The PolishAholic

Butter London Trout Pout

2012-02-25T04:54:00.003-08:00

Morning! Happy weekend everyone! If you read yesterday's post you guys know I was all yay cleaning this weekend. Then yesterday I woke up SO sick :( what's up with that! I managed to avoid the sickness that was going around and it finally got me. Hopefully it goes away quickly!

Today I have another beauty from the Butter London Spring/Summer 2012 Collection to show you guys. Trout Pout is a really gorgeous salmon pink! Off the top of my head I can't think for a dupe I own for this, I guess I don't have many pink's that are this tone! Trout Pout is my first ever Butter London creme polish and man, I am impressed! The formula on this was so nice, like the perfect consistency in my opinion! For the photos below I used 2 coats of polish, this was almost a 1 coater for me...if I had done a tiny bit of a thicker coat it would have been good with 1 coat!

Butter London's Spring/Summer Collection is available now, each polish retails for $14. You can pick it up on ButterLondon.com and various other retailers like Ulta and Nordstroms!

Nicole by OPI 2012 Walmart Exclusives!

2012-02-24T04:18:00.000-08:00

TGIF!! Anyone have fun plans this weekend? I'm planning on cleaning...wow that sounds super fun!! I'm trying to convince myself that it will be (it's not working)! Today I have 3 more Nicole by OPI polishes to show you, these are exclusive to Walmart stores and Walmart.com! I prefer these over the 4 I posted the other day, I really love the glitter in this trio especially!

Click the Read More button for more photos of each shade!

Best Pink Ever is a dark rosy pink with crazy shimmer. The shimmer in this is interesting, I feel like it has little bits of blue, pink and silver and it doesn't seem too much of any one color...if you know what I'm trying to say here! I ended up liking this more than I thought I would! Formula wise, it was sheer and I needed 3 coats. There was still a little bit of visible nail line even after those 3 coats but not enough to bother me. I wouldn't say this is the best pink ever in my book but it's very pretty!

Shade

"Fabulous" Is My Middle Name is a crazy mix of very fine bar glitter and small gold glitter! ahhh I love this! It looks like confetti just exploded all over my nails! There are a ton of colors going on in this glitter, I see gold, pink, red, blue and silver. This glitter is much more dense compared to A Million Sparkles from the other day, I have no doubt that this could be opaque on it's own in 3 coats! I used 1 coat over Nicole by OPI Shoot For The Maroon for the photos below!

Shade

Sun

close up...my camera almost couldn't handle all this awesome

The Gold Shoulder is an awesome silver metallic with bits of coppery gold mixed in. Nicole by OPI calls this a light gold but I only see silver on me, I'm guessing it might pull more gold on other skin tones! Usually I am not a huge fan of polishes like this, they can be a pain in the butt to apply and more often that not are brushstroke city. I am happy to report that this polish is neither of those things! Formula wise it was sheer, I needed 3 coats but it builds up beautifully and I will happily do three coats of something that looks this great when you're done!

Shade

These Walmart exclusive lacquers will be available January 2012 for $7.00 each ($9.68 CAN) at select US Walmart locations and walmart.com and in February 2012 in select Canadian Walmart locations.

OPI Holland Collection Giveaway!

2012-02-23T08:56:00.000-08:00

Woohoo giveaway time! Planet Beauty and I have teamed up to giveaway 5 polishes from the awesome OPI Holland Collection to two winners! It's super easy to enter, please see the rules below!

Please use the Rafflecoper widget below to enter. Entries left in the comments will not count

This giveaway is open to US resident's ONLY. Sorry to all my lovely international polishaholics, I am planning something for you guys soon!

You must be 18 or older to enter

There will be TWO winners for this giveaway, each will win 5 polishes from OPI's Holland Collection courtesy of Planet Beauty!

The only mandatory entry is that you let me know the email address to contact you at if you win!

You can earn another entry by commenting on the Planet Beauty Facebook Page and letting us know what your favorite shade is from the Holland Collection. Please use the actual name of the polish, not just the color. If you want to reference back to my swatches of the collection you can check them out here.

Giveaway closes on 3/1/12 at 12:01am EST (That is 9:01pm for us west coast folks!)

Winners have 24 hours to respond to my email, if no response is received a new winner will be chosen!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Girly Bits Cosmic Ocean

2012-02-23T04:22:00.000-08:00

Morning! Today I have a gorgeous polish from Girly Bits to show you called Cosmic Ocean! I saw this on Pam's blog last year and went OMG I NEED IT! Pam is the wonderful lady behind Girly Bits in case you didn't know that! My bottle finally got to me last week and it was the first one I ran to put on! Cosmic Ocean is a gorgeous duochromey layering polish that flashes blue to green. I really like that it flashes so many different shades of blue, everything from teal to bright blue! Pam just continues to blow my mind with the awesome polishes she makes....this one is no exception! I layered 1 coat of Cosmic Ocean over Illamasqua Phallic which is a gorgeous dark shimmery blue!

The first photo is in my lightbox...my skin looks ghostly and it's a tad bit blurry but the duochrome came out best in that light, I couldn't NOT post it lol! All the others are in the direct sun or shade! This baby is hard to capture on camera and even better looking in real life!

Shade

Girly Bits polishes are available a couple of places, you can buy them directly from Pam on her blog here, right now her shop is closed but it should be back open on/around the 25th of February! You will also be able to purchase Girly Bits on Llarowe, I don't know the exact date for that....Leah Ann Llarowe is really great about updating stock availability on her Facebook if you want to check there for updates. Price wise Girly Bits are $6 for mini bottles and $10 for full sized!

Layla Hologram Effect Mermaid Spell

2012-02-22T04:18:00.000-08:00

Hi guys! Today I have an amazing holo to show you! You may have heard of the brand Layla before, I've reviewed a few of their magnetic polishes here. They are a company out of Italy that makes seriously amazing polish. They recently released their Hologram Effect polishes which is 8 of the most crazy linear holographic polishes I have ever seen.You all know I'm a holo fangirl, I have more than anyone could ever need. Even with all that rainbow goodness in my life my eyes almost popped out of my head when I walked outside and saw this polish in all it's glory.

Mermaid Spell is a beautiful light blue linear holo. Like I mentioned above this is by far the most crazy light blue holo I have in my collection. Think Hits Poseidon...but times 1000%! Now with these it's a bit different than some of the other very holo polishes I have, like Nfu Oh and Jessica, which advise you to use an Aqua Base Coat. Layla has a separate file you can buy to buff your nails with and then they say not to use a base coat. Usually I am not a fan of going without a base coat because holos tend to show every single imperfection on your nail but after I used the buffer the result was great, and the polish was easy to apply. Formula wise Mermaid Spell was on the thin side, but it was easy to apply. I did wait a couple minutes in between coats to make sure there was no dragging or balding. I didn't have any issues! I used 2 coats for the photos below, I did not use a top coat. the directions said to but I was scared about it dulling the effect.

All photos below were taken in direct sunlight, this polish is even more holo in real life if you can believe it!

HI...AMAZING!

Layla's Hologram Effect polishes are available now, when I looked yesterday you could buy 3 of the shades already on AveYou.com (you best bet I bought the 3 they had lol), the others should be in stock there sometime in early March. Each polish retails for $15.50. You can also purchase the buffing file separately, it is $5.50 on AveYou. These polishes will also be available at Ulta, I haven't seen them there yet but hopefully they will be soon! As far as I know they will also be $15.50 at Ulta! If you don't live in the US you can buy these direct from Layla here, their website is in Italian, I'm not sure how much the price works out to through them.

Nicole by OPI new shades for 2012 swatches!

2012-02-21T04:19:00.000-08:00

Good morning! Today I have some new Nicole by OPI polishes to show you guys, these aren't exclusive to any one store like the Kardashian polishes I showed you the other day! I gotta say, I am kind of in love with the glitter in this little set of polishes. If you had asked me a year ago if I thought OPI or any of the various brands under their umbrella (Nicole by OPI, Sephora by OPI) would ever do bar glitter I would have not even hesitated for a second with my answer....no. Now we've got 2 or 3 already from them just this year! I love it!

Click the read more button under the collage for photos & reviews of each shade!

ALit-Teal Bit of Love is a bright blue foil! The formula was great on this and it did not stain on me (I used 2 coats of base coat just in case!), I really love this. However, I feel like I already have this...it's called Swimsuit...Nailed It! I haven't compared the two side by side but I'm guessing it's either close to that or Orly's Sweet Peacock. I used 2 coats for the photos below.

Shade

A Million Sparkles is tons of glitter in a clear base. I really love this mix of glitter, there is small gold glitter, tiny blue bar glitter and bigger pink bar glitter. I've never seen anything quite like this and it's definitely a unique glitter in my stash! The pink bar glitter also seem to have a little bit of a holographic quality to them, out in the sun they throw off all kinds of rainbow-y colors! I'm not sure that you could get this opaque on it's own, I was going to try and after the first coat over blue it just didn't look like it would be feasible without at least 4 coats. I used 2 coats of A Million Sparkles over A Lit-Teal Bit of Love for the photos below. All photos are in the shade, sorry about that...my sun photos looked like a big blog of brightness haha

Shoot For The Maroon is a dark shimmery burgundy. This will be really gorgeous for fall! It reminds me a lot of one of the Target exclusives Nicole by OPI did last year called Sounds Grape To Me, it's a little more purple and not as duochrome but close enough that I don't think you need both. The formula was really nice on this one, I used 2 coats for the photos below.

Shade

Vio-Lets Talk About Red is a shimmery berry. I like this one but it's another I feel like I have, I haven't compared it side by side but it reminds me of OPI Congeniality Is My Middle Name...they look the same in these pictures and in the pictures I posted way back of the OPI here. The formula was good on this one, I used 2 coats for the photos below.

Overall I want to like these but 3 of them are SO similar to other OPI/Nicole by OPI polishes that came out last year...it's disappointing. A Million Sparkles is pretty awesome, if you like bar glitter you'll love that one!

These will be available January 2012 for $7.99 each in the U.S. at CVS, Harmon, HEB, Rite Aid, Sears, Stage Stores, Target, ULTA, and Walmart, as well as online at Amazon.com, Drugstore.com, Target.com, and Walmart.com. In Canada, lacquers will be retailed for $10.99 each at Jean Coutu, Loblaw, Shoppers Drug Mart, and Walmart Canada.

China Glaze Luxe and Lush

2012-02-20T04:20:00.000-08:00

Good morning! Hope you all had a great weekend, I did! Before I get into polish talk...did you all see My Strange Addiction last night with the lady who DRINKS nail polish? WTF! I was like :O the whole time watching it, then I wanted to throw up a few times because it's just gross to even think about drinking polish. Then I wanted to cry when she was drinking pretty ones...it was like an emotional roller coaster haha! Anyway, today I have one of the polishes from China Glaze's Hunger Games Collection to show you guys! This was actually the one I was most excited about, I love flakies! I will have the rest of the Hunger Games Collection swatched in the next couple of weeks but I thought this polish deserved it's own post!

Luxe and Lush is a flakie that flashes a bunch of colors including green, orange, gold, blue and pink depending on the shade you layer it over. This feels a bit different than the flakies we've been seeing lately, like the flakies are thicker and more glitter like. With most flakies after you layer them over your base polish the surface is still smooth but with Luxe and Lush it's got texture to it like you would have with glitter. I like that it seems more glitter like but it still flashes the way flakies do...best of both worlds! Formula wise, it's a little thick but since I'd never wear this on it's own it doesn't matter to me! The flakies do lay flat on the nail...in some of the photos it looks like they don't...but I promise, they do!

I have 1 coat of Luxe and Lush over each base polish below...all photos are in the shade! I'll have full normal swatches of all the base polishes up in the next couple of weeks!

Over A England Bridal Veil

Over Sinful Colors Cinderella which was layered over Illamasqua Nudge

Over Barielle Joytini

Over A England Ascalon

Over China Glaze Riveting

Over Barielle Polished Princess

The China Glaze Hunger Games Collection will be available everywhere in March. I believe you can pre-order it now from Sally Beauty Supply's website and Hot Topic's website!

*China Glaze Luxe and Lush was provided for review*

Nail Rock Furry Cheetah

2012-02-18T04:41:00.000-08:00

Morning! Today I have some cute nail wraps from Nail Rock to show you! These are a new to me brand that I was excited to try because I love stuff like this. I am not good at most nail art so this is as close as I get to it! The design I'm showing you today is called Furry Cheetah, a fun cheetah print wrap that looks like it has a little texture to it!

These are applied much the same as all the other kinds of wraps/decals/polish strips on the market. If you want to read full instructions they have them on the Nail Rock website here! Application wise these were not the easiest to work with, at least not on my first try. They were not as pliable as the other products like this that I've tried. I had some issues getting these smooth, I smoothed and smoothed and repositioned them and it just didn't seem to help much. Since these wraps are more like stickers they are a bit thicker than something like Sally Hansen which makes it a little easier to reposition it if you need to. The bad thing about the thickness of these wraps is that the edges don't look good after you file the excess off. It wasn't easy to actually file it off then when I finally got it off the edges looked all raggedy. I also had issues with the wraps not wanting to adhere very well to the nail on the edges, especially after filing off the excess. You can see it a little bit in the photos but it wasn't as noticeable in real life.

Just wanted to mention that I do not have a top coat on over these...I am holding a bottle of CND Super Shiney but I don't actually have it on :)

Wear wise I didn't have a great experience, it says on the packaging they can last for up to 10 days, I fully intended to wear test these but they were trashed after about 5 hours. I took a shower and that was the end of my furry cheetah nails :( It might be better if you used a top coat but since the directions didn't say to I didn't.

That said, I do love the results even if I only got to rock it for 5 hours. If you want something that will last you a few days I'd go with Sally Hansen Salon Effects or Incoco but it you want something fun for a night out or a special event I'd go with Nail Rock. I also have these in their Metallic Gold design so I'm hoping I have better luck with those!

Nail Rock wraps are available at a few retailers including Nordstroms, for $8 each. I've also seen them at CVS (in store!) and they were around the same price! You can also purchase them on NailRock.com but I think it works out to be cheaper from Nordstroms or CVS for those of us in the US!

Milani Mint Candy

2012-02-17T04:20:00.000-08:00

TGIF!! Today I have a pretty Milani to show you guys, I think this is part of their new Spring collection. I picked this up at CVS a couple weeks ago but totally forgot to look at the name of the display it was in. There were some other pretty shimmery shades in the display also but this was the only one that came home with me.

Mint Candy is a teal-ish green with a very subtle shimmer. I love me some subtle shimmer and this polish is full of it. Out in the sun when the light hits your nails right it's so beautiful, in the shade and indoors it just looks like a pretty creme polish. The formula was on the thick side but I didn't have any problems with application. You do want to make sure you let this one dry between coats though! I used 2 coats for the photos below.

Have a good weekend everyone!

I bought this polish at CVS, I cannot for the life of me remember how much it was...probably around $4. You can also buy it online at MilaniCosmetics.com for $4.49!

Nicole by OPI Kardashian Kolors CVS Exclusives for Spring 2012

2012-02-16T04:12:00.000-08:00

Hi guys! Today I have some fun additions to Nicole by OPI's Kardashian Kolors Collection to show you! Nicole by OPI is adding 7 more shades to the collection, these are exclusive to CVS! As much as I loved the original polishes in this collection I love these new ones even more! Check out full reviews of each shade after the jump!

One Big Happy Fame-ily is a very light purple with a gorgeous silvery shimmer. I was all OMG when I saw this in the bottle, I love it on the nail also! I love this because the shimmer is subtle but not so subtle that you can never see it. It's very visible indoors and in the shade! The formula was a bit sheer but it builds up beautifully! I used 3 coats for the photos below.

Shade

Ladies In The Limelight is a bright yellow with very subtle green undertones. The name on this confuses me, it's not very lime! In person you can see the green in it a little but normal folks would just see yellow...only us crazy polish fiends would see any hints of green in it haha! The formula on this was no bueno...if you don't have patience for problem polishes this one you will want to pass on. It was streaky and hard to get even, I ended up using 3 coats on some nails and 4 on others. I love the result but 99% of the time I'm too lazy to baby a polish like I had to with this one.

Back To Reality...TV is a dusty periwinkle with a subtle reddish shimmer. If you liked OPI's Dutch 'Ya Just Love OPI you will like this too. It's a lot more blue toned than the similar polishes that have come out from various companies for Spring. This shimmer in this was pretty hidden, I could see it out in the bright sun but other than that it just looked like a pretty periwinkle. The formula was surprisingly sheer, it was okay-ish at 2 coats but I ended up using 3 to get it completely opaque. Quick tip...if you get this make sure you wrap your tips, I didn't and it's very obvious (at least to me!!)

Shade

Our Fuschia's Lookin' Bright is described by Nicole by OPI as a purple-y fuschia, I think that's accurate! I don't have much to say about this one, I like it but I don't feel like it's super unique. The formula was great, my favorite of these 7 polishes! I used 2 coats for the photos below.

Paparazzi Don't Preach is a gorgeous pink toned peach. My favorite, are any of us surprised? This is what...the 3rd peach this Spring? It's my favorite out of all the ones I've reviewed so far this year, I think it might be because it's more pink toned than the previous ones. The formula was nice, easy to work with but a little sheer. I used 3 coats for the photos below.

I also secretly love this one because the name makes me think of Madonna... back when she was awesome!

Shade

Smile For The Glam-era is a dark shimmer packed plummy purple with gold microglitter. It seems out of place in this collection but it's a gorgeous vampy polish! I don't have much to say about this one either, if you like sparkly vampy shades you'll love this. The formula was really nice, I used 2 coats for the photos below.

Shade

Strike A Pose is a bright orangey red. Oh Nicole by OPI, thank you for another Madonna-esq name...that rules. This red is a bit unusual, I actually can't think of a dupe for it. It might not look super unique in the photos but it's one you might need to see in more swatches or in person to appreciate fully. The formula was a little on the thick side but it was easy to apply. I used 2 coats for the photos below.

Overall I love these additions, some of the formula's weren't all that but the colors are gorgeous! My favorites are Paparazzi Don't Preach, One Big Happy Fame-ily, Back To Reality...TV and Smile For The Glam-era!

These CVS exclusive lacquers will be available February 2012 for $7.99 each at CVS locations nationwide and online at cvs.com.

Deborah Lippmann Sweet Dreams

2012-02-15T04:20:00.000-08:00

Good morning! Hope you all had a good Valentines Day! Today I have a brand new Deborah Lippmann polish to show you guys! My eyeballs practically popped out of my head when I saw this on the HSN website the other day...flakies! Be still my flakie loving heart! I thought maybe the bottle picture was deceiving but I bought it anyway, then I got it in the mail and it's even better in real life!

Sweet Dreams is a medium pink jelly base packed with golden flakies. In the bottle the flakies have a green shift but it doesn't translate onto the nail. This kind of reminds me of China Glaze Strawberry Fields...obviously they are very different but it has that same kind of golden lit from within look to it. It also reminds me a lot of Hits Salsa. I haven't had a chance to put those 2 side by side but they look close, Sweet Dreams might just be a bit brighter of a pink and the flakies are a lot more dense in Sweet Dreams. Formula wise this was verging on glue territory...I'm guessing it's because of how dense the flakies are. Despite that it wasn't actually too difficult to apply, I will be thinning it before using it again though. This was also more opaque than I was expecting, I thought I'd need 3 coats but I only ended up needing 2! Both photos below are in the shade, it's gorgeous in the sun also but it was making my camera spaz out :(

I picked up Sweet Dreams from HSN.com for $16...and it came with free shipping! By the way, the shipping from HSN was lightning fast, I bought this on Saturday and got it on Tuesday! It looks like this shade is also available on Beauty.com...but it's $18 there! I have no idea when it will be available elsewhere, I would hope soon since it looks like it would be one of Deborah's Spring/Summer shades!

Incoco Heart to Heart

2012-02-14T04:31:00.000-08:00

Happy Valentines Day! Originally my Valentines Day mani was just black polish, yup...I am like the grinch of this "holiday". Then I got these super cute nail appliques in the mail and I decided to wear them instead...they were too cute to not wear! For Valentines Day Incoco has 3 designs out, this one is called Heart to Heart, it looks like those candy hearts that are all over the place this time of year. I think those candy hearts are so cute, I buy them and eat them every year even though they usually taste like chalk. I gotta say, these have made a little less grinch like today...they are so perfect!

Incoco appliques are super easy to apply, there are directions that are SO much better than I could write on Incoco's website! Also, please excuse my super white almost see through skin in these photos. I swear I get more pale everyday....soon you'll just see polish and no finger because I'll have gotten completely see though...thanks Dad for the Irish blood that makes me Casperlicious.

Here are the appliques before I put them on. I love that they actually have cute things written in the hearts!

Incoco's Valentines designs can be purchased on their website, here. They are $10.50 each, they also have some of their pink & red appliques on sale right now! Even though this design is very very Valentines I think it's something that would be cute whenever!

Hope you all have a great Valentines Day today, the handsome guy below is my Valentine lol!

Adele's Grammy Nails!

2012-02-13T11:51:00.000-08:00

Hi guys, a lot of people have been emailing me asking if I knew what was on Adele's nails at the Grammy awards last night. I had no idea...but now I do! Adele's nails were crazy sparkly last night and I was dying to know what she was wearing also!

In other news, I know I can't be the only one excited about Ciaté coming to Sephora in March. I've always wanted to try that brand but it's not super easy to get in the US!

Image courtesy of PR

Jessica Iridescent Eye vs Chanel Peridot

2012-02-13T04:37:00.000-08:00

Good morning! Hope you all had a good weekend! Turned out to be quite a crazy one with the passing of Whitney Houston...when I was little my best friend Kaitie and I would always sing along to her music (and Mariah's, we were divas lol) so sad that such a great talent is gone.

Today I have a comparison for you guys. Recently, Jessica came out with a polish called Iridescent Eye. I heard about it over on Make Up Alley a little while back, when I came across the Jessica booth at ISSE I had to pick up a bottle to bring it home and see if it really was a dupe to Chanel Peridot. It's very rare that I buy into Chanel hype and fork over the big bucks for one of their polishes....it seems like every single time I do someone comes around and dupes it then I feel like an idiot. This is definitely one of those times. Jessica Iridescent Eye is a spot on dupe for Peridot. If I hadn't labeled which finger was which polish I wonder how many of you would have known it was even different! Formula wise I actually prefer the Jessica polish, the formula was a little thicker and easier to apply. I used 2 coats of polish for each.

Price wise, Jessica retails for $7.50 a bottle, Chanel $26...the Jessica bottle is also bigger 0.5 fl oz as opposed to the Chanel which is 0.4 fl oz.

Surprisingly, Chanel Peridot is still available on their website, for a whopping $26. Jessica is available here on Jessica's website for $7.50. I'm sure you know which I'd recommend...the Jessica version. I don't see the point in buying the Chanel unless you want it just for the brand name.

Icing After Party

2012-02-11T04:39:00.000-08:00

Morning! Today I have an Icing polish to show you guys. I picked this up when I was buying their magnetic polishes and finally got around to wearing it. After Party is unlike any glitter I have in my collection, it looks shredded. Like flakies...but glitter instead of mylar (or whatever magical thing they make flakies out of). It reminds me of a shredded version of Deborah Lippmann's Happy Birthday...and all it's bazillion sisters. Not all the same colors of glitter of course, but the same general feeling just a little bit different! I used 1 coat of After Party over Misa Bed Of Roses for the photos below. I wish now that I had used 2 coats. The glitter was so much cooler looking in real life!

Sun...doesn't look like much in this photo but it was GREAT in person!

Icing polishes are only available in Icing stores. They make some great glitters, lots of hidden gems like this one are hiding amongst their shelves! I paid $4.50 for this polish but it was buy 1 get 1 half off so it ended up being a little cheaper!

Butter London Knackered

2012-02-10T04:22:00.000-08:00

TGIF!! I am so ready for this weekend, did this week seem incredibly long to anyone else? Today I have another polish from Butter London's Spring/Summer offering for this year. I was very on the fence about this one, I saw a few swatches of it and was not in love. I have to say though, pictures do no justice to how beautiful this polish is, it's one you need to see in person before making a judgement on it!

Knackered is a purple/green duochrome mixed with holo glitter. Sounds like all the things I love most so I was surprised when I didn't like it in pictures. Good news, like I said above...it's much better in real life. I tried it on it's own and it was okay, a bit on the sheer side. After 3 coats I decided to take it off and put it to the side to layer over something else. Not only does this look better layered but over a nice dark shade it makes the duochrome come out a lot more. The holo glitter (which is camera shy is) SO gorgeous out in the sunlight, I love that I could see the purple flash of the base color coming out too. I'm surprised how much I ended up liking this polish! I hope that if you guys don't love it in my photos you get an opportunity to see it in person to see how great it really is! For the photos below I used 2 coats of Knackered over A England St. George!

Shade

Butter London polishes retail for $14 and are available at a whole bunch of places including ButterLondon.com, Nordstroms (and their website), Ulta (and their website) etc...

The Painted Nail Fan Collection Swatches

2012-02-09T04:21:00.000-08:00

Morning! Today I have a little something different...no pastels or spring brights today! It's the Fan Collection from The Painted Nail! A little while back, towards the end of 2011, The Painted Nail had a contest on their Facebook page to name these polishes. Prior to that I was actually lucky enough to see these in person on a nail wheel when I visited The Painted Nail in September with Liz and Jackie...I did a whole post on that here if you missed it and want to go check it out. Needless to say when I went to ISSE a couple weeks ago one of the first things I asked Katie about was the new polishes...I was so excited that she had them there! This collection has a little something for everyone, a couple bright polishes, gorgeous shimmers an awesome creme and a glittery top coat! Check out the full swatches after the jump!

Glimpse Into Your Fuschia is a medium fuschia packed with shimmer and glitter! I really like this, give me shimmer and I'm a fan...give me shimmer AND glitter and my mind is blown. The glitter in this is almost the same color as the base polish so it's very subtle but you can see it sparkling out in the sun and it gives nice depth to the polish in the shade and indoors. The formula was really nice, I was expecting to do 3 coats for this but I only ended up needing 2!

Shade...see the glitter? Pretty!

Kiss And Teal is a bright teal with shimmer and glitter. This has the same kind of shimmer and glitter combo as Glimpse Into Your Fuschia. The glitter matches the base color pretty nicely, out of the 2 I prefer this one...I think it will probably be a go to pedicure color for me this summer! The formula on this was a bit more sheer than the fuschia one, I used 3 coats for the photos below.

Shade!

On Taupe Of The World is a brown taupe creme. This leans nicely to the brown side of taupe, I usually gravitate to more purple-ish taupe polish and then I get ones like this and wonder why I don't grab for them more. It's a nice milky chocolate looking color, if you like browns you will like this! The formula was a little sheer but it builds up so nicely! I used 3 coats for the photos below!

One Night Only is a dark blackened navy blue base packed with navy blue shimmer. For this time I year I don't feel like I'll grab for this very much but once Fall comes around this will be perfection! I wish my pictures could have captured how beautiful this was in real life, it was so hard to photograph for some reason! The formula was really nice on this one, I used 2 coats for the photos below!

Paparazzi is a glittery top coat. It's got all kinds of glittery goodness going on here, even little bits of holo that are impossible to photograph. I prefer this other over polishes but I was determined to try and get it to be opaque on it's own too. I don't love it this way but I figure someone out there would want to see what it looks like too haha. For the first photo I used 3 coats of Paparazzi, for the other 2 photos below I have 1 coat of Paparazzi over On Taupe Of The World. The formula on this was very thick, it could benefit from some thinner. When I wore it as a layering polish it was much much easier to work with.

Swagger is an olive green with a strong reddish gold shimmer. Easy favorite of the collection, if you read my blog often I doubt you are surprised by this lol! It actually looks like a good dupe of Cult Nails In A Trance, maybe just the slightest bit darker and more of a dirty green. I don't even care if it's a dupe, I am such an olive green fangirl that the more the merrier! The formula was fantastic, 2 coats for full opacity!

Velvet Rope is a dark shimmery maroon. This is like the sister polish of One Night Only. Another nice vampy kind of shade that I'll be grabbing for in the Fall. I'm not one to only use certain polishes for certain seasons (since we don't really have them here lol) but when it's all beautiful and warm outside I just don't feel like wearing darker shades. Anyway, the formula on this was nice...a little on the thick side but easy to work with. I used 2 coats for the photos below.

The Fan Collection is available on The Painted Nail's website, if you're ever in LA you can also purchase it at The Painted Nail salon. If you are shopping online they are mixed in with all the other polishes so you have to go through and find them by name! I'm not sure if The Painted Nail ships worldwide or not...hopefully they do! Price wise these are a little bit pricey at $12.50 each.

Misa Spring 2012 Precious Moments Collection Swatches

2012-02-08T04:27:00.000-08:00

Good morning! Today I have Misa's Spring Collection to show you guys, it's called the Precious Moments Collection! I was really excited when I saw the promo for this collection, it screams Spring to me with both soft muted pastel shades and a beautiful pink jelly! If you like pastels you will love this collection. Not only are the shades beautiful but the formulas are fantastic! Misa is hands down my favorite brand when it comes to creme polishes, they are flawless 99% of the time and these are no exception!

Click the Read More button below for swatches & reviews of each shade!

Since the formula on these is very consistent for the cremes I'll mention it up here instead of repeating myself over and over lol. All 5 creme polishes are on the thick side...not the hard to work with kind thick, the perfect and easy to apply kind. They are so easy to apply and go on so smoothly. I used 2 coats for all the cremes. I can't rave enough about them, if you like creme polishes and have never tried out Misa you are missing out!

Bed Of Roses is a squishy medium pink jelly. This is nice and bright without being hot pink, when I think of bright pinks for spring this is what I imagine. I've never actually tried a Misa jelly before...I don't know if they even make any others. The formula was okay, a little on the thick side. I used 3 coats for the photos below. I could still see a little bit of my nail line so next time I'll probably use 4 coats. If you get this it's best to wait a couple of minutes between each coat, I didn't at first and it was a mess!

Shade

Deep Breath is a light grey creme. Misa called this a periwinkle, I don't see that but it does have some blue undertones. Maybe it will look more periwinkle on a different skin tone?

Shade

Little Hands is a light pastel blue. According to Misa this is a mint green...much like Deep Breath maybe it will look like the color Misa says it is on another skin tone? On my ghostly irish skin it pulls very very blue, and I love that haha. This is my favorite of the collection, I love light blues and this is my new favorite by far due to the great formula!

shade...boo lobster hands! I guess that proves that there is some green in there somewhere LOL

Pinky Promise is a very soft light pink. If you've been looking for that perfect ballet slipper pink this might be it! I'm not one to like soft pinks like this but I love this! It seems like there might be the slighest bit of a lilac-y undertone going on here, perhaps that's why I like it so much!

Shade

Someone Like You is a creamy beige with pink undertones. Love this...yep, I'm still obsessed with nude polishes haha! Also, I blame this polish for having Adele's Someone Like You song stuck in my head all day on Sunday...I apologize if you now also have that stuck in your head ;)

Shade

Sweet Thing is a muted pastel lavender. This is probably the most greyed out lavender I have in my stash. It's so beautiful and flattering on! I didn't expect to like this as much as I did!

Shade

Overall I love this collection, it might not be everyone's cup of tea and yep I'm sure these colors have all been done....but I will always pick a Misa creme over any other brand. Bed of Roses was a surprise favorite for me, it's the perfect spring pink and the unexpected jelly was a nice surprise!

The Precious Moments Collection is available now, you can purchase it on Misa's website for $7.50 each. Some of the etailers also carry Misa, I usually buy mine from Transdesign...however it doesn't look like this have this collection yet.

I leave you with the first thing I thought of when I saw what this collection was called. I know I can't be alone in thinking of these. You all need to go read this blog post where I found the photo below. I had no idea there was a place like this. How creepy...and awesome haha. If I ever find myself in Missouri for some odd reason I know where I'll be stopping.

(image credit)

A England The Legend Collection Swatches Pt. 1

2012-02-07T04:20:00.000-08:00

Good morning! Before we talk nail polish today I wanted to wish my bestest nail polish friend Kirsten a very very happy birthday. If you have never checked out her blog, Glitta Gloves, you are missing out! I decided to post these today because I know she'd like them lol! Today I have part 1 of the new A England Legends Collection to show you guys. I'm waiting to post the other 3 because they haven't arrived yet as the FDA is holding Llarowe's shipment hostage :(

The Legends Collection is pretty much amazing, all but one of the polishes have gorgeous holo glitter running throughout them. A couple of the polishes are more of a scattered holo but some of them are a subtle linear holo! Adina rules so much, I really appreciate when a company sees what all of us nail polish people go crazy over...then they put out a collection that is like mind blowing because of it. If you have never tried A England, what the heck are you waiting for?!? Prepare to drool after the jump :)

Before I start the formula on all four of these polishes was AMAZING. They are all 2 coaters and applied like butter. I thought you might get sick of me saying that over and over ;)

Dragon is a dark forest green with a subtle linear holo, this one is a bit more holo in real life! I have a feeling this will be my favorite of the bunch. Not only is the shade of green gorgeous but it has a little bit of a golden flash when the light hits it just right. Gorgeous!

Princess Sabra is a gorgeous golden color with a subtle linear holo. I actually didn't think I would like this, I only bought it because I hoard holos. Color me surprised when I put it on and LOVED it! I think the fact that the gold is a little dirty looking (for lack of a better term) makes it so much easier to wear with my skin tone. The holo in this one was really nice, it's so much better in real life!

Princess Tears is a light lavender with a reddish pink flash and a linear holo. This one was also a surprise favorite for me, I didn't expect the holo to be as strong as it was. Out of these 4 it seemed to be the strongest. Again, SO much better in real life. Why do holos have to be so beautiful...and so hard to capture on camera? haha

blurry holo goodness...nom nom nom

St. George is a very saturate green leaning teal with a scattered holo. This one is so so gorgeous! I only wish the holo was stronger, it is better in real life but it's not as OMG as the other 3 in this post. I did not have any staining with this polish but it seems like the kind of color that would like to stain so better safe than sorry...it's good to use 2 coats of base coat and be careful when removing it. Because this color is so pigmented and saturated I almost got away with 1 coat on this...had I been more careful I could have! What a lovely formula!

Overall I LOVE this collection, I didn't think I would want them all but of course I decided I needed them all after I got these 4 in the mail. I cannot wait for the rest to get here! My picks from these 4 are all of them...sorry, they all rule. Not only are the colors gorgeous but the formula is outstanding.

A England's The Legend Collection is available on the official A England website here, they are £9.00. You can also purchase them from Llarowe, here, they are $12 each.

Butter London Disco Biscuit

2012-02-06T04:25:00.000-08:00

Good morning! Hope you all had a great weekend! Did anyone watch The Voice last night? I did a big old happy dance when I saw Juliet Simms on the show killing it. She is in a band called Automatic Loveletter, they have been one of my favorite bands for like 4 or 5 years now. It's nice when people who deserve the exposure do well on shows like The Voice. I never vote for people on reality shows but I sure as hell will wear out my phone/computer/whatever voting for her. You all need to go download Automatic Loveletter's Recover EP, it's amazing!

Anyway, today I have one of the gorgeous new Butter London polishes to show you guys...it's from their Spring/Summer 2012 Collection! Disco Biscuit is a bright pink jelly packed with purple micro glitter. Lets face it, mostly wanted this for name reasons but it turns out that it's a gorgeous polish too! The glitter sparkles like crazy in the sun and is nice and visible inside and in low light also! Formula wise this beauty is a jelly! It does take more coats than I love to get opaque though...I used 4 for the photos below and still had visible nail line. Because of that I will probably layer it next time. I think it would look great over something like Essie Tour De Finance or another bright hot pink. I bet it would be great over white also, it would be like eye searing bright that way! Also wanted to mention that this dried a little dull and was top coat hungry...it's worth the extra coats of polish and top coat!

Shade

Butter London polishes retail for $14 and are available at a whole bunch of places including ButterLondon.com, Nordstroms (and their website), Ulta (and their website) etc...

Dollish Polish Swatches!

2012-02-04T10:55:00.000-08:00

Happy Saturday! Hope you're all having a good weekend so far! Today I have some polishes from Dollish Polish to show you guys. Dollish Polishes are custom frankens available on etsy. It's kind of amazing how many awesome polishes are being made by bloggers and/or nail polish fanatics and being sold on etsy...if you've never searched etsy for nail polish you are missing out! I really love what Dollish Polish is doing, not only are the polishes gorgeous but I am loving the name and themes of the polishes! My new favorite polish of all time in here in this post, I guarantee it's worth clicking the read more button below!

Aurora Australis is a color changing top coat in a clear base. The flecks of shimmer in this flash purple, pink and a goldish orangey color. I love a good multichrome and the ability to layer it over whatever I want. I'm looking forward to trying this over a variety of colors! I used 1 coat over black for the photos below!

Sun

Cold Winds Are Rising is a gorgeous grey with icy blue glitter mixed in. There is beautiful blue hex glitter in here but I was having problems getting it out of the bottle, only the smaller blue glitter wanted come out to play I guess :( This was actually the second time I wore this and the first time I got a lot of the hex glitter (and of course took no photos lol). It's a really gorgeous mix that I love! The formula was nice on this one, a little on the sheer side but I think it needs to be that way so that you can see the glitter. I used 3 coats for the photos below.

Dark Passenger is a gorgeous blurple metallic shade. I wanted this one soley for the name...I am a HUGE Dexter fan, luckily the polish is pretty great also! In the bottle it looked very purple but on the nail it leaned more blue with a royal purple flash. You can see the flash in the second picture below, it is a lot more noticeable in person. Formula wise I didn't love this one it way on the very thick side, despite that it was easy to apply. I think a couple drops of thinner would fix it right up! I used 2 coats for the photos below!

Sorry the weird shade of my skin here, I had to play around with the white balance on my camera to get the color to photograph correctly!

Expecto Patronum is a milky white jelly with blue glitter and a subtle shimmer. I love love love this one, sometimes I feel like wearing white polish but decide not to since it can look like white out...next time I get that urge I will be wearing this. The glitter is very subtle but just perfection in this white jelly base. I really adore the subtle shimmer in the white also, you can't see it in my pictures very well but in person it just made this polish even better. The formula was a little sheer, as expected, but for a white jelly it was pretty great! I used 3 coats for the photos below.

Scarab is a gorgeous mix of Green, Blue, Gold, Black and Chestnut glitter in a clear base. This polish is actually part of a collection on Dollish Polish, the Valley Of The Kings Collection. I thought this might be opaque on it's own but after 3 coats it wasn't so I decided to take it off and layer it. I have it over Orly You're Blushing, I think it would look pretty amazing over a dark blue or black also! I used 1 coat of Scarab over You're Blushing for the photos below. This is SO much better in real life!

Toxic Avenger is a multichrome linear holo. Think Ozotic Mish Mash polishes on crack. This sucker is a bazillion times better than the Ozotic multichrome holos. The holo in this is super noticeable, even inside you can tell it's holo. The multichrome flashes green, pinkish purple and gold. This is my new favorite polish of all time, that is how much I love it. I've worn this twice already and will probably be putting it back on next week haha! I also got really great wear on this, I had it on for 4 days with no top coat it had no chipping and only minor tip wear! I used 2 coats for the photos below! You may want to double up on base coat with this, it did cause a little bit of staining on me. Also just wanted to mention that the holo was a bit stronger in real life, it'a always hard to capture on camera!

Dollish Polish is available from http://www.etsy.com/shop/DollishPolish, the polishes are super affordable ranging from $7.50-$8.25 for a full sized polish. You can also buy mini bottles for $4. Toxic Avenger is sold out right now...are we surprised...no! No worries though, it should be back around 2/6! In addition to making great polish you can also buy hand painted nail tips and nail art supplies!

You Mix Cosmetics Magnetic Polish swatches!

2012-02-03T04:21:00.000-08:00

Morning, TGIF! Today I have a couple magnetic polishes from You Mix Cosmetics to show you guys! You Mix has a huge assortment of different colors to choose from, a lot that I haven't seen from other brands! They also have some fun and different magnets! I got the opportunity to try out 2 of the shades and they are pretty great, I hope you guys like them also!

First up is Glittering Concrete, it's a grey/black. I really love this one, there are similar ones from other brands but of what I own this is the cheapest of the bunch! The formula was nice, I used 2 coats!

Power Pink is a medium pink/magenta. I don't have any magnetic polishes in my stash that are this exact combo! I really like the subtle glitter in this one, it's much more subtle than the glitter in the Icing magnetic polishes! I used 2 coats for this one also!

Below is what the magnet looks like, this is the diagonal stripe pattern. You Mix has a few other designs you can buy also! The magnet is on the end of a paddle like thing and it has a piece of paper glued to the side you hold above your nail so you can tell how the design will go. The magnet was nice and I didn't have any issues with it pulling the design out, I like it about a bazillion times better than the China Glaze striped magnet lol! This one does take a little bit of practice so you don't hit your nail with the magnet. I find that putting both of my elbows on my table so they are steady works best for me, it also makes it easy to see the distance between my nail and the magnet (since my nails are all up in my face) so I'm less likely to hit the magnet to the nail.

Overall, color me impressed. I will definitely be buying a few more of the You Mix Cosmetics magnetic polishes along with more of their magnets. They have a chevron design that I *need* since the China Glaze one was such a fail. You Mix Cosmetics magnetic polishes can be purchased here, the polishes are $8 each. The magnets are separate but are only $3, I think that's pretty good! They also sell stamping plates and a whole assortment of glitters (and flakies!) that you can franken with! Lots of cool stuff over there!

OPI Holland Collection Comparisons

2012-02-02T04:28:00.000-08:00

Good morning guys! Today I have a few Holland Collection comparisons to show you guys! This post is going to be short on words since I've already reviewed all of these polishes! Hope these are helpful for you!

OPI A Roll In The Hague vs Essie Orange, It's Obvious- I used 2 coats of the OPI and 3 coats of the Essie for the photos below. The OPI formula is a lot better but they are not dead on dupes...close though! Do you need both? Probably not. I'd pick the OPI.

OPI Did You 'ear About Van Gogh? vs Zoya Farah. I used 2 coats of each. Formula wise both are great. These are almost dead on, in person I couldn't tell a difference. On my computer screen I can but it's so slight that it might only be my monitor. Do you need both...I don't think so. My pick is whichever you have easier access to, they are both great!

OPI Dutch 'Ya Just Love OPI? vs Zoya Tru. I used 2 coats of each. Formula wise again both are great. Pretty much dead on dupes here. Sephora by OPI Hell To The No is also close to these but with more/slightly different shimmer....it's more coppery where the ones here look more reddish. Like the comparisons above I'd just get whichever is easiest/cheapest for you to get.

OPI I Don't Give A Rotterdamn vs Zoya Skylar vs OPI I Have A Herring Problem. I used 2 coats of each polish. No dupes here, all very pretty though! Do you need them all, probably not (unless you hoard polish like I do lol)

OPI Kiss Me On My Tulips vs Nicole by OPI All Kendall-ed Up. I used 2 coats of each. These are pretty dead on...formula wise and color wise I love them both. Again, I'd just get whichever is cheaper/easier to find.

OPI Thanks A WindMillion vs OPI Mermaid Tears. I used 2 coats of each. I wasn't going to do this comparison but so many of you wanted to see it that I decided to...they are not dupes. Different enough to own both if you are a green lover like me!

OPI Thanks A WindMillion vs Zoya Bevin. I used 2 coats of each. Not 100% dead on dupes but close enough that you don't need both!

Hope you guys found these helpful....lots of close ones in here!

Orly Spring 2012 Cool Romance Collection Swatches

2012-02-01T04:22:00.000-08:00

Hi guys! Are we Spring collection-ed out yet? Almost? I hope not yet because I have another one for you today! This one is Orly's Cool Romance Collection! I haven't heard a ton about this collection, in fact everything I did hear about it said "out in January" and well, January came and went and I never saw it out anywhere. I'm glad I was able to grab it at ISSE this past weekend, it's a beautiful collection!

Click the read more button below for swatches & reviews of each shade!

Artificial Sweetener is a light pink with a subtle silvery shimmer. I almost didn't get this one, it didn't look like much in the bottle but once it was on the nail it's beautiful! Reminds me a bit of OPI's Pedal Faster Suzi but it's much softer looking and with a lot less obvious shimmer. The formula was nice, a little thick but easy to apply. I used 2 coats for the photos below.

For anyone wondering, this was bought solely for the name since I didn't love it in the bottle. No Doubt is pretty much my favorite thing since sliced bread and my favorite song of theirs is called Artificial Sweetener. I have music notes going around my wrist that are a line from that song!

Faint of Heart is a light brown/grey with a really interesting finish. This shade is what I like to call "donkey grey", sometimes it looks brown, sometimes grey. I didn't notice in the bottle but the finish on this is very different and unusual. It's not flat creme but it's not a shimmer. I don't even know how to describe it...reminds me a bit of Misa Grey Matters but it isn't as noticeable as it was with that polish. To see what the heck I'm talking about please look at the third photo below lol! The formula on this one was also a little thick but easy to apply...I used 2 coats!

Jealous, Much? is a light minty green. Original? Nope but I still love it! The formula was just okay, it was on the streaky side but I kind of expected that. I used 3 coats to even everything out!

Shade

Prelude To A Kiss is a peachy creme! Another beautiful peach for spring...I am a fan! The formula was just okay...I'm calling it a careful 2 coater. It was a little bit streaky but I did a thick-ish second coat and all was well!

Shade

Since it was requested here is Prelude To A Kiss vs Essie A Crewed Interest. I used 2 coats for the Orly and 3 for the Essie. Color wise almost spot on here, the Essie is a touch darker but I don't think regular folks would even notice the difference. Formula wise the Orly is better...it's also cheaper and the bottle is bigger...I think it's the winner all around!

Steel Your Heart is a metallic steel grey. meh...I'm sorry, I just don't like shades like this. I try really hard to love them (as you can tell since I buy them over and over) but I just can't do it. The brush strokes drive me crazy. It also feels SO out of place in this collection...like they needed a 6th polish and just threw this in because it was laying around somewhere. Formula wise it was on the thick side but it was easy to apply, I used 2 coats.

You're Blushing is a light purple taupe. I feel like I've got this polish a billion times over but I love it every time. Purplish taupe polishes like this are so flattering and easy to wear. The formula on this was seriously flawless, almost a 1 coater!

Overall I do like this collection, a lot of the shades feel done but they are ones that I always like. My favorites are Artificial Sweetener, Faint of Heart and Prelude To A Kiss.

Availability wise I have no idea when these will be in stores like Ulta or Sally Beauty...I would guess sometime in February but I don't know an exact date! I tried to ask at the Orly booth at ISSE but they were so crazy over there at the time that she couldn't answer me :(

Nubar Spring 2012 Jellybeans Collection Swatches

2012-01-31T04:20:00.000-08:00

Good morning!! Today I have Nubar's Jellybeans Collection to show you guys, I picked this up at ISSE and loved it...after swatching it I love it even more. When I got these I thought they were all creme finish, I was wrong! They are all on the verge of being jellies, they are like hybrids! They are more opaque than an average jelly and not as squishy looking once applied but they dry with a really high shine! Click the read more button under the collage for photos and reviews of each shade!

Blue Raspberry is a light blue. It leans a little green but it's hard to capture on camera. The formula on this was on the sheer side...one of the more sheer of the collection. I used 3 coats for the photos below and could still see a little bit of visible nail line (VNL).

Shade

Blueberry is a bright blue jelly. I loooooove this, it's like a brighter version of Revlon Royal! I used 3 coats for the photos below. In person it looked opaque but for some reason in the photos it looks like there is a bit of VNL! If you liked Revlon Royal you will love this, and the formula is a little nicer than Royal...not as tricky to apply!

Cherry is an orange leaning red. This feels a little too orangey for cherry to me, I think maybe blood orange might have been a more appropriate name lol. This was one of the more opaque polishes in the collection, I only needed 2 coats for full opacity!

Shade

Grape is a medium purple jelly. I love this one too, what can I say...I love purple especially one that looks a little dusty like this one does! Surprisingly this was one of the more sheer polishes in the collection, I used 3 coats for full opacity.

Sheer

Kiwi is a very light green. When I was first putting this on I was like wtf this polish sucks...then when I was done I was like woooooow haha! It was not pretty until the 3rd coat, before that it was a sheer mess. I used 3 coats for this, my last coat was on the thick side so it could be a 4 coater depending on how thick/thin your layers are.

Shade

Lemon is a bright sunny yellow. This was the most opaque polish in the bunch but not the easiest yellow to apply...it was on the streaky side and needed 3 coats to even out. The result is pretty gorgeous and worth the effort of applying it!

Shade

Strawberry is a light pink. This feels different than a lot of the light pinks I have...I can't put my finger on why though. Maybe its the finish that makes it feel different, it's like it's a little bit milky. Whatever the reason is, I really like it! It was also one of the more sheer shades, I used 3 coats for full opacity.

Shade

Toasted Marshmallow is a really interesting color. It reminds me of butterscotch or caramel, I don't think I own anything quite like this shade. I doesn't play too well with my skin tone but whatevs I love it anyway. The formula was really nice on this one, I used 2 coats for the photos below.

Shade

Overall this collection is a total win, if you like jelly-ish finishes you will also love this collection. My picks are all of them...sorry, I am a super enabler right now. I love every single polish in this collection, I hope Nubar makes more polishes like this.

I don't know the official release date for these, it just says "coming soon" on the Nubar website. Hopefully that means very very soon! Nubar can be purchased at bynubar.com, each bottle retails for $8!