Illamasqua Viridian Nail Varnish
Illamasqua’s Art of Darkness: Viridian
Illamasqua Viridian Nail Varnish (£13.00 for 0.5 fl. oz.) is a darkened teal base with lighter teal micro-shimmer; the teal leans towards the blue side, making it a cooler-toned teal. Funny enough, when the flash fired, it pulled out more of the green in the teal, but overall, it still pulls bluer-teal.
The formula and application was just like Scarab: smooth, even, intensely pigmented–one coat would likely be enough, though I did two in the swatches.
Viridian is also new for fall, but it looks to be permanent from what I can tell.
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- Product: 28/30
- Value: 8/10
- Ease of Use: 5/5
- Packaging: 4/5
RECOMMENDATION: A very lovely shade and particularly flattering on cooler, paler skin tones as it leans blue.
AVAILABILITY: Illamasqua
Illamasqua Scarab Nail Varnish
Illamasqua’s Art of Darkness: Scarab
Illamasqua Scarab Nail Varnish (£13.00 for 0.5 fl. oz.) is a fiery ruby red with copper and scarlet shimmer strewn through the color. It almost looks metallic but not quite. It’s a very cool shade with depth; I envision flames licking through the ruby red, because it just has on-fire look to it. This shade was extremely rich in pigment–one coat was nearly enough, but I still wound up with two, just because it feels more complete (to me) that way.
Nonetheless, smooth, even application with no fuss. The formula itself was of a medium-thick consistency–the norm for Illamasqua’s varnishes. It has a slight shine in its natural finish, but I recommend a shiny top coat to really finish it. I noticed very subtle brush strokes in close-ups, but everything looked pretty smooth at a normal viewing distance. Illamasqua described this as a metallic, but it feels more like a shimmer with only a touch of metallic-ness.
Scarab is new for fall, but it looks to be permanent from what I can tell–so far only available through Illamasqua directly.
If you want to know more about how products are evaluated, read out Rating System FAQ!
- Product: 28/30
- Value: 8/10
- Ease of Use: 5/5
- Packaging: 4/5
RECOMMENDATION: Definitely a favorite of mine for the fall season–rich, luxurious, and top notch application.
AVAILABILITY: Illamasqua
