A Stunning, Multi-Faceted Polish for $6

L’Oreal VIP Status Nail Lacquer ($5.99 for 0.39 fl. oz.) is a cool-toned, smoky blue-gray with hints of teal and silver shimmer in a metallic base. There was not a single color that came to mind that even resembled this in a meaningful way. Rescue Beauty Lounge Teal is a creamy, dark blue-based teal, but there’s none of the gray, smokiness or the multi-faceted shimmer. If you have a dupe in mind, I’d love to hear it!

This is one cool polish–there’s a lot of dimension to the color and finer nuances that make it really interesting. It kind of reminds me of some eyeshadows like MAC Club, MAC Blue Brown pigment, Too Faced Label Whore, etc., but it’s bluer with less brown coming through.  There are visible brush strokes in the finish, and they look like threads of shimmer–they applied fairly straight and evenly, actually. They’re most pronounced under really bright light (e.g. diffused flash) and hardly visible in natural light (e.g. studio light).

The formula wasn’t too thick or too thin; it was a good balance between the two, so it helped the polish apply fluidly across the nail without gathering along the sides.  I didn’t experience any streaking or bubbling, and two coats was plenty to produce opaque color coverage.  The brush was easy to use, not too wide or narrow, and enough flexibility to move around but not so much that it became floppy.  Worth noting is that it contains 20% less polish than most polishes (0.39 fl oz. vs. 0.50 fl. oz.).  I did do a wear test with this particular shade, and I was able to get seven days of wear with minor tip wear but no chipping–it’s supposed to last for 10 days, which I haven’t tested with this shade specifically and will do so with the next L’Oreal shade (I typically only test for seven days; didn’t realize they claimed 10 days!).  Keep in mind, of course, that next to nothing chips on me, whether I use a base/top coat or nothing but the polish itself.

P.S. — This is currently buy one, get one 50% off at drugstore.com.

L’Oreal VIP Status Nail Lacquer

L’Oreal VIP Status Nail Lacquer

L’Oreal VIP Status Nail Lacquer

L’Oreal VIP Status Nail Lacquer

L’Oreal VIP Status Nail Lacquer

L’Oreal VIP Status Nail Lacquer