Surprise!

I've been having a hard time with Maybelline's Color Show polish.




I bought a bunch of their Summer 2013 colors (mostly blues, because I am pathetic for blue) and oh buddy, I want to love them but they make me mad. Thin, streaky, takes a while to dry, couldn't do anything with them. It was very frustrating for me, so I relegated them to the 'toe' pile. Anyone used to a Michigan winter knows that this is essentially locking them in the basement.

So, when I splurged on three of their Color Show "Graffiti" polishes, I felt kind of dumb about the decision. I had been burned by these polishes quite a bit, why was I testing my luck?

First, let's just take a second to admire "Right Said Red" by Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure.

Much shine.

So crelly. Wow.

I slapped on two coats of that, and admired it for a bit. The dry time on this is fast, and it looks SO good. The formula is really amazing. Good, even application, and I love the bottle and brush shape.

But I can't just have my nails a plain color (except when I can).

I Pollock'd myself.

So yeah, I decided to test out the graffiti top coat. I did two coats and sat back, hoping my roommate wouldn't text me for my Taco Bell order (best roommate) because I was indisposed watching 30 Rock for ten minutes and couldn't do anything.

Except not.

While getting enough glitter (is it really glitter, though?) on the brush is a bit of a chore because of the small brush size and that it's a black brush and black glitter, it spreads on really cleanly. I recommend using the neck of the bottle to do the usual wipe-off, and then turn the brush to pick up the excess "glitter" to spread on the nail. It dried far faster than I expected, which is great news, and it looks really cool (though I'm seriously considering adding a top coat). 

So, yeah! Well done, Maybelline. Your graffiti glitters are better than your Summer 2013 pool-side polishes. That I still love despite their shittyness. Seriously, load the brush up. "Bare Escape" looks great with a shimmer coat.