Seche Vite vs. Essie Good To Go

About a month ago, a friend of mine and I were talking about top coats and she told me how much she loved Essie Good To Go, so I naturally had to try it out. I've been using it in comparison to Seche Vite for a little over a week now and here are my findings!

 

Seche Vite, I swear by it. 

 

Essie Good To Go, a new love of mine.

In terms of formula, Seche Vite starts out a nice texture but then tends to get pretty thick after it's opened, and when that happens there is more of a chance the polish getting bubbly. Last time I used it, my thumb was so bubbly I could not take it. I haven't had anything like this happen with G2G as of yet. It hasn't gotten any thicker than when I opened the bottle, but I'll be monitoring that since it's a new bottle.

In terms of dry time, they are both quick dry top coat so they dry super fast. After dry, they are both super glossy and create a hard protective layer. You don't have to wait for your polish o be dry to add a top coat, but it does take a little longer to dry that way, I like to let my polish at least set before adding a top coat, to speed it up. I didn't find a difference in dry time when base polish was wet vs dry.

Both build up around the neck of the bottle, but Seche gets thick and makes it a little difficult to fully close the bottle sometimes, while G2G is thinner and the polish chips off the neck. 

In terms of discoloration, I haven't had any problems with either top coat discoloring polishes. Usually top coats intensify the color and make it brighter and glossier. Occasionally white polish can get a little discolored over time, even with a top coat, I've had this happen with Seche but it's not that drastic or noticeable. I've tested both on white and there was no immediate discoloration, but I assume that's just the nature of white polish.. just like white clothes lol But I'm still testing this out.

Until next time,

The Wicked

Essie Luxeffects Top Coat: As Gold As It Gets!

So for the holidays, Essie came out with Luxeffects Top Coats, a collection of glittery, shimmery, beautiful top coats. The collection has 5 polishes and I happened to pick one up a week or so before Christmas.

The polish is a clear base with TONS of gold flakes. I love how the caps say Luxeffects.

(sun)

(shade)

One coat of Gold As It Gets over Zoya Jem. I really like the gold flakes over Jem, it really brings out the gold shimmer that Jem already has. Love the combination of these two. I think a warm base brings out the gold much more than a flat black could. 

Just for reference, two coats of Gold As It Gets over Jem.

Three coats of Gold As It Gets over Jem. 

As you can see this polish is JAM PACKED with awesome gold flakes. They are pretty small but very densely packed, and in three coats it's actually almost opaque. Formula on this is very nice, smooth and the flakes are pretty evenly distributed with each coat. This polish also dries very quickly. I didn't use a top coat in any of these pictures, but you can always use it for an extra glossy finish. 

I thought I'd show you guys some bling for your nails in time for New Years. The other Luxeffects Top Coats are also really pretty, two of them are glitter (silver and rosey colored), one is similar to this but has silver or white flakes and the last is a dupe or Nubar 2010 / Sally Hanses Hidden Treasure. 

Until next time,

The Wicked

Glitter Gradient!

I've been meaning to do a gradient look for a while now, and I figured I'd start out with one using a glitter.

(shade)

(sun)

This is Forever 21 nail polish in Silver over two coats of Essie Dive Bar. About the glitter in general, Its really fine silver and holo glitter in a clear base. The glitter is pretty packed in there, but doesn't quite get opaque if you layer it since it is so fine. The holo in this is freaking amazing and beautiful and I love it. Saw it, had to buy it.

Now in term of the gradient, first I did the two coats of Dive Bar and let them dry and then I did an all over coat of glitter, then another coat starting about half way down my nail, then a last coat at the very tip. So the father down the nail, the more coats of glitter I had. I finished it off with Seche Vite. It looks really cool in the sunlight as you can see from the picture, but my camera failed to capture in it the shade, it definitely doesn't look that sandy, but it definitely shines (figuratively and literally) in the sunlight. 

So, that's my first gradient, I think it came out rather well. It might have been a little better if the glitter wasn't so dense. I'll have to try with some cremes and other things.

Until next time,

The Wicked

Manglaze Matte-astrophe vs. Essie Wickedly Matte

I've been putting off this comparison/ keep forgetting that I have to do it. hah. So, here it is finally! The matte top coat comparison!

Index- Manglaze

Middle- Essie

Ring- Manglaze

Pinky- Essie

I did one coat of each matte top coat over my previous one coat of Zoya Anja (which I think looks awesome matte!). The finish is the same and the application is also the same. Each dried very quickly and lasted the same. I had it on for two days and neither wore off or anything. Overall, I didn't find any major differences at all. The only difference is where you can buy them and the price. So, if you like the matte finish, either of these will work for you. I might have to do a longer testing period to see if one wears off.

Until next time,

The Wicked

Essie Dive Bar and Manglaze Matte-Astrophe

Here is the first real swatch of Manglaze Matte-Astrophe.

This is Essie Dive Bar, really nice color, especially in the sunlight. It's a deep tealy color, it changes from blue to green and sometimes even purple depending on the light. It has really pretty shimmer that totally elevates the color in the light. This is either 2 or 3 coats, 2 coats is fine, but 3 is better. It's a pretty sheer first coat, but don't worry, another coat will fix it. This is actually my first Essie polish, believe it or not. 

So, I decided to add Matte-Astrophe, just to see. A tip for everyone! Make sure that your nail polish is completely dry, if it's not the top coat will crackle. I mean it could be cool, but it just bothers the crap outta me. I swore my polish was dry, but lo and behold, freaking cracks! It's not that noticeable here, but in person it was veryyyy prominent. So definitely give yourself plenty of HOURS for your polish to dry.  

Other than that, I love the top coat, it's really really cool. It works super quickly and takes only a few minutes to dry. I definitely think the idea of a matte top coat is great. You can make all your polishes matte with one polish! It pays for itself in no time if you like the matte look, like I do.

Until next time,

The Wicked

Girl on a Budget Part: Where to Buy

Last but not least with all this girl on a budget business, I've decided to give you all some tips on where to buy nail polish and such things.

1. Beware CVS! 
CVS claims to have great prices, and they do for some things, but nail polish is definitely not one of those things. This is true for Revlon polish in particular, they have them for Over $6, something like $6.79. That's crazy!!! Most Revlon doesn't go for more than $5 usually, the regular colors are around $3.

2. Discount beauty stores are your friend!
Sometimes it's hard to just hard to believe that you're getting the best price, but sometimes it all in the name. Beauty supply, or beauty discount stores usually do have some of the best prices. Brands like Revlon, Sinful Colors, Sally Hansen, Color Club and even Essie are usually $0.20- $1.00 cheaper than regular stores.

3. Not all drugstores are created equal!
As I said before, you should be weary of CVS, but Duane Reade and Walgreens usually have better prices.

4. Go to the mall!
Beauty stores at the mall are my secret weapon. Stores like Essentials and even some salon/stores at the mall usually have great deals on Essie and OPI. Not only do they sell them regularly for about $6.95, but they also have deals like 3 for $18 and sometimes 3 for $15! Those are by far the best prices that I've seen for those two brands. So, prepare to buy 3!

5. Internet, internet, internet!
There are plenty of places on the internet to get good deals on polish. Ebay and Amazon are likely to have some good deals if you dig around for them. Also, ulta.com/ has some really good deals. They have buy 2 get 1 free, and buy 2 get 2 free deals. I'd say definitely check that out.

Until next time,
The Wicked