Milani 3D Hi-Res vs Ozotic 606 & 608

Another comparison swatch today to show you how freaking great the Milani 3D Holographic polishes are.  I tried to stick to comparing similar finishes here, that is larger particle scattered holos.  If I had China Glaze Octa-Gone Wild from the Kaleidoscope collection, that would have been the fourth perfect inclusion in this comparisons, but sadly I don't, so I put OPI DS Original.

It's also interesting to see how Ozotic 606 and 608 compare in the same swatch.  Although this may be a different version of 608 than others have?!?

I love the richness of the purple colour in the Milani Holo, the colour is so similar to DS Original, even though the finish on those two are totally different.  

We have another long weekend here in Canberra this weekend. Whoo Hoo, two in a row! But of course it's set to piss with rain all weekend!  So no nail swatching for me :(

Pink holo comparisons - Milani 3D vs Ozotic

Yesterday at work I was speaking with a manager from our PR area, we were talking about social media, facebook, twitter, yammer, blogs.  I told her that I wrote a blog and she was all interested, then I said it was about nail polish.  She looked at me as though I had two heads and said "how on earth do you ever find enough to post about nail polish".  I started my reply with "Oh you have no idea how..." then I stopped myself.  Poor muggles, they just don't get it.  It was so sweet when she said she had about six polishes, and thought she had too many.  Oh dear!

She just wouldn't understand how one person could end up with four polishes like those featured in this post.  That is, four large particle scattered pink holographics.  To my eye, they are all different, to a muggle they are all just pink and sparkly.

The photos are labeled so you can see the differences yourself.

The old version of Ozotic 601 is the stand out here, but the other three all come a close second.

In the comments yesterday LeeAnn wondered what the Milani 3D holos would be like with Spectraflair added. Sunnydee said she had done it with the silver one and it was awesome, but the yellow one went too pale. I love the idea of a pale yellow/gold, so I think I might franken with one of these Milani 3D's and add some spectraflair to show you how it goes.

Blue holo comparisons - Milani 3D vs Ozotics

It was a public holiday here yesterday and it was sunny, so I was able to do some comparison swatches that I have been wanting to do for ages.

Today's comparison is with blue large particle scattered holographic polishes.  I have three of these, Milani 3D Cyberspace, Ozotic 603 and Ozotic 617.  I'm bummed that I don't have the blue polish from the CG Kaleidoscope collection (I only have six of the 12 polishes from that collection) as I would have loved to have seen how it compared to the Milani and the Ozotics.

Both the Ozotic fingers in the middle have two coats, and as noted on the images, I did one coat of the Milani on the pinky and two coats on the index.  I was amazed how similar one coat looked to 603, then how similar two coats was with 617!

I think there is a slightly more linear appearance to the rainbow in 603, but really the difference between these polishes is marginal.

The best thing is that the Milani 3D polishes are still really easy to get and still cheap.  Although they are not your amazing linear holos like the OMG collection, Nfu Oh or Gosh Holographic, I think they are totally under rated and anyone that is looking for a cheap holo polish should give these a go.

Milani Bare in Mind & Teddy-Bare

I will admit these are not my usual kind of colors but they are quite lovely.I might actually be falling for Bare in Mind.....really!
Let's start with Bare in Mind a peachy nude with  beautiful pink shimmerIn natural light, shade
In full sunlight
Now for Teddy-BareIn natural light, shade
In full sunlight
Both have a nice formula with 2 coat coverage.Not my favorite brushes, a bit too skinny but

A Pink Hottie with Lasers

Milani's Pink Hottie is on my chubby piggies!Neon pink toes makes me happy!Try not to notice the flip flop tan lines...how did I get those when I avoided the Sun like the pague?!This is such a great neon, opaques in two coats and exactly what I needed!
*product provided by company/PR for my consideration

Sally Hansen HD in Laser on my fingers*makes Star Wars light saber sounds*
The duochrome is

Milani Dress Maker

Good morning, Dear Reader!

Today I have another Milani to show you, Dress Maker.  This one's a dupe for Chanel Jade, a light green shimmer.  It took three coats to be opaque and even.

Milani Dress Maker Nail Polish, Three Coats

Dress Maker is available on Milani's site, which is where I got it - so much simpler than hunting in down in drug stores.

That's it for today, Dear Reader.  Until next time, love and nail polish to you!  

Milani Dress Maker

Good morning, Dear Reader!

Today I have another Milani to show you, Dress Maker.  This one's a dupe for Chanel Jade, a light green shimmer.  It took three coats to be opaque and even.

Milani Dress Maker Nail Polish, Three Coats

Dress Maker is available on Milani's site, which is where I got it - so much simpler than hunting in down in drug stores.

That's it for today, Dear Reader.  Until next time, love and nail polish to you!  

Milani Hot Hot Hot

Good afternoon, Dear Reader!

After all the fall colors I've been wearing lately, I was in the mood for something a little brighter today, and went with Milani Hot Hot Hot.  It's a bright red orange creme that's opaque and even in two coats.  Here it is finished with top coat.

Milani Hot Hot Hot Nail Polish, Two Coats

That's all for today.  Untl next time, love and nail polish to you!  

Milani Hot Hot Hot

Good afternoon, Dear Reader!

After all the fall colors I've been wearing lately, I was in the mood for something a little brighter today, and went with Milani Hot Hot Hot.  It's a bright red orange creme that's opaque and even in two coats.  Here it is finished with top coat.

Milani Hot Hot Hot Nail Polish, Two Coats

That's all for today.  Untl next time, love and nail polish to you!  

Milani Hi-Res

Good morning, Dear Reader!

As I'm wrapping up holo week, I decided it would not be complete without representing the Milani holographic nail polishes, since those are one of the cooler drug store collections of this year, inexpensive, and were kind of a surprise when they came out - I sure didn't expect holos from Milani.  They're also pretty unique in their finish, so I wanted to include one this week even though I showed them all to you before.

I haven't had purple on for a while, so I went with Milani Hi-Res, the light purple one.  Since this polish is more holo bits than the super fine holo pigment, I didn't use Nfu Oh Aqua Base with it, I just used Nu Nails.  I did three coats of Hi-Res to achieve bottle color, added a coat of Diamont to it, and took the picture in the sun.  However, one of the nice things about the Milani holos is that the holographic effect is pretty solid in indoor lighting as well.

Milani Hi-Res Nail Polish, Three Coats

That's my Nails of the Day, and I have the difficult task of choosing the last inclusion in the Celebratory Holo Week for tomorrow - I'm torn between a few.  Since it's just nail polish, I'd wager I can figure it out and show you another tomorrow!

Until then, Dear Reader, love and nail polish to you!  

Milani Hi-Res

Good morning, Dear Reader!

As I'm wrapping up holo week, I decided it would not be complete without representing the Milani holographic nail polishes, since those are one of the cooler drug store collections of this year, inexpensive, and were kind of a surprise when they came out - I sure didn't expect holos from Milani.  They're also pretty unique in their finish, so I wanted to include one this week even though I showed them all to you before.

I haven't had purple on for a while, so I went with Milani Hi-Res, the light purple one.  Since this polish is more holo bits than the super fine holo pigment, I didn't use Nfu Oh Aqua Base with it, I just used Nu Nails.  I did three coats of Hi-Res to achieve bottle color, added a coat of Diamont to it, and took the picture in the sun.  However, one of the nice things about the Milani holos is that the holographic effect is pretty solid in indoor lighting as well.

Milani Hi-Res Nail Polish, Three Coats

That's my Nails of the Day, and I have the difficult task of choosing the last inclusion in the Celebratory Holo Week for tomorrow - I'm torn between a few.  Since it's just nail polish, I'd wager I can figure it out and show you another tomorrow!

Until then, Dear Reader, love and nail polish to you!  

Glitters and jelly oh my!

I decided to combine 2 of my most recent obsessions: Glitter and JellyI used 2 coats of Milani Rad Purple (a beautiful grape jelly) and one coat of Funk Fingers Hyper.Hyper is no ordinary glitter it is duo chrome and gorgeous!
See the chunky copper glitter
Click to enlarge and at the arc of my nailbeds you can see a bit of the green shift in the glitter.It really is fabulous in person. Now I just

Milani Pink & Red Nail Polish

Good evening, Dear Reader!

This morning I was groggy when I posted, and forgot to wish the moms a happy Mother's Day, so Happy Mother's Day!

Since my mom's not around this year, I thought I'd show you some Milani pinks and reds, all cremes, which I recently saw in a new display that made me think of Valentine's Day (V-Day = Love = Mom = Mother's Day, is the thought process there).  I believe they're all core colors, but the Milani nail polish section at my local drug store is quite small, and I verified that only one of these was in it.

Application of all was good, with the pinks requiring three coats each and the reds two.  The dry time on the one I did a complete manicure with was average, and I like the brush on these - it's very easy to control.  In the pictures, the first four colors are swatches and the last a manicure with top coat, and they're in sunlight.

Paradise Pink is a barely tinted pink, but still visibly pink.  This one made me keep going back to the display.

Milani Paradise Pink Nail Polish, Three Coats

Tip Toe Pink is a hair darker than baby pink, a really girly shade.

Milani Tip Toe Pink Nail Polish, Three Coats

La Vie En Rose is a bright pink without being too bright.

Milani La Vie En Rose Nail Polish, Three Coats

Cherry Pie is a slightly faded red creme.

Milani Cherry Pie Nail Polish, Two Coats

NY Apple Red is a classic blue red, and the one I'm wearing.

Milani NY Apple Red Nail Polish, Two Coats

I added a pattern from Bundle Monster plate BM02 to this one.  I mentioned them and said I'd tell you about them - they're cheapo Konad knock offs available on Amazon, but the stamps really aren't as well engraved as Konad by a long shot.  It's visible on the stamp I added to my ring finger, for which I used Pink Konad Special Polish.  Even using the right polish, the stamp's not great.  Still, it's more patterns, and I'll try to find a work-around to get the stamps clearer.

Milani NY Apple Red Nail Polish, Two Coats, with Bundle Monster Plate BM02

So that's the Mother's Day update.  If you are a mother, I hope your day was perfect, and if you have one, go tell her you love her.

Until tomorrow, Dear Reader, love and nail polish to you!  

Milani Pink & Red Nail Polish

Good evening, Dear Reader!

This morning I was groggy when I posted, and forgot to wish the moms a happy Mother's Day, so Happy Mother's Day!

Since my mom's not around this year, I thought I'd show you some Milani pinks and reds, all cremes, which I recently saw in a new display that made me think of Valentine's Day (V-Day = Love = Mom = Mother's Day, is the thought process there).  I believe they're all core colors, but the Milani nail polish section at my local drug store is quite small, and I verified that only one of these was in it.

Application of all was good, with the pinks requiring three coats each and the reds two.  The dry time on the one I did a complete manicure with was average, and I like the brush on these - it's very easy to control.  In the pictures, the first four colors are swatches and the last a manicure with top coat, and they're in sunlight.

Paradise Pink is a barely tinted pink, but still visibly pink.  This one made me keep going back to the display.

Milani Paradise Pink Nail Polish, Three Coats

Tip Toe Pink is a hair darker than baby pink, a really girly shade.

Milani Tip Toe Pink Nail Polish, Three Coats

La Vie En Rose is a bright pink without being too bright.

Milani La Vie En Rose Nail Polish, Three Coats

Cherry Pie is a slightly faded red creme.

Milani Cherry Pie Nail Polish, Two Coats

NY Apple Red is a classic blue red, and the one I'm wearing.

Milani NY Apple Red Nail Polish, Two Coats

I added a pattern from Bundle Monster plate BM02 to this one.  I mentioned them and said I'd tell you about them - they're cheapo Konad knock offs available on Amazon, but the stamps really aren't as well engraved as Konad by a long shot.  It's visible on the stamp I added to my ring finger, for which I used Pink Konad Special Polish.  Even using the right polish, the stamp's not great.  Still, it's more patterns, and I'll try to find a work-around to get the stamps clearer.

Milani NY Apple Red Nail Polish, Two Coats, with Bundle Monster Plate BM02

So that's the Mother's Day update.  If you are a mother, I hope your day was perfect, and if you have one, go tell her you love her.

Until tomorrow, Dear Reader, love and nail polish to you!  

Milani 3D Hi-Tech

Here is my NOTD from yesterday:Milani 3D holographic in Hi-Tech.This is a bright lime green that leans a little yellow. Like the other Milani holos this is more holo in indoor lighting than outdoors/ But for the life of me this one did not feel like showing off it's holo beauty.This is 2 coats on Hi-Tech with one coat of Seche Vite



Then just for fun I decided to add a little fauxnad. I used

Milani Neon: Dude Blue

I have to get more of these!This is one coat of Milani Dude blue plus one coat of Seche Vite.The application was easy, no clean up even. Much thicker than most neons, more like a creme.My favorite part is that this does not dry matte like most neons.The pigment is very strong. This color is a beautiful pool blue.I love that the polish is identicle to the bottle color.



I will be tracking down

Milani 3D Holographic Collection

Good afternoon, Dear Reader!

Today I have swatches of Milani's 3D Holographic Collection for you. I didn't have high hopes of finding these, but when I was out and about running errands this morning, I ran into a display of them. I got there just in time - I grabbed the last bottle of two of the colors!

The application of all of them was pretty good, particularly for holos. All six required three coats to be even and opaque for me. What's cool about them is that they're holo, but they have little tiny flaky bits in them that remind me of Sephora by OPI's Untarnished Image.

I had moderate daylight for the pictures a couple hours ago, which was not the most consistent light ever, but it's the best I'm going to get in the Midwest in January... So let's look at the colors!

HD was the weakest of the collection for me. It's a silver holo, but even after three coats I can kind of still see through the tips of my nails. This one, for me, will have to be layered.

Milani HD Nail Polish, Three Coats

3D is a gold holo, and this one was opaque in three coats. I like it because I like golds, and the only other holo gold I have is of the super-fine holo variety and came from overseas.

Milani 3D Nail Polish, Three Coats

Digital is a kind of blush pink holo, and the little holo bits stand out in this one. It was good in three coats.

Milani Digital Nail Polish, Three Coats

Cyberspace is a light blue holo, also opaque in three coats.

Milani Cyberspace Nail Polish, Three Coats

Hi-Res is a lavender holo, good in three coats.

Milani Hi-Res Nail Polish, Three Coats

Hi-Tech is the yellowish green of China Glaze's L8R G8R, and also good with three coats.

Milani Hi-Tech Nail Polish, Three Coats

Those are my pics of Milani's 3D Holographic Collection, and overall I like it. The only one that seemed weak was the silver. We've seen these colors before (except a holo gold), but the finish on them is different in a good way.

That's what I have for you for now, Dear Reader. Until next time, love and nail polish to you!

Milani Halloween Collection

Good morning, Dear Reader!

Yesterday I had the good fortune of stumbling upon Milani's Halloween collection. I was all excited, so I neglected to note the official name of it. However, I have pictures, so you'll know it when you see it!

All six shades are a black creme base, each loaded up with a different color of glitter. The one I used this morning, Whimsical, took only two coats to be opaque and even. Since they presumably all have the same black base, I assume the same is true of the other five. The glitter is not perfectly smooth with one coat of top coat (Diamont), but it's good enough for me today. Here is Whimsical, the finished, dry manicure.

Predictably, I tried the purple first! I don't have another black with purple glitter, so I was eager to wear this one. At least I'm consistent... I did not have time for swatching (busy day - that's why I'm up so early!), but there's always time for bottle pictures, so I have those of the other five. They're just in alphabetical order.

Charmed has silver glitter, and lots of it. There have been plenty of blacks with silver in the last couple of years, but this one looks more loaded with glitter than others.

Enchantment has blue violet glitter. This one looks unique to me.

Fairy Tale was the other one I considered for today, with royal blue glitter (blue is my second favorite color in general, following purple).

Magical has orange-y red glitter, a little on the Halloween-y side, but not so much that I would not wear it just as a Fall/Winter color.

Spellbinding has a ton of red glitter. This one, I debated getting since I have a Precision with a real black base and red glitter, and Lubu Heels (although the black base on that one is never black enough for me). In fact, the display I saw was picked over and I thought Spellbinding was gone and was okay with it, but upon a final check I found the last bottle of it. For $3.47, I decided to get it since the glitter is denser and not as fine as the Precision, and smaller and in a blacker base than Lubu Heels. This is the least unique of the collection.

That's the whole collection. I think the four of them, all but Charmed (silver) and Spellbinding (red) are really, really unique and worth hunting down. Even Charmed and Spellbinding, although not as unusual as the other four, have much more and different glitter than others which are similar. Since they seem to be two-coaters, I'm especially pleased - I was prepared for the 3-4 that many Milanis are for me. The other thing I like about this collection as a whole is that Milani took a very simple idea and executed it quite well - six blacks with different glitters isn't complicated at all, but they chose really fun colors for the glitter, loaded them up with it, and put together a collection that hangs together as a whole and has six dang good colors.

On the same outing (to Meijer, a Midwest superstore that often has good displays), I saw the display for the Sally Hansen HD with Opulent Cloud, although both bottles of Opulent Cloud were gone. However, that was the polish pictured on the display, and truthfully, although I know many are excited about and stalking it, I don't think I'm going to exert any effort for that one. For one, the HD line takes a million coats to be opaque for me, and the color of Opulent Cloud just wasn't that exciting to me. I may change my mind if I run into it, but I'm certainly not going out of my way to find it.

That's what I have for you this morning, Dear Reader. Until next time, love and nail polish to you!