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Illamasqua Scarce Nail Varnish Review, Photos, Swatches

Illamasqua Scarce Nail Varnish
Illamasqua Scarce Nail Varnish

Illamasqua Scarce Nail Varnish ($16.00 for 0.50 fl. oz.) is described as a “speckled pink.” It starts off with a creamy, light-medium pink with subtle yellow undertones base layered with small pieces of black glitter and larger hexagon-shaped pieces of black glitter. The way it’s all mixed together makes some pieces appear blacker/grayer. I couldn’t think of a similar base color; Nubar Pink Lily is lighter and cooler-toned, while Rescue Beauty Lounge Plie is more beige, less pink. Deborah Lippmann has shade that has pink with black glitter debuting in April.

It was fully opaque in two coats, but it was very nearly opaque in a single coat. The truly remarkable feature of the formula is how evenly it applies; I found that this shade was almost streak-free on the first coat. A second coat completely evened out what little streaking there was so that the end result was creamy, smooth color. The consistency wasn’t too thick or too thin, and the drying time was average. I typically get at least a full week of wear with minimal tip wear but no chipping with Illamasqua’s formula, but I’ve tested some shades and have had no chipping for as long as two weeks (which is extraordinary, even for me).

Scarce

LELimited Edition. $17.00.
A+
A+
10
Product
10
Pigmentation
10
Texture
10
Longevity
5
Application
100%
Total

Illamasqua Scarce Nail Varnish
Illamasqua Scarce Nail Varnish

Illamasqua Scarce Nail Varnish
Illamasqua Scarce Nail Varnish

Illamasqua Scarce Nail Varnish
Illamasqua Scarce Nail Varnish

Illamasqua Scarce Nail Varnish
Illamasqua Scarce Nail Varnish

Illamasqua Scarce Nail Varnish
Illamasqua Scarce Nail Varnish

Illamasqua Scarce Nail Varnish
Illamasqua Scarce Nail Varnish

Illamasqua Scarce Nail Varnish
Illamasqua Scarce Nail Varnish

33 Comments

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KK Avatar

Yuck. I think these speckled polishes are hideous! Definitely passing on this one, or any variation (especially the green)…I’m much more interested in seeing Zoya’s Pixie Dust polishes in action.

VickyM Avatar

From all this nail polishes with this fashion that I have seen, this is the first one I really like. I don´t know what it is, but there is something really glamorous about it, and the fact I really like the base color also helps, however we don´t have Illamasqua in my country 🙁 which means I can´t buy this, if the brand was sold here I would buy it.

Katrina Avatar

So pretty! I have loved the photos of all of them so far, but I can’t bring myself to pay that much for a polish, even if the application is perfect. I picked up some of the ones from Hard Candy. They are not the same, but they are the same basic idea.

amandamariemua Avatar

The base color is gorgeous but I’m not a fan of the big glitter. If there was some magical way to not have it covered by a little bit of the polish, I’d love it, but it looks a little weird/muddy otherwise.

VickyM Avatar

I agree, I think this gorgeous shade of pink has a lot to do with the fact this polish looks better than the others to me, it just works.

Phidias Avatar

I really like it – I think it really flatters your hands. I think it would look the best with long nails though, like how yours are now. I don’t think this is one of those polishes that look good on short nails.

Julia B Avatar

Hm. I am pleasantly surprised with this one. I have the blue one and I love it. Have you heard anything about raindrops? It is driving me nuts waiting for it to be at Sephora.

Julia B. Avatar

Darn! I’m tempted to get it from the Illamasqua website, but I just know the second I “bite the bullet” and pay for the shipping it will be available at Sephora. Hopefully Sephora will be getting it soon.

Paige Avatar

I have this on right now. I think it looks more like speckled eggs (and better imho) if the glitters are more sparse. I applied only one coat of this polish and it completely covers my nails.

Aida Avatar

Out of all these, the pink it’s probably the least yucky looking, but I still wouldn’t wear it. I got to a point where I only like the clean look of cream polishes. I’m over the shatters, glitters, magnetics, nail designs, etc.

Alex Avatar

I went crazy and snatched the whole collections from the Illamasqua website.mit took over a month to get them but totally worth it. I love the pink, blue and nudey color. Oh and they’ve been available at sephora.com for weeks now. Squeak.

Sara Avatar

I have this, the purple one and the blue one. This and the purple one look best on me but I’m determined to love the blue one too because the color is so gorgeous lol.

Zoelarue Avatar

I love this polish. So flattering and fun on my 40+ year old hands. Covers so well and stays on. I painted outdoors today and its still on. Worn, yes but still on there. I love this polish!! Did I say love?

Celia Avatar

I have never ever been excited about a nail polish before! I’m usually a gel girl and don’t often think about polish but I saw this and there’s just something about it. It looks gorgeous. Can’t wait to grab it!

Stacey Avatar

I’m a HUGE fan of Illamasqua nail varnishes but I can’t get the speckled polished to not chip. I have the greeny colour and this one and no matter how I apply them within three or four days they begin chipping 🙁

KELLY Avatar

I purchased this one from Sephora and when I received it the color looks much more salmon than in these picture; Here it looks like a baby pink. Maybe it’s because I am very pale.

Nita Avatar

I splurged and bought this at Sephora. I’m in love with it and I can’t stop looking at my nails! It’s so very spring and reminds me of pink mini eggs….which is bad as mini eggs are my kryptonite! Love the reviews Christine 🙂

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