illamasqua swinger nail varnish

5 Polish Picks for the Holidays

I tried to pick five various shades, rather than five of one color, to show off the variety of holiday-esque polishes!

1. China Glaze Cranberry Splash — brilliant bright red
2. Illamasqua Swinger — antique gold
3. Zoya Song — sparkling blue
4. Butter London British Racing Green — deep, dark green
5. Chanel Malice — deep, dark red

What’s your favorite polish for the holiday season?

Illamasqua Swinger Nail Lacquer

Stranger than Gold, It’s Swinger

Illamasqua Swinger Nail Varnish ($14.00 for 0.50 fl. oz.) is described as a “platinum gold.”  Yeah, I’d buy that.  To use my own words, I’d describe it as a champagne-gold with a little grit and dirt in it–it’s not a yellowy gold really, but it’s not quite dark and green-tinged enough to be an antique gold. Too gold to be a real pewter, but it’s all somewhere in there.  Revlon Gold Coin is a smidgen lighter and perhaps not as warm-toned, but they’re really quite close. Chanel Diwali is slightly warmer. Urban Decay Superfreak is lighter. Dior Timeless Gold is very similar. The only shade that I think is less similar is Diwali, which has a lot of warm undertones in comparison. Between the others, I don’t think one would really notice the difference if you weren’t really, really looking for them. Dior’s has the least amount of visible brush strokes (next to none), while Illamasqua and Revlon are tied with a few but hardly any really. I think Chanel shows the most out of the similar shades.

Swinger is fully opaque in two coats, and the formula was beautiful to work with.  It’s fluid, not too thick or too thin, and very easy to apply to the nail.  I didn’t experience any bubbling, streaking, or pooling of the polish along the edges of the nail.  There were a few visible brush strokes, but there were minimal ones overall for this type of finish. Illamasqua’s Nail Varnish is one of my top formulas, because it wears like iron.  When I go traveling, I regularly reach for a shade by Illamasqua, because I can count on them wearing for the length of the trip and not chipping with the abuse that comes from traveling.

The Glossover

	Swinger A+
	Between Chanel, Dior, and Urban Decay, I'd go Illamasqua. If I were on a tighter budget, I'd go Revlon. I don't think you'd be disappointed with any of the versions of this fantastic shade of gold. The wear of Illamasqua is what pushes it to the top of my list, though.
	Product 10/10 Pigmentation 10/10 Texture 10/10 Longevity 10/10 Application 4.5/5
	Where to Buy
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