Illamasqua Fusion Nail Varnish (£14.50 for 0.50 fl. oz.) is described as a “khaki gold glitter.” It’s a deepened, muted, olive brown with golden olive shimmer and sparkle. It was mostly opaque in two coats, and the consistency wasn’t too thick or too thin. It dried a little faster than average, but it still had a naturally shiny finish without a top coat. Chanel Mysterious (601) (P, $27.00) has no shimmer and is greener. Rescue Beauty Lounge Scrangie 2.0 (LE, $20.00) is lighter. Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics Ripley (P, $10.00) is lighter, greener. SpaRitual Lithophonic (LE, $10.00) has green shimmer, is greener overall. See comparison swatches.

Perseid Nail Varnish (£14.50 for 0.50 fl. oz.) is described as a “galactic black glitter.” It’s a blackened purple with green-teal micro-shimmer and larger holographic, hexagon-shaped glitters. It’s nearly opaque after two coats of polish, but the consistency is quite thick. It’s a polish that tends to pool along the edges. About half of the glitter seems caught underneath the polish, so it gives the finish a more uneven/bumpy look. It took two thick coats of top coat to smooth it out, and it still didn’t seem entirely smooth. I think this polish looks very interesting in the bottle, and on the nails, less so, but I only saw some of the dimension on the nails when I was outside and the sun was shining–otherwise it looked very black and lost a lot of the character.  The good news is that I don’t have anything like it, so it is a more unique shade from what I can tell–but the formula needs work.

Illamasqua’s Nail Varnish formula wears as long as ten days with minor tip wear but no chipping–it’s one of the longest-wearing formulas I’ve come across.

Illamasqua Fusion Nail Varnish

Illamasqua Fusion Nail Varnish

Illamasqua Fusion Nail Varnish

Illamasqua Fusion Nail Varnish

Illamasqua Fusion Nail Varnish

Illamasqua Fusion Nail Varnish

Illamasqua Fusion Nail Varnish

Illamasqua Fusion Nail Varnish

Illamasqua Perseid Nail Varnish

Illamasqua Perseid Nail Varnish

Illamasqua Perseid Nail Varnish

Illamasqua Perseid Nail Varnish

Illamasqua Perseid Nail Varnish

Illamasqua Perseid Nail Varnish (with 2 coats of top coat)

Illamasqua Perseid Nail Varnish

Illamasqua Perseid Nail Varnish