This is the first time I've bought an entire collection at once - I did end up with a couple of other entire collections, but I've bought them in pieces. Not this one - I fell in love with it as soon as I saw it. A lot of people were meh about it, but I think it is absolutely stand out!
We'll start with the Knotty Nauticals, which is the brighter of the two sets in this collection.
Oh yeah, and see all that shine? It's all polish, baby - I didn't use topcoat on any of these!!
This is Ahoy!, which might actually be my favorite here. I hardly ever wear pinks - I can't find any that really flatter me. I think this one looks pretty good - I actually wore it for a couple of days this week! You might be saying "it's not really pink...", but this is as close as I get! It's a really saturated almost jelly base with gold flecks that really make it glow. Stunning! Two coats
Gak! A pink and a red that I like on me in the same collection!?!? Crazy! This is Hey Sailor! an incredibly shiney orange-based red jelly/cream combo. I actually saw someone post on the NB the other day that they think this might be a new type of finish and I totally agree. This collection is the first I've seen to have these jelly/cream things. They're as opaque as a cream, but they have the glossiness of a jelly - I love it! Two coats.
Life Preserver is a dusty orange version of this jelly/cream thing - opaque in two coats (one if you are careful!) and it shines like crazy. It's dustier than my picture shows, but still a bright vibrant color. I love oranges and this one does not disappoint!
I had the hardest time capturing the glass fleck in Lighthouse correctly. It blurred no matter how still I held my hands! I don't have a lot of yellows, but most of the ones I have are not fun to work with. Lighthouse was a breeze! My friend said it looked like sparkling urine, but he's a boy, what does he know? It is sparkly though... three coats.
Starboard is another jelly/cream opaque in two coats. I think this one will be great to wear during the summer. It reminds me of thick lush grass squishing under your bare feet!
First Mate is amazing. I own several blue creams, but nothing tops this one. That wonderful jelly/cream finish, perfectly opaque in 1 coat if you are careful (I used two because I'm not careful!), and it never looks black, which is a problem for a lot of navy blues.
Next up, the Sand & Sea set!
Pelican Gray is a pretty neutral gray, not leaning overly blue or brown. It has a slight bit of shimmer (the secret shimma!) what you can barely see on the nail. Mine seemed a bit goopy though, probably needs to be thinned for better application. Three coats.
Sea Spray has that same secret shimmer that you can just barely see, it it makes it so special! I also found it a little thick and hard to apply evenly. This is three coats.
Sunset Sail is not as horrible looking on me as I thought it would be, but it still doesn't look good. It's a really pretty peachy nude with a subtle silver shimmer. It might be more flattering on cooler skin tones - I thought it looked pretty good on All You Desire! Three coats
Below Deck is another one of those purple/grey/taupe things, but I think I might like this one better than the others I have. It looks good on warm skin and is edgy, but still work appropriate. This was two coats, but it could have used a third.
I wore Knotty for about 3 days, which is pretty decent for me! It has the same multi-colored shimmer as the previously reviewed Sally Hansen Fairy Tale Ivory, but it is more beige than nude. I was hoping it would be like a sparkling Your Nails But Better, but it was just a tad too dark for that. I kept it on for 3 days though, so I wasn't too disappointed! Three coats.
And finally we have White Cap, another glass fleck. The flecks seem to change from gold to green depending on the angle. My camera freaked out on this one and refused to get a clear shot. I think it would look great layered, but it also works on its own for a interesting sheer. Three coats.
All in all, I love this collection. The only one that I don't know if I will wear is Sunset Sail, but I still like it - how often do you find a collection where you like everything?
To be honest though, I was a little disappointed in the application of the Sand & Sea set. I was really looking forward to Pelican Gray and Sea Spray, but I had troubles with both of them. I'm hoping a little thinning will make the difference.
I was FLOORED with how amazing everything in the Knotty Nauticals set was - color, formula, finish - it truly is a winner! If you only decide to pick up part of this collection, make it this half - you won't be disappointed!
Let me know which ones you love (or hate!) in the comments!
And... I have done a bunch of comparisons on these... I will post them next! :)
Anchors Away is popping up in Ulta and Sally's now and retail for $5.99 each.
Basecoat: none
Topcoat: NONE!!
Number of coats: varies
You swatches are making me wish I bought more of this collection!
ReplyDeleteDid you thin some of these yet? My Sea Spray definitely needed thinning...