I'm an Essie girl, through and through – I think you all know that. There's a dash of China Glaze thrown into the mix and I have remnants of my Revelique nail polish obsession somewhere in my collection so it is kinda rare that I fall in love with anything apart from my usual suspects. My interest was piqued back in September of 2014. when a blogger friend of mine introduced her fave beauty releases for autumn in her guest post for Meteo Beauty (if you missed it, you can catch up here). Max Factor Glossfnity Gel Shine Lacquer in Sheen Merlot (60) must be one of the prettiest burgundy/wine shades I've ever seen (and that's not an exaggeration)! I just love everything about this nail polish and it's a perfect choice for either long or short nails. The packaging is also aesthetically pleasing – the cute square bottle, gold details and all. I must say that not many shades from the Glossfinity Gel Shine range caught my eye – Sheen Merlot being the star of the show, of course – maybe I'd love to try the purplicious Lacquered Violet as it seems stunning! I do like the fact that this range features a gel-like formula but the color is the turning point here – so demure yet so sexy. I'd never undermine its uniqueness and elegance by doing any type of nail art with this beauty – it's a standalone piece, for sure!
Ja sam Essie djevojka, nema sumnje u to – mislim da sve vi vec to znate. Sa vremena na vrijeme unesem dasak China Glaze lakova a takodjer imam i ostatke svoje Revelique opsesije u svojoj lakoholicarskoj kolekciji tako da slobodno mozemo zakljuciti da se rijetko kada zaljubim u nesto mimo svojih ljubimaca. Ono sto mi je privuklo paznju datira jos od proslog septembra kada je prijateljica i blogerica koja je pisala gostujuci post za Meteo Beauty spomenula ovaj lak za nokte kao jedan od njoj najdrazih jesenjih noviteta (u slucaju da ste propustile taj clanak, mozete ga procitati ovdje). Max Factor Glossfnity Gel Shine lak za nokte u nijansi Sheen Merlot/60 (11,95KM) mora biti jedan od najljepsih lakova ikada, barem u tom rafu boje vina (i vjerujte da ne pretjerujem). Sve u vezi ovog laka mi se dopalo i idealan je izbor, kako za kratke, tako i za duge nokte. Takodjer je i pakovanje estetski prijatno na oko – simpaticna cetvrtasta bocica, zlacani detalji i sl. Moram priznati da me nije mnogo nijansi iz linije Glossfinity Gel Shine lakova privuklo – Sheen Merlot od samog pocetka sam smatrala najintrigantnijom nijansom a veoma rado bih isprobala i ljubicastvenu Lacquered Violet koja mi djeluje magicno. Dopada mi se sto su ovi lakovi inspirisani geliranim noktima i efektom kakav takvi nokti imaju. Veliki broj lakova za nokte tog karaktera mi odgovara no stvarni akcenat u ovom slucaju je na boji – tako je suptilna a tako privlacna. Iskreno, nikada ne bih zeljela narusiti ljepotu i eleganciju ovog laka nail art-om tako da u mom svijetu ostaje samostalni izvodjac.
Having a gel-like formula affects the way this polish applies – you don't need several thin coats (as it's the case with most CG polishes), one or two regular ones will do. Gel-like formulas are usually a tad thicker and this one in particular is of a self leveling formula meaning that it smooths out on its own, creating an even, glossy canvas even if your application technique isn't ideal. I use two coats of Sheen Merlot as I've noticed that the second coat provides a richness I love. It requires two minutes to dry after which it actually is completely dry – patience truly is worth it with this one. The glossy finish is there, it looks amazing and the color is absolutely fab. A rich berry/wine shade with a lovely metallic finish that sparkles magically whilst under direct sunlight – it makes hands instantly glam. It's not completely red-toned, it does contain some plum under certain light. The brush isn't perfect, though – not as thick or wide as Essie's but I managed. That is the only aspect of this polish I'd suggest needs improving. Longevity is really decent (3-4 days on my nails without a top coat until it starts to chip). All in all, I really like it and will keep it as a part of my personal stash. Have you tried it, ever discovered it or have known about it since autumn?
Posto ovaj lak ima specificnu formulaciju koja imitira gelirane nokte, to se odrazava na nanosenje. Nije vam potrebno par tanjih slojeva (kakav je slucaj sa npr.CG lakovima), vec ce najbolje rezultate pruziti jedan do dva standarna sloja. Lakovi inspirisani geliranim noktima su malo gusci a trenutacni primjerak ima formulaciju koja se sama poravna i zagladi nakon nanosenja, kreirajuci ujednacenu i sjajnu nokatnu plocu cak i ako vasa tehnika nanosenja nije bez mane. Licno koristim dva sloja Sheen Merlot laka cisto iz razloga sto smatram da drugi sloj boji podari raskos koja mi se dopada. Susenje pojedinacnog sloja traje dvije minute nakon cega je sloj u potpunosti osusen (pritisak prsta na nokat ne ostavlja trag). U ovom slucaju se strpljenje mnogostruko isplati. Sjajni finis odlicno izgleda a boja oduzima dah. Raskosna kombinacija boje vina i bobicastog voca uz krasan crveni metalik odsjaj koji magicno treperi na suncevoj svjetlosti. Zaista je mnogo ljepsi uzivo nego na fotografijama, moram priznati. Nije u potpunosti crveno/smedje kategorije jer sam primjetila blago sljivasti podton pod odredjenim uglom. Cetkica pak nije idealna – nije dovoljno debeljuskasta niti siroka kao poput npr.Essie lakova no moguce je sa njom izaci na kraj (a da ne izgubite zivce). Ta cetkica bi ujedno bila jedini aspekt ovog laka za koji vjerujem da bi mu poboljsanje dobro doslo. Trajnost je sasvim solidna (3-4 dana na noktima bez nadlaka, prije nego se tragovi nosenja pocnu primjecivati). Sve u svemu, ovaj lak me dojmio i zadrzati cu ga medju ostalim probranim nijansama u sklopu svoje kolekcije. Da li ste ga mozda isprobale, otkrile ili ste me pretekle pa i vi od jeseni uzivate u njegovim carima?
*Some of these products may have been sent to me for review. For more information, see my disclaimer.
