Illamasqua Raindrops Nail Lacquer Review, Photos, Swatches

Christine — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 17:00:13 +0000

Illamasqua Raindrops Nail Lacquer

Illamasqua Raindrops Nail Lacquer

Illamasqua Raindrops Nail Lacquer (£13.50 for 0.50 fl. oz.) is described as a “sheer light grey” with a jelly finish. I loved this shade from the moment I applied it; this was actually my nail color of choice when I went to NYC for Fashion Week this past September (it had been raining quite a bit, so it seemed totally appropriate). It’s a semi-sheer, light stormy gray with flakes of light gray shimmer. I used two coats for swatches, and as expected, you can see the nail line, but I have worn it with three and four coats, and it is more opaque at that level. I couldn’t think of anything like this shade.

Illamasqua’s formula is one of my top five favorites, because it wears like iron. I wore Raindrops for my trip, which means I was nowhere near nice or delicate with my nails, as I was hauling heavy luggage and heavier camera equipment over a week. I didn’t even end up removing the polish for ten days after I had applied it, and there was hardly tip wear, like just barely. The formula has a great consistency so it flows evenly across the nail bed, and it’s not thick at all, so if you prefer more opaque color, you can easily wear three or four coats without compromising the integrity of the wear.