Thakoon For Nars - Limited Edition Nail Polishes

"Limited edition nail polishes inspired by the designer's Spring 2012 collection.
Super vibrant, exuberant color channels the pulsating hues of an Indian spice market for a bold dose of fashion-forward color at your fingertips."

- NARS -

"NARS Nail Polish imparts incredible luster and prolonged gloss retention with UV protection to prevent polish discoloration. An advanced polymer system provides extended wear and a durable, chip-resistant finish.

Long-wearing, chip-resistant
Toluene, formaldehyde and DBP free"

Available Shades

Anardana: Azalea pink (in the same deep pink family as one of my fave colours Chanel 'Rose Exuberant'. However, 'Anardana' is more red and 'Rose Exuberant' is more pink - see the swatches below. To me, 'Anardana' is also slightly more vibrant in colour.).
Amchoor: Bright yellow (Karla Sugar describes it as a 'Big Bird' yellow, which I agree with! [Note she mentions the specific Indian spices these colours relate to in case you're curious. ;-) ]) This is similar in shade to Dior's 'Acapulco' (from the new 'Summer Mix Collection'), however 'Acapulco' has a jelly (slightly translucent) finish and 'Amchoor' is a cream (opaque) and hence, much brighter finish. See comparison swatches below.
Ratin Jot: Orchid purple
Kutki: Powder blue
Koliary: Cyan blue
Lal Mirchi: Mandarin red. (Not shown here as it is exclusive to the NARS website and boutique store).

Application, Consistency & Finish

Anardana, Koliary and Anardana were simply effortless to apply! Very smooth, cream and very glossy finish. They had a relatively thin consistency and were opaque in two coats (almost could do it in one, but not quite). Kutki and Amchoor were too thick for my liking so they were difficult to apply (had to attempt 3 times before I was happy). Finally got it OK by applying a relatively thin first coat, then a much thicker coat and a half or two. You don't want to press the applicator brush hard on the nail bed to apply a thin coat as it will just leave streak marks and look very patchy. Just plonk it on (LOL ;-) ) thickly in the second coat and this should give good coverage and avoid too much streaking. The fewer the brush strokes, the better. If you see any translucent patch, just very gently dab more polish just on that spot and let the product sit for a bit as it will blend itself out. Kutki and Amchoor also have a glossy cream finish.

Please excuse the nail colour - on my thumb is actually Dior's Shadow nail polish from the Summer Mix that I was playing around with at the time!

Swatches
Against olive skin (~NC30). Photographs taken indoors using a strobe. Anardana, Koliary and Ratin Jot were applied using 2 coats (no top coat was applied). Kutki and Amchoor were applied much more thickly equating to about 2.5 - 3 coats due to their thicker consistency.

These colours make me want to nibble at my finger nails as they remind me of Skittles and M&Ms! Nom, nom, nom... :P

Comparison Swatches

Size and RRP
US$18 / AU$32 for 0.5 fl. oz. / 15 ml of product.

Availability
Limited Edition. Available from NARS and for Aussies and New Zealanders, at Mecca Cosmetica.

Overall

A really gorgeous, vibrant set of shades that make me happy when I look at them! ^_^ It's hard not to get them all as a set as they are perfect together. I love them all, but if I had to choose then my picks would be Koliary, Kutki and Amchoor (despite my difficulty in applying the latter two, once you get it right they are a beauty to behold - Amchoor particularly if you have olive or tanned skin). A VERY close fourth (or third if you have fairer skin and Amchoor isn't so flattering on you!), would be Anardana. So pretty!

Hope this was helpful!

Thanks for stopping by! ^_^ xo

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What shades would/did you pick, or did you just succumb to the entire set like I did?

Let me know in a comment below! ^_^