Holo-Fest! Part I

We have been hit with so much rain in New York for the past couple of weeks.  So, when the sun emerged yesterday with a forecast of rays all day, I snatched up my camera and polishes and did some swatching for you.  Viola – here are the holographic nail polishes I have in my collection.

I’ll kick off this post with the Milani 3D Holographic Collection.  It has been available for awhile, but for some reason I couldn’t find these locally til a couple of months ago.  Anyway, I’m so glad I scooped up all 6 because they are gorgeous!  Unlike some holos, these went on like a dream, with no dragging or splotchiness.  I didn’t use any special basecoat – just my usual Essie Millionails.  These dry very shiny, as well – you don’t need a topcoat to get that glossy look.  On to the swatches!

HD is a bright, clear silver.

3D is a warm golden holo.

Hi-Tech is a crazy gorgeous yellow-green.  I love how there are both color particles in this one in addition to the holographic.  Since it’s such a chameleon I had a hard time capturing the color with my camera.

 

Cyberspace is a blue holo that looks baby blue or blue gray, depending on the light. This one is extra spectacular in the sun!

Digital is a cool-toned medium pink.

Hi-Res is a lilac purple with tons of holo goodness.  It’s such a stunner that I thought it deserved an extra photo.

What a rainbow!

All of these are two coats except for HD (the silver), which was not as opaque as the others, for some reason.  I’m really glad Milani dipped their toes into the holographic nail polish stream (ooh, that sounds refreshing, can I go?).  These manage to be chock-full of chunky holo particles while giving off a linear shine and drying smooth and glossy on the nail.  They also look fantastic both in low/indoor light and bright sunlight.  My absolute faves are Hi-Res (purple), Cyberspace (blue), and Hi-Tech (green).  Get your paws on these polishes for $5.99 apiece at CVS.

How do you think these compare to some of the other holographic nail polishes – OPI DS, Color Club, etc?

Watch for Part II of Holo-Fest, coming soon!

 

~ Allison ~

 

OPI Miss Universe Review – Crown Me Already!

Crown Me Already!, my third pick from OPI’s Miss Universe collaboration, is a bright silver glitter.  There is very fine “glitter dust” as well as larger sized hexes mixed in.  It’s like having discoballs on your nails!

Here’s how it looks layered over It’s MY Year, which I reviewed two entries back.

My middle finger has only two coats of “Crown Me Already” on a bare nail.  While the density of the glitter builds up with each layer, you will still have some bare spots because the polish body is clear.  This is a fun polish for layering thinly on top of other colors or layering on its own for super discoball sparkly goodness.

 

~ Allison ~

It’s MY Year Review from the OPI Miss Universe Collection

I am so excited!  I dropped into Ricky’s today on my lunch break and the first thing I saw was the brand new OPI collection for August – a collaboration with Miss Universe.  The girl working there informed me that they had just come in yesterday.   Squee!  The polishes are sassy and fun, and I ended up taking three of the four home.

And you know that I started swatching immediately.  See my #1 polish pick from this collection after the jump.

Read more