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This is a departure from the blues and greens I’ve been trying, but I think this is the last untried polish I have from this collection so I just wanted to get it done. China Glaze Glitter All The Way (Holiday Joy, Holiday 2012) is a mix of gold, green, purple and red glitter in a clear base:
Picture taken in weak sunlight. The formula was like any glitter in a clear base. I applied a first, patchy coat to give the additional coats something to grip, then applied a thick second coat to really build opacity, then a thin third coat to ensure complete, even coverage. I only used one coat of topcoat but two or more would be needed to get a glassy smooth finish. I labeled this a gold for categorization’s sake, but to me, this doesn’t really have a predominant color. All the colors contrast nicely and really stand apart from each other, but there’s an even amount of all four so there’s no main color. The glitter is hexagonal; the gold, purple and red glitter are tiny, while the green glitter is slightly larger, but still very small. As many have noted, this looks perfect for Mardi Gras! I paired this with OPI Dutch ‘Ya Just Love OPI? on my toes.
<3sarah
Most of the blues and greens I have slated for this month are cremes, but I have just one glitter that combines all those shades. China Glaze Water You Waiting For (Cirque Du Soleil: Worlds Away) is a deep blue, turquoise green, and blue-purple glitter in a blue-tinted base:
Picture taken in sunlight. The glitter is very dense, so I only needed two coats, with touchups in between, for complete coverage. As I continued to work with it, the formula became thicker and a little clumpy. It looks flat without topcoat, so I used one coat to bring out the sparkle. At least two would be needed for a glass-smooth finish. This looks absolutely gorgeous, especially when you look at it up close and really appreciate the detail. The blue glitter is dominant, and the turquoise green and very blue-toned purple glitter provide nice contrast and dimension. All the glitter is very fine, but there seems to be two sizes: tiny regular glitter and slightly larger round glitter. Punny as the name is, it’s really appropriate; it’s like looking into fantastical seawater (though I think it has that galactic vibe as well). I paired this with Sephora by OPI Caribbean Cocktail on my toes.
<3sarah
After weeks of mostly cremes, I wanted to throw in one glitter before getting into another row of cremes. China Glaze Pizzazz (Holiday Joy, Holiday 2012) is a mainly silver multicolored blend of small and large hex glitter in a clear base:
Picture taken in sunlight. This is really a polish that’s meant to be layered, as it’s not that dense of a glitter, but with some work it can be opaque on its own. I didn’t really paint this on like a normal polish; I put a lot of glitter on the nail then spread it around, then let that initial “coat” dry a little, then filled in any empty spots with more glitter. I also moved the glitter around with a cuticle stick to get nice, even lines. When you look at this close up, you can see all the different colors of glitter: silver, fuchsia, sky blue, green, orange, yellow. But from a distance, the silver really dominates. Next time I use this I’ll probably put it over black to make all those colors pop, but I just wanted to see what this sort of “party in a bottle” glitter would look like on its own. I paired this with OPI Metallic 4 Life on my toes.
<3sarah
This is another black polish I didn’t want to wait until the fall to try. I wanted to wear this one, especially, sooner rather than later, since I didn’t want it to sit untried in my Helmer for a couple of years like some of its counterparts, Bad Romance and Ruby Red Slippers. Lippmann Cleopatra in New York (Holiday 2012) is a black jelly base packed with different-sized gold hex glitter:
Picture taken in weak sunlight. The base was really loaded with glitter, so I found the formula really thick. Because the base was sheer and jelly-like, I ended up needing three coats for opacity. With three coats I got so much glitter on my nails but surprisingly the surface feels smooth with just one coat of topcoat. I don’t know why there are so many more black with silver glitter polishes out there, because black and gold is a great combination too! This is a neutral shade of gold; I like that it’s not too warm that it looks yellow, or too cool that it looks champagne rather than gold. I particularly love looking at this one from a distance; my nails look like they’re gilded with gold, and that gold really stands out against a black background. The luxurious look and the name make me think of the 1920s, so somehow I feel right wearing this during the weekend The Great Gatsby opens. I paired this with Chanel Jade on my toes.
<3sarah
This doesn’t fit in with the bright, springy theme but I have just a couple of black polishes I really wanted to try sooner rather than later in the fall. Illamasqua Creator (Generation Q, Fall 2012) is a rich black base loaded with short silver bar glitter and some holographic hexagonal glitter:
Picture taken in sunlight. This applied well; I used two coats with touchups in between for full coverage. When I first applied this I thought the silver glitter was of the tiny, broken irregular flake variety, but I was surprised to see that it’s actually very short bar glitter! I normally loathe bar glitter but here it’s so small that it doesn’t immediately register as being that kind. There are some hexagonal holographic pieces in there but they’re so sparse that I wouldn’t count on getting one on your nails (I managed to get one on my thumb, though.) This has definitely jumped near the top of my favorite black with silver glitter polishes. Despite being loaded with silver glitter, the black base never appears charcoal-looking; it stays this very dark, obsidian-like shade. It’s the best of both worlds, dark and sparkly. I paired this with Chanel Nouvelle Vague on my toes.
<3sarah
I meant to try this polish in April, to close out the parade of sprinkly polishes I had been wearing, but I just got a bit lazy to remove Stay the Night, so I put it off until now. China Glaze It’s a Trap-eze! (Cirque du Soleil: Worlds Away) is a white creme base packed with multicolored small and large hex glitter:
Picture taken in sunlight. The formula was a bit thick because it’s absolutely loaded with glitter, but even with the light base, I managed to only need two coats, with touchups in between, for complete coverage. While the other sprinkly polishes (that had only three different colors of glitter, at the most) reminded me of sweets, this one contains seemingly every bright color under the sun, so it makes me think of the circus, which I guess makes sense in the context of the collection. In both sizes of hex glitter I see sky blue, green, fuchsia, candy pink, yellow, orange, and white. There’s a lot going on but somehow it works. It’s definitely one of those “party on your nails” type of polishes. I paired this with OPI Kiss Me on My Tulips on my toes.
I know the name is a Star Wars reference, but honestly it’s not Star Wars I have on the brain right now, but Star Trek…Star Trek Into Darkness (I’ll take any excuse to mention Benedict Cumberbatch 
)
<3sarah
This is so unlike the polishes I’ve been wearing for the past month, but I really wanted to give this new liquid sand finish a try. OPI Stay the Night (Mariah Carey Collection) is a textured black glitter with pinkish red glitter:
Picture taken in sunlight. This applied well, but it does get cuticle draggy, so I’d advise against doing too many brushstrokes. I got full coverage in two coats, with minor touchups. This dries fast, but it doesn’t set as instantly as the suede polishes. It remains dentable for a little while, but once it’s fully hardened it wears tough. I originally planned to wear topcoat with this after seeing swatches, but once I had it on I changed my mind and decided to embrace the textured finish. When I put down the first coat, I saw the polish contained some bits that glistened just like real sand, so “liquid sand” is a perfect descriptor for this new OPI finish. Once this fully dries down, the black glitter looks matte, and the pinkish-red glitter sparkles through, like glowing embers. The overall look makes me think of volcanoes and black sand beaches. 
I paired this with OPI The One That Got Away on my toes.
<3sarah
As April winds down, I’m getting to try the last of these sprinkly/speckled polishes I own. I’ve finished the ones from Illamasqua, then Lippmann, and now this collection with Nails Inc. Topping Lane (Sprinkles) is a candy pink creme with fuchsia, purple and silvery-white small hex glitter:
Picture taken in sunlight. I’m so used to dealing with this sort of glitter-loaded creme formula by now that I have an easy time with it. Like the others I tried before it, this gave me full coverage in two coats, with some minor touching up in between. I can’t say that this immediately makes me think of cupcakes or ice cream, but what struck me when I first looked at the finished mani was how girly it is! The pink and purple together just makes me think of Barbie…like a Barbie-themed birthday cake! I paired this with Sally Hansen Night Hydrangea (Salon) on my toes.
<3sarah
This is the last of the black glitter-speckled polishes I have. I always used to associate glitter with “sparkly,” so I before these polishes came out I couldn’t imagine what black glitter would look like, but matte black glitter works perfectly against light/pastel creme bases! Lippmann Polka Dots and Moonbeams (Staccato Collection, Spring 2013) is a white creme with small black hex glitter:
Picture taken in sunlight. (I’ve been loving growing out my nails, but the length makes it harder to crop pictures as closely as possible. :/) Out of the three in this collection, this one seemed to contain the most black glitter. The formula was a little thick but still applied pretty well, and I only needed two coats (with touchups in between) for full coverage. I love the simple contrast of black and white (and grey too, the glitter that sits under the surface takes on a lighter hue.) When I saw these in stores, I only bought Rockin’ Robin because that was the only one I thought I really “needed,” but I’m glad I ended up buying the rest. It’s a lovely collection, and I’m Not Edible actually turned out to be my favorite! The other two reminded me so strongly of ice cream, and this one definitely does as well, of cookies n’ cream, another one of my favorite “standard” flavors. It also makes me think of dalmatians! I paired this with Lippmann Funky Chunky on my toes.
<3sarah
This is definitely the polish that piqued my interest in this confection-like finish. I bought it last year but I’m finally trying it now. Nails Inc. Sweets Way (Sprinkles) is a milky white creme with bright sky blue, light pink, and white small hex glitter:
Picture taken in sunlight. On the first coat, the white base seemed like it would be really sheer, but it builds to opacity in three. It also applied smoothly, despite being loaded with glitter. I know all that glitter means it will be a pain to remove, but this is so pretty that it’s totally worth it! I love the combination of pink, blue and white; it looks really sweet and makes me think of cotton candy. I catch myself looking at my nails a lot. I’ve actually had this on since Sunday! Normally I would have changed my NOTD by today, but this is so hard wearing (I know I have a difficult removal ahead of me) and I like the look so much that I kept it on. I paired this with Essie Sweet Talker on my toes.
<3sarah
