I've spoken before on how keeping your mani looking fresh is one way to look instantly polished, and I have been investing in shellac manicures pretty much for the last year, since this is the only way that I've managed to have my nail polish last more than a few hours. But, it is expensive, and worse, I have a lot of concerns about the UV curing it requires, even if I do slather myself with sunscreen first. So I was very excited when I read about Revlon's new Colorstay Nail Polish, which they claim lasts as long as a shellac manicure, when used with the matching base and top coats.
Myer recently had a 30% off Revlon sale, so I took the chance and bought the base coat, top coat and colour. This is my nail polish after one week. The colour is bought was Spanish Moss, which is a gorgeous murky army green, and it has a slight cool shimmer to it, that is not visible without very close inspection, but seems to somehow add depth to the polish. The polish is really great to put on. I used two coats, but just one coat gave completely opaque coverage. The only (tiny) criticism I have was the brush, which seems to pick up a little bit too much product, which meant the application on my first hand was a bit streaky, hence needing a second coat. By the time I got to my other hand, I had got the knack, and one coat would have been enough.
As for wear, I would judge it in between a regular polish and a gel/shellac polish. As you can see, after a week of regular wear (housework, crafts, the usual), the polish still looks pretty good. No chips at all, which for me, is truly amazing. With a normal polish, whether we are talking cheap drugstore, or expensive name brands, I always seem to get a chip within the day.
But, as you can see in the pic above, it did start to wear at the nail tips (especially on my right hand) exactly like a gel/shellac polish does, but in this case, after a week rather than the fortnight I usually manage to get from a Shellac mani.
So, would I swap from my Shellac mani? Its a real toss-up. With my Shellac, I love the fact that my mani is instantly dry. So, clumsy me is at no risk of smudging my fresh mani, I don't have to sit around doing nothing for an hour or so, and as anyone with young children knows, this is a real benefit! Plus, it gives me two weeks of beautiful shiny colour. But, it is expensive, and I am concerned about the UV exposure my hands are getting.
The Revlon Colorstay does give me a full week of polished nails, but I do need to sit around for an hour each time, so I need to factor that in, while balancing it up against the fact that compared to the Shellac, it is so darn cheap! So, like many other things in life, I can either save money or time. Which is probably my answer - when I have the time, I will save myself the money and go for the Revlon Colorstay.
Disclaimer: I purchased these products, and all opinions are entirely my own.Labels: beauty, product reviews
