Monday, December 13, 2010

Milani Rockstar Heavy Glitter Collection - One Coat Glitters and Jewel FX

Since this collection is out already at certain CVS locations, you'd think this would be a Winter 2010 collection, right? Apparently it's a Spring collection that won't be released until February.... And that's all I know about it! I'm confused by this... But all is well because there is purple glitter on my nails.


Blue Flash. Every single polish in this collection impresses me, but this one especially. There are a lot of medium blue glitters out there, yet this manages to be unique. The different tones of blue glitter combined in this polish give it incomparable depth and interest.


Gems (one coat over black). I didn't manage to get a picture of it alone, but I think it looks best layered anyway. This is one of the two Jewel FX glitters in this collection and I believe they're meant to be topcoats. Right away you'll notice that this looks a lot like Deborah Lippmann / Lippmann Collection Happy Birthday, and it does, with a few minor differences:


Left to right (pinkie to index):
One coat of Milani Gems over black
One coat of Lippmann Happy Birthday over black
Two coats of Milani Gems
Two Coats of Lippmann Happy Birthday

The main difference is that Milani Gems is missing the pink glitter that makes Lippmann Happy Birthday so pretty. The pink glitter really does make a difference in the end result. The second major difference is that Milani Gems doesn't have the small square glitter that Happy Birthday has. Despite these differences, they do look really similar on the nail. I slightly prefer Lippmann Happy Birthday, but if you don't want to shell out $18 for chunky clown puke glitter, then I'm sure Gems will satisfy you. Just for reference, here's Happy Birthday over black:




Gold. That's right, just Gold. Simple name. The second of the two Jewel FX topcoats in the collection. This is the hardest to apply polish in the collection but the results are really cool. It's quite difficult to get the large gold plate hexagon glitter to lay exactly right, but when you do, it looks crazy awesome. Armor plated! Great for layering, if you can distribute the glitter evenly:



Here's one coat of Gold over Purple Gleam. So disco. Love it. I've also worn this over Revlon Royal and it looks equally nice over a creme.


Gold Glitz. A mix of warm and cool gold glitters accented with a little red-copper. I love the depth and complexity of these glitters. The color mix makes them so nice. It's not just all one color in these and it makes a world of difference! This one also looks pretty familiar:


Doesn't it? This is the new OPI Ulta Exclusive Gift of Gold... which I was told wasn't happening this year... but then it was... Yeah, more on that later... But it does look a whole heck of a lot like Milani Gold Glitz!


Purple Gleam. Yeah, it's pretty much completely awesome. As if you expected me to say otherwise about a purple glitter. But, seriously, this purple glitter owns all. It doesn't look like any purple glitter I've ever seen. It's a lighter red-toned purple, almost more of a dark fuchsia, with some true purple and some BLACK (!!!) mixed in to give it depth. Really, there's nothing else like it and I'm considering buying 2,394,875 backups. The lighter purple really pops against the black microglitter and it sparkles like mad. The waitress at dinner last night flipped out over it, too...


Red Sparkle. A unique red glitter! No, it's not a Ruby Pumps dupe, either! Yes, I'm excited about this. Light and dark red glitter with what looks like some extremely tiny black microglitter. If it's not black, then it's really dark red. This looks so awesome in person. I almost skipped this one because I thought it would be just another plain red glitter. It's not. I'm glad I got it.


Silver Dazzle. This isn't really as much of a silver as it is a grey. It's silver and grey glitter with black microglitter. Yes, black glitter. And it looks incredible. Polish companies, are you taking notes? Black glitter is awesome. This polish has a definite blue tint to it. Very shiny and sparkly with all the sliver in it. And, oddly enough, I think it looks way better at night in low light than it does in sunlight.

The formula on these was great. They claim to be one coat coverage, but I found that I needed two. They were really opaque for a glitter and if you did a thick enough coat I think you could settle for one, but I'm not a fan of super thick coats. All of these are two coats of glitter with topcoat. They do really need topcoat, too. They dry very gritty and semi-matte. You can get these completely smooth and glossy with two coats of Gelous plus a topcoat of Seche Vite (or whichever thick quick-dry topcoat you prefer). I've worn these as full manicures like that and they remained perfectly smooth for three days. After the third day it seems like it absorbed the topcoat and became less smooth. Isn't that weird? The dry time on these is really fast so you don't have to worry about doing extra coats of topcoat. I had no application problems.

Removal is a pain just like any other glitter, but if you have one of those scrubby acetone jars, you won't have any trouble removing them. The glitter in them is very fine and not chunky so it doesn't stick to your nails as strongly. You will probably have little glitters stuck on your skin after removal, though, so just go over your nails again with a remover-soaked cotton ball or scrub your hands in the sink.

If you couldn't tell by my gushing review, I'm totally in love with these. I am really absurdly excited about these glitters. I could go on and on about them. I almost didn't get a few of these because they looked so normal under the store lighting, but once I got them on my nails I knew I was wrong. These aren't normal. They are AWESOME. The varying tones and intensities of the glitter in each polish makes them very special and so much better than a plain single-tone glitter. Really, just look at them! They look like treasure chests full of jewels, or piles of rhinestones. Soooo goooooood. *drool*

So, yeah, these completely rock. Way to go, Milani!




50 comments:

  1. Purple Glam just makes me shudder its so pretty!

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  2. I already have the two chunky glitters, now i have to hunt down the others :P Thanks for swatching :)

    imo, fingerpaints holly good times and milani Gold Glitz are pretty dupey.

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  3. inigfoenrfiniewpfpi ughh!!! i cant wait to find these. they are driving me nuts. i need these! LOL

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  4. We are on the same page with these, I've been telling people if they've seen them and passed them by, to GO GET THEM! They're awesome. I want a couple of backup bottles and I want to try to franken a green and pink version. Your photos are, as always, awesome.

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  5. As soon as I saw that purple glitter last week, I grabbed it. It was simply too pretty to pass up.

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  6. What are these scrubby acetone jars?! Gorgeous photos as always.

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  7. Now if only Milani would sell their cosmetics in my state, I'd be all set! (They are only at a very few Walgreens in the state and nowhere else (we don't have CVS in this state).) I NEED Purple Gleam and will find a way to obtain it.

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  8. I got all of these except for the red one, because, like you, I thought it was just another Ruby Pumps. Now I need to go back and get that one!

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  9. Thank you for posting your topcoats. The way you do the glitters, it looks like you have a UV gel coat over it. So very lovely!

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  10. So, the collection isn't suppose to be released until February nationwide? I've read that the polishes are part of the 2011 permanent line, too. Which is awesome, as I've run around like a mad woman, searching for these. :P Glad to hear the awesome review of them! Gems, Gold, and Silver Dazzle are so mine...especially Gems! Cannot wait to get my paws on these! ^__^

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  11. thanks for saying that the red one isnt a dupe for ruby pumps. i was thinking about not getting it considering i didnt really NEED another red glitter since i have ruby pumps and 2 essie ruby slippers, and i only wear the glittery ones this time a year, but i did anyway. i needed someone to tell me it was different. LOL.

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  12. I am so happy my cvs has these too! I looked for them after seeing your first post and picked up the purple, blue, and gray. After seeing all these photos I want them all, and I want all the OPI glitters as well. I wonder are they keeping these glitters as part of the permanent collection? I sure hope they decide to... and I must say I was obsessed with nail polish before I started reading your blog, but now my collection has grown tremendously, and even if i'm broke at least my nails look amazing!

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  13. cool everyone can get them great post/mani too.

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  14. I'm just glad it will be part of their permanent line. They do a lot of limited edition stuff that I missed out on.

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  15. OMGAW

    I think I may have just blacked out there for a moment...

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  16. is gold a dupe with china glaze solar flare? same big chunks? or are these ones smaller?

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  17. Ahh, I can't wait to find these! I looked tonight in CVS and didn't see them. I was a bit sad. Hopefully they will be around my area soon!

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  18. Oh gosh I need that red glitter, so pretty!

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  19. Ugh. Another fabulous collection (GOLD!!!) that we can't get in the UK.

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  20. Jems over black is really gorgeous! Whenever I find these I will try it. Each one is more amazing looking. The gold is beyond gorgeous.

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  21. I am not a gold person but I love this Gold. it looks really cool on the nail, wish they could make it in silver.

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  22. omg...this is 'must have' collection :-)

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  23. Oh gosh! This is sooooooo pretty! Its so MUST HAVE!

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  24. I love these so much! I already have both the chunky glitters and the silver and purple. I need to go back to get the red, blue and gold!

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  25. I went to go back to get the jewel ones, and the display at my cvs was gone and the lady checked in the back and couldn't find them. she came back with a bunch of the orly cosmic fx collection, and I said I have every single one of those, I'm guessing they put them out early or something, but I don't want to wait!! I want them now and I'm leaving to look for the wet and wild shadows right now, they are beautiful i hope rite aid has them!

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  26. I bought the Red Sparkle and the Gold Glitz first. I love them. Last night I was at CVS and I bought Silver Dazzle. They had 4 Silver Dazzle and 1 Purple Gleam left. Everything else was gone. Now I am thinking I'll have to go get the purple! I also have OPI Gift of Gold. I don't care if it's dupey, it's gorgeous!

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  27. I'm in love with them all.. but my biggest crush is Gold! OMG, how beautiful!

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  28. My friend and I just picked some of these up tonight and couldn't be happier. I am lusting after the giant gold glitter. I am so happy my CVS has these out.

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  29. The red and the purple *faints*

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  30. These are great! Ive been on a massive hunt down for the whole collection. Ive probably gone to all the cvs in the greater Boston area and not one person knows what im talking about :-( guess im gonna have to wait till February

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  31. Ahhhh I loveeee Red Sparkle, like Ruby Pumps's equally sexy older sister LOL and the purple mm. Shame these aren't sold in Canada D:

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  32. I <3 that red color. I read your statement about the removal of these & remembered a YouTube video I saw recently. I haven't tried it myself, so I don't know how it'll work, but thought I'd share with you & the other followers. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DObRTb7NgAw

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  33. OMG I need all of these colors. Unfortunately we dont have CVS in WA state. But I went their site and it said Walgreens and Target also carry it so I will have to look. THank you for showing these

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  34. yay! I found these at my local CVS in Marin City finally and already they were running low. Though I only picked up Gems and a Revlon Perplex. Now I'm wondering if I should go back for Purple Gleam..

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  35. Fabulous! <3 I love them all, even the gold ones. I hope they will be available online for us in Europe... somewhere, someday.

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  36. Gold looks exactly like China Glaze's Solar Flame

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  37. I got this collection online and love it. Wearing purple gleam now, but its crazy how different the color on the nail looks compared to the pictures. It really is more of a dark fuchsia.

    Love your look with Purple Gleam and Gold :)

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  38. hey I was just at Walgreens and saw that they have Gems, Gold, Silver Dazzle, Gold Glitz and Purple Gleam in their permanent collection thingy. Anyway what really struck me is that the 'Gems' now has the pink glitter. I ended up buying it and compared to the original Gems, the pink glitter makes a big difference. http://twitpic.com/452ll6

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  39. Hi there,
    I have two of these polishes (gold and red) I usually do a base, one coat, and a top coat (seche vite) but I find that they peel off very quickly. They are so pretty and I want to wear them more, but I feel like they peel off on me right away. Any suggestions?

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  40. Hi there,
    I have two of these one coat glitter polishes (gold and red). I usually use a base coat, one coat of polish, and a top coat (seche vite). I find that they peel off my nails very quickly (within 2nd day). I love these pretty polishes, but do you have and advice on how they can last a little longer on the nail?

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    1. What type of base coat do you use? Some are better at holding onto glitter than others. Also, are your nails free of oil and moisture before applying your basecoat?

      If you're doing only one thick coat of the glitter, try switching to two very thin coats. I find that the thicker the coats of polish are, the more likely it is to peel.

      Your Seche Vite might need to be thinned, too. A bottle that has thickened (mine usually gets thick about halfway through) causes polish to peel faster. You could also try using a different topcoat that's less prone to thickness/peeling than Seche Vite.

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  41. Thanks for the advice, I am about halfway through my seche vite bottle, so that could be it. How do I thin it? For a base coat I use Orly rubber base (I believe it called). Do you have any suggestions for a different top coat? I've used some sally hansen top coats that I really didn't like.

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    1. To thin your Seche Vite, I recommend Seche Restore (sold at most beauty supply stores). It's designed specially for thickened Seche Vite, but it's also amazing for thinning polishes. It's not 3-free (neither is Seche Vite), but some brands make a toluene-free thinner that works just as well.

      Orly Bonder? The sticky/rubbery one? That one should be fine for glitters, that's one of the first ones I'd choose if you're having peeling problems, so you don't need to change your basecoat.

      Other good, non-shrinking topcoats are Nubar Diamont, Redi Quick Dry, Gelous (not quick dry, but never shrinks) and Orly In A Snap.

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  42. Thanks! I'm definitely going to take your advice and get those products!

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