Julep Kylie

The next polish from my May Maven box is Kylie, a magnetic polish from Julep! Mangetic polish is big right now and so Julep has thrown their hat into the ring. Julep describes Kylie as a "sultry violet magnetic polish. It's gorgeous without the magnetic effect, or use the included magnet to create dark accent stripes in whatever direction you choose."

To be honest, this was my first experience with magnetic polish. It's not a new thing, but is currently enjoying a resurgence and just about every brand has some magnetic polishes out right now. I haven't actively sought out any magnetic polishes, but was happy to receive one as part of my box. The theory behind magnetic polish is simple-- you apply the polish, then one at time use the magnet to create a design on your nail while the polish is still wet (so the iron particles can move).

The formula on Kylie was decent-- I used two coats in my photos below. I applied one coat and it went on nicely and was basically opaque, and then I added a second coat one by one and used the magnet. I didn't use a top coat in these pictures below, though with magnets you do want to wait for the polish dry so you don't smudge the design.

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Here's the magnet that came with the polish:

I think it photographed beautifully!

There's no lip on the magnetic which means you need to be careful about placing it too close to your nail, otherwise you could wind up denting your manicure. I afraid of this but manage to avoid it. I did close enough to create a design, but I wonder if I had gotten closer if the lines would have been better. I also got the feeling that the magnetic lines started to to fuzz out after I'd had this on for a little while, but I didn't wear it very long because I was swatching. I was also a little disappointed that I only got two lines on my nails... I would have liked to see more!

Overall, I don't know how to feel about this. It's cool, and I like it but I'm not completely sold. It does take time to do, though I love the way it looks. Nail art for dummies! I probably need to play with this some more before making a final decision.

Julep Ellie

I know you're probably rolling your eyes-- another Julep polish? I know, I know! But it's almost the end of May and I still haven't even profiled my May Maven box. I also have come up with a new way I'm going to go this: first, show you the polishes and the have a post that rates the whole box. So I'm starting off tonight with Julep Ellie.

Ellie is an "opalescent seashell pink with holographic shimmer". What isn't mentioned is that Ellie is a sheer polish-- I used three coats in my pictures below and there is still visible nail line. Also, Ellie most definitely does not have holographic shimmer. It does have a bit of a duochrome thing going on-- the edges shift slightly green. But holographic it is not. For the most part the formula is ok-- due to the finish it can get a little brushstrokey, as you can see in some of the photos. I did get a few bumps/bubbles on my middle finger; I think if I had used a top coat it wouldn't be a big deal.

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I am... not sure how I feel about this polish. On the one hand, I hate it. It's sheer and pink and has brushstrokes. On the other... it's pretty? I mean, it is pretty. It's just not my style at all, even though I have grown to appreciate sheer polishes more. I might try this layered over something (maybe a white or a pink) to see if I like it more, otherwise this might be going in my "give away" pile. I can't see myself ever wearing this for any reason.

Revlon Royal aka Massive Photography Failure

Tonight's polish is simply put, amazing. Revlon Royal has been sitting in my stash for ages-- I picked it up when the Top Speed line was first released and the polish blogging community was raving about it. Since I love blue polishes, I couldn't bear to pass it up. However, once I bought I left it sitting and languishing in a drawer.

I have varying things about the formula on Royal-- for some it was easy to use and for others, a nightmare. Luckily, my bottle had an excellent formula. Royal is a deep cobalt blue polish with a jelly formula. You know those cobalt blue tiles you can find for your house? That's what Royal looks like. It's stunning. After swatching this I decided I had to wear it as a full manicure and I can't stop staring at my nails. Royal goes on smoothly and you don't need to use thick coats. Despite the jelly finish, Royal is a exceedingly well pigmented and goes on almost opaque in one coat. However, there is some visible nail line and I ended up using three coats to give me the look I wanted. With the jelly finish the polish is a bit translucent and so it makes the polish glow.

Revlon Top Speed polishes are supposed to be dry within 60 seconds-- I didn't time how long it took for this to dry, but it did seem to dry relatively quickly. My only issue was a little bit of bubbling-- though this doesn't seem to be a problem with a top coat.

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These pictures are definitely the most color accurate-- Royal is a deep cobalt blue. The color is very rich and I love how juicy it looks.

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Ugh, I think these pictures are terrible! They don't accurately capture the color (except for the ones in artificial light)-- it looks too light and almost blurple, while in reality Royal is most definitely blue with no purple . Also, I couldn't figure out how to eliminate the visible nail line from them. I guess I need to try again, but maybe with some underwear to get rid of the VNL. If anyone has any suggestions for how best to photograph, let me know!

Here are some pictures that I took with my iPhone that are better in terms of accurately  portraying what it looks like on the nail. Sorry for the wear and tear-- I'd already been wearing this for a day and my nails take a beating at work.

I think Royal has shot its way up to the top of my favorite blue polishes. You are not going to find a better, more amazing blue polish.

American Apparel Downtown LA

Today I actually have a real time manicure for you-- I'm wearing this right now! I figure that since it's Memorial Day Weekend here in the US, a classic creamy red is appropriate. Downtown LA fits the bill! It's a gorgeous candy apple red-- I also think it could be a cherry red, it's deep but distinctly red polish. The first thing I think of when I look at my nails is a classic car. This polish is perfect for cruising in a convertible down the boulevard.

Dowtown LA had a stellar formula. I have several American Apparel polishes and while I haven't tried them all yet, I find the formulas to be a little hit and miss. But Downtown LA is fabulous. Super smooth and easy to use, it practically painted itself on. It dried quickly and was well pigmented-- I used two coats below. The polish dries to a relatively shiny finish, but I do have a top coat on in my pictures below.

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This didn't photograph completely accurately-- the shade pictures are probably most accurate in terms of color. It's a deeper red than most of the pictures show, though in sunlight it does get a bit brighter. It's not a tomato red (ie, orange leaning)  but my camera seemed to want to capture it like that. I love this shade of red-- it's one you could reach for at any time.

Cult Nails Bad Devious Nature

Tonight's polish is another from Cult Nails-- Bad Devious Nature. If this sounds (and looks) familiar, it should. Maria got several bottles of this polish that the lab-- the lab said it was within the 5% accepted variation but Maria disagreed. However, because they got so many bottles they decided to sell them. I decided to pass this up initially but during the first $5 sale I decided to pick this up since it was the only Cult Nails polish I didn't have.

Bad Devious Nature is very similar to Devious Nature-- but according to Maria "the color has NO purple base. It is straight up bubble gum pink!" And this is pretty true. It's much more pink than the original shade and there is no blue/purple at all. For awhile I was having trouble really distinguishing the two, but the more I look at them the more I can tell them apart and to my eyes this is more pink/red and a bit brighter. Typical of all the Cult Nails polishes I've tried, the formula is excellent and the polish goes on super smoothly.

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Unfortunately, I couldn't get this to photograph as bright as it is in real life. You can see the bubblegum pink, but it still looks more blue and definitely brighter. I love Bad Devious Nature as much as the original. In some ways, I love it more. Great pink. I don't think it's necessary (for most normal, non-crazy people) to have both-- the differences are pretty slight.