Calvin Klein Nail Varnish Haul & Reviews

So, I recently managed to get these polishes for around £3 each on sale. I had seen them before and so had alsways wondered what the quality was like, as you can get them so cheaply considering the RRP is £11 and I have only ever seen them sold for £5 max, it made me wonder how come they were so cheap. Where they rubbish? Some are mislabelled is this the reason for the cheap price? So, here is my review, see below my thoughts on them. (Natural light swatches appear more true to life).

Navy Sparkle


Artificial light


Natural light

Navy Sparkle is a deep blue varnish with green shimmer shot through, which gives it an iridescent effect. This looks blue, however when light hits it green shows through, however the picture does not show this all that well. The formula is thick, pigmented and covers well, but also dries quite quickly. Overall, it is a beautiful and good quality polish. 2 coats was all that was needed.


Hannah Pinktana


Artificial light


Natural light

Hannah Pinktana is a sheer pinky purple colour with holographic shimmer. The colour isn't sheer enough that you don't see it which is nice, and the shimmer is enough to give a holographic effect (not shown very well in the photo. For the best effect I'd say 3 coats, however my picture is only 2 coats and I think it looks really good. It dries pretty quickly, and overall is a lovely colour and quality varnish.


Madly Mauve


Artificial light


Natural light

Madly Mauve is a deep purple with blue microshimmer, making it an iridescent colour that shows through as purple and blue. The formula only needed 2 coats max, dried pretty quickly and is a really lovely colour to look at and wear. This colour was so difficult to photograph, so the pictures do it no justice.


Tutu


Artificial light


Natural light

Tutu is not really a tutu kind of colour, it is black with multi-coloured glitter, however, the main glitter that shows through is a bronzey colour, as the seems to stand out better against the black. This is a minimum of 2 coats, as one coat was still too washed out looking, however I used 2 coats in the picture so I guess 2 would do. This is a lovely unique shade, and a little different. The glitter is very fine so the finish isn't rough or lumpy. A lovely shade and a workable formula.


Hint of Pink


Artificial light


Natural light

Hint of pink in the bottle looks like a dusty rose, however on the nail it appears brighter and more baby pink. This went on perfect in 2 coats, however the colour isn't exactly unique, however it is nice. A staple barbie pink for those pink lovers, good quality, but not overly unique.


Bombshell


Artificial light


Natural light

Bombshell is a bright red verging on the pink side. Very nice texture and a little different from the average red, as it is quite bright and pinkish. 2 coats was enough to get the best coverage, however the finish wasn't overly glossy. Good quality, nice colour, and a colour that is bright and pretty.


Indigo Blue


Artificial light


Natural light

Indigo blue is a gorgeous bright and vibrant blue with silver shot through to give a metallic look. This has to be one of my favourite blues in my whole collection. In 2 coats it was perfectly opaque and the colour pay off was good. This is the glossiest out of the bunch, and it is a lovely shade, with a lovely texture and finish. Overall a really good quality varnish.


Crushed Rose


Artificial light


Natural light

Crushed Rose is a colour which I thought would be my favourite, it looked pinky in one light, but coral in another (in the bottle). However, when applied it was very thick and and gloopy, it also streaked pretty bad and didn't dry as well as the others. It is a lovely pink/coral colour, but the formula lets it down. It's a case of loving the colour but not the formula.


Fuchsia Rama


Artificial light


Natural light

Fuchsia Rama is not just a cool name, it's a cool colour too. In the bottle it is a deep purpley pink, however on the nail it appears more bright pink with a purple tinge. It is a lovely colour, fairly unique. The formula applies well and covers well as 2 coats worked out fine and gave a lovely opaque finish and drying time was good, however the finish itself is anything but glossy. The finish appears to be in the middle of matte and glossy, it isn't overly matte or glossy but somewhere in between. Therefore I find this lets it down, as it looks like the finish isn't supposed to be like that.


Silver Streak


Artificial light


Natural light

Silver Streak is a lovely metallic silver. This is just like any other silver pretty much, however the texture is good, though a little on the thick side and the finish is ok. I'd say 2 coats is all that is needed. It covers evenly and the drying time is good. Overall a lovely silver polish for those metallic lovers.


Overall, good quality varnishes, especially since they can be acquired to cheaply. A lovely variety of colours, and great value for money. Why are they so cheap? Well, although good colours, not all of them appear high end on the nail, while others do, so maybe it is the mislabelled bottles and the fact they haven't built up this high end cult following like brands such as OPI and designers like Chanel and YSL.

Hope this review has helped :]

Nubar Reclaim

Oh my days! This did not disappoint me at all! I bought this after seeing a swatch of it online, when I was searching for more holographic nail products. When I saw the picture of this beautiful green shade that was also holographic, I knew I had to have it, my jaw just dropped and I immediately went to the blog the picture was from to see what this lovely nail varnish was, and saw that it was Nubar Reclaim. I had never heard of it, but I am so glad I saw a swatch. And what luck, I was currently ordering Nubar polishes anyway (2010 & Treasure), and so I added Reclaim to my order. This is from the "Going Green" collection by Nubar, which was a mix of different greens including glitters, creams, a duochrome and of course this beautiful holographic!

This is possibly my favourite holographic nail varnish! The green shade is so beautiful, I hadn't seen a green holographic before, and I am glad the shade of green is beautiful! This is a true holographic polish, as it has a spectrum effect, rather than just being multi-coloured glitter. When I see my nails in the sunshine, I can't help but stare at them.

In terms of formula it is pigmented and thick, in 2 coats it was opaque, but for the best effect I used 3 coats. This is really unusual for a holographic, normally you need to pile on the layers to get it showing up right. It also dried pretty quickly too, which is always a bonus. It covered well, I had no streaking problems at all, and the colour shows up pretty true to how it appears in the bottle.

This was very affordable, it was only £6 something, just like China Glaze but cheaper then drug store brands like Revlon, and the quality is AMAZING! I also love how it is free from all the bad stuff some nail varnishes contain. I will definitely be buying more Nubar :]

If you want a perfect green holographic nail varnish, look no further! My pictures really don't do the product justice.

Nubar Treasure

This was from the Prisms collection, which was supposed to be a holo collection. However, I found these are slightly holographic, however more glittery so it isn't a 100% holographic, it would have been more effective as a foil, but it has holo qualities.

In dim light or a cloudy day this just looks glittery, however in natural sun light and in bright halogen lights it looks very holographic. The glitter being very fine helps this appearance, however because the effect is by little bits of glitter rather than one all over effect it doesn't have the same spectrum effect given by ones such as Gosh Holographic, or even Reclaim which is also by Nubar. It is a very pretty varnish in both types of light. The colour is a gorgeous grape purple, which is lovely and feminine and compliments the multi-coloured glitter really well.

In terms of pigmentation, it is pretty sheer and thin in formula. I used about 4 coats to get this opaque and holographic, the first coat is a hint of colour with some glitter, so you really need to build it up!

Overall, this is a super pretty colour and nail varnish in general. It is not the most holographic varnish but it has holographic qualities. It also needs a lot of layers to get it opaque, but the result really is worth it!

Nubar 2010

This is my first flakie nail varnish, and my first Nubar purchase! So I was waiting by my letter box for this to come very impatiently!

I love this polish, it dried pretty quickly, and it gave a better coverage then I thought it would, the flakies weren't too sparse. On my swatch I did use about 3 coats, and as you can see it is totally packed with flakies.

The iridescence is beautiful, depending where the lights hit, it shows up green, red, yellow and orange. Over black polish it looks beautiful, the colours really pop. Unfortunately, my black polish (Barry M) chipped really quickly, so the swatch isn't the best!

This was the same price as China Glaze which I find very affordable, so I will definitely be buying Nubar from here on in! I can't wait to use this over other colours to see how it appears, no doubt I will post them here when I do :]

Nails Inc for InStyle "Candy Orange"

As I said in my review for "Electric Teal", after the disaster I had with the limited edition Coke varnish (here is the post I did on that; Nails Inc Packaging Disaster!), I was a little dubious about buying this, but I gave it a chance since I don't have much orange in my collection.
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It came free in InStyle magazine, which is £3.70, which is good considering the varnishes are worth £11. There were 3 colours available, the teal I have already reviewed, this one and a beige-y colour, which I didn't get.
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This is a bright orange shade which is a little eye-catching, but there are plenty of dupes about. It is very pigmented and thick in texture, however I found it very hard to get even coverage, it came up very streaky, so it took about 3 coats to get it even. It goes on very glossy and dries pretty quickly considering the layers I put on to get it even. Overall, a little less pleasant then the teal to work with since it involves more work to get it right.
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And as I also said in my last review, I hate the Nails Inc big lid as I find it harder to get precise lines, I like a lot of control over the brush due to my shaky hands, so this lid did not really assist me that well in terms of controlling the application.

Nails Inc for InStyle "Electric Teal"

After the disaster I had with the limited edition Coke varnish (here is the post I did on that; Nails Inc Packaging Disaster!),  I was a little dubious about buying this, however the colour won me over and so I bought it anyway.
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It came free in InStyle magazine, which is £3.70, which is good considering the varnishes are worth £11. There were 3 colours available, but this was definitely my favourite.
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This is a deep teal shade that is probably not all that unique, but gorgeous all the same, and for £3.70 not bad at all. It is very pigmented and thick in texture, and covers evenly, though I would advise 2 coats. It goes on very glossy and dries pretty quickly considering the thickness.
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I hate the Nails Inc big lid as I find it harder to get precise lines, I like a lot of control over the brush due to my shaky hands, so this lid did not really assist me that well in terms of controlling the application.

Topshop Cloud Nail Varnish

This is a lovely grey shade. It is a more bluey grey and darker than China Glaze Pelican grey, so if you have that then don't be put off buying this as they aren't all that alike!
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It is pigmented and glossy in 2 coats, though even in one coat it looked great. The formula is thick and dries in an OK time, and the small brush gives precise application. I love grey polishes, and this is definitely a favourite of mine, it's a gorgeous rich cream grey.
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The packaging is cute, and the price is OK, though I got this in a set of 4!

Topshop Mannequin Nail Varnish

This is a gorgeous peachy beige nude. This is darker then Hangin' Loose by MAC, which I have also posted about today. This, unlike the other Topshop nail polishes took 3 coats as it was a little streaky, however was still pretty pigmented, but due to being a light colour, it needed more work to get it even.
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This was pretty thick and pigmented, drying time took a little longer due to having to apply more. It is a lovely colour and a lovely polish for those who love neutrals.
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The brush is small and cute, and also easy to use, the packaging is cute. I think this is a nice product, but not without it's faults.

Topshop Paint It On Nail Varnish

The photo is pretty deceptive. This is a hot pink/fuschia, not a red, my camera just couldn't pick up the colour correctly. This is a really eye-catching and girly colour, a little more red based than Limbo Bimbo by China Glaze.
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This is another less is more varnish, it is super pigmented and needs 2 coats max. It is a very pigmented and glossy finish, and due to the little brush it is very easy to apply precisely to the nail. A little while to dry since it is quite thick, but it doesn't take too long considering you don't need to put loads on.
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A cute girly and good quality polish. I like this product!

Topshop Airplane Nail Varnish

This is a beautiful colour, if not a little dupable. It applied very pigmented, but the formula is a little thick, so less is more. I'd say this is a 2 coater.
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In terms of drying time I'd say this was pretty average, didn't take too long, but wasn't the quickest. The finish is super pigmented, even and glossy, even without a top coat it has a high shine finish.
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I found the price middle of the road, was dearer then I expected for a shop brand, however worked well for the price. A lovely cream royal blue.
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The brush is small and very easy to use to get a precise application, though it does put a load of product on your nails that longer brushes normally don't.
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Overall, I think a worthwhile purchase if you like what you see.

MAC Surf Baby Hangin' Loose

This is a gorgeous beigey nude with subtle shimmer and a super glossy finish, and at the moment this is my favourite nude, it's just gorgeous!
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Like Ocean Dip, the formula is runny, thick and goes on streaky. You need to shake the bottle before use to reduce the wateriness, and you need about 3 coats to get it even. Drying time due to these points is very poor. This is a hassle but I love the colour so much for nude looks or french manicures, that I will deal with the cons.
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I also love the packaging, makes it just that little bit different. :]

MAC Surf Baby Ocean Dip

This is a gorgeous nail varnish! It is a teal colour, which I have lots of eyeshadows this colour, but not really many nail varnishes, so I definitely had to add this to my collection.
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After the great formula from the Wonder Woman Nail varnishes, I am pretty disappointed with this formula! It is so thick, but goes on uneven and streaky, so it is a nightmare at times to work with. It is pigmented, but due to it being uneven, I needed 3 coats. I'd also advise you shake the bottle before application or it is a little watery (at least my bottle was!)
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Because you need to apply so much and because it is quite thick it takes a while to dry, which is infuriating as I am impatient. I kept smudging it :[
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The colour is gorgeous and it is a lovely glossy colour, however the formula has taken a step back considering the Wonder Woman and Quite Cute ones. I like the packaging, but that doesn't make up for the annoying formula! I love the colour so much I would deal with the hassle of application.

Topshop Nail Varnishes, First Impressions

I am always a sceptic when shops bring out cosmetics, as I have had bad experiences with quality in the past. So when I picked these up, I wasn't expecting much.

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I am so impressed! The pigmentation is fantastic, the texture is quite thick though. It covers quite well with one coat, but 2 makes it really even and gives the best colour pay off. I am a Topshop nail varnish convert!

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The colours that come in this set are; Airplane (blue), Paint It On (hot pink/fuschia), Mannequin (beige/nude), Cloud (grey). The bottles are a little mini, and they worked out at £3.75 each, which is a little steep considering it is a new brand, and similar brands like accessorize (new shop brands) are bigger and cheaper but still work well. This set was £15 which is a little steep for my liking.

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The brushes with these are really small and chunky, but it is still easy to apply the polish with them, as you get quite good control, but with the polish being quite thick and less of a surface area for the polish to go on, I found a lot of product ends up on the nails. I did get less mess around the nail though.

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I will review each polish separately, in the next couple of days, but I just wanted to give an overall view of them.

MAC Quite Cute Little Girl Type Nail Lacquer

This really is a true lilac, it isn't too pink and it isn't too dark, it is the most gorgeous pastel purple I have! In terms of dupability I really am not sure, this is lighter and more pastel then Eyeko Lilac and Elf Lilac, but more true purple and less pink than Revlon's Lilac Pastelle, which was far too pink and in general pretty rubbish! . This needs a good 3-4 coats to get it opaque and even, but it dries pretty quickly, so it's not really all that time consuming to do. The brush on my one has little sticky out bristles which is annoying, but not a problem, it doesn't affect application too much. . The name of this polish is really random, but the colour is just so pretty and lovely! And it is a glossy and quick drying shade that is awesome for spring, I am wearing it now!

MAC Quite Cute Mischievous Mint Nail Lacquer

This is such a fresh and cute mint colour for spring, I really love this! I was a little scared it would be a dupe of either China Glaze For Audrey or Revlon Minted, however this is more green than for Audrey and More blue than Minted, so I would say it was somewhere in between the two which is really nice. It isn't the most unique colour, but it is pretty nonetheless. . This is very thick in consistency and went lumpy on me, so definitely scrape the excess off before you apply it to the nail (as I said in my Ice Cream Cake review). It needs 3 coats to get it opaque and even, though it is very pigmented it is more the consistency that makes it streaky rather than lack of colour. It is gorgeous once opaque and pretty glossy too. I love this so much it will be on my toes a lot this spring!! . Same with Ice Cream Cake it is not shimmery so it is very easy to remove, and it dries quickly, so this is very quick to apply and remove, which is always good news. . If you love greens, this needs to be in your collection, it is gorgeous!