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! 

OPI Venice Collection Haul/Review

So the next fall collection I have to review is the OPI Venice collection for fall 2015. 

The first polish and probably the most popular is called Gelato On My Mind. This is another classic bright powder blue. This also happens to be a spot on dupe for Essie Mint Candy Apple. This polish has a great formula, as usual; it is smooth and very opaque.The picture below has two coats. 

The picture below shows comparison between Gelato On Y Mind (thumb) and Essie Mint Candy Apple(pointer), China Glaze For Audrey (middle), Julie G Gelato in Venice (ring), and Sally Hansen Breezy Blue (pinky). 

The next polish is my favorite creme of the collection and it's called It's A Piazza Cake. This is a fantastic burnt orange shade. It is super smooth and super opaque. I was pleasantly surprised that this color looked great against my skin tone. Normally oranges of that tone don't look that great on me, but this looks really nice on my nails. 

The next color is called Worth A Pretty Penne . This is a light rose gold shimmer polish. It is slightly streaky but still has very excellent coverage. 

Next polish is called Give Me A Lido Kiss. This is a bright blue toned shimmery red. The shimmer almost looks like a glass flecks. This also has good coverage although the base reminds me of a jelly polish.

Macro shot of OPI Gimme A Lido Kiss

 This next polish is called My Gondola Or Yours? This is a deep smoky black with very subtle shimmer. A lot of people or referring to this as a gunmetal shade, but to me it is just a black with shimmer. Not super unique, but I think I'm due a new black .Picture below is with flash to capture the shimmers.

The next polish is the first of 3 limited edition polishes from this collection. I wasn't able to find these at Sally's Beauty Supply and Ulta did not have them when I first initially looked. So I bought them online on Amazon. 

The first polish is called St. Mark's The Spot. This is a beautiful royal sapphire blue shimmer with a slight purple shift. This color is wonderfully opaque and striking on the nail. 

Shot from direct sunlight.

Shot from indoor lighting.

Shot with flash.

The next color is called Venice the Party? This is a bright aqua blue/teal shimmer. This color is a tiny bit streaky and shows brush strokes but it's still a fabulous color. 

Both of these blue shimmers are similar to something we've seen from the OPI Hawaii collection, so they weren't as much of a stand out to me initially. The colors are still really gorgeous though!

Shot with indoor lighting. 

Shot from direct sunlight.

The last color however is very unique and eye popping. Its called Baroque...But Still Shopping! This is by far my favorite of the entire collection this is a greeny silver with gold shards and gold glitters. This literally looks like shredded up money. When I was younger I went on a field trip to Washington DC and got to see the Treasury. They sold bottles full of old shredded money that had been taken out of circulation. The effects of this polish make it look like that bottle of money. This polish does dry to a gritty texture so you will need to have a top coat over if you don't like the gritty texture. 

 Shot from indirect sunlight.

Macro shot. 

Shot from indoor lighting.

Overall, I think this is a very elegant collection from OPI. I highly recommend the 3 limited edition polishes! And also It's A Piazza Cake!