Illamasqua Nail Varnish in Vice, Taint, Kink, Faux Pas Review, Photos, Swatches
Illamasqua Nail Varnish in Vice, Taint, Kink, Faux Pas
Illamasqua Theatre of the Nameless: Nail Varnishes
Illamasqua’s fall/winter collection, Theatre of the Nameless, included four new shades of their Nail Varnish
($14.00 for 0.5 fl. oz.), and they’re described as: Vice (deep cerise), Taint (stone brown), Kink (bottle green), and Faux Pas (blue violet). They have a “rubber finish.”
- Vice is a reddened berry with a rubber finish. I used two coats for opaque color. It reminded me of Rescue Beauty Lounge Bruised, which has a shiny finish.
- Taint is a yellow-tinted brown with a rubber finish. I used two coats for opaque color. Barielle Cowl of the Wild is similar but cooler-toned. China Glaze Street Chic is a bit lighter and grayer, plus it has a shiny finish.
- Kink is a deep forest green with a rubber finish. I used two coats for opaque color. It’s much bluer and cooler-toned than Rescue Beauty Lounge ORbis Non Sufficit, which also has a shiny finish. It’s greener and less blackened (and has that semi-matte finish) compared to MAC Jade Dragon.
- Faux Pas is a blue-based violet with a rubber finish. I used two coats for opaque color. It is similar to Orly Purple Pleather but appears a bit more vibrant.
If you remember Orly’s Plastix Collection, then the finish to these may seem familiar. It’s a bit like vinyl; it’s not matte because there is a muted shine to the natural finish, but it’s not your traditional cream. This type of finish is tempermental; ensure that each coat is dry before applying the next one, and it’s best to wait as long as possible for the final coat to dry before doing anything else. These will pick up and show texture so, so much if you rush! They dry quicker than your standard polish but not as quickly as a matte finished shade.
The wear on this is less than the average Illamasqua Varnish, because in order to maintain the rubbery finish, you can’t use a top coat on top. I managed seven days with noticeable tip wear but no chips–I would have probably removed it after four or five days because of the tip wear, but I wanted to put it to the full week test.
Illamasqua Nail Varnish in Vice, Taint, Kink, Faux Pas Review, Photos, Swatches
Illamasqua Nail Varnish in Vice, Taint, Kink, Faux Pas
Illamasqua Nail Varnish in Vice, Taint, Kink, Faux Pas
Illamasqua Nail Varnish in Faux Pas, Kink, Taint, Vice
Illamasqua Vice Nail Varnish
Illamasqua Vice Nail Varnish
Illamasqua Vice Nail Varnish
Illamasqua Vice Nail Varnish
Illamasqua Taint Nail Varnish
Illamasqua Taint Nail Varnish
Illamasqua Taint Nail Varnish
Illamasqua Taint Nail Varnish
Illamasqua Kink Nail Varnish
Illamasqua Kink Nail Varnish
Illamasqua Kink Nail Varnish
Illamasqua Kink Nail Varnish
Illamasqua Faux Pas Nail Varnish
Illamasqua Faux Pas Nail Varnish
Illamasqua Faux Pas Nail Varnish
Illamasqua Faux Pas Nail Varnish
These don’t totally wow me, though I do really like Vice. I always seem to be drawn to nail and lip colours similar to that.
Taint? Really?
Is it the name or the colour you’re not feeling?
You know, the word taint used to have little to no relation to the body part that people now associate it with.
True, but it doesn’t help when the color is poop brown. If it were some kind of dirty blue it wouldn’t bother me. But when paired with Kink and Vice, its hard not to think of the body part.
I know. That word makes me cringe. Bleh!
This is a company that had a nail varnish called “Load” that was that special off-white, after all.
Maybe I’m being naive, but in the UK we don’t really use the word “taint” in the pejorative form, and Illamasqua is a British brand. I could just be being overly innocent, but “taint” in thaaat sense never even crossed my mind.
Mine neither, I had to google it just to work out what people were talking about…really wish I hadn’t now.
I love Faux Pas and Kink.
Love the colour of all beside Taint, but I’m not too stoked on the rubber finish. It just looks like either a under-performing matte or a bad cream. This be a no-go!
Love it all!!!
Kink color is to die for!!
I usually love Illamasqua and the funky/edgy names they give their products. I even purchased Load nail polish last valentines day, and thought it was kind of funny…. but am I the only one who finds it in bad taste to make a polish the color of excrement and name it taint? I mean, I know taint has several meanings, but really…
I thought the same thing about Taint. Bad choice. :/
haha I didn’t think of that…that’s sort of funny!
hahaha this cracks me up. I’m sure they were going for the non-slang definition, but still, it is hilarious. Especially since it’s brown 😉
Does taint exist as vulgar slang in the UK, though? It could be like cultural barrier, like the difference between the term fanny in the U.S. and U.K.
I’m not even into the mushroom-y colors, but Taint is calling out to me.
Not loving these at all, especially for fall/winter. I think it is the time of year to wear something rich and glossy or sparkly and bold. These colours would look so much better if they were glossy. In my opinion, taint is the worst of the bunch, and Faux Pas is the best.
I bought Vice because I loved the color. But, when I applied it I felt very blah about it. Like you said it’s VERY tempermental. It took me 3 coats to get it completely even & opaque. The effect was underwhelming 🙁 Returned it because I couldn’t bear to leave a $14 nail polish in my drawer that I would never use again.
None of these are particularly spectacular, and I likely wouldn’t ever reach for one, however I want a brown polish named “Taint.” It’s just too cool (weird) to pass up.
I have all of them except taint. I think I like kink the best.
AW MAN, i really liked the colour of Taint upon first glance, then realized what it was called, and then couldn’t look at the shade again.. it’s even coloured like a taint.. le sad.
Not really a fan of the finish on these.
Faux Pas is gorgeousness! thanks for sharing the dupe, i’ll get that instead ’cause Illamasqua ain’t here yet! *sigh*
I love that the baby-shit brown color is called ‘Taint’. XD
I actually really love the purple one, Faux Pas. I believe I’m in the minority, but I actually like the “rubber finish”. It’s not ultra shiny and it’s not matte or textured. I dislike textured, and shiny finishes show brush strokes easily, even with high quality polishes.
I like the finish just not that it doesn’t wear as well as other finishes, since you can’t use a regular top coat 🙁
I like the rubber finish too–I had a whole glowing comment typed out yesterday but then it got eaten by the great comment monster in the sky and I was too frustrated to type it right out again. I wasn’t sure about the rubber finish back when it first came out with the Orly Plastix collection but I gave it a go here with Vice and Faux Pas and I really like it. I also change my polish pretty much every day so the longevity doesn’t matter to me.
How are 153 people leaving this?!!!? I’m mopping the drool off my keyboard.
Chelsea, agree! Love them! And I’ve tried Taint with a top coat for chocolate glossiness… love it. I think Taint means to poison or make evil, so thats probably the Taint meaning they were going for … not … that.