L'Oréal Summer 2013 Nail Collection - Colour Riche Nail Colour and Top Coats

The evolution of the nail polish industry is a fascinating thing to behold. I remember back when wearing a pastel blue was the height of transgressing the norm. (If you're curious, it was the early 90s, and the polish was by the original Hard Candy.)

In the last couple of year, it seems like nail polish has replaced lipstick as the item women will indulge themselves with during economic downturns, and the industry has exploded with options. It seems to have been fed by the what-the-hell experimental vibe of home frankening and the glitter-happy Etsy nail entrepreneurs in the same way that street style feeds into the fashion industry. I've never seen so many interesting textures and finishes and colour palettes coming not only from salon lines like OPI, but also from mass consumer brands. I love it!

L'Oréal, for example, is offering some really great options this summer, including transformational topcoats, nail lingerie (SERIOUSLY awesome) and a modern version of press-on nails. Some things are already showing up in stores, and I want to share a couple of the items I was sent to try.

For May, L'Oréal is releasing 9 new shades in deep tones that might seem counter-intuitive for summer - yet these are classics that are wearable year-round, and appropriate for all occasions. There are also several top coats available in smaller 8ml bottles, with a variety of glitter and special effect textures.

This is Greyt Expectations, a refined putty-mauve that leans more grey or more mauve depending on the light. It has a cream finish, and perfect application. There's no streaking, and it's opaque in two coats.

Greyt Expectations, two coats.

I added one layer of the Confetti Top Coat over the Greyt Expectations.

Confetti is a clear lacquer with mixture of small black and white hexagonal glitter, smaller round black and white glitter, and then the teeniest flecks of iridescent blue that are barely perceptible, but adds a touch of something whimsical. Two coats will give a more obvious effect, but I like the subtlety of one coat. It's almost like a spray of freckles over the nose - it's fresh and pretty, not overdone.

Confetti Top Coat over Greyt Expectations, one coat.

I also got to try Breaking Curfew, which is a near-black cream. It does have an undertone of burgundy, but it's almost impossible to tell indoors. It looks black, just a little warmer and softer somehow. It's not an original colour, but it is a great classic to have, especially as a base layer for the top coats. Application was pretty smooth, with none of the bleeding around the cuticles that some vampy shades are prone to. It definitely needs a second coat, and I personally prefer a third to make it really intense, but it is opaque at two.

Breaking Curfew, three coats.

The Gold Carat Top Coat is a fine but dense gold glitter in a clear base. You could conceivably layer it up to wear alone, but with one or two layers it gives a neat "gilded stone" effect. It was really easy to apply successive layers, without the brush dragging off the previous layers.

Gold Carat over Breaking Curfew, two coats.

I have to say, as a loyalist to the OPI Pro-wide brush, that I loooooove the brush on these. It's slimmer that the OPI, with a rounded tip that makes it really easy to follow the shape of the nail bed without getting the polish all over the cuticle. I didn't do any cleaning-up for these photos, and trust me, I am not neat about application.

I'm really glad I got a chance to try these - I was really impressed by the formula and the application. The top coats are a great way of expanding the current line, and I'm REALLY looking forward to trying more of them. There are a couple featured in the press release that look awesome. (The Shift Me and The Holographic, if you're keeping an eye out!)

I'll be reviewing one of the press-on nails and some of the nail lingerie shortly! So what about you guys - have you had a chance to check out any of the current offerings from the drugstore?

Availability: Due out in drugstores like SDM/Pharmaprix and Jean Coutu in May. I've seen the new nail polish shades on display already, as well as a few different top coats. More top coats are due out in July. Price is around 7$ CAD for the polishes, a little less for the top coats in the 8ml size.

Pros: Very easy to apply, great brush shape, especially if you have small to medium nail beds and normally find it difficult to apply "clean". Formula was close to perfect on these. The top coats are fun and dynamic and layer well. Confetti has a sparser concentration of glitter compared with Gold Carat.

Cons: The colour palette is for the nail colours is likely to be dupable if you already have a fair-sized collection. The size of the top coat bottles may be too small if you are an avid user of glitter and effect top coats.

Note: final coat of China Glaze Fast Forward Top Coat applied to all swatches.

(These items were sent to me by the brand/PR to consider for review. This post is not compensated or sponsored.)