Kiss Nail Polishes - Swatches & Review

I remember when K-Mart used to be huge in Houston when I was a kid. We had a super K-Mart with a Little Caesar's in it and everything. Now, it's a miracle any city has one. Longview is one such city, and even though we don't shop there often, it's really great for hidden gems! I found the best breakfast nook table and bench set there after looking at all the expensive furniture places and running out of options.

As for beauty, they carry a lot of the same drugstore stuff that everyone else does. They were the first store I ever saw carry Orly Color Blast polishes. Just a few days ago, I saw a new first! The Kiss Gel Strong nail polishes. They pretty much covered all the general colors and finishes in their display. Each polish costs $3.99. I decided to pick up 4 to try out.

First polish is called Call it Nude. This is a very deep vampy maroon with tons of reddish pink shimmer. It's so dark, it looks black in both indoor and outdoor lighting. The formula is very good, if not a tad bit thick. This definitely could hang with the likes of OPI Black Cherry Chutney, Lincoln Park After Dark, or any other vampy shade.

Indoor lighting shot .Shimmer is super subtle on nail in this lighting. 

Shot in sunlight. Still super deep, but shimmer is a lot more visible. 

The next shade is called Sapphire Dust. This is a beautiful dark bronze metallic polish. Formula is great with great coverage, but it can slightly show brush strokes.

Indoor lighting shot. 

Shot in the sunlight. 

The next polish is called Sexy Scarlet and it is the most beautiful shade of emerald green. It looks like satin sheets in the bottle. Polish is super pigmented and smooth. It does slightly show brush marks, but the shimmer masks it sort of. 

Shot in indoor lighting. 

Shot in sunlight. 

Last up is Electric. This is a light purple/lavender with golden shimmer. This is a great color, but it is very sheer. It's almost like a jelly polish with the finish and coverage. It probably could go over a darker polish to show up better. Both pictures below are of 3 coats, and you can still see my nail line. Still a beautiful shade!

Indoor lighting shot. 

Shot in sunlight.

So, all in all, what's good about Kiss polishes?

1. The price point. Each polish is $3.99.

2. The wide brush and longer top/handle. This allows for even coverage and control of application.

3. Color selection was awesome at K-Mart. They offered all kinds of colors and finishes.

What's not good about Kiss polishes?

1. This is just an observation, but the names are a trip! The green polish is called Sexy Scarlet? If that's not a Gone with the Wind reference, then I don't get it. Sapphire Dust? For a bronze??? And no, I would definitely not call that vampy shade nude! Haha. Just kidding it's not bad, it's actually pretty funny. 

Nothing is wrong with these polishes. For the pricepoint, there's nothing to complain about. The colors are pigmented, the brushes are great, and the shade range is nice. I will definitely be going back for more! 

China Glaze The Great Outdoors Haul

Today I'm going to review the China Glaze The Great Outdoors collection for fall 2015. I bought 7 out of the 12 polishes in this collection. I bought a few at Sally's Beauty Supply and some at a website I heard about through some Youtubers called head2toebeauty.com Sally's Beauty Supply didn't have the entire collection on display so I felt like my only resort was to buy polishes online. I just had to get these polishes- and quick! This is the first collection that gets excited about fall!! Normally, I'm in denial about heading towards the cooler months, but the colors and the variety are like a breath of fresh air! Bring on the fall vibes!

The first polish I want to talk about is called Take A Hike. This is truly a one coater polish. You definitely can't mess up the application on this polish! This is a rich, creamy, deep forest green and the pictures inserted are of one coat. Classic fall color!

The next polish is called Let's Dew It. This is a fabulous blue/purple/silver glitter in a clear base. The application is super smooth and it's super opaque. The application in the photo is one coat over Meet Me Under the Stars. Macro shot of this makes it look like jewels on your nails!

Just look at that jewel-encrusted nail! Haha.

Wood You Wanna is a very sparkly bronzey taupe micro shimmer. It's got a super smooth application although it did get a little clumpy on me. It's still really beautiful. The picture below shows 2 coats.

Next is called Cabin Fever. This is a really strong red to gold duochrome polish. Out of the three duochromes in the collection this polish is the strongest. I've seen some describe the red as more of a pink, and I guess in some lights it does look pretty rosy .

The next three photos are the transition shots. The gold is so strong and beautifu! On its own it would beone of those ugly-pretty colors!

This is the transition pic I posted to Instagram:

The next color of the duochromes is called Pondering   This is a royal purple to deep teal shift. This polish has a nice, smooth application and it really is reminiscent of the Northern Lights. Formula is super opaque and pigmented.

First shot is my post for Instagram.

Pic with indoor lightin:

Pic with sunlight:

Next photos are the transition shots. The purple was hard to capture, but the teal looks fabulous!

The last of the duochromes is called Gone Glamping. This is a light blue to green to gold multichrome. This polish is super sheer on the first coat, but builds up to a nice opaque finish. The shift in this polish is not as strong as the other two in this collection, but it still has a glowy effect to it, which is wonderful!

Transition shots!

Another angle. Just can't with that gold! 

The last polish that I picked up from this collection is called Sleeping Under the Stars. This is a really deep bluish/purple base with pink flash/shimmer in it. The shimmer is beautiful in the bottle but is very subtle on the nail. I think the power, opacity, and the pigmentation of the base color overpowers the pink shimmer.

This shot is taken with flash. You can still barely make out the shimmer on the nail.

Another shot taken in sunlight. Still more pronounced in the bottle than the nai!

Macro shot! There's the shimme!!

Overall these polishes are super exciting coming from China Glaze. After a few creams and subtle shimmers in their last fall collection having great glitter polishes and duochromes really sets the tone for fall. I've already gotten a lot of compliments on wearing these just for swatch pics! The other polishes in this collection I hear are great too! But I'm making a conscious effort to scale back on my purchases ;) Hope you enjoy!