While Adventures in Polishland is all about fabulous nails at an affordable price, there are times when it is okay to splurge on a special polish. After seeing beautiful swatches of the Illamasqua Limited Edition Rubber Finish Nail Varnish over at LacqueredLover.com, I decided to treat myself to a polish from the collection to celebrate my start of law school. I headed over to Sephora’s website, and chose Optimist, what Illamasqua describes as “warm yellow.” I was a bit surprised when my new polish came in the mail and it was a bright orange! At first I was a little bummed, but I paid $14 for my new Illamasqua and the least I could do was try it on.
I have never tried a polish with a rubber finish before, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. The formula is easy to work with, but you can definitely see any imperfections and brush strokes. I began with two coats, but I added a third coat just to make sure the finish looked the way I wanted it to. I knew that I wouldn’t be using a top coat with this polish, because the whole point is to showcase the rubber finish! It took a little while for me to get used to this new look, but after a few hours I came to love Optimist!
The color of Optimist actually reminds me of the Crayola crayon “Macaroni and Cheese.” I love how smooth and creamy the finish looks. I have been looking for the perfect orange polish, and I found it here with Illamasqua’s Optimist even though I thought I was buying a yellow polish. This color is great for fall, and even reminded me a bit of a pumpkin. I like how the color is bright, but not a neon. That way it a bit more subdued, and not as “in your face.”
Though I can’t spend $14 for nail polish on a regular basis, I am sure glad I splurged on Illamasqua. If you are looking to try out a great, higher end brand be sure to stop by your local Sephora store. After buying this polish online and being surprised by the color, I definitely suggest looking at these in person first. That way you will find the perfect color for you!
Have you tried Illamasqua polish? What do think of Optimist?
While that looks nice, I couldn’t justify paying 14 for it. I’d rather spend that on something better/sparklier, like an indie if I had that much.
I know exactly what you mean about splurging every once in a while. Though the most I’ve ever spent on a polish was $9 on Floam a while back, which was my summer splurge :-). Other than that, it’s been a couple OPI’s that run for $7 at my favorite salon store. Now, when you find these brands on clearance, and you get $8 polish for $2 each (like I did three of the Muppet OPI’s!), it’s an added bonus! However, I do want these rubber polishes, and I have a feeling they will never go on sale like that…so if I want them bad enough, I’ll have to splurge like you!
PS Good luck with law school!!!!
Thanks! I usually don’t spend over $3-5 on polish, so I feel justified on this one!
Illamasqua nail polishes are one of my favourites, so worth splurging on in my opinion. Just pick an original colour that is hard to find.
Exactly!