Nubar- Going Green Collection.

Since my first experience with Nubar nail varnish was somewhat dubious (remember the matte purple that chipped within hours to end up in my green curry?) I was hesitant to wear it again. To be perfectly honest I am pretty lazy with my nails and just don't have the energy to re-apply nail varnish every day. However, in the interests of all you ladies who are enjoying the green polish trend this season I decided to try a different NUBAR nail polish formula from their new Going Green collection.

 The polish I am wearing here is called Wildlife. It is a very unique colour, and it really has to be seen in real life as it is quite difficult to describe. In the bottle it looks like a golden olive green with a pink duochrome effect. On application the first coat was a little streaky, but with the second it seemed to even out and give a dense colour, which dried fairly quickly to a shiny finish.

I don't own many hollographic nail varnishes and I was surprised by the way it came to life on my nails. Depending on which way you look at it the colours transition from a dark muddy green, through gold, to a bright, pearlescent pink.

Unfortunately, this was difficult to capture on camera, but you can see here how the pink really stands out at the right angles.

Fortunately, I can report that this Nubar formulation is much longer lasting than their matte range and although I did experience a few chips (my nail varnish always chips on the first day be it OPI, essie, china glaze etc.) there was no flaking and peeling of the polish as before.

Overall, if you are interested in green nails for this season I would recommend checking out Nubar's new Going Green collection here as they have a great range of colours and are "3 FREE" as well as cruelty free :).

Matte nails- Nubar

When I first heard that this season brings with it a trend for matte nails I was excited. After all, it is something fun and new to try, and a great excuse to buy more polishes. I was therefore happy to be given the opportunity to try out the new Modern Matte collection from a brand I had not previously heard of- NUBAR.

These polishes are described as eco friendly because they are free from formaldehyde, phthalates and toluene as well as being carcinogen free, suitable for vegetarians or vegans (not quite sure what they mean by this), and not being tested on animals (yay!).

I received one of their four polishes in the shade Vital, a beautiful deep purple, somewhat similar to one of my all time favourites OPI's plugged in plum.

This polish is very richly pigmented and is opaque after just one coat, though I found that two coats gave it a much deeper colour. It was also a little streaky at first, but with two coats it seemed to even out. The best thing about it was the drying time. It was dry to the touch within a matter of seconds and set in a couple of minutes, which is great for me as I am always doing my nails in a rush. Also, even though the finish is matte it did not look dull as it has tiny flecks of shimmer to give it dimension.

 

Sounds great right? However, one of the most important things for me in a nail polish is longevity, and this one unfortunately did not live up to its promise of a 'chip resistant formula'. After application in the afternoon it started chipping within a few hours, and by the time I had finished preparing dinner  some of my nails had barely half the nail polish left on. I am glad they say this polish is suitable for vegetarians as some of it probably ended up being a 'special' ingredient in my Thai green curry yesterday.

Overall, I would say that for £8 this did not quite live up to my expectations. I loved the super fast drying time, the colour and the unusual matte finish, but it just chipped far too quickly. However, I am determined to make it work so I shall try to invest in a good matte topcoat to improve its lasting power and shall report to you all.

The Modern Matte collection and other nubar nail polishes are available at www.beautyshed.co.uk.

Do you guys have any recommendations for a good matte topcoat? What do you think of matte nails, is it just a passing trend?