Some more old Sinfuls

Remember when I ended my last post by saying that I "intend to return with some more old Sinfuls in tow"? Well, I’ve kept my word!

This is not going to be an especially text-heavy post. I'll include details when relevant, but not much more than that. Or maybe I will. I mostly can't be bothered with a long, drawn-out intro today... so let's get into it.

Tampa Bay (#191) is a medium blue frost/pearl/chrome. I can't decide what finish this is. Brushstrokes were apparent during application, but became much less pronounced with top coat. It's shown here in 2 or 3 coats... I can't remember. This photo skews a little brighter than the actual color. Bottle pics are more accurate.

Here it is with its Wild and Crazy counterpart, Super Star (#w191). It's so hard for me to read that name without singing. Long ago, and oh so far away…

Bottom labels. Once again, the Sinful in great shape. It also has a misspelling, which is not unusual for the Mirage brands: "Tempa", with an E. There ARE bottles out there with the correct spelling, so what gives? Who knows. I like the mistake, anyway. Adds character. 

Onto the next!

Fuchsia Purple (#15) is, well... fuchsia. It's pretty and shimmery and lovely. These magenta colors are my nail polish Achilles' heel. Do forgive the subpar photo... my camera would not focus on this one. Shown in 3 hellish coats. Not a fun formula to work with, but the juice was worth the squeeze.

I sadly do not have the Wild and Crazy version of this polish, which is called Leon (strange name, as is customary for W&C). I do, however, have this color in the old-style bottle. In my experience, this is one of the most common shades to find in the vintage cylindrical bottle, along with Green Bean and Midnight Blue. It's quite hard to come by in the new bottle, though, so I'm happy to have found this one. 

I mentioned in my last post that some of my old Sinfuls have thrashed bottom labels. This is one of the worst offenders by far. White-Out, two different colors of permanent marker, yellowing, glue degradation... this baby's got it all! Thankfully, its older sibling has fared much better. 

Last, but not least…

Toxic Shine (#274) is a pale pinky-purple. It's like a frost version of last post's Velvet Diamond. Once again, please excuse the photography... maybe the digital camera wasn't such a good idea. Please also excuse the quality of the manicure itself. This formula allows for no mistakes, and when painted over with old thickened topcoat, it did not play nice. It's my bad. This is 3 coats, by the way.

Here it is with its W&C friend, Cyber. Wow, don't they look different? Cyber is so much cooler-toned and darker. It's also a completely different formula, a dreamy one-coat metallic.

Formula variations are normal, but this fairly drastic. You can really see the difference in this close-up shot.

Aaaand that's why. Note the different numbers. I was certain they were the same. It's very possible that Toxic Shine also used the number 186... it's not unheard of for one color to have been labeled under multiple numbers. I recall the resident Sinful expert in the Facebook groups saying that these two were related, and she's far more knowledgeable than I, so I guess I'll take her word for it. I don't feel like pestering her about it, so I will live in uncertainty. 

EDIT: I went back and found a FB post she’d made about Cyber years ago. She said that it was similar to Toxic Shine — the old formula, that is, not the newer one shown here. However, it’s actually the W&C counterpart to Sinful #186, which is called “Oh Yeah!”. I clearly got my wires crossed.

The introduction of this post was brief, so the closer will follow suit. Not sure when I will post next... sometime this year, hopefully. It's whenever the mood strikes me.

Bye for now!

P.S. Stella says hello! ♥

Sinful Colors Velvet Diamond

I recently obtained a sizable lot of old, hard-to-find Sinful Colors polishes from a fellow collector. I cannot properly articulate the glee that I felt upon their receipt. I'd resigned myself to never owning many of these rare polishes, so getting to hold them in – and apply them to – my grubby little hands has been nothing short of exhilarating. (I realize how pathetic that sounds, but I can’t find it in me to care.) 

It's also reignited a long-held desire of mine that I have verbalized many times on this blog: documenting polish with no online presence. Moving forward, I want to post mostly about polishes with little to no information about them on the web. Polishes with no swatch photos. Polishes that get no love, even among collectors. What can I say? I root for the underdogs, and I want to give them their moment in the sun. 

The one I’m sharing with you today fits the bill perfectly. I was able to find one bottle photo on Pinterest, but little else. It’s from the early days of Sinful, a period shrouded in mystery. For the most part, it’s been lost to the sands of time. There couldn’t be a more perfect candidate for archival! 

One last thing: I wanted to include that these photos were taken with my mom's old digital camera, a Canon PowerShot SD750. I found it while rummaging through a box of odds and ends and decided to give it a workout. Who would've thought that a 7.1 megapixel camera from 2007 would take better photos than the 12 MP camera on my 8-month-old iPhone? I don't know how it's possible, but it is. 

Anyway, onto the pics!

This is Velvet Diamond (#51). Though it’s in the newer style bottle, the low number indicates that this is one of Sinful’s earliest shades, created sometime around the brand’s debut in 1991. I should note that the “new” bottle is not all that new anymore, considering it was introduced sometime around 2003. I can’t put a precise date on this particular specimen, but I’d estimate that it was produced on the earlier side. 2003-2007? Take that with a grain of salt… I’m only spitballing. 

Velvet Diamond is a light purple glass fleck. Well… it’s undoubtedly purple in the bottle, but skews pink on the nails. That’s mostly due to its sheer, lightly pigmented base. It’s shown here in 3 coats. It’s hard to see in this pic, but there is a small amount of visible nail line. Please forgive the chip on my pointer finger… I'd been wearing this for a few days by the time this photo was taken.

This is a great color. It’s glittery and blingy in an understated way. Those glass flecks sparkle like no one’s business! In direct sunlight, it’s dazzling. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: why isn’t this finish common anymore? 

Of course, a post on this blog wouldn’t be complete without a little Wild and Crazy. Here is Velvet Diamond with its Wild and Crazy analog, #w51 Pink Bikini. (If you aren’t aware of the connection between these two brands, see my collection post from November 2022 – I explain it in detail there.) 

The Sinful is a little more saturated. This may be down to better storage (kept away from light) or batch differences; however, it's worth noting that many colors had their formulas changed over the years, so one bottle may simply be older than the other. The difference IS noticeable on the nail, so I can't call it an exact match. As people often say about eyebrows: sisters, not twins. In any case, they are clearly cut from the same cloth. 

I also thought I'd share their bottom labels. This isn't something I usually do, but because I go out of my way to collect white label Sinfuls, I decided I'd show one. (For an example of a newer black label Sinful, see my post on Kismet Elated.)

The sticker on Velvet Diamond is super clean, if slightly off-center. Many of the labels on my older Sinfuls look like they've been through hell – yellow, peeling, ripped, permanent marker’d. This bottle of VD (unfortunate abbreviation!) must have lived a cushier life than most of its peers. 

I think that's going to do it for today. However, I do intend to return soon, probably with some more old Sinfuls in tow. 

Bye for now!

P.S. I am trying to come up with a new signoff... the "until next time" schtick has overstayed its welcome.

L.A. Girl Shimmering Sapphire

I know, I know. It's been more than half a year since my last entry. I've been busy, okay? Work has been sapping most of my energy. What's left of it goes towards chores and errands, hobbies, time with loved ones. I just haven't had the bandwidth for side projects such as this. Despite my tired, frazzled state, I'd say that things are actually going pretty well for me right now. My mother and I recently took a wonderful trip to Pittsburgh to visit my sister (who is a freaking senior in college, which is hard to believe). I've been seeing a lovely guy for the past couple of months and am really coming to like him -- he always compliments my nails! (I promise that isn’t the only reason I’m into him.) I unfortunately lost my 18.5 year old cat, Sandy, in December, but it came as a relief after he'd been going downhill for some time. I miss him terribly, but I'm happy that he's not hurting anymore. All in all, these past few months have been bittersweet, but definitely more heavy on the sweet.

Anyway, that's not what this post is about. Polish is the name of the game! Today is L.A. Girl Shimmering Sapphire. I have no idea when this was released, but it's pretty old. 15 years, maybe 20? Even more? Who knows! As all seasoned vintage polish collectors are aware, information on old drugstore polish tends to be quite scarce. Frustratingly, though, there are photos of this polish online. How is this frustrating, you may ask? Well, I've told myself many times now that I'd make an effort to document polishes that have no online presence, and I keep failing to do so. Ah, well... maybe next time I'll break out one of the true rarities.

Here's Shimmering Sapphire in all its glory! (Please pardon my crusty fingers... it's been a harsh winter.) This is one of my favorite night sky-type polishes for a couple of reasons. 1: Holographic glitter... enough said. 2: It's not the standard navy blue. The sheer base with the teal shimmer shining through makes it much more exciting. I have tried so many times to enjoy the traditional Ciel de Nuit-esque polishes, but have come to accept that most dark blues don't play nicely with my skin tone. 

The one thing I don't like about this polish is the opacity. In order to build up that depth of the shimmer, 4 coats are needed. A minor gripe, but something I figured I should mention, though I think the payoff is worth it.

Also, sorry for the low-quality pic. I seem to have sadly lost my photography mojo during my absence. This was probably my fourth or fifth attempt, even. I tried my best, I swear!

I can't promise when I'll post next, but I will come back eventually. I'm expecting not one, but two big boxes of polish to arrive tomorrow. Among them are some highly coveted Orly Satin Hues, which I'm quite excited for. I may be back sooner than later...

And until next time... peace out!