Illamasqua Baptiste Nail Varnish Review, Photos, Swatches
Tuesday, August 10th, 2010
Perfect for Fall: Baptiste
Illamasqua Baptiste Nail Varnish ($14.00 for 0.5 fl. oz.) is a stunning shade of shimmering royal purple with flecks of red and fuchsia-violet shimmer. It’s gorgeous in the light as well as out of it; it looks inkier when in the shade, but when the light hits it, all of the shimmer comes into play.
The formula was amazing! Smooth and easy to apply with plenty of pigment. I only used two coats on Baptiste, and it was completely opaque. It’s not too thick or thin–just right–which makes it easy to apply without worrying about streaking or patchiness. The wear was also excellent. Admittedly, I don’t do dishes (the boy takes care of that), but I do type all day, so sometimes that alone will show a polish’s true colors–Illamasqua stayed as pretty as when I put it on seven days later with just minor tip wear.
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- Product: 29/30
- Value: 8/10
- Ease of Use: 5/5
- Packaging: 4/5
RECOMMENDATION: If you don’t mind spending a little more for your polish, Illamasqua is most certainly worth a try. They offer a wide selection of shades (even here in the U.S.) and seem to have some unique shades in their line-up.
AVAILABILITY: Sephora
See more photos & swatches!
Illamasqua Baptiste Nail Varnish
Lament, Baptiste, Collide
Lament, Baptiste, Collide
Lament, Baptiste, Collide
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NARS Purple Rain would be a great dupe for this one! :)
I swatched them at Sephora last night; this definitely does look like OPI's Just a little Dangerous. Are you wearing a top coat? If yes, which one?
Yes, Zoya's!
oh, that looks sooooo pretty. Didn't see that at Sephora today. Have you compared it to OPI for Sephora color Just a Little Dangerous? I don't like frosty or shimmery nail colors but these 2 shades of purple might just make me cave.
I don't have any OPIs, sorry! :(
Did you prefer this to Nars Purple Rain? Which do you like more? Thank you!
Baptiste.
Thank you :) There's only about 10 Illamasqua colors I want to try now.
That looks great Christine! What do you do to keep your cuticles so nice and non-ragged (like mine are, blech). I've tried rubbing oil on them, but it doesn't seem to help that much.
Nothing :/ No cuticle oil or treatments. I always forget!
I love that colour -- it's very much something I'd wear in fall and winter. Just wish it wasn't so expensive!
Oh man! I am a sucker for purple nail polish and this already equals love!!! I must have this. Thanks for showing! :)
Wow, I really like this colour. Again off topic but Christine, do you know if China Glaze "in for Audrey, (I believe that's what is called) is discontinued? I live in Toronto, Ontario and I can't find it anywhere. After your reviews, I have been hunting for it but no luck. Maybe someone who lives in Toronto can please suggest somewhere. THX a bunch for everything!!
Hey Farida, I'm not sure, to be honest. I bought all of mine online at 8ty8beauty.com, lol!
Hey Farida! I still see For Audrey at Sally Beauty Supplies (I live in Chicago)
I can assure you that in those pics Baptiste is not even half beautiful as it should. It is the definitive purple. My bestest purple ever! I love it! ^^
I absolutely LOVE Illamasqua nail varnish! They may even take over OPI as my favourite.
I love Baptiste! What a gorgeous colour.
It is SO pretty with flash!
this is so pretty ! but kind of expensive. is there an opi that is similar in colour?
I'm not very familiar with OPI, sorry!!
I LOVE purples, and this purple seems unique!! I would love to have it :) I've also seen swatches of Collide, and that is another must-have for me. The only problem is that I can't justify spending $14.00 on nail polish right now... I'm saving for college so most of the money I get goes to my college fund or daily necessities. Maybe one day I'll splurge though... :)
Luckily it's permanent, so no rush :)
i love all of the colors!
This is lovely!
That purple is just so gorgeous.
wow thats a gorgeous purple!
This colour looks stunning! Are you wearing a top coat with that? It's super glossy :-)
No top coat!
Pretty but reminds me of NARS Purple Rain. Which would you say has better application?
This one definitely has a better application!
oh damn...i already have purple rain, so i won't be getting this ):
Oh, this one has been on my wishlist for so long.
Hi Christine! This color is absolutely gorgeous, it is love at first sight!!! Do you know if it is available in France ? I haven't seen any Illamasqua products here so far...
I believe you can order from illamasqua.com.
Thanks Christine !
This is such a pretty color for fall & winter! I'm quite attracted to Illamasqua products, especially their lip glosses.
Illamasqua is available at Sephora? Really? I had no idea. I've been wanting to try out ANYTHING from this brand for some time now.
Yes, some (but not all) of their products are available through Sephora :) I think more stores have it actually in-store these days, but for sure online.
What a great, deep purple color. I really love this. I want it for Halloween. ;)
I love this color!! My favorite purple and just gorgeous! Most polishes notoriously chip on me no matter what company they are from so I use a base from Nail Tek (I think foundation II) and top everything off with the seche vite topcoat and I get no chipping at all, or it takes a week for a small flake to pop off. I've used them with both the Baptiste & Paradoxal with no problems.
Wow, I love that purple. I can't wait to see myself. Thanks!
Love this colour, purple is such a good alternative to black on nails! but the other two colours are so summery! I await your verdict on them! Oh and if he does the dishes, he's definitely a keeper! ;)
Hey Christine, Quick question: do you know if this chips easily like first few days (or even hours). You won't believe the bad luck I had with Paradoxal Chanel nail polish, within hours of application it was chipping and all together didn't last a whole week. I was so disappointed for a high end product I expected more. So I don't want the same from illamasqua. Or maybe some colors are better than others!
Hey Vanelle, I have no issues with chipping with Illamasqua (I would definitely mention it in the review if I did), but to be fair, I don't have any chipping issues with Chanel either!
Sometimes if i keep my nails a little shorter it helps prevent chipping cause your nails have less flex!
K thanks @ Baby in a corner. I have really long nails but I'll cut them short from time to time. Thanks Christine. Maybe Chanel polishes just don't like me much, I don't even have a huge preference when it comes to polishes. Just great color, apply well and last at least a week. Thanks for your help.
Ooh, what base coat do you use with 'em? I always use Zoya's, but maybe it's a base coat issue (I know some don't work across all brands).
Well for this particular case none and that's because I'm not really a big fan of the base coat I use(seche vite). But even when I do use the base coats on polish like OPI or essie, I never had any problems. But then again this goes back to the quality being 'chanel'. I guess I'm meant to use a 'good' base for chanel, when I can use an average base or no base for essie and OPI and get great results. Lol With the seche vite base coat, I just found it didn't really do anything for me even keep the polish on longer. Maybe I'll look into the zoya one. My beauty store is for some reason always out of zoya products.
I always use Zoya's, which isn't too price or anything, and that seems to work well for me :D
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