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Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Fun with KleanColor and Santee polishes

Last weekend Mr. G and I went to the local swap-meet here in San Diego called Kobey's. I hadn't been there in a while, but I remembered that the last time I went, there were beauty-supply vendors who sold cheapie polishes, so I kept my eyes peeled for some.

To my surprise, there was a vendor who had tons of KleanColor and Santee Plus polishes (I included a link to the KleanColor site, but I don't believe Santee has a website. I did find a decent assortment of Santee polishes on this site, though. FYI, I have not ordered from that site--I'm just including the link for reference). Both of these brands are impossible for me to find in local beauty supply stores and they were all $1 a piece at the swap-meet, so, SCORE! I picked up two KleanColor polishes and one Santee polish, and I wanted to show them to you in case you have access to these brands!

The first is a neon mint green by Santee:

Santee Plush Vikini Green


I sometimes have a horrible time applying light neon shades (they can be so streaky) but Vikini Green was a delight to apply. In these swatches, I'm wearing three coats, but I totally could have gotten by with two. This is by FAR the brightest light green of my collection.

On my ring finger, I'm wearing an "accent" color, which is a glitter by KleanColor:

KleanColor Sparkle Emerald (on ring finger)


I couldn't capture in photos what this glitter is really like in person. The glitter is so fine and delicate--I love it. In real life, you can see more violet blue glitter on the nail, as opposed to just gold, which is pretty much all you see in my pics.

Next up, I got a pretty rose-colored metallic foil from KleanColor:

KleanColor Pearl Fuschia


I just love foils--I can never have enough. And like most foils, this one dried in an instant. I was also very happy with the application--not too streaky at all! I only had to apply two coats for perfect opacity.

And because of the current crackle craze, I decided to put a coat of Barry M Instant Nail Effects (click here for my review and video of this crackle polish) over both the Vikini Green and Pearl Fuschia, just for fun:



Not too bad for $3 at the swap-meet, right? I think it will be very fun to wear Vikini Green on my toes this summer.

Do you own any Santee or KleanColor polishes? I'm pretty new to both brands, so I'm definitely open to suggestions!
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17 comments

  1. Maybe Kleancolor and Santee have the same parent company? I have a Kleancolor, in that same hue, called Vikini Green as well.

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  2. Erin, are you serious??? Wow!! Then you must be absolutely right! That would just be too much of a coincidence, huh? Thanks for the great insight!

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  3. I can get Kleancolors for $1 at a funky, old beauty supply in my area. I like their glitters. Have you heard of Ruby Kisses brand? They're sold at the same store, also for $1, fun color selection.

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  4. rosarita: It is so funny that you mentioned Ruby Kisses! I have reviewed a few of their polishes in the past, but I'm working on a big post because I stumbled upon a BUNCH of their new shades at a local beauty supply and bought about 5 of them (there's $1 each in my area too). I LOVE Ruby Kisses! Glad you have access to them too! :)

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  5. Ohhh that neon green is amazing! So eyesearing O__O

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  6. nice neon color! looks lovely over the crackle.

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  7. As soon as I saw this post, I was going to post the same exact thing as Erin. I also have that shade by KleanColor, which I got at a flea market about a year ago. Strange!

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  8. I have a couple of Santee and Kleancolor polishes. It does take about 3 coats or so to get to the right shade you wanted but ideally they are a very good brand and super cheap. Lots of store nearby my house sells them.

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  9. wow my eyes literally hurt when i looked at the green polish. that's how bright it is haha. i do like it though xx

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  10. I haven't run across any Santee polishes yet. However, I did find a beauty store that had Kleancolor polishes and I got skads! In fact, I just put on one with bar glitter (!!) and as much as I love it; damn, it is STINKY!!! Oh, I do love the colors you got! I, too, found Ruby Kisses at another beauty store. Love them too. :)

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  11. G or does anyone else know of a color that is close to that Santee Vikini Greene that you can get at the drugstore. They dont sell either of these product lines near me. But i love that color. You have to spend $25 on the Kleancolor website and all i see i wanted was the polish.

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  12. I LOVE Kleancolor polish! I also get them from the neighborhood beauty supply stores for $1. My faves are their holos (modest holo effect), Firework (chunky multi-glitter), Fashionista (murky pea soup green), Vikini Green and Golden Nightmare (black w/gold glitter and shimmer). Ruby Kisses has the coolest blue (Caribbean), silvers (Silver Metal and Silver Bling) and a great brick red (Golden Red). For a buck, you can't go too wrong. :)

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  14. when i lived in the states i used to get santee polishes at this one-off dollar store that sold mostly asian stuff. so i always assumed they were an asian brand. anyway i was always impressed by the quality, very opaque and easy to apply. i think i still have a black and a dark red from them.

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  15. Wow I have never heard of either of these brands but are so pretty...i wonder for the price if they are big 3 free?...Anyway the only beauty supply store we have that you dont need a hair or nail license is Sally so I will have to take a ride there and maybe these two will show up there. I havent been in there in forever!

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  16. Lillian: Eyesearing is right! lol!!

    Tara: Thank you! :)

    Katie: That IS strange! I guess that confirms they're owned by the same company, huh?

    Saroun: Lucky you! :)

    you nailed it!: I know, right? It's probably one of the brightest shades I own. lol!

    Kimberly: Yay! Soooo glad you have access to KleanColor AND Ruby Kisses! :)

    ashwillis83: Gosh, I'm trying to think of something that's close, and the only thing I can come up with is maybe one of the Sinful Colors Neons? I don't think there's an exact match, but I'd start by looking at those first. Sorry!

    coco_fiere: Gah! You're making me wish I had better access to their full display! Thank you SO much for the great recs, honey!

    Jane: Nope, I don't think they're an Asian brand, but you were so lucky to have good access to them!

    robin: I don't *think* they're B3F, but I'd have to get my magnifying glass out to be sure (that darned print is SO small on the bottles!). :)

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  17. I found Santee's website: http://santeecosmetic.com/

    A thrift/$1 store near me used to sell Santee but have since replaced them with Kleancolor, which I love a lot. The neon blue and purple are so great. Kleancolor also has some great eyeshadow palettes, too.

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