Ulta Mint Condition + Sally Hansen Aisle Be There

After last night's downer Ulta Bare Minimum post, I am frothing at the bit to show you something I really love! I can foresee myself wearing different variations on this combination LOTS.

But first, let's just take a look at Mint Condition. This is one of those damnable Ulta Salon Formula Nail Lacquers. Since this one is a cream, it doesn't look as awful as the streaky mess that was Bare Minimum, but the formula on this was still really bizarre. It was very thick, yet went on streaky. I know some polishes are streaky with the first coat and then look like perfection after the second (Essie is like this for me), but the second coat just served to kind of move around the first coat, making it incredibly difficult to get this even everywhere. In the photos, you'll see a bare patch on the side of one of my fingers; this is where I gave up going back over and dabbing on extra nail polish to try to get it to look right. Next time, I will try using very, very thin coats; maybe a nail polish thinner is in order. That being said... This color! It's fantastic! It might be named Mint Condition, but don't let that fool you; it's a dusty aqua. This is one of the colors that I'd been keeping an eye on, leading me to snatch up 4 of these polishes when they went on sale 2/$4; regularly, each .33 ounce bottle is $6! Way too much for a nail polish with a difficult formula, in my opinion. However, I'd buy backups of this one if I heard it was going to be discontinued; I love the color that much. Someday, I will get my hands on Zoya Wednesday and see how the two shades compare.

Indoor light:

Ulta Mint Condition 

Natural Light:

Ulta Mint Condition

 After a couple of days of wearing this color, I had an idea. Remember RBL's Aqua Lily? I reeeaaaally liked that color. I don't own it, but I do have a sheer pink shimmer from the Sally Hansen Diamond Strength line of nail polishes, called Aisle Be There. I reinvigorated my manicure by layering two coats of Aisle Be There over it. I'm not calling this a dupe for Aqua Lily (Aqua Lily seems to have a brighter, bluer base, and the pink shimmer is more subtle); instead, the combination was inspired by Aqua Lily. And I love it. I couldn't stop looking at my nails; the pink really brightened things up, and the shimmer wasn't as ubiquitous as the photos suggest; it added a flash of pink highlight wherever the light hitting my nails was brightest. It looks like there's some "crinkling" at the base of the nail; I believe this is actually a bit of shrinkage from using Seche Vite on top. Oh, Seche Vite... I have such a love-hate relationship with this top coat, but it's mostly love, and I haven't found anything I like any better.

Indoor Light:

Mint Condition and Aisle Be There

Natural Light:

Mint Condition and Aisle Be There

Summary: This is one of the lesser offenders from the bunch of Ulta Salon Formula Nail Lacquers I picked up, but that being said, I'm still not pleased with the formula. For two bucks, I can deal with it, but I wouldn't recommend anyone running out to their nearest Ulta and snatching up the entire collection at full price. The color is right up my alley, though; I love it! And with Aisle Be There on top? I can see this being one of my favorite go-to manicures this summer. I can't wait to put it on my toes!