Did you know this about neons?

The world of nail polish is an enigma to me. Not only is there nail art that would rival the Mona Lisa, there are textures, finishes and combinations that just overwhelm me. Have you ever heard of a jelly sandwich? Not the kind that is paired with peanut butter. The kind that you wear on your nails.

I have been an OPI or Essie girl pretty much exclusively until late. I really didn’t know there were so many brands out there. Zoya is a brand that I have been hearing about lately so when they had a sale, I picked up some new shades. One of the shades I chose is called Charisma and is described as an ultra bright neon flourescent magenta/red-toned purple cream. That’s a lot of adjectives. It won the InStyle Best Beauty Buys of 2011 award for best bright-colored nail polish. I didn’t look at the 9 adjective description when I put it in my shopping cart. I just liked the color so I bought it. I also didn’t look at the Important Information on the site that says: The pigment in Charisma is very unique. Charisma must always be worn with a clear topcoat to deliver a long-lasting lustrous finish. Otherwise the color dries matte. So imagine my surprise when the color dried like this on my nails…

I thought I got a bad bottle. It was dull and ugly. I had never seen a misrepresentation of polish so disappointing in my life! I went to Zoya’s website to make sure I got the right shade and that’s when I read the little disclaimer. So I grabbed my CND Super Shiny topcoat and applied it on top of 2 coats of Charisma.

I LOVE this color! It’s completely different from anything I ever wear. The clear coat gave it that glossy finish I was hoping for and transformed it from drab to fab.

Moral of the story: Don’t judge a color by its naked self.

Am I the last person on earth who knew this about neons? What about jelly sandwiches?

Availability: zoya.com $8.00

-Olive