Spotted! New Sinful Colors Leather Luxe Collection at Walgreens

Today while dropping by Walgreens I saw a new display from Sinful Colors! They are calling it their Leather and Luxe collection and all I can think of is: FINALLY! It has been so long since SC has come out with anything new so I am so glad to see them stepping up again.

On the display the model has "smoke & flames" on her nails, and if you look down at the second picture in this post, you will  see directions on how to "Get the Look".
One of the Walgreens workers was stressing to me that I HAD to use the SC top coat or it would not work. I mean REALLY stressing this point.

She has no idea what she is talking about. As it CLEARLY says on the display  these are MATTE polishes, so in order the get the "smoke and flames" look, all you need to do is use ANY top coat and used different sized strokes.

This technique is not new. I wouldn't even really call it a "technique". But it can give you a cool look, and I am happy to see more matte shades coming out.

Of course a matte top coat can be used over any polish to turn it matte, but that is another step and sometimes I feel like certain polishes do not take well to certain matte top coats. I have had some streak, or just turn a really bad color while using a matte top coat.

Also, it is not pictured here, but there is a green matte polish in this line but I did not purchase it because the only bottle they had left had a defective brush. :(

Spotted! Rock Beauty Nail Kits at Walgreens

 

I have been seeing a lot of new companies springing up with different mini nail art kits. So far this one by Rock Beauty London, seems to hold the most unique things. If you are looking for something that will give you a matching manicure for all your nails, keep on looking. This kit holds a variety of decals, prints, nail stickers, nail embellishments and two polish pens. If you look at the last picture, at the top of the box, you can see tweezers. From the look of them they appear a little bulky to be of easy use, however, it is nice to have them.

Though I have not purchased the set, and only got to look at it for a bit in the store, I believe the polishes are the type that has a small dotting tip under the cap when it is pulled directly up and off, and a normal polish brush when the cap is unscrewed. 

With everything the kit offers, $10.00 does not seem a bad price. HOWEVER, my biggest concern is how well the nail art stickers and decals work. If they don't stick well on their own will they pucker if a base coat is put down to help? If I see them again I might spend some more time looking through them to see if it is worth trying. 

What do you all think? Do you like uniformity in your nails or do you dig an accent nail thrown in for fun? What about this kit that shows all the nails with something different? Which do you prefer?

Spotted! New Kiss Kits: Marbleizing, Top Coat Trio and Gradation at Walmart

KISS KITS
Recently I have noticed this booming trend of “Easy Complete” nail art kits. These range from Ciate velvet, caviar and chalk board nails, which can get pretty expensive, to smaller drug store brands like these by Kiss.

I found them at both Walmart and Walgreens. Walmart was a little bit cheaper at $6.97 with Walgreens coming in at $7.99. I have yet to purchase any of these kits and actually try them out. However, I am not completely sold on the quality of the polish in the last two pictures. In person the polishes don’t look to be the best quality and that does worry me. It is great to have a kit all put together, but a pink gradient can be accomplished so easily without having to buy a coordinating kit.

The gold gradient looks a little more interesting. Also, in the very last picture the Top Coat Trio looks like it may contain something like a flakie (though even in the bottle it leans more towards a fakie).

I would like to at least try out one set to see what the quality of the polish is, what the brush is like and how much product is in the bottles, but I will be waiting until they go on sale.

Has anyone tried any of these kits? If so what did you like or dislike about them? If not, are you planning to?

Sale! Sally Hansen and Sensational Gel Starter Kits at Walgreens

On sale this week (25 August, 2013- 1 September, 2013) at Walgreens

Anyone looking to try out some gel kits should consider checking out Walgreens this week as they have two starter kits on sale! I personally have the Sally Hansen kit, and will be doing a review of it soon, but I have heard great things about both kits.

The most important part of a gel manicure is making sure you have a LED light. Without it you will be left with an uncured mess on your nails. Both of these kits come with LED lights included, which is GREAT! After getting the light you can use pretty much any gel polish.

Also, remember you can save up your points at Walgreens and get an even better discount! Always worth it to save up those points!

Price comparisons: Revlon Polish

These pictures were all taken during the Summer of 2013 while I was traveling around

I wanted to show just how much prices can vary depending on location and store. This is why whenever I travel I make sure to check and see if the prices at the Walmarts, Walgreens, Targets etc. are below the ones in my area so I can stock up on some things.

 

Colorado: Walmart

 

Colorado:  Walgreens 1


Colorado Walgreens 2


Colorado: Ulta


Las Vegas, Nevada: Walgreens

I have to be honest and say that I am beyond shocked that in Las Vegas, Nevada, Revlon polishes are going for almost $8.00 a bottle (practically what you would pay for some OPI's or Orly's!) when I found them for just about $4.00 a bottle at Walmart in another state.

I understand that not everyone is going to be traveling and buying polish. But to save your wallet yet still grow your collection, I would suggest learning to travel with polish. I have a blog post about how I travel with my polish to avoid messes and spills, as well as how I pack them. You can check it out here: How to travel with polish

Have you noticed price differences in your area? What do you consider to much for polish?

How to travel with polish

One of the best things I have done for my collection is learn to travel with polish. I have started to realize just how much polish prices can vary, so no matter where I go I make it a point to at least stop by a Walgreens or Walmart to see what they have and if it is worth purchasing it or just waiting until I get home.

The majority of the time that I travel it is by plane, so there are a lot more issues to take into account.  First here are a few things to remember:

1.  POLISH IS FLAMMABLE!
• If you are going to be carrying polish with you in your carry on bag make sure to have it in a resealable plastic bag. Also, keep in mind that because it IS flammable, it could be confiscated. If you are going to carry polish in your carry on the safest bet would be to keep it to only a few bottles.
2.  Bags are NOT treated nicely.
• Your checked bags get tossed around like crazy. Do not just put polish in a plastic bag and expect it, and your clothes, to make it. This is the tin that I use when traveling in case I find some polish. It is small enough that it doesn't take up a ridiculous amount of room, but big enough to fit several polishes. For extra safety I put a plastic bag in first, put the polish in, tie a knot in the bag, and put another plastic bag in to fill the empty space. This way if something does leak I don't have to worry. In pictures you can see a few dings and dents. This is from how rough checked bags are treated, so keep that in mind. 

  3. Make sure that all caps are secured!

• Seriously! Check and double check that your polish bottles are completely sealed. The last thing you want is them to leak all over. If you have taken precautions that is great, but it still means you will lose a lot of the product. So check and recheck!
 

I hope this helps :)

 

Swatch: Revlon Nail Enamel - 260 Girly

 

Revlon Nail Enamel:

260 Girly

Price: $3.97-$7.49

Product Amount: 0.5FL OZ 14.7ml

Can be bought at: Walgreens, Walmart, CVS, Target, Kmart

Lowest Price Found:  Walmart - $3.97

Layered Over: Nothing

Coats: 4

Similar To: None that I know of. I have yet to find something similar to Girly, but if you know of one please let me know!

 

Girly is what has started my love for milky, multi glitter/multi dimensional polish. Notice what I said there: MILKY. This means that it is extremely sheer and takes quite a few coats to build up opacity. But it can be done! You can even see in the bottle that the milky base is what makes it have so much dimension because if it was a cream, the glitter would not be able to show through the way it does.

 

I have seen other swatches of Girly just layered over another pink cream polish that has a similar base color, but I prefer to just build it up. Being able to layer it over other polishes is great, but I feel like it just looks so flat. It loses all the depth that makes it such a great polish.

 

So what do you think of Girly? Do you have it? Do you prefer to build up the coverage or layer it over another polish?

 

Spotted! Wet n' Wild Tough Girl Display at Walgreens

 

Wet n' Wild has quickly jumped from the cheap, low end "kid" brand, to a full fledged contender in the ever 

competitive market  of drugstore nail polishes. Here is their latest display in their nail polish line. You'll notice the new bottle design also comes with a new price tag. $3.99 per bottle is just on the edge of pushing the price point for colors that don't seem very unique and for a brand that is generally known for keeping price down. I don't see a celebrity endorsement here, unlike the Fergie line which is obviously more expensive due to the celebrity endorsement, so I am curious to see why there is such a higher price tag.

I didn't get to take a very close look at the bottles but I would be interested to see how much product they hold as well as what style of brush. Overall I probably wont be purchasing any of the polishes in this new line unless there are some new ones coming out soon. I am just not drawn to any of the colors enough, or I already have ones that are extremely similar. 

What do you think of the new displays? Does the price make you hesitate at all? 

Don't Skip the Dollar Store!

Don't forget to check out your local dollar/discount stores, you can often find some really great things to try before shelling out more money! These two pictures are from a local Dollar Tree. The majority are L.A. Colors and Sinful Colors, but there were a few Sally Hansen polishes as well as different crackle polishes, stripers, base and top coats and decals. 

What's the best find you've managed to snag at a discount store?

Spotted! New Fergie display at Walgreens!

There is a new standing display for the Fergie collection from Wet n' Wild at Walgreens! I noticed a few new polishes so it is worth it to take a look!

Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure: 

120 Golden Rule

Price: $6.00-$8.00

Product Amount: 0.5FL OZ 14.7ml

Can be bought at: Walgreens, Walmart, CVS, Target

Lowest Price Found:  Walmart

Layered Over: Finger Paints - Key To My Art

Coats: Two

Similar To: Orly in Halo and Kardashian Cabana (some still say Khroma) in Fairy Dust

Please remember that prices vary on location, so the prices in my area may be lower or higher than those in yours. 

The first thing I want to say is that I LOVE this polish! As far as I am concerned this is the perfect gold glitter polish! It is not thick, chunky hex glitter, but it is also not extremely fine milled sparkle polish. The size of the glitter is much smaller than traditional chunky glitter and it is densely packed in a clear base.

Application is E.A.S.Y! It is so smooth and best of all, it evens itself out! Glitter polish is notorious for drying lumpy and catching things but this polish does not. Because of this, this is a great polish to have in your collection for layering. A halfmoon mani would look great with this underneath and you wouldn't have to worry about your polish being uneven.

I did layer two coats of Golden Rule over a coat of Finger Paints Key To My Art because I was worried it wouldn't be opaque enough on its own. But to be honest I don't think it was really needed. I will be doing another manicure only using Golden Rule and will be sure to post pictures. 

For a similar polish I suggested Orly Halo and Kardashian Fairy Dust (swatches to come). The biggest differences are that Halo has MUCH more silver than gold, is not very dense (though with patients it could be built up to a good opacity), is harder to find and is more expensive.  Fairy Dust is part of the Kardashian line and I have only seen it at Ulta, for $5.99. It is not as densely packed and has more yellow in the gold.

What do you think of Sally Hansen Golden Rule? What is your favorite gold glitter?

Introduction to TMNTCupcake!

This being the first post of my blog, I feel it is important to make it clear what I want this blog to be and give some background on my nail polish addiction!

When my collection started and how it brought me here

I started using nail polish on a, somewhat regular basis, about 5 years ago. This was back when there seemed to be hardly any choices available. There was a small section in Walgreens, Walmart and Target for some Sally Hansen polishes, and on the other end of the spectrum was Wet 'n Wild with a few random bottles. Other than that, Sally's was the only place to get nail polish. At the time Sally's seemed SOOO expensive for polishes and nail care.... Oh how times have changed!

I started truly collecting polish about 2 years ago and have not looked back! Like most Nail Polish Addicts I think we don't realize just how many we have for a while, and then suddenly BAM! it hits us.

It hit me when I was reorganizing my collection. I sat down and actually cataloged all of my polishes in excel.

If you would like to see my catalog of polishes you can view it in google docs here: Nail Polish Collection Catalog. For some reason it is showing two extra pages (9 & 10), and I cannot figure out why, so please just ignore them.

What will this blog be?

While cataloging all of my polishes, and all the other odds and ends in my collection, I realized that there are so many things that I wish I had not purchased. Or at least, I wish that I had known more about them before purchasing. In my collection I have polishes that are either exact dups, or so similar, that I do not need both and I wish I could have seen side by side comparisons. Looking up swatches is great, but lighting can change the color of a polish, and without seeing them in the same light, side by side, it can be difficult to tell if they are similar or not.

I am not saying there are not reviews out there. There are. However, the majority of the time they do not cover what I need to know.

So I decided to start my own blog and Youtube channel (TMNTCupcake's Youtube Channel) to review, demonstrate and compare products in a way that would have helped me. My hope is to help other people find products that work, nail polishes that are dups for higher priced brands, and to save others time and money when considering purchases.

I am always open to suggestions on making my blog and youtube channel more interesting and helpful. So please, if you have any constructive criticism, ideas, products you would like to see compared/reviewed, please let me know!