Today, I have three shades from the China Glaze Sunsational Summer 2013 collection. Out of the jelly half of this collection, these three were the most attractive to me.





These jellies don't self-level at all. Floating the brush and avoid going over the same spot twice helped tremendously. I think they are worth getting if you're willing to be patient with them.

This was kind of an accidental mani. I didn't go into thinking I'd end up with a dotticure. Even though I love nail art, it's not something I indulge in very often. Let's face it, I barely even have time to swatch! However, when I encountered China Glaze Dandy Lyin' Around and its horrible, streaky formula, I had two choices: remove it and go bare or cover it up.

Finger Paints I Spy-Der, Itsy Bitsy Spider, Are You Hoppy?, Owlin' at the Moon, Fishin' for Fun

Finger Paints Wild About Spring  is pretty much full of win. There are actually six colors in this collection, but the one I left out was an afterthought, meaning I initially passed on it. I'll show you why in a bit.



Let's start with the glitters. I dabbed all of them on, which is much more effective than trying to put these on in coats. With a little patience, you can get all the shards to lie flat on your nail.

Over 2 coats China Glaze Aquadelic

Finger Paints Owlin' at the Moon is a light green shard glitter. The color reminds me of the fake grass that people use to stuff Easter baskets.

Over 2 coats of American Apparel L'Esprit

Finger Paints Are You Hoppy is a lavender shard glitter.

Over 2 coats of Finger Paints Gimme Some Sugar

Finger Paints Fishin' for Fun is a light pink and fuchsia shard glitter. The light pink is kind of salmon-ish.

3 coats

Finger Paints I-Spy-Der is a warm pink crelly with iridescent shimmer. The shimmer is similar to CND Sapphire Sparkle.

2 coats

Finger Paints Itsy Bitsy Spider (what's up with the spiders?!) is a cool purple loaded with the same shimmer. Definitely my favorite of the bunch. Go to your local Sally and pick this up! It's even prettier in person.

2 coats

So, this is the afterthought. Finger Paints Hoppy Go Lucky is a gorgeous teal shade, but I wasn't initially sure I wanted to deal with a possibly frosty polish. I decided later that yes, it is indeed worth the extra effort.

1 extra coat sponged on

The formula overall was pretty decent. The glitters are thick, but if you dab them on, it's not a problem. I didn't try thinning them. The shimmers are a little thick, but I had no major issues applying them.





Finger Paints Wilde About Spring collection retails for $5.29 ($4.49 for BCC holders) and is available at Sally Beauty.

2 coats over China Glaze Refresh Mint

OPI The Man With The Golden Gun is an 18k gold topcoat. The flakes are larger than Sephora by OPI It's Real but smaller than Zoya Gilty. I'll have a comp up soon.



I didn't love the application because the base is pretty thick, and the gold flakes are smaller than I expected. It is pretty, though, and I don't regret purchasing it.



Golden Gun retails for $30 and is available at Ulta.

China Glaze has recently released nail appliques (along the same vein of Sally Hansen's) in several different styles. I had the opportunity to try some, and I chose Cherry Blossom.







If you've had any experience with nail apps, there's nothing new here. Each pack comes with 16 nail apps, an orange wood stick, and a small file.



Applying these was fine. I have weird nails, so only three sizes fit my nails without manipulation. Luckily, they stretch pretty well, and they are long enough to cover two nails for every nail app.



The wear was great. I wore these for a full week and didn't experience any chips until day 5. I used Barielle Manicure Extender as a topcoat. China Glaze's estimate of a 7 day wear is very realistic - much better than Sally's 10 day estimate.



While I wouldn't wear nail apps on a regular basis, they are great for travel and special occasions. If I had a set for my recent vacation, I definitely would have worn them.



I received my China Glaze nail apps from Nail Polish Canada.

Butter London has holos! As in holo that actually shows up without squinting (I'm looking at you AHtQ). Their Autumn/Winter 2012 collection includes Dodgy Barnett, a typical silver holo and Trustafrian, a light green holo.

3 coats, sunlight

flash

Butter London Dodgy Barnett is a silver grey holo. I would call this subtly linear/borderline scattered as I never really saw a distinct flame while in the sun. In terms of strength, I would put this slightly above Color Club's current, non-dud holos (not the Halo Hues!). Indoors, Dodgy Barnett looks like a shimmery light grey. It doesn't fall flat like some of the stronger holos.



The formula is pretty good. Nice consistency, but I experienced a bit of cuticle drag. I dealt with this by just waiting a moment longer in between coats. Dodgy Barnett dried fairly quickly with a nice shine.



I managed to find a dead on dupe for Dodgy Barnett, but it's unfortunately not that easy to obtain.

2 coats China Glaze OMG, 3 coats Butter London Dodgy Barnett, 3 coats Catherine Arley 676

China Glaze OMG is there simply for reference. I wanted to show how much grey Dodgy Barnett has compared to a silver holo. Catherine Arley 676 is the same as Dodgy Barnett in terms of holo strength, opacity, and color.



This comparison probably won't be useful unless you already own 676. If you don't and really like Dodgy Barnett, I would advise you to go ahead and get it. Ordering Catherine Arleys is not very cost efficient unless you want several of them.



Butter London Dodgy Barnett retails for $14 and is available at butterlondon.com and Ulta.