Illamasqua Hemlock Nail Varnish Review, Photos, Swatches

Christine — Tue, 08 Jan 2013 22:47:06 +0000

Illamasqua Hemlock Nail Varnish

Hemlock You’ll Want to Wear

Illamasqua Hemlock Nail Varnish (£13.50 for 0.50 fl. oz.) is described as a “pale opal green iridescent.” It’s a pale pink-red at one angle, then it turns into a pale, yellowed green shimmer at another angle, while the base color is a pale beige with a hint of pink overall. It’s definitely duochrome, and it is a strong one at that. There are a few green duochromes on the market, but I don’t have one that shifts pink-green (or such a yellowy green at all).

After two coats of Hemlock, there’s still some visible nail line. With three coats, you should get fully opaque color, if that’s your aim. It’s sheer enough in one coat to work as a layering polish as well. I appreciate the versatility of the color in that respect, but since this is definitely less pigmented compared to nearly every other Illamasqua shade I’ve come across, I wish they’d mention that it was sheer (or semi-sheer) in the description. There are nearly no visible brush strokes, despite the threads of metallic shimmer running through the base color. It also has a strong, obvious duochrome in a shift I don’t think I’ve come across before. Illamasqua’s polishes typically wear seven to ten days on me without chipping–just very minor tip wear.