Essie A Cut Above, $7

It’s all about pairing polishes for me lately. Whether it’s glitter tips, all-over sparkles, or the coveted flakes--I can’t get enough of it!

Essie’s Luxeffect polishes have really caught my eye, in particular A Cut Above.

Here I’m wearing A Cut Above over 3 coats of It’s In The Bag. It’s In The Bag is a super light, almost white pink that works great as a basecoat. You could definitely wear it on it’s own too, but I like having it as kind of a “canvas” for the glitter.

A Cut Above is great because it’s made with big and small round bits of glitter so it looks a lot more interesting than a standard glitter polish. I find that these mixed size glitter polishes are great for doing just your tips or if you want to achieve the ombre look.

(I was told this pairing looks like frosting and sprinkles!)

Final verdict:

Cost: Standard polish cost, about $6-8.

Color: Dark rose-gold pink flakes of glitter mixed in clear polish. Looks great over light and dark colors.

Repeat offender?: I would definitely like to own this kind of glitter polish in other colors. Dark purple or black would be pretty great!

-Mirna

OPI My Private Jet, $6-$9

OPI's My Private Jet is a gray, off-black nail polish loaded with tiny, tiny bits of glitter (and controversy). It reminds me a bit of the 212 color, except a bit on the cooler side (less coppery) and with smaller pieces of glitter.


It's a nice deep color and the glitter gives it a lot of dimension. It may be dark but it's definitely not boring. The glitter/shimmer is mostly silver, though in the sun it has some (slight) color variations. It reminds me of the sun sparkling on wet gravel or cement. A little badass, but not too dangerous! The texture, of course, is amazing, easy to apply, and dries nicely. True to OPI, it doesn't chip for days and days.

Final verdict
Cost: $6-$8 (standard for an older color, depending on where you buy it).
Color: Dark gray with small bits of silvery glitter. It's like a cooler and more refined 212.
Repeat offender: I love this color and have already painted my nails a couple times with it. It's easy to apply (read: hides mistakes) and looks great as a dark neutral. Goes great with fall colors and will definitely transition into winter.

-T

Urban Decay Heavy Metal Glitter Liner in Distortion, $18

I love Sephora's Beauty Insider points program. I racked up 500 points and got a set of 4 Urban Decay 24-7 eyeliners plus this Heavy Metal Glitter Liner in Distortion. I was more excited for the pencils than I was about this, but I thought, why not try it out? And I'm really happy I did!


First of all, this stuff is super glittery. This particular color is full of light-colored, iridescent, pearly glitter pieces. (Check out their other colors on Sephora's page.) I thought it would be hard to get a lot of glitter out (kind of like cheaper glitter nailpolishes that go on mostly clear) but was surprised at the amount that gets on your skin. It's really easy to use--the glitter goes on easily and dries in an instant so you can layer on more and more (if you get excited like I do!).

What really sold me on this is that it does NOT come off. With a lot of glitter products the pieces will fall all over your face and get your eyes (ouch). But, I put this to the test: The other night I used some over my black eyeliner, just on the corners (it looked fab, I must say). I danced and sweated all night and it didn't move at all! Perfect for the party-goer in all of us!


Final verdict
Cost: $18--about the same as other Urban Decay liners and shadows.
Easy: The product comes out easily on a thin liner brush, making it easy to put on a little or a lot. Plus it dries quickly, so it doesn't get everywhere, and you can layer as much as you want.
Glittery: OMG, so glittery. And with more applications comes more glitter! You could probably wear it on its own, but I think it would probably look best (and more dramatic) if you put it on top of a good eyeliner.
Stays put: Unlike a lot of glittery eye makeup, once this dries (a couple seconds) it won't move at all. No need to worry about it getting all over your face, no matter how hard you party!
Repeat offender: I'm in love. I kind of wanna buy them all! Actually, I really like the Catfight (bright pink) and Stagedive (bright turquoise) colors. If you love glitter, you'll absolutely love this liner.

-T

Sephora Nano Eyeliner, $5

I bought Sephora's Nano Eyeliner so that my Sephora purchase would go up to the $50 free shipping price, lol. My excuse for buying more stuff, right? Anyway, I had seen the eyeliner before and it's $5 now, so why not? I decided to get it in glitter black.


As the site says, the liner is super soft and highly pigmented. It's very easy to put on and shows up in an instant. The glitter is really subtle, like really subtle. I felt like the more I put on, the more black showed up and the more the glitter went away, and I got sad.


The liner doesn't have the greatest staying power. I wore it just over the primer and it smudged a little on my eyelid and under my eye. It doesn't come off completely, it just kinda smears/smudges.

Final verdict
Cost: It's on sale now for $5 (originally $16).
Color: I got the glitter black, and it was definitely very black--only a little on the glitter component.
Softness: It's very soft and easy to put on--no tugging at all. However, I think the softness makes it so it doesn't stay on very well.
Repeat offender?: I wouldn't buy again. I need eyeliner that's gonna stay where it's put! I don't have the patience for upkeep.

-T

OPI Catch Me in Your Net, $9

OPI's Catch Me in Your Net is part of their Summer Flutter collection. I think it appeals to all those girls out there who dream of being mermaids. I mean, who doesn't? You get to swim around all day, look awesome, toy with fishermen, chill with dolphins, whatevs. Of course, you're going to need a glittery, sparkly blue-green nail polish to match your tail, right?

From the minute I saw this color, I knew I had to have it. When I put it on my nail, I literally said, "OMG." It's so full of sparkles! And the aqua color is just perfect. This picture makes it look a lot lighter than the bottle, but it's actually a pretty close match. This is just 2 coats, no base or top coat, so maybe it would look darker with another coat. (It also looks different in different lighting, as a lot of OPIs do. The above shot is in the shade.)

(Here's a shot in direct sunlight.)
I think it goes well with my tokidoki calendar and my octopus ring. :) I can see myself putting this on in the middle of January, just to remember what the beach is like. Here you can see its more greener tones.

Love it with my mom's treasure chest necklace!
Photo inspired my Mirna! :)

Final verdict
Cost: $9 full-price (cheaper elsewhere).
Color: Beautiful! The perfect shade of aqua. Be warned: It might make you yearn for ocean waves . . .
Texture: Like all OPIs, this one is smooth and easy to put on. There is a ton of color in just one brush stroke, so you only really need two coats.
Sparkles: The intense amount of gold and green sparkles really give the aqua a lot of depth.
Repeat offender: If you can't tell, I'm in love. I highly recommend it.

-T

OPI Princesses Rule!, $9

Calling all things girly!
There we go :)
This is the baby pinkest, sparkliest, girliest nail polish ever. And I'm so in love with it!


Makes me wanna leave drama aside and channel my inner 5-year-old!
This polish goes on smoothly, like all OPIs. It's pretty sheer, so I'd recommend 3 coats if you're trying to get it as pink as possible. Just don't load it on too thick--as with most glittery polishes, it tends to get goopy if there's too much. Per usual, this polish has great lasting power.

(3 coats and a clear top coat)
I love it with 3 coats, but it's just as pretty with 1 (shown above with my fluffy kitty!). It's a light, natural sparkle with a pink close to the bare nail color. It would work as a super shimmery top coat as well. Try pairing it with a hot pink or a dark purple.

The sun really brings out the shine.
Um, did I mention the sparkles?
Pink, silver, and slightly multicolored--too pretty!

Final verdict
Cost: $9, typical OPI.
Color: Baby pink, emphasis on the pink. Gorgeous! Apply 3 coats to really see the pink. One coat will give you a sparkly top coat with a hint of pink.
Sparkles: So many sparkles! Looks fabulous on its own and amazing as a top coat.
Easy:One thing I love about this polish is that it's easy to put on quickly. It dries pretty quick and hides imperfections. No need to be perfect! You're a princess, you'll look fab anyway.
Repeat offender: I will totally buy it again. I love it! Where's my tiara?

-T