Illamasqua Swinger Nail Varnish Review, Photos, Swatches
Illamasqua Swinger Nail Lacquer
Stranger than Gold, It’s Swinger
Illamasqua Swinger Nail Varnish ($14.00 for 0.50 fl. oz.) is described as a “platinum gold.” Yeah, I’d buy that. To use my own words, I’d describe it as a champagne-gold with a little grit and dirt in it–it’s not a yellowy gold really, but it’s not quite dark and green-tinged enough to be an antique gold. Too gold to be a real pewter, but it’s all somewhere in there. Revlon Gold Coin is a smidgen lighter and perhaps not as warm-toned, but they’re really quite close. Chanel Diwali is slightly warmer. Urban Decay Superfreak is lighter. Dior Timeless Gold is very similar. The only shade that I think is less similar is Diwali, which has a lot of warm undertones in comparison. Between the others, I don’t think one would really notice the difference if you weren’t really, really looking for them. Dior’s has the least amount of visible brush strokes (next to none), while Illamasqua and Revlon are tied with a few but hardly any really. I think Chanel shows the most out of the similar shades.
Swinger is fully opaque in two coats, and the formula was beautiful to work with. It’s fluid, not too thick or too thin, and very easy to apply to the nail. I didn’t experience any bubbling, streaking, or pooling of the polish along the edges of the nail. There were a few visible brush strokes, but there were minimal ones overall for this type of finish. Illamasqua’s Nail Varnish is one of my top formulas, because it wears like iron. When I go traveling, I regularly reach for a shade by Illamasqua, because I can count on them wearing for the length of the trip and not chipping with the abuse that comes from traveling.
Swinger
PPermanent. $17.00.
Illamasqua Swinger Nail Lacquer
Illamasqua Swinger Nail Lacquer
Illamasqua Swinger Nail Lacquer
Illamasqua Swinger Nail Lacquer
Illamasqua Swinger Nail Lacquer
Illamasqua Swinger Nail Lacquer
Illamasqua Swinger Nail Lacquer
For a color this common I see no point in paying more than you have to. I’d rather go Revlon.
Butter London has “the full monty” but it’s not as gritty.
Love this shade so much! Illamasqua is my fave brand for nail polish. It’s the only brand that doesn’t chip on me!
I’ve been wanting for Illamasqua Spartan for awhile. Now I think I will go for Swinger next time I’m in Sephora. Looks like Swinger has smooth finish while Spartan is more a glittery top coat.
Oh gosh I need this! I’ve been looking for a shade like this, and it’s great to hear how well it wears!
I have this on my toes right now! Oddly, I think it looked much prettier on my hands than it does on my feet, when I thought it would be the reverse. But I think if anyone has tanned or dark/darker skin, it would look fantastic on both, but esp. with strappy sandals or by the pool. The colour is a bit more platinum on me than what I’m seeing in the swatches (again, probably a monitor thing) but it’s really lovely and I’ve received a LOT of compliments on it.
A few things though: this is one of 2 Ilamasqua nail varnishes I have that ends up having what I describe as “fault lines” in the polish a few days after putting it on. With Swinger, it’s very, VERY faint and really requires peering at the nails to see it, but it’s there and it happened about 3 days after I put it on my fingers. (It’s never happened with the polish on my toes that has lasted over 2+ weeks without a single problem.)
The other thing with Swinger: I felt there was a slightly gritty look to the nails that I’m not gaga over. The polish was generally smooth to the touch, esp. with a top coat on, but it looked gritty in parts. The glitter just wasn’t fine enough. Also, since I’m not always the most expert nail polisher around when using my left-hand for my right-hand fingers, I would get some on my skin; when taking it off, there were traces of gold glitter smeared and left over that took a bit of scrubbing (with acetone) to get off. (Somehow, that just seemed to smear it elsewhere. lol) Again, that is undoubtedly due to my own incompetency but my point is that the glitter is *definitely* there! (You can even see more minute traces of it in your first photo if you look at the bottle cap.) I don’t know if that glitter is why the texture is a bit more gritty to my eye than a non-glittery polish, or if the Revlon is a bit smoother, but it really *is* a lovely shade, all in all. And I don’t regret buying it one bit.
This is going to be my first Illamasqua nail polish! I’m so excited!
Another winner! Based on on-line photos, I can barely tell the different between the Illamasqua and the Revlon. If someone is into the grittier textured polish and like Golds, I recommend “I’m not Lion” from the China Glaze collection as well. It’s funky and yet still rather glamorous!
Another pretty gold polish. This is similar enough to Diwali for me–and with a more affordable price tag. Works for me!
Hi Christine, I’m sorry for posting this unrelated query here but I wanted to know if you’ll be reviewing the Lush Emotional Brilliance collection?
Thanks!
@corallista Not sure yet! I don’t have anything at this time, and my goal is to make it through what I have on my calendar for the next 2 months before adding anything out-of-pocket (I already blew the budget on fall products, lol!).
Thanks @Christine (Temptalia) !
You’re right — this finish definitely looks like the best. But for a shade that I won’t wear that often because it’s so loud/glitzy, I’ll take Revlon!
It looks amazing and I love Illamasqua nail polishes, they are amazing, great colours and good quality, it really last on your nails.
WHOA! Gotta get this. NOW! Super sparkly and glitzy!
Looks and sounds fab! Love it.