Okay so I am going to start by talking about the CND Shellac (since I only own 2 bottles) . But to clarify I am reviewing the colors and also the longevity and things like that. You know me I love being in depth! haha
Okay so the first color is called Clearly Pink. Basically it is a clear pink, mainly used for french manicures. Now the second color I own is called Cake Pop. This is a very light lilac pink and I LOVE IT! It is so creamy and pigmented. Although when you apply it, it is streaky so beware of that! For CND's formula it is very thick (which is good) and it stays in place for the most part it doesn't seem to pull away from the tip of your nail, but it does seem to spread more which can be bad if you aren't careful. I really do enjoy CND's packaging but it is very deceiving..meaning it looks like clearly pink is going to be a light nude/peach shade but it obviously isn't. Now I know it clearly states it in the name but hey some clients don't read the name lol! CND lasts for about 2 weeks if you have avoided doing yard work and dishes. This product retails for about $15.00. The size of this product is .25fl oz or 7.3mL. What I really do like about this is that the brush is like a normal polish brush. Sometimes I find that the brushes are really short and just hard to work with but these I have no problem with! You can buy Clearly Pink HERE and Cake Pop HERE. Now keep in mind these need to be cured in a LED light or UV light.
Now onto the next brand which is ASP. This is actually a great find for me! I found these at my local Sally's Beauty Supply and they are only $9.99 I believe and they are really great quality. Right now their color selection isn't great because they are new this year to the company. The formulation is great and the pigmentation is spot on! The first color I want to talk about with you is Tease Me Turquoise which is a beautiful turquoise and is literally opaque within one coat. I mean I still apply the second layer but that is great, It isn't even streaky or anything which I love! It has a beautiful shimmer to it which is very fine. The next color is I'm Royalty Purple which is a dark plum color with gold and purple fine shimmer in it. The next color is called Passionate Pink which is the typical barbie pink with a gold shimmer to it. The brushes on these are wider than the CND brushes which is what I prefer. The consistency of this product is just like nail polish a little thicker but not much. Now you might all be thinking well for 9.99 they must be a lot smaller than CND and actually they are bigger. You get .30 fl oz or 9mL which is great! For the packaging I really do like it, it is nice and simple and is actually showing the true color. Now I have two more colors which is White Hot and Black Beauty...yes you guessed it a cream white and a cream black. They are both really great and super pigmented, not streaky even though it is a cream finish and OMG they are perfect! So the only thing I noticed that was a lot different from any of the polishes I am about to talk to you about is the smell. CND just smelt like regular polish now these ones just have a distinct smell to them..it almost smells a little more chemically to them so I'm not sure why that is but they are great! Plus since you can purchase these at Sally's if you have a card you can get them for $8.99 or if you are a pro they are $7.99! Purchase your ASP Gel Polishes HERE.
For the last brand I am going to be talking about and that is China Glazes Gelaze. Now these are basically China Glazes permanent and popular shades turned into a Gel formula! These retail for $11.99 and they are .33fl oz or 9.76mL. So you are getting more than CND and ASP but you are going to pay more than ASP and a little less than CND. So as far as the colors that I own I have Orange Knockout, Celtic Sun, Pink Voltage and In the Lime Light, these are all bright neon's which are perfect for the summer. These are again mostly opaque except for Celtic Sun. I also have Re-Fresh Mint and Peachy Keen which are two pastel shades. For this formula they are all pretty opaque and they are the same consistency as the ASP, like nail polish but a little thicker.These polishes also seem to have a different smell to them as well so maybe it just depends on the formulation. Now these polishes do pull away from the tip very badly so I suggest flash curing them in the light for 30 seconds or something.You can also get these at Sally's so again i you have the card you can get them for $10.99 and if you are a pro even less! I really do enjoy the packaging though, the outside actually looks like what you are getting and it is cute with the white caps! Purchase your Gelaze Polishes HERE!
So guys I am going to list my favorites in order best to worst. So my top favorite is ASP then CND and then Gelaze. The reason for that is because ASP is affordable and great quality and then CND is great quality but a bit more pricey and then Gelaze because it pulls away from the tip a lot! The formulation for Gelaze just needs a lot of work.
Let me know if you guys would like to see a review on the Red Carpet Gel Polishes because I have like a ton of those polishes that could literally only fit on one post! haha Anyways have a great Wednesday. <3 Emily
