Sephora Formula X $5 Clearance Haul

I was perusing the Sephora in JCPenny the other day, and I stumbled upon the large stash of Formula X polishes on sale for $5 each! I know I've tried to put myself on a limited no-buy, but I couldn't pass on the chance to get some polishes for 60% off. I could never convince myself to buy very many for full price, even though they always had some eye-catching shades!

I've been on a mission to get more nail treatments, like conditioners, brighteners, etc. and luckily their The System polishes were included in the sale. I picked up the Prime Strength strengthening base coat, Color Corrector base coat, Prime Condition base coat, and Brightening Treatment stain-removing treatment. 

I have only tried the Prime Strength base coat so far, and it goes on very nicely. I'm pretty interested in putting the brightening treatment to the test after I'm done swatching some new collections. My nails aren't badly stained, but it would be nice to get the yellow tinge out and lose the dullness. I would probably be less embarrassed to go out with naked nails.

Now on to the actual polishes...There were loads of the white-capped polishes, which I'm pretty sure were all just cremes, and they all looked pretty boring to me...haha. Then I moved over to the black-capped polishes; there was far less selection, but the ones that were left were amazing! Check the HOLO!! 

Polishes from Top to Bottom: Hera, Artemis, Aphrodite, and Sci-Fi.

First off is Sci-Fi. In the bottle, it looks like a glittery light sea foam green with gold shimmer. I thought it would be like a sheer ethereal topper, but it turns out it is actually a texture polish. The above picture is two coats with flash.

Two coats with no flash.

The first coat was a bit thin, but two coats covered nicely. 

I alo went ahead and threw a topcoat on top of it. I added two thick coats, but it still wasn't entirely smooth. It did take away the gold shimmer that is more prominent when it is matte.

Next up is Hera.This is a rose gold shimmer holographic. The formula was very smooth with good coverage. The above picture is two coats with no flash.

Pictured above with flash. The holo was very strong even without direct light.

Last close up with topcoat and flash.

Second is Artemis. This is a medium silver with holographic shimmer. This is a classic silver holo, so it's not super unique, but the formula and coverage were both solid.

Close up with flash and topcoat. It's way out of focus, but the holo still shows up nicely.

Last up is Aphrodite, which is a gunmetal with holographic shimmer. In the pictures it does seem to have a sight purple tinge, but it could just be the flash.

Close up with flash.

Formula overall was the same as the others with the same holo intensity. 

These polishes overall were a really great find. There has been speculation that Sephora could be discontinuing the Formula X line; there was virtually nothing in the usual display at my store. I will have to check back to see if they do a restock of new colors. I'll also be on the lookout at discount stores to see if any of the pop up there! 

Nine Zero Holiday 2016 Collection

I've taken a bit of a break from nails for the past few months, but Holiday collections this year were enough to bring me out of the hiatus. The first collection up is Holiday 2016 from Nine Zero Lacquer. It is a beautiful selection of colors that give you that wintry, holiday feeling. I think it offers a nice spectrum of finishes and colors in a well-rounded collection.

First off is Frost.  This is a greeny teal with holographic glitters. This has a great formula that doesn't get clumpy.  The picture below is two coats. There is a little visibility of the nail line, but the shimmers conceal it in person. 

Next is Midnight; this is a beautiful deep purple holographic microglitter. I don't have anything like this in my collection. It is twilight sky-looking! In the bottle, it also looks like it has a slight golden flash, but it doesn't translate on to the nail unfortunately. It's still a beautiful polish.

Next is probably my favorite - Sugar Cookie. I have a weird obsession with white crellies stuffed with glitter. Sugar cookie has red and green metallic shards with gold hex glitters. The shards dry kind of sticking out, so a couple of coats of topcoat are needed to smooth it out.

Next up is Golden Lights, who is the little sister to Twinkle Lights. It's gold holographic base with red and green translucent hex glitters. I don't know if it's due to the formula, but it really showed the ridges in my nails. I might have to go with a ridge filling base coat next time. It is so sparkly and magical for the holidays!

Next is Balsam, a beautiful light, piney green holographic. There are also tiny golden flakies that give it more of a glowy look. The formula is great and has good coverage with 1 coat. Pictured below is 2 coats. 

Lastly is Pink Christmas. This is a light pink with a golden flash. This also has a slight holographic in it. The color is really great, but I had a little bit of trouble with the formula on this polish. It didn't go on as smooth as the others and got a little clumpy. 

NEW! Julie G CORE Collection Polishes

We were finally graced with new additions to the Julie G line! I was so happy to hear the announcement and couldn't wait to make the trek to Louisiana to scoop them up! The colors don't disappoint!

The one thing I wish was clearer, is that they are not, in fact a new collection, as I had assumed. While on the hunt, I was looking for some kind of display. It was by chance that I happened to look deeper into the regular display and notice them there!

The first polish is called Something Blue. It is a deep teal creme. It has excellent coverage and pigmentation. The pictures below are only one coat. I don't have anything close to it in my collection. I really thought it would be close to Zoya Dagmara, but it is more on the blue side of teal. Make sure you've got a base coat on underneath, because it's got mad staining power!

Sunlight shot.

The next color is called Your Majesty. It is a light lavender with a subtle flash of gold shimmer. This definitely is a signature Julie polish. She is good at creating fairylike whimsical colors. It is in the same vein as Cupcakes & Castles, Freshly Squeezed, and Stiletto - all lighter or neutral colors with subtle shimmery flare. Or as I would like to call them - Silent Assasins!

This polish has a good formula and coverage. The shimmer shows up a lot better in person, but it's definitely more prominent in the bottle. There are a lot if these types of light puple polishes, but the ones I have different colored flashes from silver to bluish-green.

Next is probably the most highly anticipated polish in my opinion. This is called Tropical. It is a beautiful minty turquoise creme.

This has great coverage and a good formula. It just screams summer and definitely would compliment a tan. This is next on my toes!

Sunlight shot.

Next up is Riviera. This is a bright kind of bubblegum pink creme. Julie G has so many pink cremes, but surprisingly none were exactly a match for this. This is brighter than any of the other pinks I have from the brand.  

Definitely pops more in the sunlight!

Lastly is Lilac Frost. This is a light pastel lilac with a gold microshimmer. This isn't very opaque, as you can see from the photos, but it really is a nice polish if you're into frosty looking colors. It's light enough that in certain light it looks white. It tended to get a little thick, so it's important to apply thin coats and make sure each coat is dry before applying the next.

Additionaly, Lilac Frost happens to be an exact dupe of the Sinful Colors x Kylie Jenner Shimmer Matte polish in North Star. Not really a price difference between the two, but if you had one you really don't need the other. 

In this photo - North Star on pointer and middle finger, Lilac Frost on ring and pinky. 

I think this is a strong comeback for Julie G after a long hiatus from the nail polish world. I enjoyed the colors as much as I enjoyed running around Shreveport trying to find them. Top picks for me are definitely Tropical and Something Blue.

Pride Month Nail Art & Orlando Tribute//Sinful Colors #PRIDE Collection and Rainbow Nail Art

Just two Saturdays ago, I joined hundreds of other people in my town and celebrated Pride Month with a festival right in the middle of downtown, literally a block away from an old confederate statue adorned courthouse. There were groups with booths, food vendors, and a very fabulous drag show. It was hot, but we had some rain come through - we even had a double rainbow appear in the middle of the show! We even cheered at the fact that there were no protesters or hecklers at all during the event. Living in Houston, there were plenty of pride events that weren't considered taboo. Now living in East Texas, I've come to realize how incredible it is that an event like this wouldn't get protested. We left the festival marveling at how far the LGBTQ community had come in this East Texas area. It certainly was a great feeling.

Then, less than 24 hours later, I woke up to find that 49 of the same kind of people I just spent the afternoon celebrating with had been gunned down in Orlando - the victims of an Islamic terrorist hate crime. The feelings of sadness and shock were overwhelming. I fought tears throughout the day thinking of the horrors that everyone at the night club experienced overnight, and also of the horrors that their friends and families had to wake up to. All they wanted to do was to celebrate love and life in a place that for many was a safe haven, a place they could truly be themselves. 

More than a week removed from the awful night in Orlando where innocent people were gunned down, I still find myself thinking back to all those beautiful lives that were lost. I feel like the only thing that gives me and the rest of the world comfort is seeing how the LGBTQ community has come together across the world and lend their support. I admire members of the LGBTQ community because they're a group of people that know who they really are in their hearts and embrace it. Some of them in the face of horrible bigotry and discrimination. They are still PROUD of the people they are and the journey they have taken to get this far. I've always been an active supporter of the LGBTQ community and supported their right to live just like everyone else. The Tuesday after the tragedy, I stood with a lot of the same people who attended pride three days prior and had a candlelight vigil on the lawn of the previously mentioned courthouse. We sang and signed books of condolences in honor of all the victims. A small gesture to send our support to the friends and families.

I am posting this as a celebration of Pride Month and as a tribute to the victims of the tragedy in Orlando. 

First, I'd like to start off with swatches of the recently released Sinful Colors #PRIDE collection. I saw this collection at Walgreens around April or May. The colors themselves aren't terribly unique, and the glitter topper, Pride is part of their permanent collection. But, I saw that some of the proceeds went to a group called The Trevor Project. This group is a crisis intervention and suicide prevention lifeline for LGBTQ youth. (http://www.thetrevorproject.org)

So I picked up two polishes with the cheekiest names and honestly, they turned out to be some of the best basic cremes I own. 

The first is called Resilient. It is a super pigmented red creme. It had great coverage, but, as you can tell by my pointer finger I had a bit of staining. My nail beds are now sporting a slight tinge of pink, which is a nice break from the usual yellow staining, so I'm not complaining too much.

Here is Resilient topped with one coat of Pride.

The second polish has probably the best name ever. This bright beautiful yellow creme is called Bye Felicia! 

This is Bye Felicia topped with one coat of Pride.

Last but not least is the showstopper herself, Pride. This is a rainbow assortment of metallic hex glitters in different sizes in a clear base. I got full coverage in the photo below by sponging on my second and third coats.

Next up, I wanted to throw in this beauty as a suggestion! Twinkle Lights was released under a holiday collection by Nine Zero Lacquer, but it's definitely a festive Pride polish! I am obsessed with this polish. Although I haven't bought any, the ROY G BIV collection that was just released by Nine Zero would be a great celebratory polish.

Part Two is the nail art portion. This first look is a design I did last year. I can't remember all the colors I used, unfortunately, but my Instagram hashtags tell me some of them came from the China Glaze Electric Nights collection? I do know the glitters came from I Snow You Love Me in the Mariah Carey collection by OPI.

The next nail art is a rainbow dry brush look I did recently using the two polishes from the Sinful Colors #PRIDE collection, OPI Landscape Artist, and Zoya Thandie, Neve, Belinda, Sia and Aspen for the base. I topped it off with Julie G's matte topcoat.

Lastly, is a pastel rainbow look to commemorate the angels in Orlando. 

Polishes used are mostly from the OPI Retro Summer collection: SPF XXX, I'm Getting Tan-gerine, Towel Me About It, Sailing & Nail-ing. Green is OPI That's Hula-rious, Purple is Orly Lollipop.

Cheaper! But is it Better?! Review of Five Below Ultimate Manicure System

Five Below has become one of the top discount stores in my life. Every time I visit Houston, I make a point to stop by and check out all the new nail stuff they have. Over a couple years, I've managed to acquire a variety of nail supplies, from dappen dishes to nail decals to nail polish. I'll try to do a more collective Five Below blog post in the future, because there are some true gems that I absolutely love that are exclusively(I think) at Five Below!

When I recently visited, I came across the Ultimate Manicure System. It is a set that includes a cleanser, base coat, two nail polishes, and a top coat. I've never tried a system like this before, and I know popular ones from Formula X and Deborah Lippmann can be pretty pricey, so I figured I'd give it a shot.

Each bottle is labeled with the number step it is and the back of the box explains what to do with step by step instructions.

Front packaging

Back of the package with instructions.

Now, first off, I totally noticed the poor labeling, but I shrugged it off, as I only paid $5 for it. The rest of the packaging was ok. The best part is the holographic cardboard background! 

Step 1 is the cleanser. You are to apply the cleanser to your nail beds and allow to dry. The application was good and it dried in no time. Basically it just stripped my nails of oil and moisture, nothing out of the ordinary or special with this step.

Step 2 is base coat. It applied smoothly and dried reasonably quickly. It also dried slightly sticky, which helped with the polish application. So far so good on this nail system journey!

Here's where it starts getting dicey. Step 3 is the nail polish. Again, not much expectation on these, but I figured they might be decent. Pictured below is two coats of both polishes. The first is a basic white creme and the other is a light baby pink.The white was like any other run of the mill white, a bit patchy, but it evened itself out after drying. This is definitely a polish that I would hold on to for nail art in the future as a base coat. Now, the pink polish is a totally different story. Not sure if you can tell on my pinky finger in the photo below, but there were some random black flecks that came out of the polish and were deposited onto my nail. I don't know if it was residue from the brush, or what exactly it was. Another issue that you might be able to see on my ring finger are these clumps of red pigment coming out of the bottle. I had to use the brush to get them off my nail, but it got to the point where I was scraping the polish off my nail. 

Here is a close up of the bottle with the red flecks throughout the polish.

Now, onto the last step: The topcoat. An even bigger disappointment than the pink nail polish was this travesty in a bottle. I feel like maybe I've been so spoiled by the likes of Seche Vite or even a newer quick-dry topcoat from Sally's that has made me dislike this top coat. First the brush is slightly frayed with a few stray bristles. Second, it NEVER dried! I applied a normal amount on top of the nail polish, but it just dried to a sticky consistency and ended up smudging. Even if it dried properly, the fact that it didn't dry FAST would be an issue for me; I don't think I would reach back for it unless I was completely out of my other go-to topcoats.

For the final test, I decided to do a quick dry marble nail art and test out the durability of the base coat and cleanser. This is what my nails looked like after seven days of wear. I did kind of accelerate the chip on my pointer finger. I saw it starting to lift and I picked at it lol. But it faired pretty well. There was no bad chipping and low wear on the tips. I think it's safe to say that the first half of the system is pretty decent.

Polishes used for the dry marble: Look at My Bow! and Super Cute in Pink from OPI's Hello Kitty collection. Topped with INM Northern Lights.

Overall, I think you're getting exactly what you pay for: low quality, cheaply made products. The main thing that drives me away from using this whole system is the smell. All the products have this glue/plastic cheap smell that just is not good. The nail polishes don't smell like normal polishes. Now, even though the first two products were decent, the other three bottles were very disappointing. I look at it as buying a cleanser, base coat, and a white nail polish for $5, which still isn't bad, compared to other name brand systems. I am still actively using the cleanser before I do my nails, and I think it has made a difference in the staying power of my mani. I would probably recommend this for a nail beginner or a younger person looking to venture into giving themselves manicures. It is a low risk way to get all the nail essentials without spending too much money. However, if you are already in Five Below, I would recommend picking up the Fresh Paint or Funky Fingers polishes to replace the two in the package.

Final Grade for Ultimate Manicure System: C-