Ombre Nails, featuring polishes from an e.l.f. nail polish cube

 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.  

Sinful Shine "I'm Blushing" and Wet-n-Wild Mega Rocks Swatches

The nail trend of Spring 2014 is definitely nudes.  Collections of beiges, taupes, and creams sprouted throughout beauty lines of all brands, from Urban Decay to Sinful Colors.

Sinful Shine, a glossy spin-off from the Sinful Colors line, boosts Gel Tech technology that dries extra shiny so the user can skip the top coat.  I decided to pick up a few colors during a Walgreens sale, where all Sinful Shine polishes were only 99 cents. 

I've currently been obsessed with neutral white-looking polishes that have just a tint of color. 

Sinful Shine's "I'm Blushing" is a perfect example of this variant of a plain white color.  The formula on the polish is dreamy for a drugstore brand.  It only took two coats to reach full opacity, three being generous.  And the Gel Tech clearly works on this polish; you can see how shiny the polish is after it dries.  There's no top coat!

"I'm Blushing" has a warm pinkie undertone.  In the shade, it's a pale pink-white, but in bright light, the pink really comes out.  It is workplace-friendly and a nice palette-cleanser for spring.

Sinful Shine polishes retail at $1.99 at Walgreens stores.  It is 3-free: there is no formaldehyde, toluene, or DBP in its formula.

formaldehyde, toluene and DBP

formaldehyde, toluene and DBP

formaldehyde, toluene and DBP

Sinful Shine "I'm Blushing"

I also noticed the new line of Wet N' Wild glitter toppers on display at the same Walgreens.  The Mega Rocks line has a standard run of solid colors, but "Stick It to the Man" caught my eye with its mix of orange and blue (Go Gators!) glitter chunks.  It was the only topper I nabbed, and it came with an instant $1 off coupon, so I bought it for $1.99 (retails at $2.99).

Wet N' Wild Mega Rocks glitter topper "Stick It to the Man"

My overall experience with this glitter topper is underwhelming.  Glitter payout is modest from the bottle, so you'll need to fish out the square and hexagonal pieces if you want more on the nail.  The price is average for a drugstore polish, but I think you're better off spending your bucks on other polishes that offer more payout, or spending a little bit more on a higher end glitter topper, which are not difficult to find.

For me, the most disappointing part about the topper is that the orange pieces don't actually show up as orange on the nail!   It's actually tinted mylar chunks that become invisible against the nail.

Wet N' Wild "Stick It to the Man" on top of Sinful Shine "I'm Blushing"

For me, the Wet N' Wild Mega Rocks are an easy pass, even with any future coupons or  sales.

Big Lots Polish Haul

Last Saturday, I raided my local Big Lots when they advertised 20% off your entire purchase with their rewards card.  I bagged 5 Sephora OPI polishes (Big Lots retail $1.80 each) and 2 Revlon Colorstay polishes (Big Lots retail $1.50 each).  Not a bad haul!

The first polish I had to swatch was the beige neutral by Revlon, since neutrals are all the rage right now.