Revlon — Royal

Ha! Varnish posted on Revlon yesterday, and now so am I! What are the odds? Especially considering that...

I had never purchased a Revlon nail polish before. The selection has always seemed very limited, and the colors never looked like nail polish colors to me; it just looked like Revlon was making nail polish versions of their lipsticks. Blah.

But lately, Revlon's been stepping up its game. Recently released Revlon Royal and Revlon Starry Pink have been well-liked by nail bloggers I respect... so I figured what the hay! I spotted Revlon Royal at my neighborhood Walgreens and took a chance.

First of all, it was $6.99. Why is Revlon charging $6.99 for nail polish? I could get a nice Essie or OPI for just a bit more. I was expecting something more like... $4.50. or $4.99. However, I was geared up to try this color, and it's become somewhat HTF lately, so I shelled out some coin. 

Revlon Royal is a part of Revlon's "Top Speed" line. I haven't used a fast dry nail enamel in years, possibly over a decade, so that took a bit of getting used to. I like to take my time painting each nail, but with a fast-drying formula like this, you've got to move quickly... or else it clots. 

I used my trusty Essie ridge filling base coat, two coats of Revlon Royal, and one coat of my beloved Sally Hansen MegaShine. A top coat is a must with this polish, because it dries semi-matte. The consistency is strange... it's not a creme, but it's pretty opaque for a jelly. I took some pictures that will show you what I mean. 

The coverage is great! One coat delivered major color, and two coats was perfect. The color is very beautiful... even though it's blue — which doesn't necessarily scream "She's a lady!" — it's a sophisticated shade. I felt like my fingers were sapphires. I got a lot of compliments this week! 

It pains me to say that it chipped on the first day; a true disappointment. I don't experience chippy nail polish very often, and and when I do, I go cray cray. In my opinion, a polished nail is more put-together than a bare nail, but a chippy nail is worse than even a bare and discolored nail with ragged cuticles. Sick. I believe that you (usually) get what you pay for, and Revlon polish is just not of the same caliber as OPI or Essie. 

I would recommend this polish if you snag it on sale. As I experiment with more tape manicures, I may buy a few more Revlon Top Speed colors, since the coverage seems great and they dry so quickly; two very important components for a good tape mani! 

xxo, GLOSS