Dolce & Gabbana nail polish

Last month I picked up a few, or actually more accurately an abundance of beauty goodies in the duty free when I went to see my parents. I'm slowly but surely testing my way through the magnificent loot and today we'll look at one of the nail polishes that I got. As you know I'm always keen on trying a new nail polish, but it's even more fun to try a completely new brand and today I have not just any newbie, it's Dolce & Gabbana's The Intense Nail Lacquer (£18.50) in the color Ibisco. I must admit that even before I had tried any of the Dolce & Gabbana products from my duty free haul, I had already been seduced by the packaging which is all sleekness and sophistication with its gold top with the brand name embossed on top of a glass bottle - I just love everything about it.

The formula is a little bit strange - it's very runny but at the same time it's not thin as such and the consistency is creamy enough that you only need less than a tiny drop to get a full and opaque coverage of your nail. The brush is of average width although of great quality so it's flexible and nice to work with, and it gives an even streak free finish without leaving any pesky hairs behind. Despite being such a wet formula it's still highly pigmented and already with only coat you get a lovely and polished high shine finish and at least with the darker shades you could wear only one coat if you're in a rush, although personally I think that the finish looks a little "thin" - not from a pigmentation point of view, but as a finish and if you have any ridges or unevenness on your nails, they will show through. Since the polish dries extremely quickly I would recommend that you apply two coats, using a tiny micro drop of product for each, and you'll get a beautiful smooth patent shine look. The nail polish comes in 30 different colors ranging from pale nudes and neutrals to intense, dramatic, rich and sophisticated shades. Ibisco is allegedly one of the best selling shades from the range and no wonder - it's a gorgeous warm rose pink with a noticeable coral undertone that would work beautifully with any skin tone and I'm speaking from experience since I first tried this shade when I still had my pale blue winter skin and it looked as chic then as it does now when I have a touch of a tan after the Easter holidays. How long a nail polish lasts is of course always an individual thing based on life style, job etc but on me this nail polish lasts about 3-4 days before it starts to chip a little bit which I think is fairly average and good enough for me. I really like the Dolce & Gabbana nail polish and to get a better feel for the entire range, I'm planning on getting at least two more shades from opposite ends of the range, so one sheer nude and another one more vibrant and vampy - and if there's a particular color that you would like me to try, please let me know and I'll follow your recommendation.