ALU’s 365 of Untrieds – Fashion Bug Boysenberry
365 of Untrieds is my personal challenge to weed through the polishes in the ALU stash that I’ve been wanting to try but just haven’t gotten around to.
Is it just me or does every store seem to have its own line of nail polish now? Icing, Claire’s, Charlotte Russe, Forever 21, American Apparel, H&M, TopShop… I could go on and on. And as my mom discovered, Fashion Bug can be added to that list as well. A while ago, at least six months or so, she mentioned spotting nail polish at Fashion Bug and said they had a lot of fun colors. I don’t even know that there’s a Fashion Bug near me so I didn’t make any effort to hunt them down and pretty much forgot all about it. Of course she never forgets. As one of my birthday presents, Mom gave me some polishes from Fashion Bug and was very proud that she was able to get me something I didn’t already own. The four polishes she gave me included a two greens (she knows me so well), a purple and this berry concoction that was filled with holographic glitter called Boysenberry. The glitter reminded me of China Glaze Rapture so of course I had to try that one first. |
Formula & Application: Fashion Bug nail polish is 4-Free. The round glass bottles are topped with thin, shiny plastic caps that remind me of the Claire’s nail polishes. The round brush is pretty average in length and width with bristles that are slightly firm and don’t spread out.
The formula itself seemed like it was going to be a giant win. The pigmentation was so incredible that I barely needed two coats. The bummer is in the finish. After testing the other polishes on a a nail art wheel I can say that this doesn’t apply to all Fashion Bug polishes but the glitter in this one lent to a bumpy, lumpy texture and the pearl in the pigment equaled brush strokes. Even with two layers of top coat it looked like I had slept with a wet manicure on textured sheets. You’ll see what I mean below
Fashion Bug Boysenberry is a red-violet pearl metallic with holographic micro-glitter. The pretty berry color and rainbow of sparkles peeking out from inside the glass bottle should have resulted in one gorgeous manicure but unfortunately it was all ruined by this crazy looking texture. I wish there was a simple explanation like air bubbles or a quick fix like a thick top coat but there’s not much to be done with this one.
Bottom Line: I can’t in good conscience recommend anyone buy this polish. It’s a perfect example of how something that looks incredible in the bottle can end up a giant fail on the nail. I really wanted this to be a berry colored Rapture sibling but it just didn’t work out.
365 of Untrieds Stash/Share Verdict: When I unwrapped the polishes Mom said, “We’ll see how she really feels when she posts whether she’ll Stash or Share it.” Now this is no reflection on how I feel about the color as Mom made a wise choice in selecting it for me. I blame Fashion Bug for letting us down with the formula. Sorry Mom, this one is a SHARE.
Fashion Bug nail polish is available at Fashion Bug stores nationwide. The polishes retail for $3.99 for a .5oz bottle.
Have you tried Fashion Bug polishes before? What are your favorite colors from the brand Do you think there is a fix for Boysenberry? Out of all the clothing stores who have branded nail polish, which one do you think does the best job in terms of price, color selection and formula?
Disclosure: This nail polish was a gift. For more info view my Disclosure Policy.
Lisa N.
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Awww, that’s too bad. The color is so vibrant!
Darn. Gorgeous color, though.
The colour had such promise but the formula is TERRIBLE!!
I usually feel the same way about texture in crappy polishes, but I actually think this is kind of fun! It has sort of a space age, kitschy feel. But maybe it looks better in the photo than in person!
That sucks! It looks gorgeous in the bottle. The texture on your nail kind of looks like you dipped wet nails in gravelly sand and then applied another coat of polish.
it looks like the base is TOO pigmented to let the glitter show. try adding some clear, maybe?
Thats such a shame! Beautiful colour! It wouldnt work if you used Seche Vite either?
With quite a few of my nail polishes I get that texture feel! I hate it. Are there any solutions? I’ve tried many different top coats and bottom coats and have recently quit using any all together. It seems work better but now my nails are quite stained. Any help?
I can’t say I like a bumpy finish usually, but for some reason I sort of like how the bumpy finish looks with this one. It would be annoying as all get out were it actually on my nails and I would feel like scratching it off, but in this pic it doesn’t look so bad.
I’d have tried to sheer it down by adding some clear to make it work. My thinking is that opaque polishes with glitter tend to be textured, so maybe bumping down the opacity would help?
I have to say that my fave clothing store nail polish comes from Topshop, but I am not sure you get them in America?
Oh wow that’s horrible! I wouldn’t even put it in the SHARE bin I’d put it in the “I wouldn’t wish this polish on my worst enemy” bin or the “Creepy” bin Lol. Or maybe a “WTF?” bin.
Oh, what a shame! It was so promising!! But it sounds like your mom is awesome at picking out polishes for you
I had the same problem with a Pure Ice polish by the name of Super Star. So beautiful in the bottle, a deep red with fine multi-colored glitter. On the nail, it looked (and felt) like sandpaper. But how cool for your mom to pick out some shades that are close to your tastes. She rocks!
Oh dear, so much promise…what a let-down! Had it turned out I would’ve sought this out immediately!
You should try Material Girl by Ulta. It’s pretty much this color but in a good formula.
It’s disappointing that this is a fail when applied. It looks so pretty in the bottle.
Oh my. What a disappointment! In the bottle, that polish is GORGEOUS. Fail doesn’t even describe it. Fail is too nice a word. ACK!
That’s cute that your mom reads your blog
It’s such a pretty color, though; what a shame
Aww, that’s a bummer. It’s a gorgeous shade of dark pink; my favorite kind of pink! I wonder if a coat of Gelous would help, too.
I say this though, and to be honest I’d probably be distracted by the texture and running my fingertips over my nails the entire time I’d be wearing it!
I didn’t know Fashion Bug sold nail polish either and I live near one. As for the nail polish it’s a beautiful color and by looking at your swatch I think the air bubbles give it a weird looking texture, but in a nice way.I think I would put on a really thick coat of Seche Vite over it and work it.
That finish is atrocious!
Wow O.o The color is gorgeous, I would even like it on the nail, however that formula is obvious fail. So weird.
It does not look smooth at all – agreed with that. To me, looks like something a teen would mess with. Oddly I am one of the rare folks that don’t live within hundreds of miles of a Clair’s, Forever 21 or any of those others you mentioned. The recession took out all the major malls for hundreds of miles – not that we had many anyway. Mostly just long distance drives to Wal-Mart/Target around my parts.
How disappointing about the gritty texture! I really love the colour and holo shimmer.
It definitely looked like there’s texture in the finish…
How are you sharing these? I don’t have any polish friends and want to clean out some colors in my tiny collection so I can keep it tiny.
Lovely color… I rather like the textured effect it gives.
Love the color, maybe the formula should have been made so there was more gloss and a bonding substance for the glitter. Thanks for the swatch!
Wow, this is a really pretty color! Too bad the glitter doesn’t translate that well on the nail. I haven’t tried any retail store nail polish before, but Forever 21 seems to have a good selection online.
What a disappointment! It looked so cool in the bottle. But you are right, EVERYONE sells nail polish these days. I was at Aldo the other day and even they had it by the checkout counter!
What a shame. It looks so pretty in the bottle. Perhaps the base color was too pigmented for the glitter.
Lane Bryant has nail polish as well. Since Fashion Bug and Lane Bryant are owned by the same parent corporation, I can’t say if it’s the same polish with different labels, but I noticed they have a bunch of funky glitters and neons.
Dang! That looks awesome in the bottle, what a shame
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Oh no! What a huge bummer! It’s such a pretty shade! Too bad it looks so clumpy on the nail. Boo!
haha for some reason I find it cool…..lol
Bleh. That’s a real shame- what a strange finish! I would feel kind of cheesy wearing a fashion bug polish anyway. Is that awful?
I almost bought this the other day! Thank goodness I didn’t! Ugh, regift it! XD
I actually like the texture of this
I don’t have it but I like the way it looks. It’s different and kinda looks like foil…I’m weird that way haha! You are more than welcome to share it with me! LOL
What a pity. The colour’s really lovely
What a shame about the finish. I was excited when I read that the pigmentation was so good, and then I scrolled down.
Enjoyed getting glimpse into your family. Very sweet of your mom, and I know how she feels about hunting down those special, surprise gifts.
call me crazy but i love it! i love the color and the finish isnt ugly, just different… nail polish doesnt always have to have a perfect glossy finish, right?
Wow…that majorly sucks!
It would have been such a gorgeous polish..I hope the other Fashion Bug colors don’t have this weird texture.
The weirdest one to me is Payless. I just don’t associate shoes with cosmetics!
I love Forever21 for nail polish, they have a great selection so there is always a color or two that intrigues me and I must have. I wish I had an American Apparel nearby too, I’d like to try out their famous cremes, but hate ordering online. I want to see it in person first.
Ick! It reminds me of a lot of the LA Splash polishes. They feel like concrete.
i love the color/glitter of this one!
really wish the texture wasn’t that weird..
I bought a polish from nordstrom rack that had these very same issues, which was a shame! It is a metallic pewter color with holo glitter but was bumpy and weirdly textured on the nail. I’ve always wondered if adding either thinner or clear polish would help.
I like this on you. Because all the nails seem to have the same texture, it does not look like sheet nails to me.
I bought a polish from Nordstrom Rack and had the very same problem. It was gorgeous in the bottle-pewter with holographic glitter. But it ended up chunky, funky, and textured on my nails just like this one. I’ve always wondered if it would help to add some polish thinner or clear polish to the bottle.
Oh yes… I love the color, but that lumpy texture is so not sexy.
I actually like the texture! =D
Too bad! The color on the bottle looks so cool!
That lumpy feel would bug me. Moving on!
I purchased this polish despite your review. Not because I didn’t think you knew what you were talking about, but because it was such a marvelous color in the bottle.
Used it before my mini-vaca and it turned out texturized as well, but I actually liked it once it was on. I used a couple of coats of “Out the Door Northern Lights” to accentuate the holo glitter and it looked even nicer. But I thought, maybe if I put an additional coat of regular “Out the Door” on it would smooth the feel if not the look….but nope. However I still liked the look which I, like you have DeVito Syndrome and pick at anything not quite right. My only complaint is that with the texture they chip easily. I painted them on Saturday but they were chipped on Monday. Not usually a problem as I change polish every other day, but was traveling.
I think I will save it for designs or nail art. I’m a polish hoarder….I’ll readily admit it!
My favorite Fashion Bug polish is Cantaloupe, a creamy, muted neon orange. It’s unique and hard to describe, but it looks great on my skin. Unfortunately they don’t make it anymore, and my sister has a bottle that I’m lemming.
They should just advertise that texture! I love it.