The Nail Polish Lunchbox

Thus far I have tried to avoid the nail polish reviews because I tend to work a lot with my hands which means that nail polish in general doesn't stand a chance. But I adore having nail polish, so much so that I have a lunchbox filled with them. And yes, my collection was actually much bigger however I have restricted myself to only having as many as I can fit into the lunchbox. Behold, my collection.

Yes, my lunchbox is from BlizzCon. Now I am going to spare the precise breakdown of what is pictured inside and instead focus on a few items (which will probably come in the future as a review). Since my most recent review mentioned that I just got in a few Zoya polishes, I figured I'd mention what they were. (Please note that I haven't tried them just yet!).

I got the five bottles during a promotion where you get two bottles for free. So I figured that I ought to spring for a few more. All quotes mentioned come from the Zoya website.

• Ciara, described as a "medium berry purple with red plum undertones". Visually though, it seems to look like more of a pink.

• Akyra, described as a "medium metallic teal shimmer in a dark smoky blue base." Definitely looks a lot more like a green.

• Ibiza, described as a "blackened indigo-blue brightened slightly by subtle metallic blue shimmer." The description is spot on and it looks like a lovely dark blue.

• Indigo, which is described as "a dark indigo blue shimmer with a pinch of holographic microglitter." Yet while that description holds incredibly true, that glitter looks like it is trully dominating. The glitter also seems to vary in colour so you get a lot of different shiny colours that come through.

• Raven, which is an "intense satiny black balanced by very subtle silver shimmer." Well, it looks black.

---

Moving on to my favourites! Unlike the Zoya which is completely new to my collection, these nail polishes have been tried and remain true.

• Sinful Colors: Savage (950)
This one struck me as an odd colour when I first got it. And almost a year later, it still strikes me as an odd colour but I adore it. It dries matte so I usually follow up with a glossy top coat to get that colour to shine.

• Sinful Colors: Love Nails (801)
I love a shiny blue and this one even trumps the other blues that I have -- like the other three that I have from OPI (but in all fairness, the others I have from OPI are much darker blues). This colour is bright and really pops out which is what I love about it.

Ye shall be entering the land of purple which is one of my favourite colours.

• CQ: Mystical (151)
LOVE, LOVE, LOVE, this colour. Perfect hue of purple, holds up incredibly well (read as: doesn't chip easily), and is possibly my favourite bottle of the lot. I don't use this one nearly as much because it isn't readily available in this area. I picked it up when I was in NYC and while they are abundant in Rite Aid, that store is not out here in SF.

• Island Girl: Surfing Paradise (1132)
I've had this nail polish for about two weeks and I love the colour of it. It looks like a pink but ends up drying on the purple side. It does chip easily though but I tend to overlook those kinds of things when I get a colour I like. I will probably run the same issue as I do with the CQ nail polish; madly in love with it but I can't use it as often since it's not available in SF. You can read my review about it here.

• China Glaze: Flying Dragon (80841)
I ended up getting this one in a swap and I love it! It doesn't chip as easily, wears well, and just looks gorgeous. Although there is microglitter in it, it doesn't really come across, which I like. You get more of the base colour which is a beautiful hue of purple. In fact, it is just slightly darker than the Surfing Paradise colour by Island Girl.

• e.l.f. Royal Plum

Alright, so since entering the land of purple, you might have noticed my overuse of "love." Sad to say that it hasn't ended. Yes, I love this hue of purple as well. It is very similar to the Mystical bottle by CQ however it is a tiny bit more pink (Mystical is a bit more purple).

---

One last thing before I call an end to my nail polish collection. That is my recent acquisition of the Konad Stamping Nail Art Kit. This was actually something my BF got for me. In the box are two nail plates though. This is something I can't wait to try but first it's going to take a bit of practice.

---

The Zoya reviews are probably on the horizon, depending on how much I want to stray from my beloved purple nail polishes but in the mean time, here's where you can snag some of my favourites.

	Brand	Store	Price
	China Glaze	Ulta	$7.00
	CQ	Rite Aid	$2.99
	e.l.f.	eyeslipsface.com	$2.00
	Island Girl	ABC Stores	$2.99
	Sinful Colors	Walgreens	$1.99
	Zoya	Whole Foods & zoya.com	$8.00

Review: Island Girl

I couldn't really help myself to grabbing a few bottles, though I didn't grab as many as I would have liked. So a quick introduction to this line: Island Girl Hawaii Nail Polish is only available through ABC Stores. I've read some other blogs that have noted that the ABC Stores that are in Las Vegas also carry the line, so it's not just restricted to the islands of Hawaii, just the store. While I haven't attempted this, it also looks like you can buy the variety packs through their online site (but you won't be able to purchase individual bottles).

1132 Surfing Paradise, 1149 Island Coast, &
1112A Hawaiian Dream.

Upon seeing them, the first thing to note is that they are bright and vivacious colours. Which meant that at the very beginning of the trip I was hesitant to get them. I knew that I wouldn't find them anywhere else but an ABC Store so it was now or possibly way later. Toward the end of the trip I decided to spring for three bottles. Had I not just ordered 5 bottles of Zoya, I probably would have sprang for more. Anyhow, my experience with cheap nail polishes goes back a long way, so seeing these bright colours only meant one thing in my mind: high maintenance. 

Bright colours, while lovely and wonderful, generally meant that it chips easily or isn't very long lasting. While I could be wrong in my experience, I also know that when you couple that with a slightly cheaper formula then you're in for dents and chips. But I could overlook that, what I was also prepared for, and what bugs me the most is the inevitable matte look.

A good base coat and top coat can help, but not by much. Why am I mentioning all of these? Well, if you are like me and you're used to this kind of performance from a nail polish, then sure, Island Girl won't disappoint. You've got these bright colours and sure, it's a bit on the high maintenance side, but very lovely. In the short time I've been wearing them, I can offer this:

1. They dry very quickly which leads to #2. 
2. They will chip on their own so get a good top coat. (Last night I applied two fresh coats and then had to work on a project. By the time I was done, the nails were dry, but I hadn't applied a top coat in time so I already had some very minor chips).
3. They dry matte so if you plan accordingly with the proper top coat. If you want the matte effect then be sure to get a matte top coat, otherwise the very bright and shiny colour will pop even more with your standard top coat (this isn't a bad thing, by the way).
4. They don't last that long. Given that they are prone to dents and chips, don't anticipate them lasting for a week.
5. They come in a variety of colours, all of which are bright and... cheery? 
6. They are cheap and exclusive to ABC Stores.

If you could overlook the pitfalls of the nail polish, then it's a good line. I wouldn't compare them in quality to OPI but they stand in line with Sinful Colors. 

I have yet to try Island Coast (the purple) but I imagine that it is quite similar to the Surfing Paradise in terms of performance and endurance. I have tried the Hawaiian Dream and to be honest it was a bit lackluster. The brush, while wide, was unable to pick up the hearts (which are blue and a very light pink) and so after painting all ten nails, I had only 4 hearts. I am hoping that as I get used to it, it would be worthwhile.

Sadly, I cannot remember just how much I paid for each bottle. I think it averaged to about $2 each but I could be wrong about that.