Brucci Cali Cat and OPI Black Spotted

So Cali Cat is definitely a polish I bought for its name.  We call two of our cats the "Cali Cats" because my brother sent us this via an airplane when he moved. He lives in California but couldn't house them any longer, so two new additions it was!  I do also love Brucci as a brand in general so I wasn't opposed to the idea of purchasing another polish from them.

"Natural" Light

This is 2 coats of Cali Cat over Orly Bonder, sealed with Sally Hansen Diamond Flash.  Cali Cat is a neon green shimmer. I thought maybe I hadn't tightened the lid enough when I swatched it for the OPI Black Spotted nail wheels because it seemed a little goopy.  I added a few drops of thinner and it seemed much more smooth and ready to go.

"Natural" Light

It kills me to have to say anything bad about my beloved Brucci, but the formula, even after thinning, was difficult to work with.  I did not like how it applied; it wasn't super streaky but it was thick and difficult to smooth out without get tons of brush strokes. It's a neon shimmer but applies almost like a frost (EEEEEEEEEEK!!) so you can see the brush strokes.

Flash

Despite the formula and application issues, the color is really fun and bright, a great summer color. Makes me sad that Cali Cat won't be a new favorite. I wanted to test OPI Black Spotted on my nails so I figured this would be a great opportunity since it's coming right off anyways.

"Natural" Light

This is one thin coat of Black Spotted over the previous manicure sealed with another coat of Sally Hansen Diamond Flash. The index finger is a bit of a thicker coat, so it didn't do its effect as much, but on my pinky it was a super thin coat, so it spotted a whole bunch!

"Natural" Light

OPI Black Spotted Nail Wheel Swatches

I had a very nice friend from Europe help me out in obtaining this polish.  As it stands now, it's available in France and was released as part of the Spiderman Collection. I like to try new nail polish fads and this one may or not become available in the US due to patenting issues, so I'm very fortunately and happy to have obtained it. I decided to swatch it on a nail wheel so we could see all the different color combinations. Some look better than others.

All photos were taken under my "Natural" light desk lamp, either 2 or 3 coats of base color and are sealed with Sally Hansen Diamond Flash Fast Dry Top Coat. Also, since these pictures are pretty wide, I couldn't enlarge them too much on my blog, so click to enlarge for better detail!

 

Essie Smooth Sailing, Brucci Cali Cat, China Glaze Poinsettia

Zoya Arizona, Jessica Disco Diva, China Glaze For Audrey

China Glaze Flip Flop Fantasy, Essie Mojito Madness, Sally Hansen Lightening

Hits Apolo, Hits Atena, OPI Metallic 4 Life

OPI DS Design, OPI Houston We Have a Purple, Sinful Colors Grecian Sun

Sally Hansen Whirlwind White, Revlon Starry Pink, Essie Pink A Boo

You need to use ridiculously thin coats, to the point where it looks like nothing is on the brush. Some swatches crackled a little. such as Whirlwind White, Starry Pink and Lightening. The affect occurs immediately after applying the polish, as well.