When I first got this nail polish in the shade 'Wait in Dark' free in a magazine I did not know anything about Ciaté. In fact, dare I admit it, I hadn’t even heard of them. I now know, however, that not only are they world-wide popular nail brand but they are a BRITISH brand (woop woop!).
Today I am only reviewing one of their colours, but I did find some interesting facts while researching the company (did you know that Ciaté stands for Colour, Innovation, Aspiration, Trend and Extraordinary?).
The Packaging: Now you can’t disagree that the packaging is oh. so. cute. Every ciaté bottle has a little bow on it to add some character, and it looks very pretty among my other nail polishes, which now seem a little naked in comparison. Although I didn’t really think about it at the time, I also like the slightly longer handle which really helps you with a precise application (which I am rubbish at anyway) and it goes on very smoothly :)
The Colour: The polish itself at first does not look particularly appealing as you can see in the second to last picture (my finger nails are NOT dirty, that is the effect of the polish!). And to be honest, even after two coats, I wasn’t completely sold at first! Now, however, I really do enjoy the deep, vibrant purple colour and it’s glossy effect. I don’t love the fact that it really does need two, maybe even three coats, but perfection takes patience! I also love the glossy finish that adds to the vibrancy of the shade. (Unfortunately this shade appears to be no longer avaliable, but you can buy a number of other purple shades by Ciaté here.)
The Durability: To be honest it’s really not great. It’s not awful. But it’s not great. What I mean by that is that by the end of the day the tips are starting to chip off and within a few days I need to repaint my nails (and from the number of coats it took me to get the desired effect, touching up isn’t really an option). Now, to be honest, this is a problem that I face with most polishes and is only to be expected if I haven’t had the time to do a top coat. All I’m saying is that it is in no way some miracle nail polish, but having said this, it is much much better than some dirt cheap brands.
I went into this review planning to write something luke-warm: but in reality, I find that this colour has really grown on me and although some of you may find it to be more of an autumnal shade, I think that the mild sparkle and brightness means that this could take you right through until the end of winter. It goes well with pastels and darker shades alike, and if you’re not already interested, Ciaté now promises that all of it’s products are also Dibutyl Phthalate, Toluene, and Formaldehyde free! Oh boy!
What’s your favourite Ciaté shade? I’m keen to try out more!
Emily x
