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.

I stumbled upon these little guys the last time I was at a SiJCP.

Ciate Heirloom, Antique Brooch, Love Letter

However, I have not seen this set anywhere else. Not in free standing Sephoras, the Sephora website, and not even in other SiJCP's I've visited. Weird, huh? When I expanded my search beyond Sephora, I did manage to find full size bottles of most of the collection at Nordstrom.

3 coats

Ciate Heirloom is an Orly Space Cadet dupe. I won't try to describe the color because I will fail. It's a stellar polish, but it's not at all unique. Next!

3 coats. Ignore the dent - I'm a klutz

Ciate Love Letters is a stunning orange to pink duo with two sizes of pink sequins. This is like Sally Hansen Lava with glitter added. I'm pretty much obsessed with Lava, so naturally I'm even more obsessed with Love Letter. Don't worry, I already ordered a full size bottle.






Ciate Antique Brooch is a sheer gold base with two sizes of light pink sequins. 3 coats is opaque in some lighting but not at all opaque in direct light. I'd wear undies with this guy.



The consistency of all three of these was thick but manageable. This means they weren't goopy enough or annoying enough to thin, but they weren't perfect.





The Treasured Possessions collection is still a bit of an enigma to me. You can definitely get two of the three I've shown you today at Nordstrom ($15). There are others from the collection up, too. I can't find Heirloom, but Space Cadet is more cost effective anyway.



The Treasure Possessions mini set retails for $25 and is (supposed to be) a Sephora exclusive. I imagine they will get the full collection at some point.



I will definitely update this post with more info if any of this becomes more clear to me.

2 coats

Dior 306 Gris Trianon is a putty grey creme. It has a touch of warmth that makes it more flattering on my skin tone than most straight greys. It doesn't scream Spring, which makes it a perfect addition to the light pinks in the collection. I like it!



The formula is pretty great. It was easy to apply, and I really liked the consistency of this one.



This immediately reminded me of OPI French Quarter For Your thoughts, so here's that comp

2 coats Gris Trianon, 2 coats French Quarter For Your Thoughts

Dior 306 Gris Trianon retails for $24 and is available at Dior counters and Sephora.