Revlon Transforming Effects - My Picks

 purchased by me 

Nothing turns my head quite like sheer toppers.  I'm not exaggerating when I say I have dozens...yet I always want every new one I see!  When I saw Nouveau Cheap's post about Revlon's latest collection aaaaages ago, a mental bookmark was made.  Like the newly revamped Wet n Wild Wild Shine line, they finally turned up at my favorite CVS last month.  There are nine new polishes and seven new Transforming Effects toppers, all being added to the core collection.  I wound up buying Wild and three of the toppers.  I've looked at the rest of the toppers a bunch of times since and...nope.  There's a holo glitter microglitter, an odd confetti-style topper, bar glitter (ick), and...ugh...shards.  Pass.  The other three though?  Shimmers!  My favorite kind of topper.  I giddily snatched up all three, but it took me all month to actually swatch them.

You can totally tell too.  Almonds are more of a bitch to maintain than I'd ever have guessed, especially since my nails grow quickly.  Enough grousing though, for now.  To show the "transforming" abilities of these toppers, I left my index nail as-is in all of these swatches.  It makes for a somewhat awkward look, but it does show how much change you can expect.  Each photo shows just one coat of the topper.  They all applied really easily and evenly, even the matte one.


Matte Pearl Glaze has a mix of purple, pink, and blue shimmer in a clear base that dries matte.

over Essie Miss Fancy Pants

While Matte Pearl Glaze has a clear base, the pink and purple shimmer are dense enough to cool down whatever they're put over.  The matte finish is surprisingly strong.  I'm impressed!  Sorry for the creepy fingers.  My hands sometimes get corpsey when I'm cold.

I tried it with glossy topcoat too.  I'm in love with the shimmer either way.

over Essie Miss Fancy Pants - with topcoat

Gold Glaze has gold fleck shimmer with a slight green shift in a clear base.

over Wet n Wild Be More Pacific

The flecks in this one are nice and chunky.  It gives it a really bold, intense look.  The hints of green keep it from being just another gold shimmer.

over Wet n Wild Be More Pacific

Pink Glaze has a clear base with microfleck shimmer that shifts from pink to gold.

over Wet n Wild Nuclear War

Something tells me there's a Sally Hansen that Pink Glaze dupes really closely.  I'm just not sure which.  I've been meaning to do a massive topper comparison post forever, so maybe we'll find out someday.  This is the kind of thing I'll buy over and over again because it's so stinkin' pretty.  I'm powerless to resist.

over Wet n Wild Nuclear War

Since shimmer toppers are at their most obvious over black, I lined all three up for a comparison.

plain * Gold Glaze * Matte Pearl Glaze * Pink Glaze

The green in Gold Glaze is easier to see over black.  Matte Pearl Glaze goes absolutely insane.  Pink Glaze gets super glitzy.

With topcoat over Matte Pearl Glaze, the blue shimmer really jumps out.

plain * Gold Glaze * Matte Pearl Glaze w/topcoat * Pink Glaze

Bottom line: I really like all three.  They're more distinct from each other than I was expecting.  My favorite should be obvious...Matte Pearl Glaze.  With or without topcoat it's got the most personality of the three.  There's a ton of frankening potential with these too.


Am I nuts about the Sally Hansen thing?  I'm thinking it's a Diamond Strength.

 all products in this post were purchased by me