Sinful Colors Comparisons pt 1

Sinful Colors Mad About Hue vs Chanel Rodeo Drive

pinky and middle                            pointer and ring

Based on the first coats alone, Sinful Colors seems much more opaque. The chanel also has fine silver shimmer running though it that is very apparent on the first coat, giving it an almost frosted appearance.
Very similar in terms of base color but the Chanel seems almost dulled due to the shimmer. Sinful Colors has a more opaque formula, requiring 3 coats while Chanel needed 4. These are similar, but clearly not dupes. As much as it pains me to say, I think I prefer the Sinful Colors…

Sinful Colors Baby Blues vs OPI Don't Be Such A Budapest

pinky and middle                          pointer and ring

From the first coat, both polishes are very sheer but the OPI formula is far less streaky. It took 3 coats of OPI, 4 coats of sinful colors to reach matching opacity. Both polishes have the same very faint silver glass flecks. While these aren't prefect dupes, I'd say you don't need both. SC is slightly lighter/creamier/white based while OPI has more of a gray undertone.

Sinful Colors Violets Are Blue vs Essie Rock The Boat

pink and middle                             pointer and ring

These are much more similar in the bottle than on the nail, outside of being pastel glass fleck polishes, I would say they are totally not dupes. SC is much more periwinkle toned and has more/bigger glass flecks. Essie is much lighter and more true pale blue, without the purple undertones. The e\Essie glass fleck is much more subtle. Formula wise, i prefer the sinful colors, it is much more opaque, but color wise I prefer the Essie. For matching opacity it took 3 coats of Sinful Colors and 4 coats of Essie.

Sinful Colors Pink Poppys vs China Glaze Fuchsia Fanatic

pinky middle                             pointer ring

These polishes are both so bright they totally freaked out my camera, so apologies for the terrible photo quality.  Clearly these are not dupes, in terms of formula the China Glaze is a pure cream polish while the Sinful Colors has a pearlized shimmer and is slightly lighter. While both have pretty great formulas, I can't stand the shimmer in the Sinful Colors polish (not to mention the glaringly awful spelling/grammar in the polish name), but that is a personal preference. If you are a pink lover I say you need this polish.

I'll be back with part 2 of the comparisons tomorrow. If there are any other color comparisons you want please let me know and I'll swatch what I can.

Stay Sparkly,

A

Sinful Colors Mod In Bloom Collection

This is the first collection that I've ever bought every single polish from!! I was so excited when I first saw pictures of this on Nouveau Cheap and proceeded to stalk a few different stores until I found it! I think the cashier thought I was crazy coming up to the counter with 8 polishes in my hands… but it was so worth it!

When I grabbed these I assumed they were all creams… from looking at them more closely I see that is not the case.

Pink Poppys (this name, gag!!)

3 thin coats. Bright magenta with a subtle silvery/pearl shimmer. The shimmer is much more noticeable on the nail that I thought it would be. Formula is more thin/sheer than I expected. The first coat looked very dull and almost frosty, but each additional coat brightened the base color and subdued the shimmer.  Good formula, but I just don't love the color or the finish.

Cream Soda

Pale melony-orange with a subtle flecked shimmer (see second picture for a glimpse of the shimmer), similar to the shimmer Essie is so known for. The first coat was very sheer but with 3 coats it was creamy and opaque. Thin but not difficult to manage formula. Pulls very pinky/peach on me, a surprise love for me.

Daisy Daze

A pale buttery yellow cream. 3 thin coats. really amazing formula considering its a pale crelly yellow polish.  Also, a surprise favorite for me. I initially wasn't going to get this one, but i'm really glad i did.  Very much a white based yellow which makes it more flattering on my skin tone.  I can see myself using this for some great spring/easter nail art.

Nice Stems

3 thin coats.  Pale minty green with an extremely subtle/hidden silver shimmer that pulls very blue on me.  Pretty opaque formula for this collection, but i do extremely thin coats so it needed 3.  Formula isn't the best, for such a "me" color (that I probably have 5 dupes for) I had higher hopes.  That being said, I've actually already worn this as a full manicure, can't say no to this color.

Bright Lucite

3 coats. Pale baby blue creme. Potentially a dupe for the ever elusive OPI Whats With The Cattitude, which unfortunately I don't own so I can't compare the two. The first coat was sheer and pretty streaky, the formula as a whole isn't ideal, its pretty thick and doesn't self level well.  But I love this color so much that its worth it to me.

Violets Are Blue

3 thin coats. Light periwinkle blue shade chock full or silvery glass flecks. I love the color, but for my personal preferences I wish it was a cream. I just don't love the look of this many glass flecks, but for the formula alone I say get this. this has a totally perfect formula though, thin but amazingly manageable. the polish stays exactly where you put it, self levels beautifully and just builds to opacity perfectly.

Baby Blues

3 coats. A light purple shade (contrary to the name) with the a very subtle glass fleck. Thin, easy formula.  Very subtle and pretty, a great shade for spring.  Another favorite for me.

Mad About Hue

3 coats. A bright red based lavender cream, radiant orchid aka pantone color of 2014 for sure. Really good formula, but unfortunately these red based purples are just not flattering on me.  This will definitely be good for nail art so I'm really glad to have this shade in my collection.

I'll be doing a comparison post for these shades. Please leave any comparison ideas/requests in the comments :)

Stay Sparkly,
A

Saturday Spam- Valentines Edition

And I'm back again! This time I hope it sticks. I have posts already prepped…. now if only I could figure out how to schedule them haha :)

Hope you all had a great Valentines Day!

Here are a few of my favorite pink polishes. I am a huge fan of pink polish in theory, I'm always drawn to them… but I don't actually enjoy wearing them that much… Quite the conundrum :)

Anyways, how can I celebrate valentines day without embracing pink for a little bit!

OPI Mod About You

3 thin coats. milky pale pink

China Glaze Dance Baby

3 thin coats. blue based bubble gum pink 

OPI Suzi's Hungary Again

2 coats. a medium, bright pink with a subtle shimmer

Chanel Tapage

2 coats. could be a 1 coater with more careful application. rich, creamy bright red based pink. 

OPI Love Is A Racket

2 coats. amazing lit from within formula. a warm pinky-red with golden toned glass flecks 

Zoya Blaze

3 coats. squishy raspberry jelly filled with holo flecks. 

If you would like a more in depth review of any of these polishes, let me know.

Will you be wearing pink polish for Valentine's Day?

I'd love to know your favorite pinks :)

Stay Sparkly,

A

I'm Back! Hopefully...

Sorry for disappearing for so long. I lost my blogging mojo and then I lost my nail painting mojo. I had China Glaze Liquid Leather nails for like a month because I had no motivation or inspiration to do much else.  I'm loving my halloween nails, which you saw yesterday, and hopeful that this will kick start my nail painting and blogging.  I'm also going to be attempting a nail art challenge for November, #nailartnov on Instagram.

Here are some manis that I've done the past few months.. If you follow me on Instagram (@sparkleandpolish) then you have already seen these.

China Glaze White On White and Liquid Leather

OPI Nein, Nein, Nein, Ok, Fine. Skull and Glossbones, Jade Is The New Black and Gargantuan Green Grape. 

OPI Don't Touch My Tutu, China Glaze Glistening Snow and Techno

Essie Cashmere Bathrobe, OPI Don't Be Such A Budapest and My Boyfriend Scales Walls

China Glaze Turned Up Turquoise and Angel Wings

China Glaze Glistening Snow, OPI Vant To Bite My Neck and a purple franken

China Glaze Tongue and Chic and Revlon Elusive. 

Thanks for sticking around! 

Stay Sparkly,

A

Halloween Nails

I love Halloween, it has always been one of my favorite holidays. My nails always had to match my costume... or costumes. But this year, as I am not dressing up, I did more generic Halloween nails.

These are my actual day of Halloween nails, I am wearing them as I type this.

Pinky, pointer and thumb are a base of OPI Don't Be Such A Budapest with a dot of OPI My Boyfriend Scales Walls and China Glaze Liquid Leather.

Ring finger is a base of Don't Be Such A Budapest with little skulls done in My Boyfriend Scales Walls with Liquid Leather eyes.

Middle finger is a gradient of My Boyfriend Scales Walls and Don't Be Such A Budapest with Maybelline Clearly Spotted.

This next mani I actually wore a week ago when I went to Disneyland! Disneyland is all decked out for halloween, so I knew my nails should fit the theme as well. I've seen a ton of Jack Skellington nails on Instagram lately, but I added a little Disney touch to mine. 

Thumb, pointer and pinky finger- a gradient of OPI Vodka and Caviar, China Glaze Prey Tell, Liquid Leather and Lubu Heels

Middle finger- China Glaze Liquid Leather and White on White

Ring finger- China Glaze Liquid Leather, Haunting and Tinsel Town with OPI Crown Me Already

Happy Halloween! 

A

Evolution of a Manicure

This is the evolution of a manicure. Sometimes I try different manicures and techniques inspired by fellow blogger/IG nail ladies. They don't always work out as planned... but thats the joy of nail polish, its quite easy to fix :)

I did these manis a while ago and just never got around to posting them here... I've been an awful blogger, I'm trying to get back in the swing of things, but it is an uphill battle honestly.  To those who are still following me even though I fail at posting lately, I thank you <3

First I tried the new trend, a hairspray marble, inspired by @amkush15

 As much as I liked the idea of a hairspray marble, but I didn't pick the right colors so I decided to try a different accent nail.

This time I followed @sabrinasnails bow tutorial as an accent. This I loved, but I thought the rest of the mani made it look too busy... so that lead to further evolution.

This is the manicure I settled on to wear. The bow looked much better in person, photography is showcasing all of the imperfections of my handiwork.

Polishes used:

China Glaze Turned Up Turquoise (neon)

China Glaze For Audrey

OPI My Boyfriend Scales Walls

Hope you enjoyed this post, sorry its so crazy long. If you stuck with my this far, thank you :)

Stay Sparkly,

A

Lush Lacquer Freckles

Here is the other polish I purchased from Lush Lacquer- Freckles. It is a neon matte glitter- similar to Clowning Around but with smaller glitter pieces. There are fuschia, orange, teal, lime and berry toned glitter, but what I love about this polish is that the glitters are relatively sheer so they layer over each other and make new colors. I layered this glitter over China Glaze White On White and paired it with China Glaze Highlight Of My Summer.
Picture 1- with flash to show the brightness of Highlight Of My Summer

Picture 2- in natural light

I love this! And more than that, my mom loved it! She is not on board with most of my manicures, but she absolutely loved Freckles. She kept commenting on it while we were shopping and at lunch the day I wore this.  All afternoon she just kept saying how much she loved it.  I don't know about you guys, but I really like when people notice my nails, especially when they are saying lots of great things about a mani that you put time and effort into :)

Stay Sparkly,

A