Avon - Olive Green, Nina Ultra Pro - Salsa

APPLICATION: The Avon was thick but easy to control. Nina Ultra was smooth.
COATS: 1 of each. Since the Avon was thick and covered in one coat, I put the Nina Ultra Pro on thick enough for one-coat coverage.
TOPCOAT?: Yes
SOURCE: Www.avon.com and Sally Beauty Supply respectively.
COMMENTS: I'm pleased to announce that both of these colors lasted on my nails - including pool time - without any chips or peeling. I did use a different  base coat (Gelous) than the one I used with Tangtastic (Nailtek II), so that was probably what caused the peeling on my last Avon mani. It was fun wearing two different greens, and while I'm sure the colors would have held up for longer, I needed a change.

UP NEXT: Nina Ultra Pro - Sweet Nothings

Avon - Tangtastic

APPLICATION: Smooth
COATS: 2
TOPCOAT?: Yes
SOURCE: Avon's online store (http://www.avon.com)
COMMENTS: After loving this red from Elf, I decided to order another from Avon. Tangtastic arrived this week and is a bright red creme with a hint of orange. At the end of this mani, I felt like my nails were an advert for Target - so that tells you they were red.
Unfortunately after an hour in the pool and not moisturizing my hands soon enough afterwards, I got some peeling on two fingers (24 hrs later). To see if the Avon formula is the culprit, I will try another Avon polish and Nina Ultra Pro for the next mani. Loved this while it lasted though - and loving my dotting tools!

UP NEXT: Avon - Olive Green, Nina Ultra Pro - Salsa

ABOP Franken - Dark Bronze Glitter (pic heavy!)

APPLICATION : Smooth, but had to apply carefully to minimize cleanup because of the glitter.
COATS : 2
TOPCOAT? : Yes
SOURCE : ABOP Franken using Wet n Wild Megalast - Starstruck and glitter from Joann sample pack.
COMMENTS : I love this franken! It's my favorite glitter franken so far, and I'm so glad I tried it! This Joann glitter pack is better than the other kind in that it keeps most of it's color in the polish - unlike this franken where the blue glitter ended up being mostly silver and the polish became blue jelly. The best thing about this is I didn't have to use a similar base color underneath, just my regular base coat.

Here is the glamour shot taken outdoors about 24 hours after the mani:

Looks holographic, doesn't it? It's not really though. First things first. Here is the glitter I used:

After first coat - a little frightening:

After second coat:

With topcoat:

Outdoors next day in sun:

Isn't it fabulous? I kept looking at my nails while I had this on. It's even hubby-approved! Of course, removal is as expected for glitter. I used the foil method for the first time, which made it quite painless - so no scrubbing, yaay!

UP NEXT: Avon - Tangtastic

Barielle Shades - Cherish

Application: Smooth
Coats: 2
Topcoat?: No
Source: TJ Maxx - purchased as a two pack with a color called Enduring.
Comments: You can barely see the pink in the bottle or on the nail, but it makes for a beautiful milky shiny finish with barely any streakiness. I've never tried Barielle before, and am glad this is my introduction to the brand. This color also serves as a great canvas for nail art, so away I went with my fauxnads and some Sally Hansen Insta-Drys.

Sally Hansen Salon - Gilty Pleasure

Application: Smooth
Coats: 2
Topcoat?: No
Source: Walgreens or CVS - don't remember
Comments: I had high hopes for this - but they were dashed. It's somewhat metallic, but nothing special. I had a hard time capturing the real color (I got an OTT daylight bulb, but it's even worse when it comes to representing color than a regular one - anyone know why?), but no matter anyway, this color puts me to sleep.

Confetti - Dreamdate and some more stencil fun!

Application: Smooth
Coats: 3
Topcoat?: None
Source: CVS
Comments: I expected the pink in this to show up more on the nail, but the third coat still didn't show it. It is, however, a marvelous shimmery glass-flecked color, so I didn't mind the third coat. I wore this alone for a day and then had some fun with it - again with stencils! This time I used both results of the punch - the positive and negative cutout space, and alternated nails. I then came back in with a dotting tool for the centers of the flowers.

ABOP Franken - Japanese Eggplant

Application: Smooth
Coats: 2
Topcoat?: Yes.
Source: ABOP Franken (components listed in this post)
Comments: I thought I would have worn this as a mani by now, but there are so many colors to choose from, you know?  Anyway, I decided to spruce this up with a nail art stencil. I have to credit this post by Dollface for the idea of using patterned paper punches for nail art. Fabulous idea! Especially for those of us who are konad/fauxnad -challenged. Contrast color is LA Colors Color Craze - Live. Love this!

Victoria's Secret - Shimmering Pearls

Application: Smooth
Coats: 2
Topcoat?: Yes
Source: Victoria's Secret - years ago when they sold nail polish.
Comments: The formula on this is fine, but the color isn't much to write home about. I do appreciate that they did try to make this look pearl-ish with the shimmer. This color may work for someone else.