Strawberry Hearts Chocolate Darts: Milani Fantastical Plumage and Retro Glam Summer 2013 Collections

Today I would like to introduce two new collections of nail polishes at the drugstore. Milani recently released two limited edition nail polish collections: Fantastical Plumage and Retro Glam. I spotted the colorful Milani displays at Meijer.

If you live near a Meijer, I would recommend taking a look at the beauty department. Meijer is similar to Walmart and Target. Meijer stores are mainly located in the midwestern and northeastern parts of the United States. Meijer, like Walgreens and ULTA, often has new makeup and nail polish collections on display before Walmart and Target starts selling these items, but is much more affordable than Walgreens and ULTA. So, when I am on a hunt for some new drugstore beauty treasures and am too impatient to wait for Target or Walmart, I opt to shop at Meijer over Walgreens and ULTA. Meijer sometimes has great deals too. Sadly, I no longer live near a Meijer because I attend school in the southern part of the United States, but whenever I am home for the holidays, Meijer is on my "to do list." Hmm! Can you all tell Meijer holds a sentimental place in my heart? Well, it was one of the first stores my mother would take me to when we moved to the United States. She would buy little treats for me in order to cheer me up because I had a tough experience adjusting after the move. A Saturday trip with mom to Meijer was something I would look forward to. My mom has always been my sturdy umbrella for the rainy days... and the sunny days. I look like a hot mess if I tan!

Did y'all miss my off topic tit bits? Anyways, back to the Milani nail polishes.

Each collection includes about six shades. One of the polishes in each collection is a glitter polish. The others are all creamy shades, some of which have subtle golden shimmer. I selected two shades from the Fantastical Plumage collection and three shades from the Retro Glam collection.

Colors: Blue Jay (Fantastical Plumage), Raspberry Delight (Retro Glam), Almond Bliss (Retro Glam), Peacock (Fantastical Plumage), and Creamy Pistachio (Retro Glam).

Affordable: I paid between $4-5 for each polish.

Swatches thumb to pinky: Blue Jay, Almond Bliss, Raspberry Delight, Creamy Pistachio, and Peacock.

Blue Jay is an electric cobalt blue with indigo undertones. I am "in love" with this shade. Its indigo undertones set it apart from other cobalt blue polishes. I was so excited to spread the word about this shade on my blog because cobalt blue is definitely a trendy color at the moment. I have disliked every cobalt blue nail polish I have tried till I came across Milani's Blue Jay. The formula is creamy, not thin and not gooey. One coat is enough for clean and opaque application. In my opinion, Essie's Butler Please needs to lower its hat to Milani's Blue Jay. If you have beige-olive skin tone and Essie's Butler Please did not suit your skin color, then I would recommend Milani's Blue Jay. It has a slight warmth to it and perhaps that is the reason it looks pleasing on my hands. Most blues, except turquoise blue, make my hands appear washed out and gray.

Almond Bliss is a milky light yellow custard-like shade. This shade reminds me of the creamy, whipped, pineapple-vanilla frosting my friend had whisked up for her delicious pineapple pie. I really wanted to love Almond Bliss because it is a unique and uncommon shade like Blue Jay. The formula is creamy and appears normal on the applicator, but once applied, it is horrible. The application was streaky and became patchy as I added more coats of polish to make it look non-streaky. If you look closely at the picture below, you will understand. Wearing several coats of polish will also lengthen drying time despite the use of a speed-dry top coat, which is too frustrating for me and anyone with a hectic schedule who likes to do nails on the run. I sometimes wear polish while coming to a stop at a red light on my way to work or school or anywhere, so I cannot handle polishes that test my patience. I know I sound high-browed right now, but this is how I feel!

Raspberry Delight is a bright magenta shade with subtle shimmer that is more noticeable in the bottle than on the nails. This color did not look flattering on my skin tone. I felt like it looked a bit childish and cheap. I am not too attracted to pink nail polishes, especially magenta pink. I prefer mauve pink, lilac, and lavender shades over pink shades. The formula is normal. This shade applies nicely in two coats.

Creamy Pistachio is a shade reflective of its name. If you are a fan of green polishes, then you are not going to be happy with my comments on this one. I am not a fan of most green polishes, except minty, milky, and turquoise green shades, because in my opinion it does not look flattering with my beige (light brown) skin tone. I feel like my hands are tree limbs and my nails are green leaves. Creamy Pistachio really caught my attention. I thought it suited my skin tone. It is a unique and uncommon shade like Blue Jay and Almond Bliss. I feel like this shade is slightly similar to Essie's Navigate Her. So, what is the bad news then? The formula and application of this polish is similar to Almond Bliss. When you pull the applicator out, you will see that it does not look gooey or runny, but once you apply it, you feel like you are painting your nails with white-out.

Peacock is a deep turquoise blue shade with subtle grayish undertones. This shade is more subdued and blue-toned than other turquoise shade, like China Glaze's For Audrey. This shade is similar to Maybelline's Turquoise Paradise and Cover Girl's Blue Hawaiian. If you already own either of these shades, then you don't need to purchase Peacock. However, if you do not own Turquoise Paradise or Blue Hawaiian, then I would recommend Peacock because its formula and application is much superior to the Maybelline and Cover Girl nail polishes. (I listed Maybelline's Turquoise Paradise as one of disappointing products in my last "Finished Products / Hits and Misses" post.) Peacock applied evenly in a single coat, but I added a second coat to achieve full opacity. Peacock lacked the wow factor for me though. I cannot explain it, but it just seemed like a common turquoise blue.

*I have refrained from commenting on the wear time (longevity) of the nail polishes because I only wear a particular polish for four full days and then I like to keep my nails bare for a while. In the four days, I only experience minor chipping on my index fingers and that is all.