Bikini Bottom
(3 coats)
I love milky sheers. Their look just works w/ my skin, what can I say. The drawback is that they tend to be very streaky. (Necessitating multiple coats, which I am unwilling to do for swatches. Sowwy :) ) Bikini Bottom is no different. While I don't mind paying upwards of $10 bucks for a streaky sheer, $18 is just too much.
Electric Avenue
(Middle & Pinky EA 3 coats, Ring BBC 3 coats)
This is not a good replacement option. The color is less pronounced and I think a little bit greener. Worse, it's even more streaky.
Anybody else have any good replacement options for Bikini Bottom? CG Moody Blue perhaps?
***
Recycle
(2 coats)
After swatching this one, I decided I needed to wear it as a NOTD again because I wasn't fair to it the first time. Initially, the color bored me to tears (it still does; I think both Illamasqua and Orly did dark green better), so I ended up putting silly rhinestones all over the pinky and then taking it off altogether w/in a few hours.
Second time around, the wear was great. I wore Recycle for almost 3 days without issue. The last day was the day I moved and my nails held up reasonably well considering the beating they were taking.
Recycle and No More War are the only 2 RBLs I own where I am satisfied w/ the lasting power and the formula. They both have similar consistencies, definitively needing at least 2 coats to get good coverage. Interesting...It wasn't the 1 coaters that impressed me most but the 2 coaters. So, folks, I only own 8 RBLs...Are there any fanatics out there that can tell me which RBLs need at least 2 coats and have that almost-a-jelly creme consistency?
Rampage
(Middle and Pinky Rampage 3 coats, Ring Recycle 2 coats)
It's a little deeper, a little richer, a little jellier, a little cheaper, and a little better.
#569
(Middle and Pinky #569 3 coats, Ring Recycle 3 coats)
Unfortunately, I don't have Orly's Enchanted Forest to do a comparison shot. I bought it right before Xmas and brought it home w/ me for the holidays. My sister saw it and squeeled. What can I say, I'm a sucker for spreading the NP love.
So in lieu of that, here's a kind of unfair comparison w/ 569. Sigh...I love almost black jellies. They are just so cool. I'll say this, Recycle certainly beats 569 in the application and longevity departments (I am not happy w/ Nfu-Oh's jelly formula). But in the color department...
So for now, Bikini Bottom wins in my sheer light blue race. Not an auspicious triumph, however. And Rampage wins in the deeply talented dark green tournament.
So for now, Bikini Bottom wins in my sheer light blue race. Not an auspicious triumph, however. And Rampage wins in the deeply talented dark green tournament.
