China Glaze Medallion Nail Lacquer
Glitter Polish: China Glaze Medallion Nail Lacquer
China Glaze Medallion Nail Lacquer ($3.50 to $6.00) is a cool-toned gold with multi-sized, multi-colored shimmer suspended in a clear base. It has hexagonal multi-reflective bits of glitter amongst more square-shamed, smaller-sized dark gold glitter. It’s pretty much one of the most glittery polishes I’ve ever come across–and I say that in a good way… if you like glitter! Now, if you’re not a fan of glitter polish, I think I can safely say this isn’t for you.
I found application to require some effort, and you’ll get best results if you do let the layers dry substantially in-between. This lets you get better overall coverage of glitter so it doesn’t get bunched up or pushed around into certain spots. One issue I had if you moved too quickly was the glitter would bunch up a bit at the very edge of the nail (around the tip), which wasn’t so cute. I think this would work really well as a glitter top coat over your favorite lacquer as well, particularly since it has a clear base. It took me three solid coats to get the above (and below) results, and as you can see, it’s not opaque, though it’s still a fun shade to wear by itself.
Removal is about on par with what I’d expect from a glitter polish; it’s not the quickest removal process, but it doesn’t drive me batty. I really just like how sparkle-tastic this shade is, and I think that alone wins me over, since I was looking for it China Glaze’s new glitter shades. I will say it could have applied a little more smoothly, even for a glitter, but the finished result is still quite fun.
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- Product: 26/30
- Value: 9/10
- Ease of Use: 4/5
- Packaging: 4/5
Recommendation: Looking for a cool gold, totally blinged out lacquer? Medallion might be it.
Availability: 8ty8beauty.com, Head2ToeBeauty.com, TransDesign.com
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Zoya Ultra Glitter Collection: Nova
Zoya Nova Nail Polish ($7.00 for 0.5 oz.) is one of three shades from Zoya’s Ultra Glitter Winter 2009 Collection. It accompanies Astra (review) and Luna (to be reviewed).
Nova is a warm-toned raspberry pink with a raspberry-colored jelly base and darker, deeper pink glitter mixed in. It’s a pretty shade–much more subtle and darker than Astra, which is more of a bubbly pink in comparison. I’m surprised Zoya launched two pinky shades in a three-bottle collection (I would have expected three entirely separate shades), but it’s a nice shade of pink nonetheless. The glitter distributes fairly evenly even if you don’t wait too long between coats.
Zoya’s formula is one of my favorites, as it’s chip-resistant and gives me week-long wear without worry. I find their Color Lock System to be one of my favorite base/top/drying coat combinations to use for polishes. Their remover is fantastic, and I use it for removing all my glitter polishes without much trouble at all!
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- Product: 27/30
- Value: 8/10
- Ease of Use: 4/5
- Packaging: 4/5
Recommendation: If you love glittery nails, Zoya’s Ultra Glitter Collection may be right up your alley.
Availability: Zoya
Stila 24kt Lip Gloss: Golden Charm, Precious Coral, Radiant Sunset, Vintage Merlot
Stila Cosmetics 24kt Luxe Lip Gloss Set ($30.00) is an excellent value set with four of the five 24kt Lip Glosses. Funny enough, Stila has since dramatically dropped the prices on their 24kt Lip Glosses to a measly $8 a pop, so you can actually go ahead and get all five of them for $40 instead of four for $30.
The shades included in this holiday set are: Golden Charm (a sheer warm-toned yellow gold with copper and gold shimmer), Precious Coral (a sheer, soft orange-coral with pale orange-gold shimmer), Radiant Sunset (a semi-sheer, fiery orange-red with golden and copper shimmer throughout), and Vintage Merlot (a semi-sheer berry-wine with gold and plum shimmer). The other 24kt Lip Gloss shade available is Brilliant Pink, which is a semi-sheer bright pink.
The 24kt Lip Glosses are non-sticky to slightly tacky, they’re not too thick, and they tend to be sheerer rather than opaque shades. They’re ultra shimmery and have a nice high gloss sheen to them as well. They can be a little gritty after they’ve faded away as some of the glitter hangs on, but it’s something I’ve experienced the majority of glittery glosses. These also come with a brush-type applicator that requires you to twist the bottom to dispense the product–kind of an ew factor for me, personally.
Bottom Line: They’re fun glosses, and while at $22 a pop (the original price), I hesitated, at $8 each, there’s not much to think about!
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- Product: 26/30
- Value: 10/10
- Ease of Use: 4/5
- Packaging: 3/5
Recommendation: For super shimmery lips that are as affordable as they are bling-bling, Stila’s 24kt Lip Glosses are a steal!
Availability: Stila Cosmetics
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Bobbi Brown Extreme Party Mascara
($22.00 for 0.21 oz.) is the newest mascara formula to debut from Bobbi Brown. It is touted as Bobbi Brown’s “boldest mascara ever.” This mascara is designed to give you “unbelievable volume… endless build… exceptionable separation … with zero dragging, clumping, or flaking.”
Overall, I really liked this mascara, though it’s not my all-time favorite mascara or my personal holy grail. I love dramatic lashes, and I pretty much want a mascara that makes me look like I’m wearing false eyelashes 24/7–so that’s my taste. This mascara is not supposed to do that (despite the name, which perhaps would suggest otherwise), because it’s more of a volumizing and separating mascara that’s supposed to cling to lashes and not clump or flake on you later.
Extreme Party seems like it delivers on everything it’s supposed to. My lashes had a lovely, feathery volume to them–they looked lush and lightweight and never felt heavy. I got a smidgen of length, but not too much, and this mascara didn’t clump even after I tried to make it clump with a fourth coat (just for kicks!). It also separated beautifully (which is sort of a duh, if it doesn’t clump).
This mascara reminded me of Maybelline’s Full ‘n Soft mascara, which is a formula I like for softer, but still noticeable, lashes. Extreme Party is a little richer and a touch more dramatic in its overall look, but if you like Full ‘n Soft, I think you’d like Extreme Party, too.
Bottom Line: The name is a bit misleading–I wouldn’t describe the effect on my lashes as an “extreme party,” but I do like what it does and feel like it meets the marketed claims (which is very important to me). It’s a very nice mascara for separating lashes and giving you a more voluminous look.
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- Product: 28/30
- Value: 8/10
- Ease of Use: 4/5
- Packaging: 4/5
Recommendation: For feathery, natural-with-a-kick lashes, Extreme Party may appeal to you!
Availability: Bobbi Brown
, Nordstrom
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Lippmann Collection: Happy Birthday
Lippmann Collection Happy Birthday Nail Lacquer ($18.00 for 0.50 oz.) is a splattering of multi-colored, multi-sized confetti glitter in a clear base. Even though it’s a clear base, and a part of me wishes it had some sort of colored base, I think this is actually incredibly fitting and suits the name “Happy Birthday.” It’s definitely a party on your nails! Lippmann lacquers always last really well on me with an exceptionally durable and chip-resistant formula.
I find Lippmanns are some of the easier glitter polishes to remove as well–I know I’ve said it before, but my removal process is to soak a cotton pad in remover, then press against the nail, repeat on all the nails, then go back and start to actually remove the polish.
The only kicker of this product is the $18 price tag (which is notably $2 more than their usual shades), which is particularly hefty and starts to creep into the higher-end territory. I don’t really think any polish at $18 or $28 outdoes a polish that’s $8 so significantly to literally merit the extra bucks. As always, I compare brands against their competitors, and Lippmann seems more in line with the price points of Chanel and Dior lacquers.
Bottom Line: In the end, Lippmann is priced as a more high-end polish, so if it’s worth it to you, go for it — and if it’s not, no shame in that game. I will say I don’t have anything even remotely similar to this in my collection, and I haven’t (personally) seen anything like it, either.
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- Product: 28/30
- Value: 7/10
- Ease of Use: 4/5
- Packaging: 4/5
Recommendation: For fun, party-tastic nails, Happy Birthday is a winner in every way–except for the price.
Availability: Beauty.com
, Nordstrom
Zoya Astra Nail Polish ($7.00) is one of three shades of Ultra Glitter. Astra has a warm-toned pink jelly base with deeper red small, square glitter mixed in. It’s very sparkly and fun, but I kind of wish it had a more opaque base. I never thought I’d be such a fan of glitter polishes, but they’re such a nice way to add punch to your wardrobe without feeling like it’s ever too much. Zoya’s formula is always tops, and I always get great wear whenever I use their polish and Color Lock System (which is my go-to base/top/drying coat system).
Zoya also includes something I think is really handy on their website:
Tone: Warm
Finish: Glitter
Color Family: Pinks
Intensity: 3 (1= Very Sheer to 5= Very Opaque)
Original Collection: Ultra Glitter
I just think it’s informative, and it just shows that this isn’t designed to be ultra opaque but somewhere in-between sheer and opaque. I like that they let you know whether the shade runs cool or warm, because sometimes if you can’t buy in person, every extra detail they give you helps you make a better decision about whether to buy or not.
I didn’t find it too difficult to remove either, which is often a problem with glitter polishes. It’s not as quick and easy as a typical polish, but it really didn’t bother me or make me groan either. I always soak a cotton pad in remover, gently press against the nail, then I do the same for the others, and finally go back and start removing.
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- Product: 27/30
- Value: 8/10
- Ease of Use: 4/5
- Packaging: 4/5
Recommendation: If you’re a fan of glitter polishes, Zoya’s Astra is a fun shade of pinky-red for the holidays.
Availability: Zoya
