Cult Nails Scandalous Nail Lacquer ($10.00 for 0.50 fl. oz.) is described as a “pastel coral” with a jelly finish, which is buildable in color. It’s an orange-coral with a just-muted quality to the overall color. The bottle looks a bit brighter than how it appears on the nail. There’s an inkling of pink in the color, but it’s hard to see. I think against skin tones with pink undertones, it will be more apparent, but paired with my warm undertones, it pulls more orange. I don’t have any similar shades with a jelly finish, which is such a distinctive finish that similar hues don’t look the same because of that difference alone. Essie Tart Deco is a little paler, creamier. Barielle Blossom is much lighter.
There’s visible nail line after two coats (which is what I have on in the swatches), and three coats is nearly opaque–a hint of nail line comes through at certain angles. According to the brand, it’s “almost opaque” at two to three coats, which seems to be what I experienced. I think Maria does an excellent job at setting expectations with her shades. This dried a lot quicker than most polishes for me; I just applied it while editing the photos to ensure color accuracy, and it was mostly dry on its own after a couple of minutes–no top coat or anything–you’ll pick up fingerprints, so it wasn’t 100% dry, but enough to maneuver. The formula is of the typical thickness for a jelly; it had that slightly gel-like consistency. Cult Nails’ formulas tend to wear a full week on me with no chipping and very minor tip wear.
It has a really lovely squishy look to it, and I love that it's buildable--you can have the more common translucent jelly-look, but you can also go opaque without having to do four layers.
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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Cult Nails Seduction Nail Lacquer ($10.00 for 0.50 fl. oz.) is described as a “sheer purple/red jelly top coat polish loaded with red and blue multichromatic flakes.” The base color is a red-violet jelly that’s semi-opaque after two coats. If you did three, you should still have some translucency, which is expected given the shade’s description. It has that squishy, plush look of a jelly finish, so I like it a lot with just two coats. The flakes deposit evenly across the nail for the most part, and they apply smoothly; there are no rough edges or finishes here. I applied two coats of it alone, and then I applied two coats of it over black. The flakes shift from coppery-orange to pink-red to red to violet purple. Over black, the flakes take on a deeper, more intense appearance–more red and purple than gold, pink-red, and violet.
I couldn’t think of any dupes for the base color–none of the purples that came close in hue had the jelly finish. Deborah Lippmann is nothing like this–it’s a deep, dark indigo with less shift in the flakes. Zoya Chloe has the orange/red flakes but lacks the purple ones. If you have a wider stash of holographic top coats, you may find you have something that you could layer to yield similar results (I just couldn’t find anything from what I remember and have tried!).
If you’ve been thinking on this shade, you won’t want to let yourself think too long, because it’s limited edition–and for a reason–Maria said that the ingredients used to create it are no longer available as a U.S.-made commodity, so once it’s gone, it’s gone. I remember Maria wanted to bring back Clairvoyant, but she wasn’t able to, due to unavailability of ingredients.
The formula was a pleasure to work with; it had that thicker consistency expected of a jelly texture, but it’s not the kind of thick that it’s goopy or anything like that. I’d almost rather describe it as plush. It applied easily and evenly across the nail without pooling, bubbling, or streaking. Cult Nails’ formula wears exceptionally well with very minor tip wear after a week of wear and never any chipping–and I’ve tested six shades from their range (across different finishes). Since this just arrived and I wanted to make sure I reviewed before it was sold out (which I wasn’t able to do when Clairvoyant came around–a shade I did test for wear), I did not specifically test the wear on this shade.
If you've been thinking on this shade, you won't want to let yourself think too long, because it's limited edition--and for a reason--Maria said that the ingredients used to create it are no longer available as a U.S.-made commodity, so once it's gone, it's gone.
Product
10/10
Pigmentation
10/10
Texture
10/10
Longevity
10/10
Application
5/5
Login or Register to be able to add this to your Vanity or Wishlist! Plus rate and review!
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.
Disclosure: Temptalia uses affiliate links, which give us a small commission when you make a purchase (given to us by the retailer, at no cost to you). Your purchases help to support the site!
Cult Nails My Kind of Cool Aid Nail Lacquer ($10.00 for 0.50 fl. oz.) is described as a “purple/gray” or “gravender” as Cult Nails calls it. It’s a light-medium grayish purple with sparse white shimmer that’s opaque in two coats. I’d say the closest shade I have to it is Rescue Beauty Lounge Insouciant, which is a few shades darker and less gray. Shades like Nubar Purple Aster and Zoya Marley are much lighter.
The formula is excellent–it wears really well without bubbling, chipping, or streaking. The lacquer applies evenly and flows well on the nail, and after a week, there is minimal tip wear. One of the best things about the brand is that you’re supporting an independent company and truly making someone’s dream come true–and when you have a great back story with a quality product? It doesn’t get any better.
My kind of Cool Aid is soft, wearable but not just a nude or beige--there's that purpleness to it that gives it an airiness. In two coats, it's opaque, and the formula is a dream to work with!
Product
10/10
Pigmentation
10/10
Texture
10/10
Longevity
10/10
Application
5/5
Login or Register to be able to add this to your Vanity or Wishlist! Plus rate and review!
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.
Disclosure: Temptalia uses affiliate links, which give us a small commission when you make a purchase (given to us by the retailer, at no cost to you). Your purchases help to support the site!
Cult Nails Hypnotic Collection Review, Photos, Swatches
Cult Nails Hypnotic Collection is now available, and Temptalia readers can take $5 off $40+ orders with code TEMPTALIA, good through 8/31. There are four shades in the fall collection, and each bottle contains 0.5 fl. oz. and costs $10. The shades include: Awakening (dusty teal), Enigmatic (purple base with a brown hue), Hypnotize Me (sheer green jelly with glitter), and In a Trance (olive green to muted gold).
Awakening is a dark, smoked teal-blue with a cream finish. I needed three coats for opaque color, because the consistency is on the thinner side. It has a dustier appearance (so it looks more muted, less intense) compared to MAC Deep Sea and Rescue Beauty Lounge Teal. It’s like a teal version of MAC Blue India.
Enigmatic is a plum purple with hints of brown and red flecked with silver and plum shimmer. I needed two coats for opaque color. The brown hues of the shade disappear under brighter light. China Glaze Urban Night is a bit lighter and doesn’t have any shimmer.
Hypnotize Me is a very barely green-tinted base with iridescent blue and green glitter. It’s supposed to be sheer, and if you want a more cohesive result, it’s probably best as a layering shade. The texture is extremely thick–it’s very much like jelly or jam or even like hair gel (thick of the type in a tub). Because of the overall thickness of the formula, you have to be careful applying the color. I only did two coats, because I didn’t want to go too thick.
In a Trance is a olive green with tarnished gold shimmer. It was opaque in two coats, and the formula was just right–not too thick or too thin. To me, this was the standout shade of the four, particularly because of how easy it was to apply. The base color is similar to Rescue Beauty Lounge No More War. It’s not quite as bright or as green as China Glaze Peace on Earth.
In a Trance had the best formula, while Awakening was a little sheer (needed three coats) and Hypnotize Me is extremely thick (not gloppy necessarily, but it truly has the texture of a gel). I like the concept of Hypnotize Me but would appreciate a thinner consistency overall. In the past, I’ve tested out several shades from Cult Nails, and the wear is great–a good week with minor tip wear (with a proper base/top coat).
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.
Disclosure: Temptalia uses affiliate links, which give us a small commission when you make a purchase (given to us by the retailer, at no cost to you). Your purchases help to support the site!
Cult Nails Let Me Fly Nail Laquer ($10.00 for 0.5 fl. oz.) is described as a “dusty turquoise shimmer with gorgeous silver shimmer.” It’s a dusty teal-blue with silver shimmer that’s opaque in two coats. The formula was really nice on this one; not too thick or thin with even flow and great coverage. I’ve had good luck with wear on Cult Nails’ line so far (I’ve tested three or four shades in full)–getting about a week’s worth of wear without chips.
It's a really stellar formula with opaque color in two coats. If you like the idea of a blue or teal for summer but don't find some of the brightness of those summery shades to your taste, this muted version might work.
Product
10/10
Pigmentation
10/10
Texture
10/10
Longevity
10/10
Application
4.5/5
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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.
Disclosure: Temptalia uses affiliate links, which give us a small commission when you make a purchase (given to us by the retailer, at no cost to you). Your purchases help to support the site!
Cult Nails Always Winning Nail Laquer ($10.00 for 0.5 fl. oz.) is described as a “sheer metallic olive green layering polish with gold and holo glitter.” It’s an olive green with a metallic shimmer threaded through the base color topped off with lots of gold glitter, along with pieces of glitter that look multi-colored in brighter light (see the photo taken with flash). I did three coats in the swatches, and you can see it’s more semi-opaque, but two coats gives you a sheerer look. The formula was on the thinner side but easy to work with, and the glitter spread evenly without having to work at it.
When it comes to a glittery shade like this one, it’s best to let your remover soak on the nail for a little bit and then removing. I just use felt soaked in Zoya Remove+ and press it against the nail for 5-10 seconds, and then I do one pull. I’ve had good luck with wear on Cult Nails’ line so far (I’ve tested three or four shades in full)–getting about a week’s worth of wear without chips.
I like the idea of a sheer metallic, because I think it works to minimize some of the brush strokes often apparent with more metallic finishes. The inclusion of glitter also varies up the finish so you get the metallic finish without the brush strokes.
Product
9.5/10
Pigmentation
10/10
Texture
9/10
Longevity
10/10
Application
4/5
Login or Register to be able to add this to your Vanity or Wishlist! Plus rate and review!
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.
Disclosure: Temptalia uses affiliate links, which give us a small commission when you make a purchase (given to us by the retailer, at no cost to you). Your purchases help to support the site!
