Tag Archives: nail polish

China Glaze Turned Up Turquoise nail polish review

Posted on May 11, 2011 | Leave a comment

Have you cottoned onto the fact that I like turquoise – a lot – yet? It should come as no surprise then that, after seeing pictures of China Glaze’s Turned Up Turquoise on some blogs, I just knew I had to claim that turquoise for my own too!

Part of the Summer 2008 Ink Collection, which were somewhat bizarrely based on the hues of tattoos, it proved pretty difficult to track down – but as you know with me, the journey is half of the fun… or something like that (see tracking down Gosh Cosmetics, flakies and even Waterball Bay for further evidence!). The whole collection is made up of bright buzzing neons that practically jolt you to attention and Turned Up Turquoise is no exception. It’s an intense saturated turquoise colour that floods the senses with its zing. So far, so amazing.

But unlike Essie’s Turquoise & Caicos, I don’t think I can describe this as true turquoise. It’s simply not content to be just one colour! Turned Up Turquoise is a bit of a tropical chameleon in a way that I don’t think most Internet swatches have shown. Sometimes, it really would look like the perfect turquoise adrenaline rush; other times, it leaned massively towards a mouth-watering candy-coated green. All the pictures on this page were taken in daylight (apart from one I’ll mention later), with only minor adjustments to hand positions and the natural variations of sunlight and shade to blame for how differently they all turned out!

The greenest shades remind me of the most vibrant green of cartoon palm trees whilst the most truly turquoise make me think of the clearest, jewel-like tropical oceans. Either way, they’re all violently vivid, although some seem to have had a heftier dose of lime juice than others. As you may guess, my favourite hue is the most traditionally turquoise one… but to guarantee that colour, you have to stay in the brightest sunlight or the whitest lighting possible at all times!

Like many neons, Turned Up Turquoise dries to a semi-matte finish. I think it might look even more awesome glossy, but the matte effect is stopped from falling flat by a slight shimmer that’s been thrown into the mix too. It proves somewhat elusive to catch in photos; the slightly blurry one below taken under artificial light comes closest to capturing the subtle glow that stops it from looking chalky and dull.

Application-wise, I found it a little difficult to work with simply because, like many mattes, it dries quickly. Unlike all those OPI Suedes that I’ve loved, Turned Up Turquoise seems to have a thicker consistency that meant it was difficult to make perfect, without visible brush-strokes, in the short time before the lacquer started setting. Even though the colour was so strikingly strong and intensely-pigmented to only require one coat for opaque coverage in a colour that looked exactly like it did in the bottle, you might need to go for two just to try and clean things up a bit. But like the other matte finishes I’ve tried, this didn’t wear too well, with chips appearing after just one or two days.

Turned Up Turquoise does have its faults, but for that extreme rich colour pay-off, it’s definitely worth it. When it does decide to give you a glimpse of its turquoise side, it’s a turquoise so eye-poppingly amped up to the max that you’re shocked into submission, yet without appearing garishly fluorescent. And hey, those green shades aren’t too shabby either, right?

Looks good with: neons, high contrast, high NRG
Drying time: <2 mins
Coats required: 1-2
Chips: 1-2 days

China Glaze Turned Up Turquoise nail polish, Summer 2008 Ink Collection, $160, Nails From The Heart, Admiralty Centre

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China Glaze BFF nail polish review

Posted on May 10, 2011 | 2 comments

And so the holo madness continues, with China Glaze’s BFF.

Short recap if you haven’t been keeping close track over my nail polish obsession: Rach discovers lacquers that have rainbow holographic effect reminiscent of her favourite stickers from childhood, Rach decides she must have as many of these holographic lacquers as possible, regardless of colour, price or availability. Polish connoisseurs regard China Glaze’s Kaleidoscope and OMG Collections as the zenith of shimmery rainbowy goodness, so Rach dedicates huge numbers of man hours, resources and dollars to tracking down said collections. Rach is so zombified by doing this and blogging about 85 dresses as 2011’s Met Gala that she starts referring to herself in the third person.

Back to BFF. BFF is the colour of rhododendrons or mallows in full pinky-purply bloom. Except with added rainbows, of course. It looks a lot pinker in my photos than it did in real life, as it’s very much an in-betweeny mix of cool mid-toned pink and a pale dusty magenta. Unlike DV8, which gave a more marine-flavoured spectrum, BFF has the more traditional full rainbow glow when it hits the sun.

An easy fast-drying two-coater, BFF reverted to type when it came to chips too. DV8 unexpectedly lasted a whole week without any obvious wear but BFF started flaking away after a few days. Generally, shampoo day is the death knell for any holos I wear, and DV8 looks like it was the exception that proved the rule!

Normal light vs artificial light

Although BFF probably isn’t the most stand-out colour from the OMG Collection, it’s actually one of the most wearable whilst still providing that revelatory wink of rainbows. It’s not a too-girlie pink, but nor is it a not-safe-for-work blast of purple. Fully deserving of being every girl’s BFF, it’s pretty much the perfect Trojan horse for holographic goodness.

Looks good with: most things
Drying time: <2 mins
Coats required: 2
Chips: 3-4 days

China Glaze BFF nail polish, Spring 2008 OMG Collection, $115, Nail Concept Company

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China Glaze DV8 nail polish review

Posted on May 4, 2011 | Leave a comment

As you’ll know by now, I try and avoid nail polish jargon – largely because I don’t understand it myself! I made a recent exception for flakies, although I prefer my  more descriptive term ‘amazing shreds of rainbow awesomeness’, and now I’m going to make another exception for ‘holos’ – basically because I’ve become obsessed with the things! So here goes with my first holo, China Glaze’s DV8.

… Actually, it’s my second. I stumbled upon China Glaze’s IDK on a dusty shelf in a little shop in Tsim Sha Tsui and bought it on a whim, only to be instantly spellbound by the hidden rainbow hues which came out to play in the sunlight. Little did I know, I had happened upon a much-sought-after holo from China Glaze’s discontinued OMG Collection, which nail bloggers still discuss misty-eyed although it was launched (and withdrawn) two years ago!

Holo is basically shorthand for holographic – and that clicking noise you hear is the sound of me “getting it”! It basically refers to an elusive type of glitter that reflects the whole rainbow right back at you when you hit a magic angle in strong light. It’s the kind of effect you may remember from stickers you used to collect when you were little, the rare shiny sparkly ones that would often have a special page in your sticker book and as such, were worth big stakes when trading amongst your friends. Well, you might have grown up, but nothing changes! Bloggers practically devour holographic nail polish, are constantly on the hunt for new and stronger holos and dream of rare swaps… and now I’ve become an addict too!

After hitting up the afore-mentioned shop in TST to claim whatever stock of the OMG Collection they had left (not much), I was still hungry for more. I thought I could wait until China Glaze released its much-anticipated Tronica Collection this spring, which was allegedly chock-full of rainbow goodness, but reviews started filtering in reckoning these weren’t proper holos at all… so I decided I had to source the OMG Collection whatever the cost! Hence how I got ripped off ridiculous amounts of money at a shop in Causeway Bay instead.

But it was so soooo worth it. A good holo is a thing of rare enchanting beauty and a danger to my personal safety as I find myself staring at my nails when I should be concentrating on things like crossing roads. And DV8 has to be one of the best of the lot.

A strongly-pigmented teal colour, it’s a pretty amazing aquamarine even without the rainbow shimmer, which is highly visible under strong sunlight or artificial light. Such an intense bright colour is actually pretty rare in the strange magical world of holos – it seems easier to make them in pale silvery shades, which are consequently much easier to find. Factor in the spectrum of multi-coloured hues that flit your way when the mood takes them and this oceanic stunner becomes one of the seven wonders of the nail polish world.

Under artificial light

The rainbow rays in here seem to reflect a much more mermaid-themed palette of glittering greens, blues and golds as opposed to the usual full ‘shine a crystal in sunlight’ kaleidoscope of colours, but that just suits the magnificent marine theme even more. DV8 feels like a treasure unearthed from the deep, guarded by sirens but rescued for your wearing pleasure: glowing, glittering, gorgeous.

I had no problems in applying this over a base and the formula was easy to work with – two thin coats and you’re done! Holos are also renowned for chipping fairly quickly (IDK flaked off into papery pieces without notice) but incredibly, DV8 lasted well over a week in picture-perfect condition. Maybe it’s to do with that stronger colour pigment but seriously, is there anything about this nail polish not to love?!

So forget about the pot of gold at the end, it’s all about the rainbow. And DV8 deserves to be celebrated with all the delight of a double one!

Looks good with: summer, bright colours, high contrast
Drying time: 2 mins
Coats required: 2
Chips: +5 days

China Glaze DV8 nail polish, Spring 2009 OMG Collection, ridiculous sum of money, Senda Salon


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Estessimo Tins The Splash Blue nail polish review

Posted on April 29, 2011 | 2 comments

Time for another glitterbomb, courtesy of Estessimo Tins The Splash Blue.

Remember that gorgeous frosty ‘Blue Fairy’ look I created by layering China Glaze White Cap and OPI Last Friday Night over China Glaze Sea Spray? Well, The Splash Blue is essentially that but better – and without having to go to the trouble of four coats of different polishes!

It’s an icy baby blue swirled with the trademark Estessimo Tins magic mixture of silver and holographic glitter. Unlike The Nepture, whose glitter seemed to reflect a whole galaxy of colours, this time the effect is much cooler – a palette of opalescent blues, greens and silvers that twinkle like a shaken up snow globe.

I love this dreamier approach to glitter for nail polish (file alongside OPI’s Teenage Dream), which is often categorised as being brash and in your face. Unfortunately, despite being exceedingly desperately pretty, it also seemed to bring out the red in my skin tone – making for those hideous blotchy fingers you see in the photos!

Sadly, my experience with The Splash Blue wasn’t as good as the one I had with The Neptune either. The formula felt much grittier and thicker and application was more difficult as it seemed a bit bumpy and lumpy. But once again, only two coats were required to get a fully opaque finish and although drying time is average, wear-time, as with The Neptune, was fantastic.

Other than Pinocchio’s Blue Fairy, the other thing this glittering glacial blue reminds me of are cute candy-coloured sorbets or ice-creams – topped with a sprinkling of fairy dust, of course! If you can put up with the slightly troublesome application, polishes probably don’t get much more magical than The Splash Blue!

Looks good with: pastels, soft shades, pretty summer frocks
Drying time: 5-7 mins
Coats required: 2
Chips: +7 days

Estessimo TINS 016 The Splash Blue nail polish, Spring 2004 Sweet Go Happy Collection, $85, Nail Concept Company

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Estessimo Tins The Neptune nail polish review

Posted on April 27, 2011 | Leave a comment

‘They’ve got SNILs!’ Boyfriend told me, as I continued to hunt around a shop for nail polish. I, of course, ignored him. What the hell are SNILs?! Probably some football-related nonsense. But he kept repeating himself until I was finally dragged over to see the ‘SNILs’, which were in fact Estessimo TINS, a Japanese nail polish brand renowned for their glitters that I had declared an interest in but days ago.

Most of their polish names begin with an entirely irrelevant and unnecessary ‘The’, which many find amusing but I find sort of charming and quirkily cool. Plus, the definite article implies special-ness and individuality, which these polishes have in spades. And good on them for not going down the boring names and numbers route so beloved of Asian cosmetics companies – hi Majolica Majorca V1494 and Sasatinnie FCGL002!

So here we have The Neptune, from their All Night Stars Collection, which was named entirely after planets. Perfectly-named, may I add, because these heady hits of colour and glitter send you shooting straight to the stars.

The Neptune is a mid-toned indigo shot through with silver glitter and larger round holographic glitter particles. In short, it’s total starry-studded night sky stuff. One coat gives you a pale pretty lilac kind of colour, two is the lovely shade of not-quite-blue not-quite-purple that’s pictured and three intensifies it to a deeper, darker colour that’s heading more towards midnight yet all look like they’ve come from a galaxy far far away. A galaxy that’s been hit with a shed-load of glitter, of course.

For those that love their glitterbombs, look no further. The Neptune is practically dripping in sparkle. And even though it’s saturated in silver glitter and bouncing off the ceiling with those bigger rainbow-reflecting particles, enough of that lovely base colour still shines through. Glitter may as well be Estessimo Tins middle name.

Application was easy, the brush was medium-sized leaning more towards the thin and it was pretty opaque in just the one coat. Yes, you’re hearing that right – ONE. Normally, glitters have to be built up to two coats on a good day but usually at least three or four to get any decent coverage of the sparkly stuff yet this has more glitter going on in one swipe than most polishes manage in a lifetime.

That amount of glitter obviously means you don’t get a finish that feels smooth yet it looks smooth and not at all gritty, which is, in glitter terms, practically as good as it gets. It stayed chip-free for an age… or should that be a light year… and what’s more, unlike OPI’s Sparkle-licious, it wasn’t utterly nightmarish to remove. I even managed it with a non-acetone remover without rubbing my skin off in the process!

I also loved the base colour of The Neptune. I mentioned in my review of OPI’s Ink how many nail bloggers seemed to have forgotten the term indigo existed, instead making up the word ‘blurple’, and I’ve also detailed how difficult a colour it can be to pitch right (remember the inky dull disaster that was Zoya’s Pinta). But The Neptune manages to nail (ho ho ho) even that! The perfect little bear portion of blue and purple, it would be a pretty dreamy colour on its own, and that’s before you’ve mixed in a solar system’s worth of sparkly stuff.

Seriously, look how prettily those particles glow against that indigo backdrop! Red, pink, blue, green, gold, copper, purple – they’ve got it all. Astronauts would probably be disappointed with how the real galaxy looks in comparison once they’ve seen this baby.

The Neptune was so impressive that it’s got me seriously wondering if I’ll ever bother with other brand’s glitters again. Even if I’ll never be able to think of Estessimo Tins as anything other but SNILs ever again!

Estessimo TINS 023 The Neptune nail polish, Winter 2003 All Night Stars Collection, $85, Nail Concept Company

Looks good with: Black, constellations, star-gazing
Drying time: 5-7 mins
Coats required: 2
Chips: +7 days

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Sasatinnie Intergalactic Wow nail polish review

Posted on April 11, 2011 | 1 comment

Having given you time to mull over my first flakie nail polish, it’s time for another review from my Sasa haul. So following hot on the glittery-pretty heels of FCGL001, it’s… Sasatinnie FCGL002! Imaginative, right?

FCGL002 is waaaay too beautiful to be known by a string of letters and numbers that make it sound more like a hazardous chemical than a thing of wonder, so I’ve renamed it Intergalactic Wow. It’s a deep deadly nightshade purple swirled with silver micro-glitter and an abundance of glowing coppery-pinky-purply opalescent shreds, with such a mesmerising magic about it that you do feel like you’re being sucked into another galaxy. In case you’re in any doubt, it is 100% totally gorgeous.

Out of all three Sasatinnie flakies I bought, Intergalactic Wow had by far the biggest and the most ‘amazing shreds of rainbow awesomeness’ (I’m thinking of patenting the term). Again, there was a thin watery first coat and a somewhat toxic stink, but once you’ve layered on two to three coats of this lovely, you get a colour with such depth and richness to its shimmers and glimmers that you can barely remember your own name let alone whatever minor hardships it took to achieve. It reminded me of the photos you see from outer space – those vivid and multi-textured hues of a planet’s surface, topped off with starry sprinkles and flaming comets – hence the name I gave it. By now, the ‘Wow’ part should be pretty self-explanatory!

Hunting around the web, it looks like Intergalactic Wow may even be a dupe (nail polish jargon for identical twin) for OPI’s Merry Midnight, a colour from its 2009 Holiday Wishes Collection and long since discontinued. It certainly has the same red-based plum base colour, although from some photos, it looks like Sasatinnie’s polish may have even more flakie goodness going on! And for a fraction of the price to boot!

Intergalactic Wow was, unsurprisingly, my favourite of all the Sasatinnie lacquers I purchased. That it only cost $24 is nothing short of incredible; it easily outshines many of the other premium polishes I own, in terms of drying time, staying power and the most importantly, that magnificent colour pay-off. After all, why else would I have put ‘Wow’ in the name?!

Looks good with: black, star-gazing, cosmic wonder
Drying time: <2 mins
Coats required: 2-3
Chips: +5 days

Sasatinnie FCGL002 “Intergalactic Wow” nail polish, Super Dolly Fantasy Quick Dry Collection, $24, Sasa

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OPI The One That Got Away nail polish review

Posted on April 11, 2011 | 2 comments

Slowly but surely, I’m attempting to review all of the Katy Perry nail polishes before OPI’s Summer Collection comes out, so it’s down to The One That Got Away to get us over the camel’s hump.

So far, we’ve had the colour-changing silvery star of the show Not Like The Movies and the pretty in pink Teenage Dream. The One That Got Away is a deep bold but cool-toned fuchsia, with the merest smattering of glitter and shimmer, and yet it’s by far the most boring colour of the bunch.

The fact that there’s no other way to describe this shade than fuchsia should indicate part of the problem. It’s utterly one-dimensional, despite the metallic-glitter-shimmer effect that’s similar to the finish of The Show Must Go On. Whereas that polish glowed in a million different ways and was made even more unique by that beautiful finish, here those little flecks of glitter can’t save what is ultimately a flat and run-of-the-mill colour from being boring – a word which, love her or hate her, is so very un-Katy Perry.

I think it looks nicer and sparklier in my photos (especially the one below, taken in strong sunlight) than it did in real life. Even my boyfriend, who rarely manages to rouse himself from anything but boredom in regards to my nails, said he didn’t like it. I wore it with First Mate, hardly the world’s most exciting colour, on the other hand – and somehow, an inky navy crème managed to outshine a bright glittery shiny metallic. Speaks for itself, doesn’t it?

The One That Got Away? If only! Annoyingly for a colour that I didn’t like that much, it didn’t give me much of an excuse to take it off – opaque in two easy breezy coats and chip-free for WELL over a week. Since it hung around longer than a novelty record in the charts, I noticed that it seemed to lose some of its sheen as the week progressed, making a dull colour look even duller.

Without wanting to go on a full-on rant again, The One That Got Away does not even have the mitigating factor of being suited to its name. Once you’ve listened to the song itself, a wistful swoon down memory lane, it’s hard to reconcile this bright bold hue with any feelings of rose-tinted nostalgia – and for those that haven’t listened to the song, I’d argue that the phrase The One That Got Away has a sense of inbuilt sense of nostalgic longing anyway.

Perhaps I’m attaching too much stigma to the name; after all, ‘a rose by any other name would smell as sweet’. Alas, this rose smells of nothing but flat and uninspired. As far as I’m concerned, The One That Got Away can run for the hills.

Looks good with: Black, ignorance of the Katy Perry song
Drying time: 3-5 mins
Coats required: 2
Chips: +7 days

Read my reviews of the rest of the OPI Katy Perry Collection:
     •  Teenage Dream
     •  Not Like The Movies

OPI The One That Got Away nail polish, Spring 2011 Katy Perry Collection, $168 for four of four minis, selected Mannings

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China Glaze First Mate nail polish review

Posted on April 9, 2011 | Leave a comment

As some of you may know, I’m just a little excited about the Royal Wedding (she says, drinking out of a commemorative Royal Wedding mug, dining on commemorative Royal Wedding crockery and contemplating her giant commemorative Royal Wedding poster). I’ve also become obsessed with Kate Middleton – or to be more exact her amazing hair, which survives everything that horrible British weather and scores of unflattering paparazzi shots throw at it and still comes out looking beauty pageant perfect every time. So it was with Princess Kate in mind that I selected my next nail polish – China Glaze’s First Mate.

If you’re thinking that blue doesn’t seem a likely choice for the future Queen of England’s manicure (pretty neutrals all the way, right?), you’d be correct. I was in fact thinking of this iconic Kate moment in choosing it:

The royal blue Issa dress that Kate wore for the engagement announcement was just stunning. Flattering, sophisticated, just that little bit sexy and in an eye-popping shade that *stroke of genius moment* matches the iconic sapphire engagement ring. Apart from lusting after the dress (get me a cheapo high street copy, stat!), it’s had me lusting after that particular shade of cobalt for weeks on end. Enter First Mate, which has been photographed on many people’s blogs looking like this, i.e. a gorgeous hue of that striking blue:

(Note the long-suffering boyfriend’s look of disgust in the background, as I whip out a camera to take pictures of my nails yet again whilst probably droning on about Kate Middleton’s hair yet again.)

However, as I swiftly learned, First Mate only turns this colour in strong bright beating sunlight. Damn you bloggers with your indiscriminate use of flash! Under normal conditions, it actually looks like this:

That’s an inky, very dark, even a little dull, take on navy blue. Under most lightings, it’s actually almost black and is definitely a whole lot darker than the, dare I say it, Issa dress colour of the bottle. It’s got a nautical feel – well, it is from the Anchors Away Collection! – and also a certain Parisian chic to it. Navy in general is an underrated colour that’s extremely versatile and looks smart all year round, even if it isn’t a natural fit for spring. However, as has been well-documented, I’m just not a fan of dark colours on my nails, however great the polish.

This, incidentally, is First Mate’s middle ground, found in normal daylight. A nice enough navy but not exactly set to striking:

Application-wise, this was another China Glaze stellar performer. Nice smooth consistency, opaque in just one coat (though you might want to go two for added glossiness) and a steadfast defiance towards chipping.

I suppose First Mate will just about complement the royal blue found in the Union Jacks I’ll be frantically waving come April 29 and after all that, it looks like Kate’s dress, without the benefit of a million flash bulbs popping at it, also turns a similar inky navy too (see below)! So whilst First Mate is still flattering, sophisticated and just that little bit sexy, it’s just not the colour I was looking for. Even if that was the wrong colour in the first place… oh, never mind. God Save The Queen!

Looks good with: red, Breton stripes, the nautical look
Drying time: 5 mins
Coats required: 1-2
Chips: 7 days

China Glaze First Mate nail polish, Spring 2011 Anchors Away Collection, $60, Cher2

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Sasatinnie Blue Steel nail polish review

Posted on April 2, 2011 | 5 comments

I promised you reviews of my newly-purchased flakie nail polishes so let’s get the ball rolling with Sasatinnie’s FCGL001.

Oh dear, that’s hardly the most exciting of names, is it? In order to combat this undeserved dullardry, I decided to give it my own name – Blue Steel. Guess who re-watched Zoolander recently!

This means that FCGL001 Blue Steel has no option other than to be really really ridiculously good-looking. And I rather think it is. It’s a steely metallic blue-grey with a river of sparkling silver micro-glitter running through it, plus a scattering of those all-important flakes of rainbow awesomeness. These flakes are actually quite subtle, relatively small and a glowing pink colour but they’re still just as awesome as their showier counterparts.

As I said earlier, I was actually pretty impressed with the formula of this polish. Despite an extremely thin murky first coat, Blue Steel became opaque in just two coats, although I applied a third to intensify the gleaming depth of those awesome flakies even further. It’s also quick-drying and long-lasting, although as a cheapo drugstore polish, it’s unlikely to be part of the ‘3 Free’ brigade (reminder: free from the three biggest nail varnish nasties) and consequently, smelt just as toxic as the ones I remember from my youth. Similarly, the brush shape is nothing to write home about – medium-sized, quite flat, fans out nicely – although since these bottles are slung into a huge vat and no doubt sneakily opened and jammed back once a security guard’s caught them doing it multiple times by excitable schoolgirls, it’s worth checking to make sure you don’t get a brush with splayed bristles. The length of the brush feels rather short, like you’re having to get a bit too close to comfort to the nail to get the job done, but none of these criticisms are serious enough to make you regret the purchase. I mean, these are glittering flakes of rainbow awesomeness, remember?!

For a polish boasting so many elements from the gaudier side of lacquers – glitter, flakies, metallic and all done in blue – Blue Steel is surprisingly low-key but in a confidently gorgeous way. The dusty pewter blue is a really wearable shade that goes with most things but gets balanced out by the fine dusting of silver glitter, which gives it a sexy shimmer without turning it into a circus.

As for the flakies? Well, they’re everything I hoped they would be. They turn Blue Steel into a much more beautiful, unique polish, giving it that extra push of oomph yet staying true to its more subtle take on things. These opalescent shreds, plus the silver fairy dust, give it a depth that makes it all the more mesmerising to anyone that looks close enough. And trust me – that’s something you’ll be doing a lot of once you’ve started wearing it!

Looks good with: cool tones, metallics, doing the Blue Steel
Drying time: <2 mins
Coats required: 2-3
Chips: 3 days

Sasatinnie FCGL001 “Blue Steel” nail polish, Super Dolly Fantasy Quick Dry Collection, $24, Sasa

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OPI Sparkle-licious nail polish review

Posted on March 31, 2011 | Leave a comment

Remember in my first nail varnish reviews, how I revealed my disdain for glittery nail polishes? Well, it’s only taken six months or so, but this contempt has been well and truly left in dust – and what better way to celebrate than with one of the sparkliest, shiniest, glitteriest polishes on the block, OPI Sparkle-licious.

OPI are renowned for their fun names yet Sparkle-licious could not be any more accurate unless it involved copious amounts of exclamation marks. It’s a veritable Mardi-Gras on the nails – large showy particles of gold, pink, blue and purple all joining together for a riot right on your fingertips.

One of my previous objections to glitter polishes was that they tend to look like a pre-schooler ran riot in the art cupboard, with pots of glitter just dumped haphazardly on the nails. And Sparkle-licious looks pretty much exactly like that – the mixed-up multi-coloured bags of glitter you’re left with once kindergarten kids have got a bit too enthusiastic with your craft supplies. Although the bottle makes it look like purple might be the predominant colour, once it’s on the nails it seems to burst into a brighter golden glow. So whether you love it or loathe it, this look is a difficult one to ignore!

If only getting this intense sparkle showdown was as easy as letting a child run amok with some PVA glue and a wild imagination. Unlike another recent OPI glitter polish, Teenage Dream, which had a coloured base, the particles in Sparkle-licious are suspended in a clear liquid, so I had to go four coats to get full coverage. I also found Sparkle-licious’ formula to be gloopy and very runny, meaning (in true kindergarten style) that I got glitter absolutely everywhere.

However, it didn’t have the overly gritty feeling of glitter polishes of yore, even if it’s obviously not an entirely smooth surface without a top coat. And, despite the four coats, it generally didn’t feel too thick or heavy either. The downside of this pure glitter hit that required plentiful coats? Brittle nail polish that chipped off in chunks sooner rather than later.

Another memory of glitter polishes that did unfortunately prove correct – they’re hell to remove. Don’t even bother trying a non-acetone remover with Sparkle-licious, as it merely laughs in its face and stays sparkling steadfastly into the night. The best way of putting out the party on your nails is to employ the foil method, which entails wrapping nail polish remover-soaked cotton wool around the nail, then wrapping foil around the whole fingertip and leaving it a few air-starved minutes to do its work. This removes the glitter in a fuss-free fashion but thanks to the acetone – the magic ingredient that does most of the removing but certainly doesn’t go about it quietly – your fingers will probably sting, tingle and remain highly sensitive for a while afterwards (and be prepared for a lot of wincing if you have any cuts!).

Sparkle-licious is an ostentatious glamorous glitterbomb that’s not for the faint-hearted or vanilla-loving amongst us. I also tried it as a top coat over The Show Must Go On  and it didn’t seem too happy to share the spotlight – frankly, I found it a bit too busy and overpowering to work with just one colour as its backing singer (shown below, although I think it looks better in the picture than it did in real life!).

Whether you look at Sparkle-licious and think ‘Too Much!’ or ‘Not Enough!’ rather depends on your feelings about glitter as a whole; honestly, for me, it was just too much for wearing round the house doing nothing more exciting than the washing-up. This baby packs more bling than the brightest Bollywood musical and more glitter than the wardrobe department for a beauty pageant. Be prepared for the term Sparkle-licious to sound like an understatement!

Looks good with: parties, more bling, your inner diva
Drying time: 3-5mins
Coats required: 3-4
Chips: 2 days

OPI Sparkle-icious nail polish, Winter 2010 Burlesque Collection, $132, selected Mannings

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