Zoya Julie Nail Lacquer ($8.00 for 0.50 fl. oz.) Is described as a “full-coverage, soft, wisteria purple metallic”. It’s a light-medium lavender with neutral undertones and a delicate white shimmer. Essie Bangle Jangle is darker and grayer, plus it is a cream. Essie Nice is Nice is pinker and a cream. MAC Little Girl Type is lighter and cooler-toned, and it is also a cream. Nubar Purple Aster is grayer and has very fine shimmer. Zoya Marley is also grayer and has very fine shimmer.
This shade applied beautifully–no streaking, bubbling, or pooling–and there was no trouble with brush strokes showing, despite its metallic finish. It was mostly opaque in two medium coats of polish, and the shimmer distributed evenly. The consistency of the formula wasn’t too thick or too thin (consistent with Zoya’s formula, which is slightly thicker than average). Julie seemed to have a slightly quicker drying time compared to the average polish. I typically get a week of wear out of Zoya’s polish with minor tip wear but no chipping.
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Released for spring, this shade is very appropriate for the current season, but it holds plenty of brightness that it seems just as (if not more) appropriate for summer. Though it’s bright, it doesn’t turn neon, so the formula doesn’t act like a neon, either; it dries to a glossy shine. In two coats, New Money was fully opaque, and the formula was easy to work with. The consistency wasn’t too thick or too thin, and I didn’t have any trouble with bubbling, streaking, or the lacquer pooling along the edges of the nail. I typically get a full week of wear with very minor tip wear with L’Oreal’s Colour Riche formula.
Released for spring, this shade is very appropriate for the current season, but it holds plenty of brightness that it seems just as (if not more) appropriate for summer.
Product
10/10
Pigmentation
10/10
Texture
10/10
Longevity
9.5/10
Application
5/5
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Where to Buy
This product can be purchased at the following retailers:
Sometimes products are discontinued or limited edition, which means that a product may no longer be available at one or more retailers so you may need to shop around for those hard-to-find shades! We try to update products as they become discontinued, and if you discover a product has been discontinued, please help us help others by letting us know.
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Butter London Jasper Nail Lacquer ($15.00 for 0.40 fl. oz.) is described as an “opaque bright pastel yellow creme.” It’s a lightened, warm, buttery yellow with a glossy, creamy finish. NARS 15 Minutes is only slightly darker, but the two are very similar in color (application was easier with Jasper).
Yellow polishes are notorious for streaky color, and often, they can be weak in pigmentation, too. Jasper was one of the easiest yellow creams I’ve I’m applied and rather remarkably easy to apply for a pastel shade at that. My best advice is to ensure you’ve waited for your first coat to dry before applying the second coat, because it isn’t terribly forgiving and will pull if you apply your second coat too quickly. It was opaque after two coats of polish, and the consistency wasn’t too thick or too thin. I didn’t have problems with it bubbling, pooling, or streaking. I typically get a week of wear out of Butter London’s formula with very minor tip wear but no chipping.
Sometimes products are discontinued or limited edition, which means that a product may no longer be available at one or more retailers so you may need to shop around for those hard-to-find shades! We try to update products as they become discontinued, and if you discover a product has been discontinued, please help us help others by letting us know.
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Shimmer Linna Nail Lacquer ($12.00 for 0.50 fl. oz.) is described as an “emerald green, teal mix.” It is primarily a mix of emerald green and teal glitter, but there are also some bits of blue and red pieces, too. While the glitter nail polish gallery is certainly growing, it is by no means comprehensive, and so I don’t have any dupes to suggest for this.
Linna had good density and opacity; I used one coat over a chartreuse green cream (L’Oreal New Money), and then I also did two coats over my thumbnail and three on pinky nail of the glitter polish alone. Two coats were pretty good but three would be best for full opacity (which is what the brand recommended to me for full opacity when I asked prior to even receiving product). The consistency wasn’t too thick or too thin, so the glitter dispersed and spread evenly across the nail without pooling along the edges and didn’t take long to dry. I’ve tested two shades (and Linna was one of those) for wear, and I saw seven days with minor tip wear but no chipping. I do warn you that most polishes wear well on me, so even more so than usual, your mileage may vary! I would recommend wearing a thick top coat on top to give a smoother, glossier finish.
The creatrix behind Shimmer is Cindy, and you can read more about how she got started and her philosophy on lacquer here, but I really love how she names her polishes after someone in her life that is important to her. It is an excellent way to acknowledge someone’s impact on your life. Per her website, she recommends two to three coats on her polishes for a “foil-like” finish. She has a good amount of stock and is available via Etsy, and the first is certainly something I look for in indie brands!
I loved that the consistency wasn't too thick, so it wasn't problematic to apply the glitter, and even though it wasn't thick, it still spread evenly and easily.
Product
9.5/10
Pigmentation
10/10
Texture
9/10
Longevity
9/10
Application
5/5
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Where to Buy
This product can be purchased at the following retailers:
Sometimes products are discontinued or limited edition, which means that a product may no longer be available at one or more retailers so you may need to shop around for those hard-to-find shades! We try to update products as they become discontinued, and if you discover a product has been discontinued, please help us help others by letting us know.
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Illamasqua Freckle Nail Varnish ($16.00 for 0.50 fl. oz.) is described as a “speckled tan.” It’s a light-medium beige brown cream base color paired with small black glitter and larger, hexagon-shaped black glitter. Zoya Minka is a lighter, more beige-hued color. It was the only shade that came to mind that might be similar to the base color of Freckle (and it’s not close).
Like the other shades in the speckled family, it was a breeze to apply and work with. The color coverage was fully opaque after two coats, but one coat still had a surprising amount of opacity. It flowed well across the nail without pooling along the edges, bubbling, or streaking. I didn’t have any streaking on the first coat with this shade, though it was not too surprising given it is not nearly as light or pastel as the other colors in the range. I usually find that Illamasqua’s polish wears exceptionally well on me with ten to fourteen days of wear with minimal tip wear but no chipping.
This is definitely a love it or leave it kind of shade; it's definitely not a traditional shade we see for spring. The formula was great, so if you're in the love it camp, you have something unique and high quality available to you.
Product
10/10
Pigmentation
10/10
Texture
10/10
Longevity
10/10
Application
5/5
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Where to Buy
This product can be purchased at the following retailers:
Sometimes products are discontinued or limited edition, which means that a product may no longer be available at one or more retailers so you may need to shop around for those hard-to-find shades! We try to update products as they become discontinued, and if you discover a product has been discontinued, please help us help others by letting us know.
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China Glaze Keep Calm, Paint On Nail Lacquer ($8.00 for 0.50 fl. oz.) is described as a “sea foam green.” It’s a pale, sea foam green (or aqua green, if you prefer) with very fine white micro-shimmer. Butter London Fiver is the closest shade I have to this, but Fiver is a cream finish (no shimmer) and a touch lighter. MAC In the Limelight is bluer, darker, and a cream.
The formula was slightly on the thicker side but still rather manageable, so it wasn’t troublesome to work with when I applied it. Keep Calm, Paint On was full opaque in color after two medium coats of polish. Despite its pale coloring, I didn’t have issues with streaking, which tends to be something that pastels are prone to. It applied fairly evenly and smoothly, and it didn’t bubble or pool along the edges. The drying time seemed a bit faster than the average polish with this color. I usually get a week of wear with minor tip wear but no chipping with China Glaze’s formula.
Sometimes products are discontinued or limited edition, which means that a product may no longer be available at one or more retailers so you may need to shop around for those hard-to-find shades! We try to update products as they become discontinued, and if you discover a product has been discontinued, please help us help others by letting us know.
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