Stash Swatch Initiative: China Glaze Flip Flop Fantasy

Hello!

Today I have a gorgeous neon for you to see! This is China Glaze Flip Flop Fantasy!

Flip Flop Fantasy is a crazy light (pastel?) orange/coral (melon?) neon polish. It is hard to describe and even harder to photograph, so keep that in mind...

China Glaze Flip Flop Fantasy. Indoors, artificial light, no flash.

Swatches today started with one coat of Sinful Colors Base coat. Then I used three coats of Flip Flop Fantasy, and finished that with one coat of NYC In New York Minute. This polish is far more opaque than I expected, so there is no need to use a white base coat. However, the first coat goes on streaky. Patience is needed during application because it will bald and drag. I've heard that this polish has been reformulated and is different from the original version. I think I have the latest rendition, because I picked it up recently from the re-promote display of the collection.

China Glaze Flip Flop Fantasy. Indoors, artificial light, no flash.

This is really bright, and it tweaked my camera out for pretty much every shot. This deep shade capture is the best I got. The rest of my lightbox pictures are too washed out.

China Glaze Flip Flop Fantasy. Indoors, artificial light, no flash.

I purchased my bottle recently from Sally Beauty. It's a unique and welcome addition to my collection.

China Glaze Flip Flop Fantasy. Indoors, artificial light, no flash.

More soon! ^_^

Stash Swatch Initiative: Sinful Colors Cream Pink

Hello!

Today I have one of the first polishes I remember buying from what is now my current stash... way back when the addiction was just beginning. This is Sinful Colors Cream Pink.

Sinful Colors Cream Pink. Indoors, artificial light, no flash.

Cream Pink isn't even a creme. It's a neon pink polish that has a fine, barely-there orange shimmer.

Sinful Colors Cream Pink. Indoors, artificial light, no flash.

Swatches today are a base coat of Duri Rejuvacote, one coat of Sinful Colors Nail Hardener, two coats of Cream Pink, and one coat of Seche Vite. This has a perfect formula. It applies easily and is nearly a one-coater. As with most neons, it dries slightly matte, and a coat of topcoat makes this beauty pop.

Sinful Colors Cream Pink. Indoors, artificial light, no flash.

I love this polish. I know I picked up a few years ago, during the summer, at Walgreens. I have seen a polish with the same name in the Sinful Colors display recently, but it looks different than the one I have -- more pastel and truly a creme, I think. I haven't bought that one yet to compare, so I'm not sure if the current "Cream Pink" is the same polish. Next time I'm there I'll have to see if it has the "152" on the label... I'll cherish this bottle of mine! [Edited to add: So I checked the bottles at Walgreens -- they still have "Cream Pink 152" on the shelves, but it is definitely a different polish. I actually saw two different versions besides the one I have in the display. The versions out now are not neon pink -- more of a carnation pink. I saw one that definitely had the orange shimmer and one that I think was simply a creme. Bummer! Since I adore the neon pink version best! But perhaps my bottle is mislabeled and this polish is something else?]

Sinful Colors Cream Pink. Indoors, artificial light, no flash.

More soon! ^_^

Stash Swatch Initiative: Model's Own Pink Punch

Hello!

I have a neon to liven up your Monday! This is Model's Own Pink Punch!

Pink Punch is a super bright, neon coral. It is fabulous!

Model's Own Pink Punch. Indoors artificial light, no flash.

Swatches today are a base coat of Seche Clear two coats of Pink Punch, and one coat of NYC In a New York Minute. The formula on this polish is great. It is super smooth, has good opacity, and is easy to apply. It even dries glossy... a neon that dries glossy? Whoa. How? Perhaps I did not wait long enough for it to dry fully?

Model's Own Pink Punch. Indoors, artificial light, no flash.

Overall this is a fantastic neon polish. It's super bright, the formula is awesome, and it looks great both glossy and matte (coming soon)! I purchased this recently on clearance at Llarowe. It looks like they're gone from that site, but several e-tailers carry this brand.

Model's Own Pink Punch. Indoors, artificial light, no flash.

More soon! ^_^

Stash Swatch Initiative: Lush Lacquer TGIF

Hello!

Allow me to introduce Lush Lacquer's TGIF!

Lush Lacquer TGIF. Indoors, artificial light, no flash.

TGIF is a neon glitter topper with black and white accent glitter. I see small, medium and large hex glitters in neon orange, pink, purple, and blue. There are also short black and white bars, black rectangles, along with tiny white squares. The neon glitters are translucent, which makes this polish really interesting on the nail.

Lush Lacquer TGIF. Indoors, artificial light, no flash.

Swatches today are two swiped on coats of TGIF over yesterday's Zoya Trixie swatch. I finished this off with one coat of Gelous, then one of NYC In a New York Minute. This polish was pretty easy to work with -- it swiped on easily with only minimal manipulation of the larger glitters.

Lush Lacquer TGIF. Indoors, artificial light, no flash.

I purchased this bottle from Lush Lacquer's store. Right now, it looks like they're having some technical difficulties, so their Facebook page might be the best place to keep an eye out for updates and available polishes.

Lush Lacquer TGIF. Indoors, artificial light, no flash.

More soon! ^_^

Stash Swatch Initiative: China Glaze Sun-Kissed

Hello!

I have yet another neon polish from last year's China Glaze Summer Neons Collection. This one is Sun-kissed.

China Glaze Sun-kissed. Indoors, artificial light, no flash.

Sun-kissed is a super neon yellow with a matching shimmer. This yellow leans a little green, and it is eye-searingly bright! Unfortunately, I chose to wear this one when the sun was hiding, so no direct sunlight shots to show. On second thought, that might have been a blessing in disguise because I'm not sure my camera would've handled it anyway!

China Glaze Sun-kissed. Indoors, artificial light, no flash.

Swatches today are a base of Seche Clear, three coats of Sun-kissed, and one coat of NYC In a New York Minute. Formula on this is pretty good. It dries fast, and it does dry matte. No issues to report.

China Glaze Sun-kissed. Indoors, artificial light, with flash.

I can't recall where I purchased this bottle from, however, it was likely Sally's. Sally's won't have this one in stock anymore, but head on over to Head2Toe Beauty because they still have it available along with the rest of this collection!

China Glaze Sun-kissed. Indoors, artificial light, no flash.

More soon! ^_^

NOTW: Searing Pink Skittles

Hello and happy Friday!

Indoors, artificial light, with flash.

I did a simple skittle mani using yesterday's China Glaze Pool Party swatch for my base color. I didn't want to cover up much of the crazy brightness, so I only added a few touches of black. I stamped the star from Bundle Monster plate, BM-05 in Konad Special Polish Black onto my ring finger and thumb and topped that with a quick coat of NYC In a New York Minute. I then added a few star chits from a nail art wheel to my middle finger, securing those with the NYC topcoat as well. I love the deep contrast between the searing neon and the black.

Enjoy the weekend! More soon! ^_^

Stash Swatch Initiative: China Glaze Pool Party

Hello!

Today I am excited to show you one of my favorite pink polishes! It's a really great match for the sweltering heat we have today. This is China Glaze Pool Party!

China Glaze Pool Party. Indoors, artificial light, no flash.

Pool Party is a searing neon pink, that leans a little orange. It is super bright, and I wear this on my toes all summer. It really stands out. This is the first time I've had it on my fingers, and I think it is even more awesome now!

China Glaze Pool Party. Indoors, artificial light, no flash.

Swatches today started with a base coat of Duri Rejuvacote, two coats of Milani White on the Spot topped with Seche Vite, then two coats of Pool Party, and one final coat of Seche Vite. The formula on this is nice. It glides on smoothly, and it dries matte, as neons normally do. The only thing of note here is that there is some sheerness to this, so an unevenness during application will stand out (especially in the sunlight!). I chose to layer it over white to really make the brightness pop.

China Glaze Pool Party. Outdoors, direct sunlight, no flash.

I'm not too happy with these pictures as far as color accuracy goes. This is much brighter and more orange leaning than my new light box set up would lead you to believe. The outdoors shot is actually a little closer to true, but it is still not completely right.

China Glaze Pool Party. Indoors, artificial light, no flash.

I'm pretty sure this polish has moved into their core line because I found it in the normal China Glaze display at Sally's not too long ago.

More soon! ^_^

Stash Swatch Initiative: Lush Lacquer Glowsticks

Hello!

I've got my first Lush Lacquer on tap today! This is Lush Lacquer's Glowsticks.

Lush Lacquer Glowsticks. Indoors, artificial light, no flash.

Glowsticks is a fun neon glitter topper in a clear base. Yes, I said: Neon. Glitter. Neonglitter!!!!!!!!!!!!! I love this! It's great for summer -- so bright, happy, and cheery. While wearing this, I got more than one compliment on it, and everyone thought it looked like a splatter mani, which it really does! Splatter mani in a bottle! It's great!

Lush Lacquer Glowsticks. Indoors, artificial light, no flash.

Swatches today are a base coat of Duri Rejuvacote, two coats of Orly Au Champagne, one slightly dabbled coat of Glowsticks, and two coats of Seche Vite. Formula is fine on this, I can't remember having any difficulties. The glitters are so thin that they are transparent, which I think is awesome. I thought that would make them easy to remove, but not so much. Removal was just as difficult as with regular, metallic glitters.

Lush Lacquer Glowsticks. Outdoors, natural light, no flash. This was the week of nothing but clouds and storms, so this picture was the best I could do for 'sunlight'. Blah!

As far as glitter sizes and shapes, I see: small, medium, and extra large pink hexes; medium and extra large yellow hexes; small, medium, and extra large blue hexes; and small, short, blue bars. I love this mix of color!

I bought my bottle from Lush Lacquer's Etsy store, here. They've also got Facebook! Check them out!

Lush Lacquer Glowsticks. Indoors, artificial light, no flash.

More soon! ^_^

Stash Swatch Initiative: China Glaze Orange You Hot?

Hello!

China Glaze Orange You Hot? Indoors, artificial light, no flash.

My recent Head2Toe Beauty haul included this year-long lemming from China Glaze, Orange You Hot? This was released last summer in the 2012 Summer Neons collection.

China Glaze Orange You Hot? Indoors, artificial light, no flash.

Orange You Hot? is a perfectly summery neon orange with orange shimmer. It isn't as searingly neon as I had hoped for, but it is still fun!

China Glaze Orange You Hot? Outdoors, sunlight, no flash.

Swatches today are a base coat of Seche Clear, three coats of Orange You Hot?, and one coat of NYC In a New York Minute. Formula is easy to apply -- no issues here!

China Glaze Orange You Hot? Indoors, artificial light, no flash.

More soon! ^_^

Stash Swatch Initiative: China Glaze Blue Sparrow

Hello!

China Glaze Blue Sparrow. Indoors, artificial light, no flash.

This is China Glaze Blue Sparrow from 2008's Ink Collection. It's labeled as a neon by China Glaze, and it dries matte (and gritty!). I found my bottle not too long ago at Sally's, so it's still easy to get your hands on.

China Glaze Blue Sparrow. Indoors, artificial light, no flash.

Swatches today are a base of Seche Clear, three coats of Blue Sparrow, and one coat of NYC In a New York Minute. This polish has the weirdest formula I have ever come across. It's thin, streaky, and gritty. You need to patient with it. Build it up using three or four coats, and give it some dry time in between. It dries matte and gritty, so a thick layer of topcoat will be needed to transform a nightmare into something wonderful.

China Glaze Blue Sparrow. Outdoors, sunlight, no flash.

The cobalt blue is really lovely, and the bright blue shimmer/micro glitter is stunning. I bought this without doing any research, so I was unprepared for the crazy formula. It's not unwieldy, just requires a bit of patience. I think it's worth the effort!

China Glaze Blue Sparrow. Indoors, artificial light, no flash.

More soon! ^_^

Stash Swatch Initiative: China Glaze Flirty Tankini

Hi there! I still have polishes from collections released last year to swatch... my little stash has grown so much! Today China Glaze Flirty Tankini is up from the Summer Neons collection from last summer.

China Glaze Flirty Tankini. Indoors, artificial light, no flash.

Flirty Tankini is a cute, neon coral with matching shimmer. The color is gorgeous, evoking thoughts of sunsets and umbrella drinks. This was really flattering on me, and I enjoyed wearing it.

China Glaze Flirty Tankini. Outdoors, sunlight, no flash.

Swatches today are a base of Seche Clear, two coats of Flirty Tankini, and one coat of Seche Vite. The formula is nice and easy to work with. As with most neon polishes, this dries matte, so a nice glossy topcoat is needed. My only complaint about this polish is that it stains. I wore this for about 12 hours and my nails were stained a bit once I took it off. :[

China Glaze Flirty Tankini. Indoors, artificial light, no flash.

This one was hard for my camera or my photography skills to capture. I ended up using flash in a completely dark room to get this one.

China Glaze Flirty Tankini. Indoors, dark room, flash only.

Head2Toe Beauty still has this one for sale, which is where I think I got this bottle.. .hmm... It's been so long, I can't quite remember!

China Glaze Flirty Tankini. Indoors, artificial light, no flash.

More soon!! ^_^

Stash Swatch Initiative: Naild'it Vegas Sands

Hello again!

Naild-It Vegas Sands. Indoors, artificial light, no flash. My camera made the blue too dark here.

This polish was a pretty big lemming of mine until recently. This is my first Naild'it polish and it is Vegas Sands!

Naild-It Vegas Sands. Indoors, artificial light, with flash. This one is more color accurate than the first.

This is a glitter bomb of micro yellow and blue matte hex glitters with some small pink shiny glitters mixed in there, all in a clear base. This is super densely packed--I used three coats of Vegas Sands with no base for swatches today, topped with a coat of Seche Vite and two coats of NYC In a New York Minute Fastdry Topcoat.

Naild-It Vegas Sands. Indoors, artificial light, no flash. Love this mix of glitter!

The formula on this is easy to work with. The glitter stays put, and I did not experience any balding or patchiness when applying additional coats. The three coats I used to get this opaque did build up a lot on the nail, so I'd layer this in the future. Maybe over something like Zoya Robyn? It took a lot of topcoat to get it smooth, but that's to be expected with so much glitter! There's a lot of surface area to cover!

Naild-It Vegas Sands. Outdoors, natural light, no flash. Cloudy day, unfortunately, bet this would be even more awesome in the sun!

I was so excited when this came. I ordered through llarowe. I am not disappointed. The Polish Hoochie, who is one of those bloggers I look up to because she rocks, has a FABULOUS comparison of Vegas Sands with other similar polishes. This was super helpful for me, because I knew I wanted something like this, but I wasn't sure which one was for me. That one swatch comparison photo made up my mind! Check it out over here!

Naild-It Vegas Sands. Indoors, artificial light, with flash.

More soon! ^_^

Stash Swatch Initiative: China Glaze Beach Cruise-r

Hello again!!

China Glaze Beach Cruise-r. Indoors, artificial light, no flash.

 Another short swatch post from days gone by!

China Glaze Beach Cruise-r. Indoors, artificial light, no flash.

This is China Glaze Beach Cruise-r from the Summer Neons Collection. This is a pretty, bright pinky-purple neon with matching shimmer. Swatches today are two coats of Beach Cruise-r with NYC's In A New York Minute Fast Dry Topcoat. Formula on this was really good; I didn't have any issues.

China Glaze Beach Cruise-r. Indoors, artificial light, no flash.

More soon!! ^_^

Stash Swatch Initiative: Zoya Charisma

Hello again!!

Zoya Charisma. Indoors, artificial light, no flash.

To start off Zoya Month here at NeverWithoutPolish we have the lovely Charisma!

Zoya Charisma. Indoors, artificial light, no flash.

Charisma is a bright, happy purple from the Classics Collection. This dries a little bit matte and a bit darker than the bottle color.

Zoya Charisma. Outdoors, sunlight, no flash.

Swatches today are one coat of Sinful Colors Nail Hardening Base, three coats of Charisma, and one of Orly Sec n' Dry topcoat. The first coat of this was a little streaky, but no issues to report aside from that.

Zoya is one of my favorite brands. They make polish that consistently has great formulas, they have interesting colors, and a huge selection. I purchased this bottle from Ulta, but I usually buy directly from Zoya's website. They offer a lot of great deals, especially if you're plugged into their social networking, so like them on Facebook! They also offer deals to their existing customers (those who have an account set up at their website) on occasion. If you don't have an account and want one, you're welcome to use this link to make a new account. It's my "Share the Love" link, which if you do sign up by using it, I'll get points to use towards more deals on polish and, as a first time customer, you'll get a free bottle of polish when you order! Awesome! Check out the details about the program directly here: Zoya: Share the Love.

Zoya Charisma. Indoors, artificial light, no flash.

I'm away on vacation, but my blog is not! I might not be able to respond to comments or emails right away, but posts will continue! So... More soon!!! ^_^