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Illamasqua Facet & Hemlock Nail Varnishes Reviews, Photos, Swatches

Illamasqua Facet Nail Varnish
Illamasqua Facet Nail Varnish

Illamaqua Facet Nail Varnish ($17.00 for 0.50 fl. oz.) is described as a “grey crystal.” It has a taupe (mix of brown and gray) base color with flecks of copper and molten gold sparkle and shimmer. The consistency wasn’t too thick or too thin, and the polish flowed well across the nail without pooling along the edges or streaking. It looked opaque most of the time, but sometimes the light would catch underneath and you could see the nail line slightly.
Urban Decay Gunmetal is darker, less shimmer. Urban Decay Barlust is warmer, browner. Essie Hot Coco is warmer, cream. See comparison swatches.

I’m not sure why, but Facet not currently showing up at all (not even as sold out or out of stock) at either Bloomingdale’s or Sephora, but as far as I know, the whole Sacred Hour collection was supposed to come state-side. It is available on Illamasqua’s website.

Hemlock is described as a “pale opal green iridescent.” It’s a pale, neutral beige with iridescent green threads of metallic shimmer. It’s semi-sheer–noticeable color but there is also visible nail line. The consistency was slightly thicker, and while I tried to layer it over Facet to see how the two would pair together, it did look somewhat thick. I reviewed this earlier in the year, and Illamasqua’s brought it back for fall, but the newer bottle definitely had a slightly thicker consistency compared to my original bottle. NARS Disco Inferno is cooler-toned, less green. Color Club Kismet is a full-on green with a holographic finish. See comparison swatches.

I typically get anywhere from seven to ten days of wear with Illamasqua’s formula with no chipping, just very minor tip wear (there is more nail growth than tip wear!).

Facet

LELimited Edition. $17.00.
A
A
9.5
Product
9.5
Pigmentation
9.5
Texture
10
Longevity
5
Application
97%
Total

Hemlock

LELimited Edition. $17.00.
A
A
9.5
Product
8.5
Pigmentation
9
Texture
10
Longevity
5
Application
93%
Total

Illamasqua Facet Nail Varnish
Illamasqua Facet Nail Varnish

Illamasqua Facet Nail Varnish
Illamasqua Facet Nail Varnish

Illamasqua Facet Nail Varnish
Illamasqua Facet Nail Varnish

Illamasqua Facet Nail Varnish
Illamasqua Facet Nail Varnish

Illamasqua Facet Nail Varnish
Illamasqua Facet Nail Varnish

Illamasqua Facet Nail Varnish
Illamasqua Facet Nail Varnish

Illamasqua Facet Nail Varnish
Illamasqua Facet Nail Varnish

Illamasqua Facet Nail Varnish
Illamasqua Facet Nail Varnish

Illamasqua Facet Nail Varnish
Illamasqua Facet Nail Varnish

Illamasqua Facet Nail Varnish
Illamasqua Facet Nail Varnish

Illamasqua Hemlock Nail Varnish
Illamasqua Hemlock Nail Varnish

Illamasqua Hemlock Nail Varnish
Illamasqua Hemlock Nail Varnish

Illamasqua Hemlock Nail Varnish
Illamasqua Hemlock Nail Varnish

Illamasqua Hemlock Nail Varnish
Illamasqua Hemlock Nail Varnish

Illamasqua Hemlock Nail Varnish
Illamasqua Hemlock Nail Varnish

Illamasqua Hemlock Nail Varnish
Illamasqua Hemlock Nail Varnish

Illamasqua Hemlock Nail Varnish
Illamasqua Hemlock Nail Varnish

Illamasqua Hemlock Nail Varnish
Illamasqua Hemlock Nail Varnish

32 Comments

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Virginia Avatar

I was told by Sephora that they won’t have the full collection until the end of September. I can’t wait to get my hands on Facet so I’ve been checking the site daily.

Treefinger Avatar

I think Hemlock is my favourite nail polish ever. I was so happy when they brought it back in their permanent line about a year ago and it’s nice to see it getting promoted again now 🙂

BeckBeck Avatar

Facet reminded me of MAC Style Clan from forever ago (I totally had to search your archives to find the name of the polish, haha!) except it sounds like it has a better formula. (Not surprising for Illamasqua, though – their polishes are consistently very good, in my experience.) I may have to pull out and wear Style Clan to keep myself from buying this one.

Alice Avatar

Wow, they’re both beautiful and unique. I really like Illamasqua’s polishes, they wear so well. I will definitely be picking these two up, thank you for the reviews!

Yumi Avatar

Hi, I know I’m a little late to the game commenting here, but I emailed Sephora to ask if they were going to stock Facet and when. I got a response saying that, as of the moment, they have no plans on carrying the specific color. Dang…

Ellie Avatar

I was about to ask you that. I want Facet too, but buying it on the Illamasqua website will cost $6.5 more (23.53 vs $17 at Sephora), plus shipping. :/
It’s a gorgeous color, I’m sure it’ll sell well. I hope at Sephora they will be smart enough to carry it. 😉

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