NOTD: Ulta's Set The Nude (+ Glass Slipper!)

Ulta Brand Salon Formula Nail Lacquers are on sale, 2/$4 this week at Ulta! That's a bargain, even considering that these bottles only hold .33 ounces, as opposed to the standard .5. These polishes are normally $6 each... so you know I picked up a few. Four, to be exact... I'd had my eye on a few shades, but was waiting for a good sale to come along. Set the Nude was actually not a color I planned on buying, but I had 3 non-negotiable colors and had to find a fourth to round out my purchase and to take advantage of the sale with. Set the Nude spoke to me; in the store's poor fluorescent lighting, I swore it was a beige putty color with a hint of shimmer. Imagine my surprise when I pulled it out the next day in natural light and realized it was a pale warm lavender-grey cream! I have to say, I was a little bit disappointed, but I quickly realized that I have a thing for muted purples, and this was a version of that color that I did not already own. Plus, my walls are a paler version of this color... I couldn't have painted my whole home a light warm lavender-leaning-grey if it was a color I didn't like! So here we go...

Indoor light:

Ulta's Set the Nude 

Natural light:

Set the Nude nail polish

But as soon as I got it on my nails, I was feeling a little bored with it. It's a nice color, but not exactly what I was in the mood for. I'd really had my heart set on a bit of sparkle! So I cracked open Sally Hansen Diamond Strength Nail Color in Glass Slipper, and added two coats of that for some silver flake fun. I really like the result!

Indoor light:

Set the Nude + Glass Slipper

Outdoor light:

Set the Nude + Glass Slipper

And just for fun, here's a comparison shot of my nails up against my walls! It's definitely in the same family, although my walls are lighter and read more "grey" than purple.

Summary: I found the formula of Set the Nude to be on the thick side (as many pastels tend to be), but it wasn't impossible to work with. I used two coats to get an opaque, streak-free finish. Glass Slipper was great as a top coat, but I feel like it kind of ate up top coat... In a weird way! It wasn't just that there was a texture, it was like the flakes were getting caught in the top coat and creating drag and wrinkling on the edges of the nails. Very strange. I used Seche Vite, I wonder if it's just not the right top coat for Glass Slipper, or if I need to wait for Glass Slipper to dry more before I add the top coat. (I generally add Seche Vite while polish is still a bit tacky; it seems to adhere better and reduces the risk of shrinkage.) Anyway, I've never had that happen before, even with rougher glitters and more textured flakey top-coats, so I'll have to experiment some more.

What do you guys think? Are you going to pick up any of the Ulta nail polishes while they're on sale? I am loving Glass Slipper so much more than I thought I would... It's more subtle than the iridescent flakey top coats we've been seeing everywhere, and the smaller flakes kind of give a robin's egg speckled effect. Very cool!

Oh, and please excuse my cruddy nails... I have been having a couple of bad nail weeks here... My cuticles have been complaining, they've been sooo dry, and I cannot keep my hands moisturized for the life of me! That's being reflected in my nails as well; they've been peeling like crazy, and they got stained red despite the fact that I use base coat religiously. I think it happened in the removal process... At any rate, I'm not feeling great about my nails right now!