2 coats Miami Green 1 coat Indian Ocean

Layla Miami Green is a vibrant turquoise creme. I'm kind of in love with it! It has a gorgeous formula.



Models Own Indian Ocean was untried for too long. I lusted after it until I got it, and then it sat untried for almost a year. I have to stop doing that. Anyway, it's stunning!



Happy Easter to all who celebrate!

I'm pretty sure I placed an ordered within two minutes of reading the press release for these new YSL Tie & Dye top coats. I mean, look at this promo image.

By the way, Cool Coat is a cool pink, not a coral like the promo images might lead you to believe.

3 coats, no top coat

1 coat Cool Coat over 3 coats Corail Divin

This was kind of an accidental mani. I didn't go into thinking I'd end up with a dotticure. Even though I love nail art, it's not something I indulge in very often. Let's face it, I barely even have time to swatch! However, when I encountered China Glaze Dandy Lyin' Around and its horrible, streaky formula, I had two choices: remove it and go bare or cover it up.

Illamasqua Superstition is a new shade that appears to be a Sephora exclusive. Harem, Superstition, and Venous are three new shades that popped up at Sephora recently, but I haven't been able to locate them elsewhere. They are not even available on Illamasqua's website.

2 coats, no topcoat

Illamasqua Superstition is a vibrant fuchsia creme. It probably has some neon pigment in it, which would explain the satin finish.

2 coats, with topcoat

I've really been drawn to colors like this lately. I'm finding I like the way cool pinks look on me now, even though I hated them in the past. Superstition's formula is quite nice; Illamasqua rarely fails in this department.





For the comparison, I chose to stick within the brand. Illamasqua Obsess came to mind when I initially swatched Superstition, and I threw Illamasqua Stance in as a reference point.

Illamasqua Stance, Superstition, Obsess

2 coats (tc), 2 coats (tc), 3 coats (no tc)

Pause. I totally forgot how much I love Stance. It's such a fabulous polish.



Anyway, Obsess has a touch more purple than Superstition. It's like someone put a few drops of Stance into a bottle of Superstition. I think they're different enough to own both, but I'm also insane, so take that with a grain of salt. For what it's worth, SO couldn't tell the difference between Obsess and Superstition.



Illamasqua Superstition retails for $14 and is available at Sephora.

2 coats, no tc

Illamasqua Venous is a slightly dusty green creme with a touch of blue. It's seriously stunning! I love the color, but the formula is what excited me the most. It applied effortlessly. I almost never cleanup for swatches anyway, but there was absolutely nothing to cleanup even if I wanted to. It also dried super shiny. I love Illa's formula in general, but Venous just seems to have an even better formula. I'm a happy camper.



Here's Venous next to Illamasqua Muse, as a point of reference.

Muse, Venous

Illamasqua Venous retails for $14 and is available at Sephora.

Finger Paints I Spy-Der, Itsy Bitsy Spider, Are You Hoppy?, Owlin' at the Moon, Fishin' for Fun

Finger Paints Wild About Spring  is pretty much full of win. There are actually six colors in this collection, but the one I left out was an afterthought, meaning I initially passed on it. I'll show you why in a bit.



Let's start with the glitters. I dabbed all of them on, which is much more effective than trying to put these on in coats. With a little patience, you can get all the shards to lie flat on your nail.

Over 2 coats China Glaze Aquadelic

Finger Paints Owlin' at the Moon is a light green shard glitter. The color reminds me of the fake grass that people use to stuff Easter baskets.

Over 2 coats of American Apparel L'Esprit

Finger Paints Are You Hoppy is a lavender shard glitter.

Over 2 coats of Finger Paints Gimme Some Sugar

Finger Paints Fishin' for Fun is a light pink and fuchsia shard glitter. The light pink is kind of salmon-ish.

3 coats

Finger Paints I-Spy-Der is a warm pink crelly with iridescent shimmer. The shimmer is similar to CND Sapphire Sparkle.

2 coats

Finger Paints Itsy Bitsy Spider (what's up with the spiders?!) is a cool purple loaded with the same shimmer. Definitely my favorite of the bunch. Go to your local Sally and pick this up! It's even prettier in person.

2 coats

So, this is the afterthought. Finger Paints Hoppy Go Lucky is a gorgeous teal shade, but I wasn't initially sure I wanted to deal with a possibly frosty polish. I decided later that yes, it is indeed worth the extra effort.

1 extra coat sponged on

The formula overall was pretty decent. The glitters are thick, but if you dab them on, it's not a problem. I didn't try thinning them. The shimmers are a little thick, but I had no major issues applying them.





Finger Paints Wilde About Spring collection retails for $5.29 ($4.49 for BCC holders) and is available at Sally Beauty.