The first thing I noticed about this varnish was the adorable packaging, it comes in a regular traditional nail varnish pot, glass pot, black lid/handle, but the detail that makes it truly stand out is the gorgeous little bow at the front made from tiny ribbon. I actually gushed when I saw it, it immediately made me want to chuck all my other nail varnishes in the bin and only display these gorgeous Ciaté ones from that moment on (and I genuinely think a lot of you will feel the same)!
The shade I am reviewing here is ‘Snatch’ from ‘The Reds’ collection. It’s a true, bright red.
Application
When applying nail varnish I usually use a base coat and a top coat, and that is the way Ciaté and most other brands would advise as well. However for reviews sake I only applied a base coat (as the red would stain my nails otherwise) for many of us gals that don’t have time for a full manicure. It’s good to know whether you can depend on something when time is not on your side.
The brush to this varnish is reassuringly good; it’s not a rubbish, fiddly, awkward brush. I even suspect it fans out a little so it covers a large part of your nail per stroke, thus enabling you to get perfect application pronto. I managed to apply this to all my fingers in about one minute flat, with minimal accidental over paint. It then literally dried in about 30 seconds, ready for the next coat. I applied (and advise) two coats in total.
Verdict
I have to admit, this may well be my new favourite nail varnish brand! The colour is a gorgeous orangy-ruby red (very on trend!), a shade that would pretty much suit all skin tones in a quirky, Hollywood glamour screen siren way (think Gwen Stefani in ‘Don’t Speak’). The consistency of the varnish is thin, therefore dries incredibly quick, but you still get an amaazing depth of colour. It reminds me of Nails Inc varnishes (consistency wise), but better, as with Nails Inc you need several layers, takes longer to dry and even then it chips soooo quickly.
My nails looked super glossy and shiny without a topcoat. I pretty much started doing stuff within ten minutes of applying it and it didn’t smudge one bit, it had miraculously fully set. I honestly have never had this with the other brands I mentioned above, and most of all, those brands didn’t even look anywhere near decent until I threw on a good glossy top coat!
So far I’ve only been wearing it for a full 24 hours, and except a tiny amount on one thumb it hasn’t chipped at all. I think it’s worth a mention that I am an excessive hand washer (you will probably notice my dry hands in the pics below). I will have to update in a few days to give you a full longevity report, but I suspect it’ll be looking in tact for the whole weekend (I applied it Thursday morning). I reckon if you throw on a topcoat, you could wear this baby (acceptably) for a good two weeks – which is basically how long my Jessica varnishes wear, but the main difference here is the time and effort it takes to apply it. You could put this on and be out the door, risk free, in 10-15 minutes (if even that! Possibly 5?). It’s the kinda of nail varnish you could apply before going to sleep, and wake up completely free of pillow/bed smudges. Very impressed. I love my ruby nails!
Check the pictures below (remember, this is WITHOUT a topcoat, it looks thicker in the pics than it actually is because it’s so glossy!):
Ever since the launch of nails wraps and magnetic nails I personally am all over (as in, bored now) of crackle. However out of the two types of crackle I’ve tried, the second being this (the first was Barry M’s), Ciaté version is definitely the stronger contender. The crackle, or Smash, as Ciaté call it, is really light once it dries and very easy to apply. For me, the trick was a nice thick layer, two swipes (one left, one right, meeting in the middle) and then a second wait before the polish separates like thiiiiis. I like the matte texture so I skip top coat.
