I've been curious about this brand for a while, but nothing ever really grabbed my attention, until the newest collection, "Behind Closed Doors," came out a couple of weeks ago. Out of all the colors, Flushed really stood out, and I got it as soon as I could.
Cult Nails - Flushed
Flushed is a blue/purple or "blurple" cream/jelly hybrid with a subtle coppery pink shimmer. I love these types of polishes. The color and the glowy shimmer are just gorgeous together. Application was a bit tricky. I have read rave reviews on how awesome Cult Nails formula is, and was a bit disappointed. For me, the formula was too thin and runny. I don't mind a thin polish at all, but when it floods my cuticles and side walls, I tend to get a little irritated. The Cult Nails website describes Flushed as a "buildable sheer" and I agree. It was very sheer on the first coat, and I need 3 overall to get full coverage. Dry time was on the longer side as well. I managed to nick 2 nails a good 5 minutes after applying my quick dry top coat (butter London PD Quick). Letting the polish completely dry between coats will probably solve the problem, tho. While the color is very very pretty, I kinda feel like the formula has been hyped a bit. Or maybe this color is different from the rest. Reguardless, the ir is simply beautiful, and I have a tendancy to overlook problematic formulas if the polish looks like this!
One thing I noticed, when I got the bottle, was that it was almost identical to my beloved Takko Lacquer Kiss the Sky. The swatches on line look similar but show a more pink toned shimmer. I decided to do a little comparison.
Bottle Shot
Left to Right: Takko Lacquer, Cult Nails, Takko Lacquer, Cult Nails
Side by side, they are nearly identical. Kiss the Sky has a bit more noticeable shimmer, and the base color is more saturated (it also requires fewer coats). When you tilt your nails at a different angle, that's when the biggest difference appears, and what makes Kiss the Sky so special.
See that amazing green color shift? Flushed doesn't have it, sadly, otherwise it's a pretty good copy, based on color. Formula, not so much. Takko Lacquer beats out Cult Nails for sure.
So, I'm not entirely convinced of Cult Nails yet. But I am willing to give the brand another try, because you can't judge a book by it's cover, and you can't judge a nail polish company based on one polish. I'd love to hear some suggestions on other colors to try!
Cult Nails is available on line.
I'm impatiently waiting for Flushed (as well as a couple others) to come in the mail. :)
ReplyDeleteCult Nails recommendations: I would recommend Charlatan, for sure! It is STUNNING in person. Also, Annalicious (wonderfully shimmery), Captivated (beautiful!) and Seduction (if you like flakies). I am a newbie to the Cult, but I am a big fan now!
Thanks for your swatches and comparison.
Awesome, thanks for the recs! I've been eyeing the convert packs lately, myself!
DeleteHello! Just wanted to say I have never owned either of these brands and now I want them both, my wallet and I thank you! Also I nominated you for the Liebster Award: http://anonailmous.blogspot.com/2012/12/liebster-award.html.
ReplyDeletehaha! glad i could fulfill my roll as a polish addiction enabler! btw. thank you so so much for the nom! i'm completely flattered! xoxo
DeleteHaha I'm glad someone did this! I only have the Takko Lacquer polish and while both are gorgeous I'm happy I picked the Takko one first!
ReplyDeleteI've been lemming Afterglow, I Got Distracted, Iconic and Deal With It. Where do you get Takko?
ReplyDeleteTakko Lacquer is available on Etsy. http://www.etsy.com/shop/takkolacquer
DeleteI'll have to check out those colors! I actually just ordered Let Me Fly yesterday, along with the Wicked Fast top coat.