I'm excited to bring y'all a new series that I am doing both here and on my Youtube Channel called: Swatch It Out. (Video will be embedded at the bottom of this post once live as well.)
For each one of these segments, I'll be picking 7 random polishes from my collection, which ranges from $1 retail polishes to salon and indie brands, and doing still photo and live swatches.
I had been wanting to do something similar to this for a long time, but I hadn't had the time nor set up to properly do it. I've run across a lot of the popular nail polish vloggers doing live swatches, and I just thought it was so neat. Though, I could watch someone paint their nails all day long. Haha!
Another purpose of me doing these is to go through my polishes. I must confess that a lot of my collection sits un-worn and un-swatched. So, I really need to go through them and destash where necessary. So, I thought this was a great way to do that in a fun way. (And a slow way since it will be hard to part with any. Haha!) I hope to do these at least once a month. :D
Each time, I'll also pick my favorite of the 7 and my least favorite and tell if I am letting go of any. Just because. Why not?
Enough of that! Let's get to the swatches!
Sephora by OPI - Looks Like Rain, Dear
I originally picked this up at Big Lots for $1.80.
I have been enamoured with this polish since I swatched it on my swatch stick for my a polish haul (post here.) It was opaque in one medium to thick coat on the stick. It was like a super glitter hiding in a regular disguise. Haha!
It did very well on the natural nail as well. It was opaque in 2 thin to medium coats with no undie. I absolutely love it. I just wish I would have picked up another to share.
Revlon ColorStay - Wild Strawberry
I purchased this one at Big Lots for $1.50.
I am completely in love with this one, and it is my favorite pick of this set of 7. Which is odd, because I don't usually wear pinks like this and hate metallic-like finishes. But...it's so good!
It seriously went on like a dream. It was so easy to control the polish, and I never worried that I might flood my cuticle. It was very smooth, shiny, and opaque in 2 medium coats. I just couldn't get it out of my head after I swatched it at all.
The only downside of this one that I could see is that it isn't the fastest to dry. It does take 3 minutes or so between coats.
Covergirl Outlast - Midnight Magic
I originally picked this up at Kroger on clearance for around $1.
I was very surprised with this one, because the first coat went on so sheer and streaky. It completely transformed on the 2nd coat to what you see above. I was so happy.
The formula is very nice, but I hate the clunky, square bottle-tops. It makes it very hard to hold and maneuver. Other than that, I think it was fabulous and dried quickly between coats. Next time, I think I am going to try one coat over a dark blue or black. I think it would look very nice like that as well.
Revlon Top Speed - Cloud
I got this lovely in a friend mail package from one of my amazing subscribers on Youtube. (Thank you, Rachel!) These can be found at Dollar Tree, Big Lots, and various places on clearance for around $1 now.
I just love the color of this one! I am always hesitant with fast dry polishes, because they don't ever seem to agree with my body chemistry.
This one did fine, though. It was opaque in 3 coats and dried fairly quickly. It went on pretty well, but it was a little uneven and streaky in a few places. With a top coat, it completely evens out. I have worn this one many times, and I get at least 3 days wear time out of it. That's amazing for a quick dry polish on my nails.
Milani - Lavender
(over Revlon Top Speed Cloud)
I got this in a friend mail package from a great friend of mine: Katie. (Thank you!) I believe she found it at the Dollar Tree for $1.
This one was probably the most disappointing of the bunch.
You did get a lot of glitter without fishing in application, but it was only the small glitters as you can see above. I was lucky to get 5 of the larger pieces per nail after 2 coats.
The base was also a little goopy, and I had to be careful not to flood my cuticle. It did dry fairly fast, and it had a great and shiny finish. I had a hard time minimizing my glare to take the shot it was so shiny.
Overall, it was a decent glitter. Nothing bad about it, but it is the least favorite of mine out of the seven today.
NYC - Rule the City
I picked this up at Kmart a couple months ago for $1.99 or so, and I used a $1 off coupon that was attached to the display.
This is the first NYC polish that I have ever worn or swatched. Can you believe it? I have a couple others in my collection, but I just haven't gotten to them yet. They are also really hard to find in my area.
This polish was great, and it was completely opaque in 2 coats. I went on smoothly, dried very fast, and didn't have any streakiness. I have a couple others from this same collection that I am going to have to break out soon, because this was just fabulous.
LA Colors Color Craze - Candy Sprinkles
I picked this one up last summer for $1 at the Dollar Tree after seeing it on one of the youtuber's channels that I watch (ChaChaCakes.)
I am really surprised at this one! It was great. It went on pretty well, especially for a glitter of this type. It also dried really fast. I didn't have to fish at all for any glitter. It was just smooth sailing, easy peasy, and well...you get the idea.
The only cons I would say is that the formula may seem thick to some people, and the brush handle is really short. I am not a fan of the bottle tops and brushes of these polishes, anyway, and it can make it hard to manipulate the polish to go where and how you want it.
Overall I am very pleased with it, and I'll probably be sporting this quite a bit in the spring this year.
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Thoughts on this Set:
Least Favorite:
I think that all of these polishes are pretty good. There is no clear dud. None are unwearable. If I had to pick one, I would say the Milani Lavender glitter. I say that mainly because I have much better glitters on my collection. So, I wouldn't be that sad to see it go. I'm going to place it in my maybe pile.
Favorite:
I am still surprised that I liked the Revlon ColorStay in Wild Strawberry the best. I just couldn't get it out of my head for a long time after I swatched it. It just made me so dang happy to look at it. The formula was just amazing as well. Eeee!
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Thank y'all so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed this first installment into more swatching to come from yours truly. Love and great polish bargain finds to all. <3
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Video With Live Swatches!
Again, thank you everyone for indulging me in my nail nerdiness! :D
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