Hi Goddesses
Today sees the launch of the new Shipwrecked Collection, and I have 4 babies that I was sent for review.
A couple of things I admire about this collection – firstly, the bold dark colours, so unusual for a summer collection, but so welcome when everyone else seems to be doing neon glitters in white bases. Secondly, the formula of the polishes matches their inspiration. They all dry to a semi-matte, semi-rough finish, befitting of jewels that have been lost under the sea for centuries. For personal preference, I added a layer of Poshe to all my manis. These polishes may really call to you if you want *some* texture, but not too much.
I’m going to start with my favourite – Sunken Galleon. Noelie understands blue polishes really well, and this is no exception. This is a gorgeous dark murky aqua, polluted by centuries of sand and sea.
The circle glitters make this for me – surely the treasure chest was full of coins, yes? Gold and silver, they nustle and nudge each other, spilling over the polish. Divine.
Isla de Muerto is the second blue polish, and reminds me a little of Koh’s Blue Universe. This is dark fathomless blue, sprinkled with crushed copper and bronze.
I love blue polishes with burnished tones in them, but I struggled to photograph this one, and I think that’s partly because of its semi-matte finish. Although this is nice, I would LOVE to see it in a sparser, glossy formula for winter wowness.
Siren’s Song is a stunning violet, laced with blue. This is really vibrant on the nails, making it a perfect summer hothouse polish.
There is a slight duochrome effect to this polish too, but I only captured one photo of it (but isn’t it stunning). I think this is probably because the semi-matte finish makes it harder to discern.
And finally Capitana El Rubi which I expected to be my favourite, but which I actually loved least. This is a ruby based crelly, packed with silver and pink glitter. Again, circle glitter for the win :)
I expected this polish to be glossier than it was, and I think that’s the heart of my disappointment. Although I used a coat of Poshe, you can’t really tell. There’s a fabulous photo of this on Smitten’s Facebook wall where it looks totally different, and smooth, so maybe next time I’ll need to crack out the Gelous too. I could have put another coat of Poshe on, but I thought you’d prefer to see it how it looks without extra tricks.
All in all, I really like the vibrancy of this collection, and as I said at the top, I love that the polishes really translate the theme. As you may have gathered, I’d have preferred most of these to be glossier, but hey, it does us good to try something different every now and then. I don’t dislike any of the polishes, but with the exception of Sunken Galleon, I like them rather than love them. All of the polishes are of the usual Smitten high standard, and thanks to a great brush they all apply easily too.
You can follow Smitten on Facebook here and buy them HERE from 3pm Central Time today when the entire Shipwrecked Collection goes on sale.
These polishes were sent to me for an honest review – enjoy xx
