July 7, 2008
Hard To Find Week Pre-Party: Cover Girl Crackle Lacquer
All next week is Hard-to-Find Week on the MUA nail board. In preparation for the festivities the girls, myself included, have been rummaging through stashes in order to find those elusive polishes we all love so much. So I decided that I’m going to dedicate the next few posts to my favorite hard-to-finds. To kick things off, I present to you, a flash back to the year 2000 – Cover Girl Crackle Lacquer.
These two are Halloween themed, Boo Hou and Jack-o-Lantern, but if my memory serves me, there was a full line of these. I think I remember owning a white one that I used to layer over black nail polish. Oh ho, my teenage self was *so* edgy. If I had it now, I would use it over gold polish to rip off the MAC Antiquitease mani.
Crackle actually has an interesting back story (here’s the original press release), apparently the person who invented it did so by accident while trying to invent something else- then tweaked the formula to be marketed as cracking nail polish. The patent is held under the title “Nail Enamel Composition Having Decorative Appearance”, which I find highly amusing.
This bottle of Crackle was given to me by MUA’s lovely lindyspendy. I almost died when I got it since I’d been hunting Crackles unsuccessfully for a long time. Seriously, opening that package was like opening Tutankhamun’s tomb. The formula has thinned out over the years. This bottle may very well be over 8 years old. You can’t really do multiple layers with Crackle so there’s no way to curb the thinness of the formula – but – I actually think it actually looks cool over black. The thinness gives it an eerie faded quality.
This bottle of Crackle is from evilbay. It was a bit pricey but not horrible, totally worth it. This bottle’s formula was too thick, also probably from age. However, it dried with excellent cracks, so I won’t complain. You guys will notice I only swatched 2 nails for each color whereas I usually do a full hand. That’s how special this polish is too me, I feel bad putting it on just to take it off!
The Polish Addict 
Aziajs said,
July 7, 2008 at 10:28 pm
OMG!!!! I looooooooooooooooooooove this! I remember crackle polishes from back in the day. I wonder if anyone still makes them.
pssion said,
July 8, 2008 at 1:38 am
Oh I remember when these came. I thought they were soo cool. I don’t know why I never bought one though :/
sher said,
July 8, 2008 at 2:22 am
This looks sooo good, why did they stop making this? It could be so “in” right now.
Scrangie said,
July 8, 2008 at 4:59 am
Ah, I fondly remember these. I loved them so much. I don’t know why I tossed all my old polish a few years ago… I’m kicking myself!
These are so cool, they need to re-release them! The crackle polishes from Transdesign are nowhere near as good.
pretear said,
July 8, 2008 at 5:10 am
Aziajs – some companies do but usually it’s just black for Halloween. : (
Pssion – tell me about it, I know wish I had bought all of them.
Sher – I remember they were really in when they came out but I’m sure after a while the trend dropped off. : P We could always start a campaign asking them to bring it back. : P
Scrangie – WHAT!?! YOU THREW AWAY YOUR OLD POLISH!?!?! I just died a little inside. Tell me about these crackle polishes from TD. What makes them sucky?
Steph said,
July 8, 2008 at 6:27 am
*drools* both these look amazing! I can kick myself in the butt for throwing out the white and black. They became so thick and gooey and almost impossible to deal with, I just tossed them one day out of frustration.
Monica Hansen said,
July 8, 2008 at 8:13 am
Snakeskinnishi…
Sminkan said,
July 8, 2008 at 9:08 am
I’d love to have one of those! Mmm! Very different!
Scrangie said,
July 8, 2008 at 8:29 pm
Steph, I KNOW!!! I was trying to “de-clutter” and I wasn’t as obsessed with polish as I am now. I said, “I’m probably never going to wear these again.” STUPID!!!!!!
Anyway, the crackle ones from Transdesign come in a kit, a bunch of different colors, small bottles. They take way too long to crackle, and don’t crackle very much. By the time they’ve actually crackled enough to look cool, the polish kinda just falls off before you can get a topcoat on it. *sigh*
Tink @ Casuallavish.com said,
July 8, 2008 at 10:29 pm
Now you have hunting down that polish!
Sarah said,
July 9, 2008 at 1:31 am
Oh my god! I was just thinking about these yesterday – feeling sad that I never tried them out – and they appear on the internet! I got all excited for a moment and thought they were coming back. May have to hunt for the Halloweeny ones when I’m in the US in October though!
pretear said,
July 9, 2008 at 5:32 am
I’m might have to try the transdesigns one now even if they are crappy! lol.
Sarah (and Tink too) – when you’re in the US try going to dollar stores. Lindyspendy found the bottle she gave me at a dollar tree I think
Sanna said,
July 9, 2008 at 9:49 am
they look so cool
Tiffany said,
July 9, 2008 at 9:22 pm
Whooooooa I totally forgot about those! I had that Halloween set too! I am still kicking myself about throwing away a ton of “old” polish about a year ago when I moved….I wish I had known about thinner back then :P
pretear said,
July 10, 2008 at 5:49 am
Another nail polish throw-awayer! : P I don’t think I’ve ever thrown out a bottle of polish – it’s blasphemous. lol.
Toma said,
July 11, 2008 at 5:04 pm
I remember these!! I use to get them at Super Walmart a few years ago. Wow..I don’t even remember what happened to the ones I had. I probably threw them out too!
RI said,
July 19, 2008 at 3:11 pm
I just bought a pair…they have them at the dollar store where i live..2 4 the price of 1
RI said,
July 19, 2008 at 3:14 pm
trust me these are not hard to find….they have loads on them for cheap at this store
pretear said,
July 19, 2008 at 3:29 pm
These were discontinued several years ago, some discount stores carry them every once in a while, but they are no longer readily available to everyone – so while it may not have been hard for you particularly to find them, they are hard to find.
RI said,
July 19, 2008 at 3:58 pm
yes there are discontinued but this store has lots of them…they had them for two years already..Ive even seen these on the internet also…So its not a once in a while thing…its not hard to find
pretear said,
July 19, 2008 at 4:16 pm
: ) Well I’m not going to argue with you about it, they were hard to find for me, it’s great that they weren’t hard to find for you.
RI said,
July 19, 2008 at 4:28 pm
Thats why they have Ebay…..but on Ebay it costs more more….I suggest people hit the dollar store…you cant go wrong
RI said,
July 19, 2008 at 4:29 pm
I just finished using some…I dont really like them tho…mainly for teenagers
gigglemommy said,
July 19, 2008 at 5:14 pm
I wouldn’t have these if some of my very generous friends hadn’t shared them with me…i have hit Dollar Tree Mother Loads of polish several times of the year, but these have never shown. Certain parts of the country get different shades and styles of polish, so just because one Dollar Tree is overloaded with them doesn’t mean they all are ;) I have a distinct notion the Dollar Trees that do get these are going to get hit HARD after these pics though :)
vc said,
July 19, 2008 at 7:09 pm
i used to love these! i dont remember what i didi with mine,probably threw them away too :(. they ARE htf, not everyone has dollar trees around with great stuff (me included) and ebay can be ridiculously overpriced.
RI said,
July 19, 2008 at 9:00 pm
well I guess im the lucky one then..lol
cs said,
July 31, 2008 at 11:13 am
I just bought this last night at the Dollar Tree!!! I was not sure what it really did but I think my young girls will have fun with this around Halloween !!–If its any good since you are saying its from 2000. So check your local Dollar Tree if you want a flash back!!
pretear said,
July 31, 2008 at 11:31 am
My dollar tree is lame but girls have been checking dollar trees across the nation for me. I have a white one on the way. *is excited*
Sarah said,
August 8, 2008 at 10:19 pm
So i just found a BUNCH of these at my local dollar tree!! Woo Hoo!
Rachel said,
August 12, 2008 at 12:23 pm
I used to love the white crackle I had, then a few years ago I went to use it and it didn’t crack when it dried. It was too old and I had to chuck it. I hope I can find another :(
pretear said,
August 12, 2008 at 1:15 pm
A friend from MUA got me a white crackle from the Dollar Tree – you might want to scope that out if you have any where you live. : )