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I had an invitation to this weekend’s Lovebox. Unfortunately I declined it as it’s currently Ramadan and I’m fasting for 18 hours a day. Instead I’ve had to imagine what it would have been like to sing along to the foul-mouthed ‘212’ by Azaelia Banks (don’t look so surprised it’s on my iPod), so if you went, I hope she was one of the highlights.
Speaking of highlights (or should that be ‘highlighter’?), Azaelia wore an eye-popping green neon jumpsuit which made me wonder if it glowed in the dark or even better, under UV lights (Google it if you haven’t seen it). That particular thought brings me nicely onto Ciaté’s latest offering, the Corrupted Neon Manicure Collection.
If a plain old neon polish is yesterday’s news for you and you are over simple polishes that light up under UV lights, then get a load of this: Ciaté has four different shades (pink, orange, yellow and blue) in its collection and each one comes with a bottle of glitter to sprinkle over wet nails for a radical look.
I received the neon pink Shout Out. The procedure is simple: paint two thin coats of the neon Paint Pot (which I should add is not glossy), then sprinkle the glitter over all 10 talons or on an accent nail, and finally seal with the special UV top coat. You can leave out the glitter totally and skip to the top coat. Either way it will make your nails glow in a club.
It’s not until I experimented with these polishes under a UV light that I realised how the tiniest particle shows up and makes for a messy looking manicure. I’m afraid you will have to imagine what the polishes look like on my nails under a UV light as I couldn’t get anyone to take a photo of them. Sigh. Still, you get the idea with the picture above.
The polish itself applies perfectly with no streaking and under normal lighting, the pink is gorgeous. It’s the sprinkle of glitter that is messy. I got it all over my bedsheets (not a good idea, use a sturdy and strong surface like a table, kids with a cover that’s easy to clean) and worryingly, it looked just like the edible glitter I use on my cupcakes so I’d best be careful not to get the two mixed up.
The glitter adds a 3D effect but to be honest, I’d rather give it a miss. I am happier wearing the neon polish on its own plus its UV properties still work regardless. The glitter just gets in the way. Ciaté is responsible for some of my favourite polishes but the glitter element is probably not one of their finest moments. Well, it certainly isn’t for me.
Ciaté’s Corrupted Neon Manicure Sets are priced at £18 and are available in Selfridges.
*PR sample
Even though it is messy to apply the glitter, I love the look. I think I’d use the glitter over other nail polishes too 🙂