Can we just talk about how awesome this top coat is for a minute?

I've been seeing the ladies post about this topcoat a lot in the reddit/r/RedditLaqueristas sub, and I've been dying to try it, but I could never find it. I tried using a dupe, Sally Hansen Triple Shine in Pearly Whites,  but it just wasn't anywhere near as awesome as Shine of the Times.

It's sparkly, but it just did not have that sparkle that the Essie top coat has. I also found that the flakes were kind of thick, so some of them would start to peel away, despite whether or not you put clear coat over it.

So I finally learned that Shine of the Times was a part of the Essie Luxeffects Collection from 2011, a holiday collection. So I went on eBay and got my hands on a set of two for $20.00 (and free shipping). That is definitely more than I would ever pay for nail polishes, but I needed this in my life.  And you know what, I am glad I bought it because I am OBSESSED with this top coat. 

Look at how shiny that is! I LOVE IT. But, it's hard to photograph well. I managed to get these shots outside when it was overcast. After playing around with it, I found that it looked best on dark colors, and putting a matte top coat over it made it stand out more.

The flakes themselves appear to be much, much thinner than the ones in the Sally Hansen polish. I put about two coats of it, and you can run your fingers over it and not feel it at all, unlike with the Sally Hansen polish. And none of the flakes peeled off, either.