Finger Paints Special Effects collection

I have never bought an entire collection of polishes before. I usually scour a new collection and typically pick and choose the colors that are unique or something I just fall in love with.

Until this weekend.

I walked into Sally Beauty Supplies, saw they were setting up the Finger Paints Special Effects collection and I had to have them all! What's not to love about an entire collection of flakies?! A quick top coat of a flaky nail polish makes any base color pop and gives your nail a special something that a glitter cannot give.

Flashy

To me, this is a "basic" flaky polish - you know, the kind that flashes orange, yellow and green. Clear base. Quick dry. May require two coats for full flashiness.

Two coats of Flashy over China Glaze Liquid Leather.

Flashy is very similar to Essie Shine of the Times or Sally Hansen Hidden Treasure, except the flakies are not as dense. So, if you already own a "typical" flaky like those, you can probably pass on this. If you do not own an orange/yellow/green flaky polish, this is a very suitable (and cheaper) alternative.

Flecked 
Don't be fooled by the bottle, Flecked flashes from light green to turquoise to blue. Clear base. Fairly dense. Quick dry.

 Two coats of Flecked over China Glaze Liquid Leather.

I was totally mislead by the predominance of the green flakies (you can juuuust faintly see a bit of blue) in the bottle! I looked at it and honestly thought it would look like fish scales. Upon application, I saw how mistaken I was - the blue and green are very balanced. There is nothing fishy about this one. How lovely would this look over a charcoal? Or better yet, a teal creme.

Motley

Motley contains green and blue/dark purple (blurple?) flakies in a clear base. This formula was a little more sparse, so I'd recommend two coats for more of a wow factor. Quick dry.

 Two coats of Motley over China Glaze Liquid Leather.

Motley is my second favorite from the collection, and not only because it contains my two favorite colors. It's just stunning on the nail, I can't stop looking at my fingers. Nerd alert: looking at it over black makes me think that this is what galaxy looks like - all those gases swirling together. Le sigh.

Asylum
Asylum has red and blue flakies, but depending on the lighting, you can see flashes of orange, yellow, green and purple. As with the others, the flakies are suspended in a clear base for easy layering. This formula was just right - not too dense, not too sparse.

Two coats of Asylum over China Glaze Liquid Leather.

Maybe it's because I swatched it over black, but when I look at my nails I think, "America." I'll catch the light and see a little yellow, but mostly I see the red and blue. I feel like I need to try this one over a berry or light yellow to see it's full potential.

Twisted
Twisted is slightly similar to Asylum. However, this one is a multicolored flakie explosion! Seriously, it's ROYGBIV bottled up in a clear base. Twisted reminds me of the neon paint spatter tee shirts I wore as a child.

 Two coats of Twisted over China Glaze Liquid Leather.

Clearly this is my favorite. Just look at it. It's beautiful. I cannot help but smile looking at this polish - it's so cheerful. I'm excited to try this over hot pink! (Totes an 80s kid). Actually, I have a feeling this one is versatile and will look great over any color.

I don't know about you, but I still have not been able to get my hands on a bottle of Cult Nails Clairvoyant. Judging from pictures, Clairvoyant seems a little more muted than Twisted (probably because of it's blue jelly base). In the meantime, Twisted makes a great alternative until I become a "Cult member".

Just for fun, a comparison of the collection:

Thumb to pinkie: Motley, Flecked, Flashy, Asylum and Twisted.

...and the Manicure of the Moment. To celebrate the hubs' birthday, I decided to get a little crazy and put a coat of each over black. The result was confetti nails.

Look at them. Can you handle the awesomesause!?

 

Finger Paints brand is sold exclusively at Sally Beauty Supplies. They each retail for $5.49 or $4.99 if you are part of the Sally Beauty Club. Keep in mind that this collection is a limited release and was highly anticipated. Good luck :)