Review: GOSH Nail Polish in Gasoline

 GOSH Nail Lacquer in Gasoline (£4.99, currently part of a 3 for 2 offer) from Superdrug.

After the Ciaté disappointment I was a bit put off of nail polishes, however, on a quick browse in Superdrug I came across this gorgeous looking polish which I felt I had to try and I am glad I did.  It is a gorgeous purple-y colour with little bits of glitter through it although it is not an overly sparkly polish. It does require 2 coats as just one is too sheer for my taste but most polishes require 2 or 3 coats. One they have dried it retains a glossy finish and it lasts without chipping for at least 18 hours (I removed it to mess around with nail glitters but that is a different post). The price was good and this is more the effect I had expected from Ciaté, if I had been as happy with that one as I was with this I would have been quite happy even if it did cost an extra £4.

Review: Ciaté Nail Polish

Ciaté Nail Polish in Regatta (£9.00).

I had been keen to try this brand for quite some time but had never got round to ordering anything until a local department store started stocking it. The presentation of the nail polishes is fantastic with lots of bright colours, cute but stylish bottles and at £9.00 were not extortionate. As the selection was quite good I had considered buying 2 or 3 but managed to restrain myself and only buy Regatta, a navy blue with specks of silver shimmer in it. I'm glad I only bought one as I was seriously disappointed. The polish applied smoothly and even with one coat it went on opaque and did not look streaky and I was delighted. However, my delight did not last long. Once the polish had dried it looked very dull and almost powdery, I was quite disappointed but even then it wasn't too bad as once I had applied a top coat as it took away a lot of the dullness although I would have expected it to be a bit better.  The worst thing has got to be how badly and quickly it chips. I have tried everything I can think of to make it last longer but to no avail. Within two hours of application (when all I had been doing is watching tv) it was chipping, I was a bit irritated by this as no other nail polish I have used in about 10 years has chipped so quickly and under so little stress. If it had been a new company or a cheap polish I wouldn't have been so annoyed but Ciaté have been around for a few years and £9.00 isn't really that cheap (especially in comparison to the fantastic Barry M polishes which cost about £3.00). I had considered that it could just have been the Regatta colour/formula which was the problem but I spoke to one of my friends who had used them and she had the same problem with different colours and formulations. By time I had had it on for about 5 hours, I had to buy some nail polish remover as it looked really untidy, more in line with having worn it for 2 or 3 days (and having cleaned the house, typed and bathed/showered with hot water- the usual day to day stuff). The 'long lasting' comment on the bottle is a bit of a joke.

In short, I wouldn't buy this again and I was disappointed as I had expected something wonderful and got something I would have thought should cost £3 or £4. The dullness without a top coat I could deal with but the ease with which it chips is harder to overlook and it is a pity.

2 coats over an OPI base coat and under an OPI top coat.