I was randomly browsing through the clearance section at Walgreens and I found a nail polish block that e.l.f. cosmetics sell as a gift set during the holidays. There was no markdown price, so out of curiousity, I brought it to the cosmetics counter and the cashier said that she would sell it to me for $5 (half off the retail price). For a 12-polish cube, I decided to try out e.l.f. polishes for the first time and bought it.
I was mostly surprised that the cashier offered to markdown the polish cube on her own. I guess that they have the power to enter in whatever price they want in sales, as opposed to marking down products in certain increments over time.
e.l.f. 12 piece nail polish set
I was also inclined to buy this holiday cube because it contained three of the twelve polishes included in the e.l.f. Disney Villains nail cube: Smokin Hot, a red creme for Cruella deVil; Sea Escape, a glitter jelly for Ursula; and Gina Girl, a chunky glitter topper with a purple base for Maleficent. Admittedly, I wanted everything Maleficent themed because she's my favorite Disney villain.
Looking at the other polishes in the cube, I pulled out most of the top level because they all look great in the current nude trend. And after my last attempt at an ombre manicure, I decided to swatch the nude polishes in a type of block ombre that transitioned over each of my finger nails.
e.l.f. polishes
For my ombre, I used (from left - right):
- Wedding Bells
- Desert Haze
- Blush
- Prissy Chrissy
- Nude
e.l.f. "Wedding Bells"
"Wedding Bells" is a white creme, with pink undertones. I applied three layers but it still left a bit of visible nail line. It's a nice color included in the nail cube, but I believe
Sinful Shine "I'm Blushing" has a nicer formula for this bare-bones nude.
e.l.f. "Desert Haze"
Next, I applied "Desert Haze". It is a light taupe creme polish that reaches full opacity in two coats. It dries quite flat, so this polish truly benefits with a clear coat for shine.
e.l.f. "Blush"
"Blush" is a peach-gold shimmer polish. It's very pretty with my skintone, but somehow, it leaves me wanting something more. The shimmer is bright even without a top coat.
e.l.f. "Prissy Crissy"
"Prissy Crissy" is a dark coral creme. This is a nice warm summer color, but once again, the formula lacks some shine when it dries. I used two coats to reach opacity, and I suggest adding a top coat for shine.
e.l.f. "Nude" (on thumb) and block ombre manicure
"Nude" is the color I used on my thumb. It is a mauve brown creme polish that also lacks shine when it dries. This color is quite meh to me, and probably won't give it a second thought outside of this manicure. Two coats still stayed streaky on the nail, and a third coat leveled out the formula.
e.l.f. block ombre nail manicure
Extending an ombre across your nails is an easy alternative to using the sponge-dabbing method in my last ombre attempt.
