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Cult Nails Scandalous Nail Lacquer Review, Photos, Swatches

Cult Nails Scandalous Nail Lacquer
Cult Nails Scandalous Nail Lacquer

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.

Scandalous

DCDiscontinued. $12.00.
A+
A+
10
Product
10
Pigmentation
10
Texture
10
Longevity
5
Application
100%
Total

Cult Nails Scandalous Nail Lacquer
Cult Nails Scandalous Nail Lacquer

Cult Nails Scandalous Nail Lacquer
Cult Nails Scandalous Nail Lacquer

Cult Nails Scandalous Nail Lacquer
Cult Nails Scandalous Nail Lacquer

Cult Nails Scandalous Nail Lacquer
Cult Nails Scandalous Nail Lacquer

Cult Nails Scandalous Nail Lacquer
Cult Nails Scandalous Nail Lacquer

17 Comments

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Genevieve Avatar

It looks similar to Ulta’s Peach Parfait, though I’m not sure if they’re exact dupes color-wise. I’d say the finish is about the same; they’re both jellies. Anyway, Ulta-brand nail lacquers are frequently on sale; two for $4 or two for $6. I’d skip this one and save my money for one of Cult Nails’ more unique shades.

Phyrra Avatar

I love this shade 🙂 I actually painted half my nails with this color and the other half with Devious Nature last night. I put Captivated on top of Scandalous and Hypnotize me on top of Devious Nature. Love them! Great swatches. I like this color on you!

Sharon Hsu Avatar

This color is so pretty! I like coral all the time. I just wonder how is its smell?
In fact, the smell of nail polish is my biggest concern. I know Dior’s smell really well, MAC or Zoya’s not bad, OPI and China Glaze smelled terrible, and Essie is the worst–it made me headache.

Cindy Avatar

the fact that it’s jelly, almost opaque, and your nail line shows kind gives it an ombre effect if you look closely enough 😀

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