I'm Swatchin' You - China Glaze Re-fresh Mint

As you know, I used China Glaze's Re-fresh Mint as my Mint Mani in memory of Talia Joy Castellano on Friday.  However, I did not give any details on the polish out of respect for her memory.  So today, I'm just providing the details on my experience with this mint green creme.

The formula was great.  The first coat was a bit streaky, but the second coat provided solid coverage.  I stopped at two coats.  And I loved how easy this polish was to clean up.  With such a light creme, I was expecting to end up with that whitish film after cleaning up.  I was pleasantly surprised to find no residue at all.

As I said on Friday, I am not a big fan of mint greens...or any light green for that matter.  I bought this specifically to remember Talia Joy.  I just thought the name, Re-fresh Mint, was perfect for the Mint Mani memorial.  It was the first polish that came to mind.  Which led to another thought.  Wouldn't it be fantastic if China Glaze would change the name of this polish in her memory?  Or maybe they could even issue a special limited edition version of this where the proceeds can go to cancer research?  I'm thinking Talia's Joy would be a great name!  Hmmmmm......

SH Double Duty and SV as base and top.

I'm Swatchin' You - Zoya Stevie

You know what I'm going to say...head over to my giveaway.  Time is running out!  For today, I'm showing you Stevie by Zoya, a light purple textured matte with metallic glitter.  This is from their 2013 Pixie Dust collection.

The formula on this was amazing!  It was easy to apply with even coverage.  It builds beautifully and quickly.  Due to it's matte finish, it dries very quickly.  I have to say, this was just as pretty as a one coat sheer.  But I loved how it built up, so I did three coats, which is what is pictured.  The glitter does kind of hang off the nail a bit, making the edges of the nails feel rough.  You can probably kind of see this in the photo above.  But it smooths out with a bit of wear after a couple of hours.  Love this one!  Which are your favorite colors from this collection?

SH Double Duty as a base with no topcoat.

I'm Swatchin' You - Sinful Colors Snow Me White

Hi all!  Once again, don't forget to get in on my giveaway!  Today, I'm swatching Sinful Colors Snow Me White, a white creme. 

The first coat was a bit streaky, but that's to be expected with a pigmented creme.  The second coat provided good, solid coverage.  I ended up leaving this at two coats.  The formula was great.  And this is a great white for stamping...another plus!  I thought clean up would be much more difficult than it was.  All in all, a great polish that should be a staple in any stash.  My only complaint?  It doesn't play well with SV.  You may be able to tell in the photos that it puckered a bit after I topped it with SV.  Bummer.

SH Double Duty and SV as base and top.

These Are a Few of My Favorite...Swatches Part 2!

Coming soon...a review and a giveaway!  Woohoo!  And for today...

Revlon Not So Blueberry

Revlon Royal

SH DVD

SH Wined Up

SC Glass Pink

Spoiled I Don't Drink Cheap Wine

Spoiled Shrimp on the Barbie

WnW 414

Do you think it's a coincidence that two of these names include wine?  Neither do I.

These Are a Few of My Favorite...Swatches!

Let's just dive right in!

CC Daisy Does It

CC Pardon My French

Ciate Guest List

CQ Golden Green

The Hungry Asian Strawberry

OPI DS Classic

OPI Take the Stage

Orly Rock It

PP The Right to Bare Feet

Pure Ice Magic

More to come tomorrow!

I'm Swatchin' You - OPI Romeo & Joliet

Up next is a pretty red-brown shimmer from OPI, called Romeo & Joliet.  I classified it as a red since I think the red hue dominates.  Sorry this doesn't translate well to the photos.  Light box, light box...where art thou, light box???  Oh, but the bandages abound!

The formula was only so-so.  There was no sign of leveling.  The first coat was a bit streaky, but improved with the second coat.  I went with a light third coat to fill in the streaks.  But it is a pretty color, vampy with a touch of class!

SH Double Duty and SV as base and top.

I'm Swatchin' You - Essie Wicked

Today, I get to show you my first Essie!  It's the vampy beauty, Wicked, a red jelly.

I have classified this as a red.  It's a deep, dark black-red.  I was excited to finally try my first Essie.  Sadly, I wasn't too happy with the formula.  There was no leveling, and uneven application.  This took three coats.  However, the third coat should be very light just to fill in the streaks that remain after the first two coats.  The formula was also quite thin.  But how could you not love the color or the name?!?

SH Double Duty and SV as base and top.

I'm Swatchin' You - China Glaze 108 Degrees

Today's pretty little polly is coming to you from China Glaze's Summer 2011 Island Escape collection.  This is 108 Degrees, and fuchsia pink shimmer.  Holy double bandages, Batman!!!

This took two coats.  I have to say, I was not impressed with the formula on this.  The first coat was streaky with no signs of self-leveling.  Thankfully, the second coat evened out the look.  And I did experience some minor cuticle flooding.  The bottom line:  nice color, weak formula.

 SH Double Duty and SV as base and top.

I'm Swatchin' You - Revlon Chili

Bright orange, ahead!  This is Revlon's Chili, a bright orange creme.

I did one coat with this color.  It's hard to tell in the pictures, but there is a slight VNL.  So if you want solid coverage, go for the second coat.  I wasn't too thrilled with the formula on this one.  Mine was very thin.  I left the bottle open for an eternity, and still had cuticle flooding.  She just didn't want to behave for me.  It is a pretty nice color, though.

SH Double Duty and SV as base and top.

I'm Swatchin' You - Sinful Colors Hazard

Hi all!  Today's color is coming to you from Sinful Colors.  It's a pretty, summery peach creme called Hazard. And oh, my...the virtual bandage has an offspring!  I must learn to be kinder to my hands.

You are looking at two easy coats.  The formula on this was great.  It levels well, and cleans up with ease.  I have heard that Hazard is a stainer.  I only had this on for a few hours, and did not have any staining, so I can't really confirm that for you.

SH Double Duty and SV as base and top.