Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Mellow Yellow and Candeo Colors Jellybean

From daffodils, tulips and forsythia to peeps, jellybeans and dyed eggs, 'tis the season for yellow. From what I've seen, new yellow nail polishes start popping up around this time of year too. The first one I have for you today isn't new, in fact it just might be an old friend (or enemy, depending on how you feel about it). It's Mellow Yellow from Sally Hansen's Xtreme Wear line, a bright lemon yellow creme.

Application of most yellows tends to be a battle against streakiness, and Mellow Yellow is no different. On my very furrowed nails, this is a problem. But I'm happy to say that Mellow Yellow has pretty awesome self-leveling qualities for a yellow and even though I only used two coats as I planned to top it with another polish, I was actually impressed with the coverage I got. Sure, the ridges show, but overall the color is fairly even and the coverage definitely sufficient for a base layer. The consistency was fluid and thin without being runny, applied fairly easily in medium coats and dried naturally in average time to a shiny finish. Let's take a look....

Photos show two coats of Mellow Yellow over treatment and basecoat with no topcoat.

Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Mellow Yellow

Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Mellow Yellow

Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Mellow Yellow

Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Mellow Yellow

Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Mellow Yellow

Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Mellow Yellow

Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Mellow Yellow

While I probably wouldn't wear this by itself (if I did I'd definitely add another coat), it makes great undies for the next yellow I have for you, Jellybean by Candeo Colors. Jellybean was among my first forays into the wonderful world of indie polishes. I saw a swatch and was smitten. It's adorable! Jellybean has a pale creamy yellow base brimming with all sorts of brightly colored glitters. There are medium hexes in pink, purple and turquoise and microglitter in chartreuse, lime and pink. The contrasting colors against the yellow just make my eyes so happy I can't help but love this polish.

Application got a little out of control. This polish has a high glitter density and if you're not careful (hello!) you can end up with more glitter on your nail than you bargained for. Luckily, I'm not averse to packing on the glitter especially with such a bright background and applied two coats of Jellybean over the Mellow Yellow manicure above. This is probably too much for some folks, but I love it on the nail. Other than demasiado glitter, Jellybean is an easy and fun polish to apply. I had some instances of the medium hexes protruding over my free edge, but again this polish is too much fun to worry and quibble. I just wait til everything's dry and gently file off the offenders using a glass file. Jellybean dries naturally in good time to a surprisingly smooth and shiny finish.

With apologies for the lack of cleanup, on to the photos, which show two coats of Jellybean over the Mellow Yellow manicure above plus a topcoat of Seche Vite.

Candeo Colors Jellybean over Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Mellow Yellow

Candeo Colors Jellybean, macro shot in the bottle

Candeo Colors Jellybean over Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Mellow Yellow

Candeo Colors Jellybean over Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Mellow Yellow

Candeo Colors Jellybean over Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Mellow Yellow

Candeo Colors Jellybean over Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Mellow Yellow

Candeo Colors Jellybean over Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Mellow Yellow

Candeo Colors Jellybean over Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Mellow Yellow

As you can probably tell, Mellow Yellow (ironically) brightens up Jellybean's base color considerably, and I find this quite acceptable. This is no time for subtlety! Applied more delicately, Jellybean can have a less rowdy air, but it's always going to be a party on the nail. It's a striking, colorful and fun polish composition for this time of year. Yes, it's busy, but in a good way!

love,
Liz