Ciate's Beach Melba

When I first heard about the brand Ciate, it was back when they were trying to tell bloggers to stop posting photos of the caviar manicure as they would soon copyright it but hadn't yet done it. I came across it in a few blogs and in this case, bad publicity was really bad publicity. I didn't see any Ciate products in Aussie shops until I went into Mecca Cosmetica some time before Christmas ans saw the $20 price tag for a 13.5 ml bottle and $30 for their velvet/caviar kits. I could so pass up the opportunity to acquire this brand. For $20, I can get myself 5 Limited Edition essences, 4 Sinful Colours, 3 China Glazes online, 10 Ulta3's, not that I would but you get the gist.

The reason I'm presenting this to you is that I found the brand for about AU$10 a bottle at BeautyBay.com back in November. I wanted to try just because I heard so much about it on the internet and let's face it, that pretty bow calls out girly, and good marketing. I've put it on few times since then but I didn't fall in love with it but after a week and a half of failed nail art, I decided I might as well post some of the polishes I haven't shown in here.

So here it is, Ciate's Beach Melba. The swatch below was done with four coats and no top coat. 

What do I think about it? The good? The formula is great, it stays where you apply it and it dries super shiny without any top coat. The bad? Well, it is a pale nude (my bad choice), it takes forever to dry (I had to dip my fingers in icy cold water to speed up the process; otherwise, with my impatience, this post wouldn't have happened) and it is so sheer that even with four coats there is plenty of VNL. 

For a person that doesn't like nudes and has patience only for one-coaters, this polish wasn't the best choice. I love the glossy finish but my liking stops there. I mean, if you're looking for a work appropriate polish, go for it, if you can find it for cheap.

Another reason why I'm not very likely to buy this brand again is that, at the time of posting, BeautyBay.com was no longer shipping nail polish outside the UK. I don't want to pay $20 for a bottle of polish, especially if I can get myself 5 Limited Edition essences, 4 Sinful Colours, 3 China Glazes online, 10 Ulta3's...

The colour was a little too pale for my skin and didn't look right. I wanted to keep it nude-ish and pretty so I added a coat of Space Queen by essence. I got this polish a while ago, as you can see from me holding the 5 ml bottle. I'm not sure if it still stocked in the new range.

*Sigh* Glitter does make everything look better.

Bottle shot for show.

I might use this as a base for glitter sandwiches and nail art but I'm not really a fan. :( Have you ever tried a new brand for the hype of it and then didn't like it?

Til next time, 

Laura