Outlet Haul + Swatches

I'm lucky enough to live about ten minutes from a cosmetic outlet. Most of the stuff is really old and I wouldn't want to chance a mascara or lippie from there but sometimes I'm able to find great deals on nail polish. And all it takes is a couple drops of nail polish thinner to restore them to their original glory. I went in the other day because I was passing by and figured it would be worth 10 minutes to try and find a polish worth rescuing. And it was! Worth it, I mean. 

I'm sure most people reading this are familiar with Sally Hansen Nail Prisms, the discontinued polish that promised "a rainbow in every bottle". Well, as intriguing as that is, I'm just not willing to pay what some people are asking on eBay. So, I'd resigned myself to looking at swatches longingly, knowing I'd never have a bottle for myself. Well, imagine what went through my mind when I saw not one, but two different shades of Nail Prisms. My heart rate picked up a little, and I quickly glanced around to be sure no one was just waiting to snatch up my find. What colours were there? Did it even matter? I had to have them. I grabbed them up quickly and after double- and triple-checking to make sure I hadn't missed an elusive third shade, moved on to the next rack, just hoping lightning would strike twice and I'd find another gem. Drama aside, that's how I became the proud owner of White Ruby and Opal Presents.

The rainbow effect is admittedly less pronounced than in swatches of other shades that I've seen, but beautiful colours nonetheless. Of course, I immediately thought of layering. So, I picked up my go-to black (Xtreme Wear Black Out) and got to work. Over black, the magic really happens. The orange disappears and you're left with green shimmer. And pink, blue, purple. Depending on how the light hits, it really is a rainbow. White Ruby turns first silver, then purple-pink, and blue-green. I couldn't capture it on camera, but trust me, it's there. So much so, that I just spend a solid five minutes turning my hand every which way but loose and admiring the colour change. (Do click that link by the way, I promise it's worth it.)

Left to right: Opal Presents over Black Out, White Ruby over Black Out, Opal Presents (two coats), and White Ruby (two coats).

I had doubts about finding anything else as exciting as Nails Prisms, but I kept looking. Just when I thought all my searching was in vain: a lonely bottle of Sally Hansen Chromes, begging me to take her home. How could I say no? Again, the shade didn't matter. I've heard about how well Chromes stamp and images of fauxnad plates started dancing in my mind. For the record, this is Rose Diamond. Roses are red, diamonds are white; but Rose Diamond is a light silvery, purple. Hmmm, doesn't quite rhyme (or make much sense). Names aside, this is a stamping dream. I think it's actually going to replace Celeb City as my top fauxnad polish.

I'm not a fan of Revlon polishes generally. They have some amazing colours (Gum Drop, for example) but the formula is groan-worthy. That aside, these next two made me revoke my Revlon ban. Silver Switch--from the Color Illusion line--is a metallic silvery pink-purple that shifts to a light silvery green when it catches the light. Duochrome? Check. Purple and pink?!? Check. It had to be mine. The other Revlon I found is Crystal Ball. This is a pink-purple loaded with pale blue-green shimmer. At one angle, it's very purple with the shimmer super obvious. Then, it looks like just a fuchsia frost. The formula is very thin on these, even after sitting on a shelf for who knows how long, but I've said it before, I'm willing to put up with less than stellar formulas when the colour is this good.

Left to right: Rose Diamond over Black Out (plate BM13), Crystal Ball, Silver Switch, Rose Diamond.

After all that excitement, everything else I bought can't possibly compare, but here they are anyway. I found two glitters from Super Shine Naturalistics for a quarter each. Just 25 cents. If all polishes were that cheap, I'd buy every colour ever made. Pinky: Twilight; ring: Ice Crystals; Middle: Twilight over Black Out; Index: Ice Crystals over Black Out. The holographic diamonds in Ice Crystals applied really well, which isn't always the case with these chunky glitters. And, I love that the lids on the bottles coordinate with the polish. It's the small details that count.

The last one I picked up was a real stinker. Literally. Even after drying, and letting is set all night, it still smelled. Aside from the usual chemical smell that most old polishes have, this one stank like really strong orange cleaner. Like someone threw a bunch of chemicals in a bucket and said "hey, that kinda smells like oranges, of course people love the smell of oranges on their nails". Not so much. And the colour isn't stunning enough to put up with the odor. Anyway, this is Maybelline Express Finish in Matte Orange. After half a dozen coats, still super sheer. I'd try it as a top coat but I'm afraid the smell will keep me away. You win some, you lose some. At the very least, I can use the bottle for a franken--that is, if I can get rid of the odor.

*Please excuse my nubbin index nail. It broke the other day and my nails have been doing so well lately that I can't bear to file them all down.*

I know this has been pretty wordy, but last thing I wanted to mention is that I've updated my page with tons of new giveaways. Check it out here to enter and good luck everyone.