Focus On Holographic: Milani Hi-Res

Only two days left of Focus On Holographic! It's been a good week but there were a lot more polishes I could feature. So, Milani Hi-Res is a polish you should be able to find in almost any drugstore these days - it's a beautiful lilac purple scattered holographic. This is a pretty strong holo; I think it's more strong than the DS I featured, Reflection! Application was great, it needed three coats since it's a bit jelly, but no balding at all and I really like the Milani brushes.

I know that first picture is a bit out of focus but I think it shows the holo a bit better than the other two photos do - they're not bad, but that first photo is more of the rainbow! I actually really like this line of holos, I also have the silver but my favorite is the green. I like that this purple is not as icy and pale as some holo purples are.

Focus On Purple: Milani Purple Gleam

Milani Purple Gleam is part of the One Coat Glitter collection, and should still readily be available in drugstores. (YAY!) I bought all of these when they first came out, and I don't think I've ever done a proper individual review on them. It's a good time to start! So, my bottle of Purple Gleam is very, very thick. I don't remember it being that thick when I first used it, so it must have gotten gloopy over time. I have added about 15 drops of thinner to use this and it's nice now, so it can be thinned with success, if you run into this. I've never been able to get away with the touted one coat - but this covers perfectly in two coats.
These polishes are top coat eaters. You will need at least two, if not more, layers of top coat - but I have had some success with the Gelous method of layering a coat of Gelous base coat and then a layer of top coat.
For this set of swatches, I left my pinkie without a top coat, so you can see what it looks like without top coat. As you can see, this polish really comes to life and gleams with top coat. Last shot is taken in full sunlight to show the sparkle!
These polishes are really, really amazing. For all the trouble with the top coat eating, they are definitely worth it - and I have to tell you that no pictures I've ever seen of these do them proper justice, they are easily more stunning and full of depth in person!

Do you have any of the One Coat Glitters? Which one is your favorite?

Milani Rad Purple

Milani Rad Purple was one of the neons that came out last summer. These were all in opaque bottles. Kind of weird, but I was glad I snagged this, because not only is it a red-toned purple, which I love, but it's an awesome jelly! Seriously, for me this is right up there with New York Summer Amaranth. It's a perfect jelly - you'll see how light and squishy it is at the tips! So, being a jelly, you should know if you read my blog enough that this will have VNL. It does, even after three coats. I'm okay with that, and since this is billed as a neon, it definitely dried matte. Since I like neons shiny, I slapped a coat of Revlon Quick Dry Top Coat on it. As you can see from the photo, super shiny!
As if this wasn't enough awesome for me, I decided to do a little layering, and added a coat of Pure Ice Busted. Too sheer to wear on its own, it's an awesome layering polish - and combined with Rad Purple, it's magic!
I can't tell you how much I love this. I got so many compliments on it!
Speaking of compliments, I went to get my hair cut and my brows done yesterday, and all of the girls were oohing over my pedicure - which, of course, I do my own. I used Sonia Kashuk Taunting Teal and Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Set The Stage. I'll have to show off this combo on my fingernails!
Alright, enough blathering. On to photos!

Hopefully you can see how Busted flashes both pink and purple! SO cool.

Mardi Gras!

Okay, obviously I'm not Catholic, but I love the idea of Mardi Gras and I've always wanted to go to New Orleans one year for the festivities. So, I decided to do an obnoxiously glittery manicure. Mind you, I SUCK at nail art. I wouldn't ever dare to show you my attempts at Kondading, and I'm not nimble with a nail brush, so I just did up some alternating glitter. On my thumb is OPI Sparkleicious, which is ... well, Mardi Gras in a bottle. Index, middle and pinkie all have Milani One Coat Glitter in Purple Gleam and my ring is Milani One Coat Glitter in Gold Glitz. The One Coat Glitters are amazeballs, but boy - they suck dry some top coat. I used FOUR coats of topcoat before it got truly shiny and stayed that way. It's worth the extra effort for me, because these are gorgeous glitters. Always a mood lifter. I decided to alternate the effort on my right hand, using Sparkleicious on my ring finger, Purple Gleam on my thumb, and Gold Glitz on the rest. I like the left hand better, but it's fun altogether.