To Matte or Not to Matte?

Monday, September 28, 2009
Over Labour Day long weekend I finally found one of the things I had been coveting for awhile - matte nail polish. I picked up OPI La Paz-itively Hot - a bright fuchsia colour.



I hadn't heard much about the matte colours except for that they exist and are one of the hot nail trends. Having taken a bit of a nail polish hiatus over the summer, this was the perfect thing to throw me right back in. I typically change the colour on my nails 2 or 3 times per week. Speaking to the girl at the salon, she told me to make sure I read the directions (!!??).

I got home and read these so-called directions. 1) Do not wear a base coat or top coat, 2) Do not use hand moisturizer. I took the latter to mean that I shouldn't have cream on my hands prior to polishing, because there's no way that I would be able to not moisturize for however long the polish was on. Finally, there's what I would call a disclaimer.



OPI matte may not last as long as regular OPI.



Which, I suppose makes sense since there are no base or top coats.

The major plus side of this polish is that it is quick drying. No fuss. Seriously, you could put it on while getting ready for a night out and you wouldn't have to worry about smudging it! I loved that. What I didn't love, however, was that it does, in fact, chip rather easily. The other morning, after doing my nails the night before, I left for work, got on the SkyTrain, and by the time I had gotten to work, one of my nails had a huge chip in it! But, I suppose that since it does dry so quickly, it's not that big of a deal since it would take no time to fix it.

All in all, despite the annoyance, it's a great product, the quick drying being a huge selling factor to me. Plus, I love the way it looks!

3 comments:

Lisa said...

Hmm interesting that it chips more easily. The no base/top coat instructions make sense because top coats would render the matte polish shiny.

MizzJ said...

Why no moisturizer though?

the lovely life said...

I think the residue left by moisturizer increases the chances of nail polish chipping faster. My friend got a pedi using this shade, and although she ended up putting a top coat on it, it still looked gorgeous. Let us know if you buy more matte colors, and better yet, post pictures!