3 coats

Deborah Lippmann Sweet Life is a mauvey nude creme. It instantly reminded me of Modern Love, so here's that comp.

3 coats Sweet Life, 2 coats Modern Love

They're close, but Modern Love is a bit darker and warmer than Sweet Life. I don't prefer one over the other, but if I was forced to pick, I'd choose Modern Love. It has a better formula, and it's a bit more flattering on me.





Deborah Lippmann Big Bang retails for $78 and is available at Sephora.com

2 coats

Zoya Stevie is a gorgeous purple that everyone should own. Not much else to say! The formula on all the Pixie Dusts I've tried so far has been really great. They dry quickly and are easy to remove. Pixie Dusts are still the only textureds I like.

2 coats

OPI Miss You-niverse is a dusty eggplant creme that is perfect for the season. It is almost a one-coater, and the finish is so shiny and smooth. It's been a while since I've been impressed with an OPI shade, so I'm extra pleased with Miss You-niverse.



It stamps pretty well, too.

OPI Miss You-niverse stamped over Nails Inc. Porchester Square

OPI Miss You-niverse retails for $9 and is available at Ulta.

My lovely friend Lakeisha of Refined and Polished sent me a package brimming with indies to try, since I try to stay as indie-ignorant as possible (more on that later). Shimmer Karina stood out to me the most, so it's the first I tried.

3 coats Rouge Dada, 2 coats Karina

Karina is such a pretty glitter mix, but I could live without the black glitter. It seems a bit incongruous. None the less, it complemented my Rouge Dada mani perfectly.



There are two main reasons I've stayed away from indies. First, it's kind of the same reason I stay away from drugstore polish. I have a Pokemon mentality when it comes to polish, and I decided early on in my collecting that I would focus on higher end and salon brands. Second, buying indies seems like a lot of work. I see posts about certain brands restocking, and people having to refresh for twenty minutes just to check out...ugh. No thanks. I know that craziness doesn't happen with every brand, but the fact that it happens at all is a huge turn off. Plus, I prefer to buy my polish in person. I'm so enjoying the polishes Lakeisha shared with me, but I think I'm still fine admiring indies from afar. Mainstream seems to be catching up quite nicely, anyway



YSL Rouge Dada retails for $25 and is available at Bloomingdales.com

2 coats, Nfu.Oh 50 accent

Ciate Pool Party is a vibrant cobalt blue crelly. It's a little darker than my photo in most lighting, but it looks like this in direct light. Talk about stunning, right? This is my favorite shade of blue. I just love how clean and focused the color is. Pool Party dries matte, so I'm assuming there's some neon pigment involved.



The formula is outstanding! It applied so well, and it is quite pigmented. Perfect consistency, too.



Ciate Pool Party retails for $15 and is available at Sephora

3 coats

 Marc Jacobs Fluorescent Beige is an iridesent pinky mauve with a slightly crelly finish. This automatically reminded me of Essie Demure Vixen, but the base colors are different. The formula on this is nice but not spectacular. It does dry with a shiny finish, but I don't think I'll ever understand the "30 coats of lacquer" claim.



Marc Jacobs Fluorescent Beige retails for $18 and is available at Sephora.