Orly Mermaid Tale is from the new Glam FX collection, which is a collection of glitters. Apparently, Orly plans to release a total of twenty-two glitters. Remember when China Glaze released fifty glitters? Good times! So far, the Glam FX collection consists of five glitters, and Mermaid Tale is definitely my favorite.

1 coat over AA Peacock

Orly Mermaid Tale is a clear base with green micro glitter, blue and green mini sequins, and well as larger green holo sequins. There's a lot going on, but it all works really well.








The formula is definitely thick, so I added a few drops of thinner before I even started applying. I had no problems with the application. I dabbed the glitter on rather than painting strokes.

1 coat

Here's American Apparel Peacock on its own. I love my AA's because so many of them are one-coaters and apply like a dream. Plus, they're only $6! So cheap. :)



I definitely should have made sure I had a color accurate picture before slapping Mermaid Tale on top. It's much more teal and a bit deeper than what's in the picture.





Orly Mermaid Tale retails for $10 and is available wherever Orly is sold. If you have a beauty club card, they are $8.99 at Sally Beauty.

American Apparel Peacock retails for $6 and is available at americanapparel.net

This week's battle features three mid-tone purple cremes. Surprisingly, I don't own a lot of these. The more examine my stash, the more I'm learning about what colors interest me. So far, coral is hands down the winner. What color dominates your stash?



Anyway, into the arena:

American Apparel African Violet, Barielle Grape Escape, OPI

Disclaimer: Purples are always a challenge to photograph, but I tried to
get the most color accurate photos (to my eye and monitor) that I could. I sacrificed focus for color, so sorry for any
blurriness you see.

2 coats

American Apparel African Violet has more of a red undertone than I expected. I think slightly warmer purples look better on me than the cool ones.



I thought African Violet would be on the thick and a one-coater like most of my AA's. However, its consistency is thinner and a bit tough to control on the nail. I was prepared for it on the second coat, though, and it was totally manageable.

2 coats

Barielle Grape Escape is just a touch cooler than African Violet, but it is almost negligible. They are pretty much dupes. The formula on this is quite similar to African Violet's formula as well.

3 coats

OPI Funky Dunkey is much cooler than both African Violet and Grape Escape. The formula is also superb compared to the other two. It practically applied itself, which is something that almost never happens with OPIs. Pleasant surprise.

3 coats of each

Battle casualty: Barielle Grape Escape. Another Barielle bites the dust!



I chose African Violet over Grape escape because I like the bottle and the brush better. Funky Dunkey's wonderful formula and cool undertone saved it from the purge pile.



Which polish(es) would you have purged?



Have a wonderful weekend!

Just a reminder that today to enter my giveaway, which is the full Layla Hologram collection and 1 bottle of Nfu.Oh Aqua Base.

Mercury Twilight, Coral Glam, Retro Pink, Ultra Violet, Jade Groove, Mermaid Spell, Ocean Rush, Flash Black

I'm re-posting the form here instead of linking t the original post. It is the same entry form, so if you've already entered, no need to do so again.







In other news, I should have a new Purge Wars post up later today.

2 coats

Nails Inc. Baker Street is a gorgeous cobalt blue creme. It is exceptionally vibrant but not a neon. The color is so rich, yet clean - it does not pull purple or green. Baker Street is just blue. What a perfect addition to my collection.



The formula is great. Smooth, self-leveling, and not too thick or thin

flash

Nails Inc. Baker Street retails for $9.50 and is available at Sephora stores and online.

3 coats

Nails Inc. Cheyne Walk is a purple to bronze orange duochrome. I also picked up some green in the photos, but it may have been my camera playing tricks on me. Cheyne Walk is similar in color and shift to Deborah Lippmann Private Dancer, but with more brushstrokes. I am not a fan.



This applied very well - smooth with a nice consistency.

Nails Inc. Cheyne Walk

You can see the flash of bronze and green in this picture. In person, the green is much more subtle.



This is not a keeper for me, especially since I have a very similar color with a better finish.



Nails Inc. Cheyne Walk retails for $9.50 and is available at Sephora.com

Since my last post, I have asked several Sally Beauty managers/SAs about whether these are core or not, and everyone seems to be in consensus that yes, these are core additions. However, I usually take what I hear from Sally workers with a grain of salt, so do with this information what you will.



Side note: in case you were wondering about my two-finger swatches, I
cut my middle finger pretty badly, so I'm just waiting for it to heal
and not look super gross before including it in swatches again.

3 coats

Finger Paints Silkscreen Green is a yummy lime green. It's gorgeous, but it unfortunately makes my hands look dirty.

2 coats

Finger Paints Pop Art Purple. It's purple, I swear. Neon purples always seem to photograph as this weird pink fuchsia color. Again, it is definitely purple.

2 coats

 Finger Paints Iconic Orange is a blinding orange. You all know how I feel about orange...

3 coats

Finger Paints Warhol Wannabe (sorry, the pic is labeled incorrectly) is a bubblegum pink that totally reminds me of a more neon version of Deborah Lippmann I Kissed a Girl.


All of these applied with no issues. It really is an awesome change from the normal finicky neons I have encountered in the past.



Finger Paints are still on sale for $3.99 until the end of May, so now would be a great time to pick these up from Sally Beauty.