Maybelline & Hot Topic

Finally, the last two bottles from my weekend haul! One is a drugstore brand and the other is from Hot Topic. To refresh: these are swatches only, so no base or top coat and pictures were taken under a lamp due to lack of sun.

Maybelline Exu-Blue-Rant - 2 coats




Exu-Blue-Rant is from Maybelline's Poptimistic collection. This is a highly pigmented polish which was almost a one-coater. If you apply your layers on the thicker side, you could probably do just one coat. I like this blue creme. I find it straightforward and refreshing. Its a great dark blue that looks blue, even indoors. No application issues.

Hot Topic Mint - 3 coats


There are so many things I want to say about this polish I don't know where to begin. First of all, this photo isn't color accurate. It should be less blue and more minty green. I tried everything I could think of until I just gave up because swatching this polish was just so frustrating.

The trouble started with the crap brush. I know it happens with Hot Topic polishes, but this was extra-crappy. Uneven bristles and falling apart. I had to trim them and even pulled some out just so I could swatch. Then the consistency seemed to be a bit thick and goopy. It may need to be thinned, or I was having trouble getting even layers because of that darn brush! At two coats, it was still streaky, then the third was lumpy. I stopped trying because I knew a fourth coat would just mean taking it all off and starting again. And then I forgot to take a bottle pic. *sigh* I do like the color though, which means I'll decant this into a better bottle and thin it and try again. One day.