Kleancolor - Holo Chrome over Wet n Wild On A Trip (02/12/2012)

Halogen Lighting w/ Cloudy Camera Setting
(for truer color)

I decided to spice up my WnW with a little Holo Chrome from Kleancolor.  These are a great accompaniments to one other as they are both blue based medium-toned purples.


Color Description: Holo Chrome is a fine particle scattered holo in a blue-based purple clear jelly. It is a very striking lacquer and will definitely glam up any mani.


Similar To: Holo Chrome is definitely a stand-alone lacquer but if you're looking to layer it, try this combo.  WnW On A Trip is, again, is the same color/hue of purple.


This Look: One coat of Holo Chrome over my last mani and topped with Shine & Hold.

Day (OTT) Lighting w/ Cloudy Camera Setting

Price Point/Availability: I, generally, find these in a local beauty supply and have seen them for as low as $1.00. They are also available at Kleancolors website for $3.49 (+ tax and $8 an shipping charge). 


This should be a good week, instead of starting the weekend with party nails I'm ending the weekend with them. 

Day (OTT) Lighting w/ Normal Camera Setting
(shows blue but still nice, eh?)

Have a great week and see you in a day or so...  I have a hunch that I'm going to get tired of these nails really quick and I already know what's next.  See you soon!

Pink Wednesday: Golden Rose #105 (Pink Holographic)

It's close to midnight in Los Angeles on this Pink Wednesday which comes and goes before you know it, but I figured out a way to give myself a few more hours. I'm using the last available time zone in the U.S. because it's still Wednesday in Hawaii - lol!  On to Golden Rose #105 is long overdue for review, so it goes it.


Color Description: A lovely conservative neutral pink indoors and wildly holographic outdoors, Pink #105, is understated but at the same time not to be missed.  Very hard to capture in pics, this lacquer is best viewed outside.


This Look: Two coats of Miss Marion Garlic Base coat, two coats of #105, and one coat of OPI DS topcoat.


Price Point/Availability: I received this little bottle in a swap.  It was a curiosity that's now been satisfied, however, I now want to try other colors.  These are available online for under $3.00.  What a deal!


These indoor pics aren't showing the holo effect but it's an accurate rendition of what you'll see, for the most part. Alrighty then my fine folks!  I will speak with you soon, 'kay? 

L.A. Girl Rockstar - Double Platinum (02/05/2012)

L.A. Girl Rock Star Double Platinum is a difficult one to "capture on film" and this is the best few shots out of gazillion.  It's so much prettier in person than this.  Here's Scrangie's phot of Double Platinum (w/ three coats) so you can get another vantage point of what it looks like.


Color Description: This is a smokey taupe that leans gray and is chock full of holographic glitter.  It's a really special color and would look great layered over something like OPI's Designer De Better for  a bit more bling or maybe Essie Case Study to bring out more of the taupe.


Similar To:  This is another stand alone lacquer that has no rival in my collection.


This Look: Two coats of OPI Acrylic Base Coat (white), two coats of Double Platinum (three or four is preferable) and one coat of Shine & Hold topcoat.


Price Point/Availability: Most brick and mortar retailers have moved on from the Rock Star collection so it may be a bit hard to find in person, however, the good news is that it's not discontinued and can be found on L.A. Girls website for $4.  I've also seen it in other places for under $3. So it's a bargain for a unique lacquer.


Well, thanks so much for peeking at my latest look and have a great Sunday!

Milani - HD/Silver Holographic (08/14/2011)

Sunday's Best!  This is such a gorgeous color that I just had to revisit it (haven't worn it since February of 2010).  Milani HD is a great lacquer and I hear it's being discontinued, go figure?  So, I have a few back-ups one for me and one for swap.  Here are today's pics:

Color Description: Scattered holographic silver effect with a smooth finish.  Can take on the appearance of silver glitter in certain light and even from afar just a beautiful silver lacquer.

Similar To: An excellent comp post was done by beauty blogger Kayla Shevon of Milani HD and OPI DS Coronation.  I own both but Coronation is one of my untried and as she mentioned, though these are not dupes the are extremely close.  So if you can get your hands on HD I would say "run, don't walk" to your nearest drugstore (CVS, Walgreens, etc.).

This Look: One coat of Starting Over After Artificials, three coats of HD and one coat of Sally Hansen Mega Shine.  Some have used up to four coats of HD but since I've shortened my length the VNL (visible nail line) is not as apparent and 3 coats were sufficient. :)

Have an AWESOME SUNDAY!  And see you later on in the week, if not before.

Kleancolor - Holo Yellow/Catherine Arley #801 Comp

Just out of curiosity I swatched Kleancolor's Holo Yellow on my pinky so that I could compare it with Catherine Arley's #801.  As you can see the coloring is very close in color but the finish is totally different. 

The finish of the Catherine Arley is jelly and linear (very sophisticated), while the Kleancolor Holo Yellow is a bit more frosty and definitely a scattered holo.

Again, if you can't get your hands on Catherine Arley's version, Kleancolor will definitely do!

Catherine Arley - 801 (08/09/2011)

Before yesterday, I'd only seen pictures of Catherine Arleys and since I own over to 50 holograpic lacquers including 25 OPI Designer Series, 10 China Glaze OMGs, 11 Tronicas and a hand full of Color Clubs and Kleancolors, I don't get too excited anymore but behold Catherine Arley - 801 in all of its chartreuse golden jelly goodness.

Color Description: Can a lacquer be holographic and jelly at the same time?  Well, Catherine Arley figured away to combine the two and I'm thankful to have this in my collection.  Again, I would consider this a golden chartreuse with scattered holographic prisms in a jelly finish.

This Look:  Two coats of lacquer with no topcoat!

Similar To:  This is a very unusual holographic lacquer but also very similar in coloring to Kleancolor Holo Yellow.  If you can find the Kleancolor around this may satisfy a lemming for Catherine Arley 801.  However, the Kleancolor has somewhat of a frost finish to it.

Availability: Catherine Arley is manufactured in Turkey and can be purchased on the web, however, I've had no success getting a response from the online distributor.  So glad I got this in a swap!

 One last pic for the road!  Have you heard of Catherine Arley?  Which do you have in your collection?

Pink Wednesday: OPI - Crim-Sun

OTT Light w/ Light Box

Old-school holographic nail polish at it's best, OPI Crim-Sun is one of a kind.  This is from the 2003 Summer for Shore collection, of which I have two, Crim-Sun and Blue Moon Lagoon.


Color Description: I would say this is a hot-pink coral with a subtle holographic sheen with a bit of frost thrown in there for good measure.  Very unique to my other OPI DS lacquers.

Incandescent Lighting

Similar To: From various reviews, Crim-Sun is said to be dupish to the old Sally Hansen Nail Prisms in Coral Amber, which came out around the same time in '03.


This Look:  Decided to go 100% OPI on this mani and try out a new basecoat - OPI Acrylic Nail Base Coat.  Despite the name I'm using on my natural nails because it boast of having a "stain-resistant formula".  We'll see.  Then I have two coats of Crim-Sun and on coat of th OPI Designer Series topcoat.

Indoor Lighting w/ Low Flash

Price Point/Availability: This collection has been discontinued for over 9 years, however, it can still be found online.


Well, another Pink Friday mani down, what to wear next?  Maybe a something from the new Miss Universe Collection? ...or, one of the Serena Williams looks? We shall see... As always, thanks for stopping by and what's your next mani gonna be?

Omega Labs - Silvery Green (07/24/2011)

Umph, umph, umph!  This glitter is insane in the membrane and shines its brightest over black or maybe even a deep green.  This is the green glitter that the Burlesque Collection was missing.  Hmm, what would OPI call this one with titles like Bring On The Bling and Simmer & Shimmer? Maybe,  Green Light A Go-Go? LOL!


Color Description: This is an outrageous holographic and medium green glitter suspended in a clear base and definitely competes, toe to toe with every OPI glitter that's been on the market.


Similar To: Nothing that I own or that I've seen...


This Look: One coat of Silvery Green over OPI Black Onyx (previous post) then topped with one coat of Sally Hansen NailShine Miracle and Mega Shine.


Price Point/Availability:  I found this at a Mom & Pop beauty supply store for $1.  Can't wait to go back out of town to that secret dusty spot to pick up a few more of these. 


Thanks so much for your comments!  Can't believe I have over 300 readers and without a single "giveaway"...  So, next time I go to that secret dusty spot, I'll try to remember to pick up a few extras of these.  They have many other holo glitters, too.  Maybe, once I get to 500 I'll do an Omega Labs give-away of some sort - that might be fun!

China Glaze - OMG (07/15/2011)

No special occasion to celebrate tonight but this lacquer is truly putting me in a celebratory mood!  Listening to some good music (old-school, James Bradley), just finished a fantastic mani and winding it down for the evening. OMG is "Oh My Goodness" all bottled up and then some...


Color Description:  Holo-rific goodness and awesome sauce in a bottle, China Glaze OMG is considered a linear holographic lacquer (defined by the oil slick appearance).  Shining silver with a microcosm of rainbow particles, OMG, is one of the most special nail lacquers I own.  To bling out my mani a little more I add Maybelline's Planet Pluto on my ring fingers, making for a spectacular combo.


Similar To:  I don't have another silver linear holographic but from online pics this reminds me of Nfu Oh 61, Chanel Holographic, and a few others.  Here's a comparison post from More Nail Polish that might help a bit.  As you will see, even though OMG reminds me of others, there's really no dupe out there because they're all slightly different.  I'm just glad to have this on right now, that's all.


This Look:  One coat of Starting Over After Artificials and two coats of OMG (I left the topcoat off for the pictures).  Then added two coats of Maybelline Planet Pluto to ring fingers.


Price Point/Availability:  This lacquer is now discontinued but others from this collection can go for as high as $25/ea. on Ebay.  Wowzers!


I think this was the most difficult review to type up because I keep stretching out my hands and looking at my nails.  Until today, this was an untried and I'm so happy that I'm experiencing what all of the hype is about this lacquer - WORTH EVERY PENNY!  Do you own this or anything similar?  Would ♥ to hear from some of my polished peeps!

Sephora by OPI - 212-Sephora (06/17/2011)

I have a handful of Sephora by OPI nail lacquers and 212-Sephora is the most unique of the bunch... it is phenomenal!


Color Description:  Described by Sephora as an opaque smoky black with iridescent, gold and copper chunky glitter, I say 212-Sephora is a multi-faceted flakie with holographic glitter in a deep brown base difficult to capture on camera.  It's a very Autumn color and is so appropriate for L.A.'s weather today, cloudy and wet but still beautiful!


Similar To:  A galaxy far, far away, but no, for real it's like nothing I know of - stand alone for sure!


This Look:  ... was a layering experiment that I ended up liking with one coat of Starting Over After Artificials, one coat of Cherimoya (Kleancolor) Moondance, one coat of Kleancolor Candy Chunky Holo, one coat of 212-Sephora and one coat of Shine & Hold topcoat.


Price Point/Availability:  212-Sephora is available in your local Sephora store and at Sephora.com for $9.50.


Well, once again, thanks for stopping by and reading.  Have a wonderful weekend and catch you next week.

Pink Wednesday: OPI - DS Passion

OTT Light w/ Lightbox

I didn't know DS Passion existed until a few weeks ago, but I'm glad I found it.  If there's one thing I love to collect, it's DS lacquers and this one fills out my stash nicely.


Color Description:  Passion is a golden rose duochrome with flashes of green (especially in the bottle).  It also contains micro holographic shimmer which is not as prismatic as other holos but is holo, nonetheless.

Window Light w/ Flash (duochrome in bottle)

Similar To:  Nothing really compares to OPI's Designer Series but Passion does remind me of the pink version of DS Illuminate.  I have nothing else in my collection that is exactly like this.


This Look:  One coat of Starting Over After Artificials, two coats of Passion and one coat of Shine & Hold.


Price Point/Availability:  OPI has discontinued DS Passion but it can still be found online.


That's all folks!  Talk to you soon...

Dare 2 Wear - Love Potion (A Year Ago)

Well, it's been 15 months since I've taken off my acrylics and about 9 months since I started the AllThingsNails! blog.  Today I reveal to you my nails a year ago!  


At this point in time, I was very happy with what I was learning from the Nail Care Board at MakeupAlley and was posting almost every NOTD there, however, I felt like I had a lot to say and needed a platform to really express the way I felt about nail polish. 


At any rate, Dare 2 Wear's Love Potion was my absolute favorite nail polish last June and since then I have new favorites but this is still right up there in my top five.

DESIGNER SERIES: OPI - DS Original (4/6/2011)

What can I say other than, "Why did it take me so long to wear this?"  It is to die for indoors, outdoors, while sleeping - lol!


Color Description:  Described as, "gorgeous, glistening plum" by OPI, DS Original is a light purple almost lavendar holographic, which reflects every color of the rainbow in all lighting - dim or otherwise.


Similar To:   If I were to compare this to anything it would be nail foil.  My nails look unreal as if they've been foiled - nail foil, that's it and that's all.  There are some other excellent holos out there like the Catherine Arley's but I don't own any of them.


This Look:  One coat of Starting Over After Artificials, two coats of OPI DS Original and one coat of OPI DS Top Coat.


Price Point/Availability:  DS Original is discontinued but can still be found online and at some salons that keep older stock.  If found it will definitely retail for $12.50 or higher.


Talk to you well-polished ladies at a later date!  Oh and it's wearing well, too...  Polished them Tuesday night, did housework (getting the house ready for next week's guests) all Wednesday and not one chip - PRETTY AMAZING (pun intended - lol).

China Glaze LOL (01/21/2011)

w/ Camera Flash

What can I say about LOL from the OMG Collection, but WOW!!!  This polish truly glows from within and is a pleasure to look at minute by minute as it alters in appearance.  And why did it smell like grapes when I was applying it?  Maybe because it was 1:30am - lol!


Color Description:  This just may be the most gorgeous purple I own.  Again, WOW!  LOL is the quintessential purple holographic nail polish.  The rainbow/oil slick effect is evident in both indoor and outdoor lighting.  This is a very wearable purple, not outlandish, at all!

w/ Light Box

Similar To:  Daytime indoors with out any lights on, believe it or not,  LOL reminds me of OPI's Purple With A Purpose; very glowy.  However, when you turn the lights on get ready for the show!  This has also be compared to the new purple Tronica offering, Gamer Glam, which I can't wait to see IRL.  I've also recently seen it compared, most accurately to, Color Club's Wild at Heart on MUA.  Though, these have different finishes (linear v. scattered), they're definitely both "purple holos".

w/ Lamp Light

This Look:  Again, a little TLC was needed, so I used Starting Over After Artificials, as a base coat.  Two coats of LOL were carefully applied; even though the application of OMG's are a bit easier than Tronicas, they both can be "a drag" to apply.  When I say "drag" I mean that one coat can be lifted and removed by the second if you're not careful to let it dry a bit between coats.  This look was topped off with one of my all-time favorites Sally Hansen Mega Shine topcoat.




Taken Outdoors



Price Point/Availability:  As the OMG Collection is now discontinued, these may be available on MUA as swap items, as well as at a few vendors online, including Ebay.  You also may be able to find these in some older beauty supply stores that are affectionately call, "dusties".



Well, I'm very glad to have my computer back and will be able to post a bit more frequently (maybe :)...  Thanks so much for taking a look and commenting and have a well-polished weekend!





China Glaze Hyper Haute (01/16/2011)

Hyper Haute is the only other Tronica that I own and this one was definitely not "love at first coat" - lol!  It wears very well, however, and looks very pretty in the in the sun; inside, not so much.


Color Description:  Hyper Haute is a medium raspberry, scattered holo.  The holographic appearance in this polish is virtually non-existent indoors and ends up looking like a fine silver shimmer - which is still nice but nothing to get really excited about.


Similar To:  Hyper Haute is almost identical in coloring to QT, however, QT is linear holo and HH is scattered.  (EDIT: I originally said BFF, which is more of a mauve/rose - needed to go home and get my names straight and thanks to the comment below I rechecked my stash for QT).

This Look:  I am wearing one coat of Starting Over After Artificials as the base coat (my nails needed a little TLC), two (very difficult) coats of Hyper Haute; the drag is AWFUL on this polish - get your strokes right the first time, or else!  And, one coat of Sally Hansen Mega Shine.  Side Note:  This polish wears like IRON!!!  I've been wearing this polish for 4 days and it still looks nice.

Price Point/ Availability:  Hyper Haute is included Tronica collection that will be available at retail outlets in early Spring 2011 for about $6.  If you'd like to purchase them now, contact your manicurist to pick them up for you at CosmoProf.

Thanks so much for stopping by my well-polished peeps! :)

China Glaze Techno Teal (01/12/2011)

My verdict is in and the Tronica collection is *drum roll please* - A WINNER!  I have to say that although China Glaze Tronicas are not the same formula as OMG's they are awesome in a totally different way and I love it...  


I own all but two of the OMG collection and was used to "seeing the rainbow" in my nails and in the bottle, but Tronica is in a class of its own, with what I guess is being called a "scattered holo" effect.  Whatever it is, I think I'm in love.


Color Description:  Techno Teal has an apropos name; definitely at deep turquoise/teal with the most beautiful shimmer/holo effect and looks great both indoors and outdoors. 


Similar To:  This is very similar in coloring to ChG DV8 (find my previous post here).  But after looking at these pics you will not "see the rainbow" in Techno Teal.  It's less OMG (rainbow) and more Tronica (computer pixel).  I find that this collection reminds me of the non-obvious holographic appearance of OPI DS Fantasy.  So saturated and rich in color, yet subtle in prismatic quality which has an allure to it.


This Look:  One coat of Sally Hansen Hard As Wraps Acrylic Gel (base coat), two coats of Techno Teal (beware of drag during application); thin coats are recommended, and one coat of Sally Hansen Mega Shine (topcoat needed - these dry down dull).


Price Point/Availability:  The Tronica collecion is currently available to your manicurist professional at CosmoProf, so why not keep them in the loop as to "what's hot and what's not" and ask her/him to pick you up a few bottles on their next visit.  That's what I did. :)  These will be available early Spring 2011 and retail for about $6 each and are worth every penny!  So glad I gave them a chance...


Alright, I'm all posted out, now...  My computers been down for the last week so I'm working on borrowed time here using my hubbies beloved MAC.  So, let me go, well-polished ones, and have an awesome rest of the day. :)

Savina - Purple Confetti (11/18/2010)

Can you say, "party over here, party over there!"?  Savina's Purple Confetti is literally a PARTY IN A BOTTLE!!!  Pictures don't really show the depth of this color but here goes it...

Color Description:  Though this color has "purple" in its name, it's actually a magenta or raspberry and it's a JELLY!  A raspberry jelly with holographic glitter reflecting, gold, blue, red - every glitter color in the rainbow.

Price Point:  This nail lacquer can be found at Nordstrom Rack and only costs $3.97 before tax.  For this price you get so much bang for your buck.  I mean, bang, like firecracker bang!  Absolutely beautiful...

NAIL REWIND: China Glaze - DV8

Oh my!!!  I think China Glaze put this formula under lock and key after this creation.  Has anyone seen anything close to this?  I wore this color in July when the sun was hot and bright.  Such awesome vividness in the sunlight.

It is a beautiful turquoise/teal holo, like no other. DV8 wears very well.  There have been a few complaints about the application but my bottle gave me no problems.

This Look: basecoat - SH Hard As Wraps, 2 coats - ChG DV8, topped off with 1 coat - SH Mega Shine.

This is a winner in every sense of the word...

Have a well-polished weekend and if you haven't already started, join me on my natural nail-care journey.  We'll have a blast. :)

Kleancolor Orange Holo (10/06/2010)

This NOTD is inspired by the base color, a Jennifer nail lacquer, that my friend picked up for me on her tour of the South of France.  She wanted to get this one because she's originally from New York and she had to go all the way to Paris to find something with the description Beauty from New York; the name of this color is Orange. We had a good laugh and since I didn't already own an orange frost I really wanted to try to figure out what to do with it.  

Let me say, however, that orange is my least favorite color to wear, but I also own an orange jelly that I'd never worn so I came up with this combo.There's something very sparkly and delicious about this Kleancolor's Orange Holo; I layered this on top. 

Oh, and by the way, if you don't know what to do with your frosts - layer them underneath a holo glitter and none will be the wiser!

Wahlah!  I introduce to you Holo Orange over Orange frost: 

Looks much more holo in person. (see next shot)

The frost base actually adds a shimmering depth to the finished look which is really pretty.  So don't throw out your frosts - LAYER THEM!

Dark shot for holo effect; difficult to photograph.

Holo Orange is a jelly and really can stand alone at about three (or four) coats. 

Here's a macro shot which shows the sparkleliciousness of it all!

Hope you enjoyed this post and have an awesomely, well-polished afternoon!