They're Not The Same. They're Similar- Battle of the Pinks

Happy Monday gang! Starting off the week with a new battle! It's been awhile since I've done one of these but it's back with an epic battle: PINK. Until recently I was never really a pink nail polish girl. I like the color but polish-wise I have always been very meh about it. I liked soft pinks, pale pink, milky pinks...but pink pink? Not so much. Over the last few months that has changed and when I was thinking of what the next color battle should be I realized that I actually had a decent collection of pinks to compare.

Today's battle participants are American Apparel Angeline, Butter London Snog, Essence Ultimate Pink and Sinful Colors Sugar Rush.

 Let's start off by talking color: I was actually really surprised at how light Sugar Rush was compared to the other colors. In the bottle it looked nearly identical to Ultimate Pink but is actually a full shade lighter on the nail. Snog and Angeline are the closest in color though Snog leans more toward a blue-pink. Angeline is more of a  "hot" pink. The formulas on these could not be more different. UP is very thin and went on quite streaky on the first coat. Snog is thin as well and need three coats for full opacity. It did not however, have any streakiness. Sugar Rush and Angeline were both completely opaque in two coats with no streakiness or thinness to their formulas. Sugar Rush is the thickest of all four and you could probably get away with only one coat.

So who is the winner of this battle? American Apparel Angeline. It has great coverage. Wasn't too thick or too thin and has a great "juicy" pink hue.  If I had to pick a loser I would have to say Essence for it's too thin formula and streak issues. What do you guys think? Do you own any of these colors and if so what is your personal favorite? Stay tuned for the next battle!

Blog Sale New Additions

Hi all! Just added quite a few new items to the blog sale. I am de-stashing so I will be updating periodically!

http://www.valiantlyvarnished.com/p/blog-sale.html

Born Pretty Store Review - 2 Way Nail Art Polish Pen and Tiger and Leopard Print Skittles

Press Sample

Happy Saturday gang! Today I have the second of the two Born Pretty Store reviews I have for you this week, Born Pretty Store's 2 Way Nail Art Polish Pen. I am a sucker for a good nail art pen as I find them sometimes easier to use than just a plain nail art brush. This one features two   tips: one with a pen and one with a brush. I decided to do a nail design that uses both  - leopard and tiger print skittles!

First, let me show you the pen. It's on the larger side which took some getting used to since most of the stripers I've used have been more compact. It did take some getting used to but the top half that holds both the tip and the brush comes off. 

I painted my nails with two coats of OPI My Boyfriend Scales Walls. I then dabbed  random splotches of Julep Meryl for the leopard print and lightly sponged it down the center of my ring and index fingers for the tiger print. I used the pen tip for the leopard spots and the brush for the tiger stripes. I topped it off with NYC In A New York Minute Top Coat.

Overall, this pen was okay. Not fabulous, but not bad. I prefer my nail art pens smaller. I did like the fact that you get a ton of polish in the tube. The pen retails for $3.55 plus free international shipping. I highy recommend checking the out Born Pretty Store website since they have tons of great nail art supplies for really inexpensive prices. If you decide to place an order be sure to use my discount code PSL91 to receive 10% off your order!

Artsy Wednesday: Pastels - Pastel Spongeless Gradient

Happy Wednesday! Is it just me or did Tuesday feel like Wednesday? Don't you hate when that happens? Then the entire week feels longer....but, now that it is actually hump day it's time for Artsy Wednesday! Today's theme is pastels. 

I decided to try my "spongeless gradient" technique again with a few tweeks.  I started by painting my nails with two coats of American Apparel Cotton. Once dry I alternated applying Sinful Colors Starfish, The Balm Sky Blue Right Past You and Cotton. I used the brushes in the bottle to "stipple" the polish onto my nails, slightly layering each polish for the gradient effect. I then applied two coats of Wet N' Wild Kaleidoscope. I topped the whole thing off with Seche Vite.

This turned out really pretty and Spring-y which is what I was going for. Once I was finished I kept looking at my nails thinking that they reminded me of a type of candy. And then it hit me...

They remind me of taffy! I have been craving this stuff ever since I finished this mani.

Check out the other ladies' pastel manis

Michelle - Lab Muffin

Catrine - Unnaked Nails

Maria - Maria's Nail Art

Melanie  - Nail & Polish

Jessica- Beauty Gnome

Emily  - An Accent Nail

Wendy - M.A.S.P.O.O.A.S.E.

Julie G Frosted Gumdrops Collection

Hi all. About a month ago Groupon had a great deal on the Julie G Frosted Gum Drops Collection. I was on the fence about whether to buy it but I saw getting the entire collection for half off as a sign I should! Oh, the way we polish addicts justify our addiction... Swatches and review after the jump.