We round out the last of the Mani & lola summer months with an edit containing 2 neons, a soft taupe, top coat and an interesting remover. When I saw the spoiler for the box though I knew I would love it just for the fluorescent Orly shade. There's something about those green/yellow polishes that just do it for me. Both the neon shades this month feel every 80's and I'm cooking up a neon/white look.
Flip Flop Fantasy V2 // China Glaze
14ml Full Size - RRP £5.95
Collection: Poolside
Release Date: 2015
This is not the original version of FFF as I found out when googling this shade. Apparently the Poolside collection was first released in 2010 and the original was a beautiful bright coral whereas this is more of a neon orange/peach. Swatch and Learn has fantastic photos of the original if your interested. I love how tan this shade makes you look and it's hella bright but that's where the good points end for me. I wanted to love this but it has the same application as the god awful Paradise range from last summer (I swatched them here). They were all matte finishes and streaky and this no exception. The first coat looks awful, you need a minimum of two but even then it's still a little patchy in places and because it's so bright you can really tell. I think I would've preferred the original coral shade over this neon cheeto offering. Adding a nice glossy top coat helps though (the second photo), I really hate these built in matte finishes that CG keep doing.
Glowstick // Orly
18ml Full Size - RRP £9.95
Collection: Feel The Vibe
Release: 2012
I have so many emotions about this shade; I love it. I also appreciate that this is a newer version of the shade because it has the more recent brush that NailsInc use and it perfectly hugs the nail. Application was a breeze with this compared to the China Glaze polish. It does take at least 3 coats to cover streaks and reach full neon but it dries quite quickly between coats for a slight satin finish. Also, apparently this was the exact nail polish used by Queen Kim herself on one of her numerous vacations during summer 2018...I'm so late to this hot summer trend.
Rose Dust // Mavala
5ml Full Size - RRP £5.20
Release: 2012 ( I think)
Rounding out the nail polish is this beautiful transition into fall shades. Rose Dust is a soft rose/taupe with some slight shimmer mixed in. I'm not the biggest mavala fan however this shade is my nude. Everyone has a different 'nude' that is 'their nude'. This one is mine. It's so close to my actual skin tone. It also makes a great base for duochromes that need a base shade.
Lacquer Lock // Nails Inc
14ml Full Size - RRP £15
God damn man, this thing takes about 17 years to dry. It's always the same with these "daylight curing" top coats. They think they're being clever because gel polish is a thing. I really don't know why gel is popular, UV light causes skin cancer, they should be applying sunscreen onto someones hand every time they stick it under a lamp. Side note, I once had a conversation with a nail technician who told me their lamps were fine and didn't give out UV radiation because they were LED bulbs...I was like
But anyway, these types of top coat are all garbage unless like Kim K and Ko, you are on holiday every week in the sun where, you know, actual UV light can 'cure' the top coat. I don't know about you but we don't get much sun here in the UK and I always do my nails at night so these products are pretty much useless to me.
Rapid Remover Pot // Nails Inc
60ml Full Size - RRP £9
I've never actually used one of these 'dipping' pots before to remove your polish but I'm intrigued by them. This one has been formulated though specifically for your toes! So you can either use this as a dip in or use the sponge built into the lid. I tried this with the Mavala shade; just 2 coats on top of my peel off base coat and it removed the the polish rapidly but struggled with the base coat. It did leave my fingers feeling dry and sticky; the strangest combination. It does smell quite nice though with the peppermint coming through strong. I'm worried about how hygenic this thing is though. After several uses all I'd be thinking about is the nasty acetone pooling at the bottom. Not my cup of tea for £9. I can buy about 4 of my 250ml Cutex bottles for that.
Also, I have to add this because I'm secretly 9 years old; removing polish from your fingers with this thing looks... suspiciously adult... 😂
Also, I have to add this because I'm secretly 9 years old; removing polish from your fingers with this thing looks... suspiciously adult... 😂
// Box Totals //
5 Items - All Full Size
Estimated Value - £45.10
// Verdict
A great box to round out the summer with and I'm hoping next month we get some burnt oranges and clay red. I'd say the only dud for me this month is the top coat as I enjoyed using everything else, even if the China Glaze shade applies like a nightmare. A part of me is toying with perhaps cancelling this sub though and seeing if I can buy similar items for £22.95...maybe I'll make a video about trying to curate my own autumn box for the same price.
Monthly - £20
3 Months - £62.85
6 Months - £113.70
12 Months - £203.40
£2.95 p&p every month
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