The elf cosmetics Autumn 2010 Nail Polish Collection consists of 4 shades, namely, Rosy Raisin, Cranberry, Red Velvet and Purple Pleaser as well as a Matte Finisher Top-Coat. At a first glance, they may look the same, but they are not!
First, let me tackle the points that are common for all. They come in the same packaging all other elf nail polishes come in... basically a black box with a transparent window on the front. The nail polishes themselves come in a square transparent glass bottle with a big cap. On the front and top part of the cap, is the elf brand logo.
What bothers me with these bottles is the fact that to really close them tight, the cap doesn't line with the rest of the bottle. I think that's not neat that's why it bugs me. Here's a picture to show you what I mean:
The brush is really nice to work with though. They all have a quick drying time. These nail polishes are free from Toluene, Formaldehyde and DBP and contain nutrients to boost natural nail shine as well as Vitamin E for stronger and healthier nails. The texture of these polishes is not gooey at all and is really easy to work with. Two coats are advised for optimum opacity of the colours. The smell can be a bit of a turn-off, then again, which nail polish has a pleasant scent?
First photo: Rosy Raisin, Purple Pleaser & Matte Finisher
Second photo: Red Velvet, Cranberry, Matte Finisher, Purple Pleaser & Rosy Raisin
Rosy Raisin ~ I was really skeptical about this colour when I saw it on the website because I didn't like the way the colour looked on the site. However, I decided to get it on seeing swatches of it on YouTube and I'm really glad I did!
Rosy Raisin in real life and on the elf webiste
I would describe this colour as a hybrid between amarena cherry red and rose red. It is a very gorgeous colour that fits in really well with Autumn/Winter wardrobes and I'd say everyone is able to carry this colour off. It has a cream finish and lasted for a week with a top coat on.
Purple Pleaser ~ Again, this was another polish I didn't like at first, but then YouTube changed my mind and made me spend more money :P. It is a lovely purple, kind of mauve and is also a very wearable and on-trend colour. What I didn't like about this though, is that it stained my nails! I had a good base coat on and made sure to leave a hair-line gap at the cuticles (the correct way to apply polish to supposedly avoid staining), but this polish still managed to stain my nails just the same. This was the one that lasted the most with a top coat on... a full 1 and a half weeks!
Cranberry ~ As soon as I saw this on the elf USA website, I was really hoping that elf UK would stock it really soon cause I really wanted to get my hands on it (well, it on my nails actually :P). It turned out to be my favourite out of all these shades. It is a very sophisticated deep red with a hint of shimmer and a pearly finish... very classy indeed! It lasted for a whole week without a chip in sight and it is still on my toes after 3 weeks; mind you, it looks like I have just applied it so that definitely makes it a winner! Sadly though, it stained my finger nails as well. This time, I applied two coats of the base coat but still, there was no success in preventing staining. I do have other dark polishes from elf and they never stained my nails, for instance Rosy Raisin and Red Velvet didn't stain them at all so I guess it's just these two.
Red Velvet ~ This is the lightest of the two reds which also has a pearl finish and some shimmer to it. It is a lovely cherry red colour which can be worn all year round. I was really pleased with this and it lasted a week as well. I also used this on my friend for a manicure (see picture on left) and she loved it instantly! As stated earlier, no staining occurred with this one.
Last but not least, the
Matte Finisher Top Coat. I still can't decide if I like matte nails or not but this did a decent job when I used it with Purple Pleaser. In the bottle, it looks milky, but if left to stand for a long time, it may separate in a clear and a milky layer, but nothing that a little mixing prior to use doesn't fix. Besides, I learned that Toluene based nail polishes tend to separate a bit on standing. Here's what I mean:
And here's how it looks when I used it my Purple Pleaser:
This top coat, I must say lasts very well, probably the reason why Purple Pleaser lasted so long, so I will definitely buy another bottle of it if I ever decide I will wear matte nails more often. I kinda like the satiny look though... hmm we'll see about that. In the meantime, I'm really looking forward to try Twinkle and Metal Madness which elf USA just announced along with a few other new products from the studio line.
Anyways, you can get these beautiful nail polishes from the
elf cosmetics website at £1.50/€1.70 each for 10ml. The Cranberry, Red Velvet and Matte Finisher are currently out of stock are due to be on sale again early December this year.
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