I didn't plan on buying Catrice's new ICONails Gel Lacquers. Usually, their nail polish formula chipped on my nails really fast and it just wasn't worth the price. But when I saw sets of two in the store, I couldn't resist. I also found the prettiest duo that had the perfect nude shade with a mauve brown shade. I'm trying to buy unique shades for my collection, so I wanted to try it out and see for myself if their claims are true.
The sets were designed as a manicure and pedicure shades, but I use them all on both anyway. Apparently the formula is infused with acai oil and has GLOSS SEAL'R technology for a luminous color with a gel shine finish. It should last up to 7 days without top coat.
Glass bottle is designed in a square shape. It has that fancy plastic top that you take off and reveal the applicator underneath it. I guess this is a fancy system that high end brands use. I don't really care for it. In fact, some may think that the nail polish is broken - those that don't "get" the system.
In each is 10.5 ml of product. I believe the price for one is 2.95€ (I bought it in Austria, but I think in Slovenia it's the same price). These sets cost 2.95€ for two shades.
The brush is wider than normal and rounded. I love these rounded brushes, because it makes it so easy to apply nail polish perfectly around the cuticles. I usually just do three swipes with these kind of brushes. My only critic is that one of these brushes was already a bit frayed and it didn't perform as well as it should.
Formula of both is creamy and easy to apply. With lighter shade you need two coats, but with darker shade you could apply just one. Pigmentation is actually really nice.
They dry fairly fast and you don't need any top coat. I find that they have a nice shine (not as good as if you apply Seche Vite over it) and they actually last a long time. As I've said many times, I have weak nails and both of these lasted on my nails for about 4 days. Which is a lot for my nails. It's actually categorized as an extraordinary category of nail polishes in terms of long lasting power on my nails. I tried one shade with a Seche Vite top coat over it and it chipped on the second day. So I'm assuming that these perform best without the top coat.
Catrice ICONails 10 Rosywood Hills
I got this set because of this shade. It's nothing like I already own and it looked like a perfect mix of warm brown an mauve. Depending on what skin tone you have, it might look more purple mauve based or more warm brown based. Because I have a warm skin tone, it looks more brownish on me. This is essentially a perfect every day shade for the fall.
You can apply only one thicker coat and it covers the nail entirely.
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| Left: one coat, Right: two coats |
Catrice ICONails 38 Honeymoon Is Coming Soon
Lately, I've been loving nude nail polish shades. Especially those that are lighter than my skin tone and have white base to it. This is a true beige nude shade. It has white base, but is warm beige toned. It would probably look amazing on many skin tones. On me it also looks a bit warmer, but I like the fact that it's still very light.
Two coats will cover the nail completely and give you an opaque look.
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| Left: one coat, Right: two coats |
I am in love with both shades. Nude is one of those flattering nude shades for light skin tones. It would also look nice against tanned skin. Browny mauve shade is the perfect combination of colors for the fall, if you wan't something a bit different, but still very wearable.
The formula is nicely pigmented, applies evenly, dries fairly fast and has a good amount of shine. I absolutely love the fact that it's in fact long lasting. Those of you that have strong and healthy nails could easily wear it for 7 days without chipping. I can safely say that I am positively surprised by Catrice. If other shades perform as well as these two, they have a drugstore winner at an affordable price.
You can see the swatches of all the shades on Innen Aussen.
Other fellow Slovenian bloggers also reviewed a few shades: