Hi chickadees!
I know this polish was super popular a while back as a dupe for Chanel's Graphite so you've probably already read lots of reviews and seen plenty of swatches. I've had my bottle for at least a few months but it never seemed like the right time to use it. Until now. Obviously. :)
I'll try to keep it short since I'm sure a lot of you are familiar with this polish. I no longer see it in stores but there are still some bottles floating around online.
Color: When I had just painted it on my nails, I was still a bit unimpressed with the color. It's a gritty kind of gray that's not really a metallic or foil. It reminds me of minerals and the rocks you sometimes find outside with a bit of gritty shimmer in them. This color really comes alive outside in direct sunlight or indoor fluorescent lighting. Then you really see all the gorgeous depth it has. The pictures will do a much better job of explaining so I'll just let you look at the swatches later instead of continuing to ramble on. I will say that it would interesting to try and incorporate it into a snakeskin design.
Formula: I thought the formula was alright. A bit thick. It certainly wasn't as smooth as my favorite Essie creme polishes, but that's kind of to be expected from a finish like this. It was a lot better than other Revlon polishes I've used it the past.
Application: I needed 3 coats to get it fully opaque. As I said, it's not perfectly smooth but you'll be fine as long as you don't try and paint really thin coats because that's when the brush is going to drag. For a smooth glide, it's best to paint in slightly thicker coats. Also, try not to go over the polish with the brush too much to even it out. That's a general technique rule for me (I hate when they do it at the salon) but it's particularly important for a polish like this.
CONCLUSION: I'm going to try and use this polish sparingly since I don't see too many bottles of Carbonite anymore. For the price of a regular Revlon nail polish, I think I would repurchase it if I ran out, but I'm not quite sure I love it enough to order it online. I also kind of feel like it didn't wear very well and started to look a bit dull after a few days.
SWATCHES
As I was removing this polish I did notice some potential for an interesting nail look. Like a lot of semi-foil or glitter polishes, this doesn't remove cleanly. But unlike a lot of them, this comes off in two distinct layers. Thus, there's the possibility of getting a two-toned look with minimal effort required.
I know this polish was super popular a while back as a dupe for Chanel's Graphite so you've probably already read lots of reviews and seen plenty of swatches. I've had my bottle for at least a few months but it never seemed like the right time to use it. Until now. Obviously. :)
I'll try to keep it short since I'm sure a lot of you are familiar with this polish. I no longer see it in stores but there are still some bottles floating around online.
Color: When I had just painted it on my nails, I was still a bit unimpressed with the color. It's a gritty kind of gray that's not really a metallic or foil. It reminds me of minerals and the rocks you sometimes find outside with a bit of gritty shimmer in them. This color really comes alive outside in direct sunlight or indoor fluorescent lighting. Then you really see all the gorgeous depth it has. The pictures will do a much better job of explaining so I'll just let you look at the swatches later instead of continuing to ramble on. I will say that it would interesting to try and incorporate it into a snakeskin design.
Formula: I thought the formula was alright. A bit thick. It certainly wasn't as smooth as my favorite Essie creme polishes, but that's kind of to be expected from a finish like this. It was a lot better than other Revlon polishes I've used it the past.
Application: I needed 3 coats to get it fully opaque. As I said, it's not perfectly smooth but you'll be fine as long as you don't try and paint really thin coats because that's when the brush is going to drag. For a smooth glide, it's best to paint in slightly thicker coats. Also, try not to go over the polish with the brush too much to even it out. That's a general technique rule for me (I hate when they do it at the salon) but it's particularly important for a polish like this.
CONCLUSION: I'm going to try and use this polish sparingly since I don't see too many bottles of Carbonite anymore. For the price of a regular Revlon nail polish, I think I would repurchase it if I ran out, but I'm not quite sure I love it enough to order it online. I also kind of feel like it didn't wear very well and started to look a bit dull after a few days.
As I was removing this polish I did notice some potential for an interesting nail look. Like a lot of semi-foil or glitter polishes, this doesn't remove cleanly. But unlike a lot of them, this comes off in two distinct layers. Thus, there's the possibility of getting a two-toned look with minimal effort required.
that shade looks absolutely gorgeous!!!
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It is. I know there are still bottles being sold on Amazon and elsewhere online if you really want one. :)
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