I still haven't splurged on another bottle of CND Blackjack, which is my absolute favorite one coat black creme so today I decided to check out my bottle of e.l.f. Black, that I purchased last year off their website during a sale. At only $1 a bottle and with constant sales including a lot of free shipping with orders of x amount (right now it's with orders over $25), this is definitely a much cheaper alternative. But does it work as well? I also have to mention that the bottles are slightly smaller at only 0.35 oz instead of a China Glaze bottle at 0.50 oz.
I used a base coat of Seche Natural, ONE COAT of Black and a top of Seche Vite. I do hate that the bottle top is rectangular so it never lines up properly with the bottle.
In the sun it looks a little streaky. If I was wearing this as its own color (and not a base for something else) I'd probably use at least 2 coats.
In the shade however, the color looks more opaque. As I said, I'm mainly just using this as a base for other colors (sheer ones, glitter or shatters) so it works well for me.
Indoors with the flash and again you can see that the pinkie is a little streaky but really, for a dollar? I'm not really complaining. Currently this and many of their other colors are sold out, but they might be restocking soon?
You can purchase e.l.f. on their website. You can like them on Facebook, follow them on Twitter, be their friend on MySpace and subscribe to their YouTube videos.
Another from the One Less Lonely Girl collection is Make U Smile, a silver mini glitter with larger silver glitter pieces in a clear base. This is best worn over another color but I didn't know that the first time. The larger glitter doesn't like being picked up well by the brush so this is three coats on each nail. My base black is e.l.f. Black (one coat).
I really wish the larger silver glitter would pick up more. Here's a semi-sun (mostly cloudly) pictures.
Haha please ignore the yellow near my index finger... that's mustard. :] (yum)
Not much else to say here. I would pass on this color just because it's hard to pick up the large silver pieces. Not my cup of tea. Removal was easy because it's such a sparse glitter.
Nicole by OPI is available beginning at ULTA, Meijer, Harmon, HEB, Sears, Wal-Mart and more for around $8 a bottle. For more information, visit their website, follow Nicole by OPI on Twitter or become a Facebook fan.
Disclosure: The product[s] in this post was [were] provided to me by the company for consideration. For more information, please read this post.
Moving on down the line with more crackle polish - here is Tarnished Gold from the Metallic Crackles that China Glaze is coming out with this summer. I decided to try it over my existing Nicole by OPI "One Time Lime" manicure. I was going for kind of an antique jade - Egyptian like look and I really think these two colors hit it home for me.
This color cracked pretty well for me with just one thin coat. I like how on the middle finger, it's more broken up and the rings finger is more in shards.
This was an accidental indirect sun picture but I think it looks really lovely as well - the green really peeks out beautifully.
In the shade the gold tends to reflect more light off other items and I almost feel like I have red lobster hands but I think it's just the lighting.
And finally indoors with the flash and you can see how foil-y this polish is. Definitely a fan of gold crackle which is odd since I'm not a fan of gold polish.
Disclosure: The product[s] in this post was [were] provided to me by the company for consideration. For more information, please read this post.
Continuing with the One Less Lonely Girl additions is One Time Lime, a vibrant lime that's "worth your time." I must say, it's definitely a bright green - not a neon, but close to it. I found this formula to be a lot better. I used a base of OPI Natural Nail, 2 coats of One Time Lime and a top of OPI Top Coat.
I think I need to just bite the bullet for the OPI Ridge Filler because do I ever hate my ridges. Disregard the ridges and check out how smooth this color really is.
In the shade you can see a bit of streakiness in my index finger again. I paint my nails from pinkie to index, so I don't know what my problem is.
Okay, now here's the weird thing. Check out how many bald spots you see indoors with the flash? Almost every nail! But it photographs (and wears) so well otherwise... It's like putting your hotel room under a blacklight or something.
So my take on this polish? It's definitely a bright lime green (without being neon) but you may have to put on several coats for full opacity.
Nicole by OPI is available beginning at ULTA, Meijer, Harmon, HEB, Sears, Wal-Mart and more for around $8 a bottle. For more information, visit their website, follow Nicole by OPI on Twitter or become a Facebook fan.
Disclosure: The product[s] in this post was [were] provided to me by the company for consideration. For more information, please read this post.
Going back a step to the Nicole by OPI One Less Lonely Girl additions, which was the line inspired by Justin Bieber songs, today I have My Lifesaver "a soft mint green" creme. There is definitely a lot more blue in this than green, but compared to something like Baby Blue (also in this collection), it's definitely more green.
I used a base coat of OPI Natural Nail, 2 coats of My Lifesaver and a top of OPI Top Coat. I found this polish to be more on the streaky side.
In the sun, it's not nearly as streaky looking and you can see it's more mint colored than the bottle picture looks.
In the shade, you can see the bald spots on the index finger and the thinness in the pinkie fingers.
Indoors with the flash shows again how the index finger is streaky.
I'm iffy on this color. I never got into the whole mint crazy last year, despite owning several mint colors. I think green in general is still my "yikes" color for nails but I'm easing into it!
Nicole by OPI is available beginning at ULTA, Meijer, Harmon, HEB, Sears, Wal-Mart and more for around $8 a bottle. For more information, visit their website, follow Nicole by OPI on Twitter or become a Facebook fan.
Disclosure: The product[s] in this post was [were] provided to me by the company for consideration. For more information, please read this post.
