e.l.f. Holiday Nail Polish Set - Review, Swatches, Photos

Have you spotted any holiday displays or products at your favorite makeup haunts yet? Seems I can't round the corner without bumping into festive reminders of the upcoming celebratory season! On the one hand I am neither ready nor particularly excited for the forthcoming piles of snow and sheets of ice, weather-related traffic delays, blistering, finger-numbing cold, or the days of work required to prepare a ten-course Christmas Eve dinner for fourteen plus family members and friends; On the other hand, I'm always up for a hot cup of cocoa while watching the snow fall outside, being perpetually doused with a deluge of decorations and Christmas music at the local shops, and breaking icicles off our doorframe (love doing that!). As they say (or, at least as the English author wrote), it [is] the best of times, it [is] the worst of times... :)

In any case, this little e.l.f. nail polish set I purchased at Target for $5 gives me hope that the next couple of months will indeed be filled more with tidings of joy and merriness than with the neuroticism, panic, and general surliness that the winter incites in me. (I have recurring nightmares where everyone arrives for Christmas Eve dinner and nothing's ready. Subsequently everyone flips out, disowns me, and leaves me with only several dozen pounds of half-cooked meat, a few sacks of potato, and a bottle or two of cheap vodka to keep me company.)

First up is Golden Goddess, a sheer light gold with silver glitter:

This was two coats. Maybe I'm losing my mind, but I kind of like this lacquer by itself (though obviously it's great for layering, too) - it's fun but still subdued and friendly for some (many?) workplaces.

Now, my favorite - Metal Madness! This is a deep, silvered charcoal frost with tiny, sparse, multi-colored glitter!

Two coats, again. I have to mention how much I ADORE the colorful glitter? It brings Metal Madness from a plain old gray shimmer to something playful and pretty unique! In my stash, at least, I don't believe I have a similar color.

This is Mod Mauve, a putty mauve creme:

Mod Mauve is a glossy neutral and this was two coats. It's nice and I like it, but it's nothing to write home about. Moving on...

Red Velvet, a beautiful garnet shimmer:

Two coats. Red Velvet has that 'lit-from-within' quality, like it's resting atop glowing embers. Depending on the angle, this shade flashes dark pink.

This is two coats of Royal Purple, a grape shimmer:

Royal Purple is vibrant and feels like it belongs in a spring/summer collection, but I'm pleased that e.l.f. included it in the holiday set! This lacquer has a very similar finish to Red Velvet and flashes fuchsia in the right light.
e.l.f.'s nail polish collection is great wintery fun and a good value at $5. I found the consistency of the formula to be decent, a tad thin but very much manageable. The only issue I had was with the brushes - two were jagged and uneven, and in one a bristle was sticking out (I pulled it out, and the brush was perfectly fine afterward). This means you have to be extra careful when applying to get a smooth line, but it's not too much of a bother and certainly not a deal-breaker.

I must say, I feel that Mod Mauve is a throwaway polish and a bit of a missed opportunity. While the other four colors harmonize beautifully, MM shrinks back against its shimmering, sparkling cohorts. It's like the four shades are out partying, painting the town red (or gold, or violet, or charcoal 8D) and Mauve is stuck at home, nursing a massive hangover. I don't protest the addition of a creme polish to this set per se, but why a dirty mauve? It doesn't scream 'holiday!' to me.

Nevertheless, this little set is very much worth it! Have you picked up any of the e.l.f. holiday sets?