them off, but I figured I’d wear them to work and see how they held up.

The fact that they’re mostly clear helps, but the tips got pretty messed up by the end of the day. Granted, they had a head start, but this was total fail.

Just for science, I thought I’d try using a couple of the leftover wraps over some neutral polish. This is more like it. You can actually SEE the design, but application is still a problem. I found there was no way to reposition the wrap if I wasn’t happy with how it looked. They seemed to stick to the polish somewhat, and when I peeled it off afterwards, the wrap lost its adhesion. Basically, if you can’t nail it the first try, it’s not happening.

Using the wraps over polish had no bearing on their durability, they still got messed up after one day. If you do decide to buy these, using them over polish is definitely the way to go. 

Verdict: Loser polish

This is a great concept, but the execution leaves a lot to be desired. Don’t buy this. For $3 you could get three bottles of their polish instead. 

Nail Polish Stress Test: Claire’s Money Bags

Last year I tried Sally Hansen Color Foils nail makeup. Color Fail would have been a better name. They sucked at everything except water marbling Christmas ornaments. I still haven’t given up on the concept though, so when I found the Liquid Metal polishes at Claire’s, I figured I’d give it a go. Was that a bad idea? Let’s find out!

Money Bags is a terrific minty metallic green. It seems very similar to the Color Foil polishes in that it comes in an opaque bottle and has the same chrome finish. However, unlike the Sally Hansen polishes, it doesn’t say anything about not using base or top coats. The formula is more like traditional polishes and dries in the same amount of time as the average lacquer. I strongly recommend using a base coat or buffing your nails before you use this as it’s going to highlight any ridges you have on your nails. I buffed mine a couple times before I was ready to take pics with this stuff on. Spoiler alert: This polish will stain too.

I used two coats with one coat of Seche Vite on top. Since this polish was so similar to the Color Foils, I strongly suspected it wasn’t going to hold up well, so I decided to try this one out on a weekend as well. 

 

The very best thing about this polish is that it stamps beautifully and reliably. It has yet to fail me in this regard. It will watermarble, but care has to be taken with what polish you pair this up with. Money Bags spreads out a lot. I’d pair this with polish that spreads out just as much or you’re going to end up with goopy results. 

 

So, was I right to test this on a weekend?

Yep! It got wrecked by the end of the day. I’d even made sure to do all my housework and cleaning before I put it on! I guess this breed just isn’t very hardy.

 Verdict: Party Polish

If you’re not into nail art, I wouldn’t bother with this. If you’re into stamping, you need this polish, and the other colors in the series; they all work the same way. They’re a decent price at their regular price of $5.50. I’ve found them on sale more than once at $2. That’s awesome for stamping polish! Honestly, I wish they’d make these in a few more colors. I’d totally buy them!