Sally Hanen Insta-Dri in Silver Sweep + Sally Hansen and OPI Crackle!

I love crackle polish!! I have crackle polishes from OPI, China Glaze, and now Sally Hansen and I love them all! This is a mini-review of the Sally hansen and OPI crackles as well as the sally hansen insta-dri line.
The picture below is of Sally Hansen's insta-dri in 'silver sweep' as a base. The sally hansen crackle in 'cherry smash' and the OPI crackle is in 'black shatter'. Of course, the OPI is the black top coat and the sally hansen is the red. You can see from the pictures that both shatter equally well. I applied both in a linear fashion.

Insta-Dri Review:
As for the base coat in silver, I have to say that I also love this polish!! It does what it says - it dries fast; which, I love. I paint my nails a couple times a week due to chipping and I love it when I have a good fast dry nail polish. I really love this color because it looks just like liquid metal on your nails. But I have to say that I love the whole insta-dri line. The brush for the polish is oversized, which makes it easier to apply the polish. Plus, they all go on in one or two coats max and look great. The color selection is great and they churn out new polishes pretty frequently. So, I cannot say enough good about the line. The downside of the insta dri line? Chipping. But, I find that it doesn't chip as fast as other fast dry polishes. The chipping curse seems to be very common to all fast dry polishes.

Crackle Review:

For me, I have loved all my shatter/crackle top coats pretty much equally. What matters when it comes to these topcoats, IMO, is the color selection and the crackle action. As far as color selection, china glaze is tops, followed by sally hansen with OPI bringing up the rear. China glaze has a line of regular colors (mint, white, pink, purple, etc....) and they are debuting a line of metallic crackles. Sally hansen has a line of a few shades which is comparable to the primary lines by china glaze and OPI. I do like that Sally Hansen is more accessible than the China Glaze and OPI and the line has both primary colors and metallics. OPI was the front runner in the shatter game with their black shatter coming out first, but have been slow to churn out more. Just recently, they did release more colors in the shatter line.

As for application, the sally hansen and OPI go on similarly and shatter quite easily with ease in applying it evenly. China Glaze is a little thicker with less cracks in the average size coat. To make the china glaze crack more, you have to apply it thinner than the competitors. But, overall, I love them all and would recommend them all. The one thing sally hansen has over the rest is that it can be bought wherever sally hansen is sold (drugstores, major retailers), while the China Glaze and OPI have to be bought at Ulta or salon supply stores. For me this isn't an issue, but it may be for others.

I definitely recommend the crackle, as well as the sally hansen insta-dri. The two together make for a really fun manicure. I will be trying the metallic crackles by china glaze soon and will probably post on those as well.

Essie: Sand Tropez Swatch and Review

Essie!!! It used to be that Essie could only be bought at places such as Ulta. However, recently, Essie has made its debut in CVS, Rite Aid, and Target (probably walgreens too, but I haven't checked). Which means..........you can use extra care bucks and up rewards from CVS and Rite aid to buy Essie polish. So, that's exactly what I did.
I have always been a big fan of bright or dark nail polishes but I have been wanting to try the nude polish trend and Essie had the perfect color: Sand Tropez. I thought I'd like the color but I didn't realize how much. I love this color. It almost blanks out my nails against the pale color of my skin. It's pretty neat; I welcome the change from my traditional polish selections. the picture below if of the bottle.


As far as the polish application and the polish itself, Essie holds up to OPI in quality. The polish applied smoothly and evenly. I always top it off with a fast dry top coat, so I can't say a whole lot for the drying time. Also, I noticed that in my second day of wear, it chips less than a brand like China Glaze. So, overall, Essie is a winner in my book. CVS and Target have a good selection of shades to try out and I think I will definately purchase again.


The label for the color. Sand Tropez.

This picture was taken with some daylight streaming in. I think it does the best job of showing the color.

This was taken in the indoor light with no flash.

OPI Swatches and Review: Shrek Collection

First and foremost, forgive the lowlight in the pictures. I decided to take pics when the nail polish was fresh; and, I apply new polish at night (since the polish hardens while I sleep, leading to fewer flaws). I always have a hard time deciding what color to repaint and this time, I picked a never before worn shade I've had stashed away for a little while. The color is 'who the shrek are you' from OPI's Shrek collection. I don't think you can find this collection anymore except maybe on ebay. They did have some neat colors and I must say this isn't my favorite but I'll still rock it for a few days.


The above is the color with my nails. You really need to do at least 3 coats with this color or else your nails will just look dingy. As with all OPI polishes, it applies well and dries without bubbling or otherwise. I do love OPI but at around 8 dollars each (depending on where you buy them), I now only buy the colors I can't get anywhere else. My favorite thing about the OPI line is the brush. It's nice and wide, making it easy to apply the polish well.


The above is the bottom of the bottle. For those unfamiliar with OPI, they put out new collections frequently and colors stay while others are limited editions. The current new line is the Katy Perry line (which I'm dying to get my hands on) and in Feb., the Texas line will go on shelves. The texas line looks pretty awesome too. Another great thing about OPI -> they put out samplers for most all of their collections. The samplers usually consist of 4 small polishes from each line. I love these because it allows you to try out a couple without paying the hefty price. If I like a color in the sampler, I'll go and buy the full size of said color.

I tried to take a nice picture of the actual nail color. As you can see, it does look Shrek colored green. Not exactly my cup of tea but I also tend to gravitate towards anything that is 'different' from the typical. This color definately fits the bill for different. My favorite color from the shrek collection is 'what's with the cattitude' -> this shade is a light pastel blue.