Collection: Revlon 2013 Spring, Bubble Gum Days – Urban Nights

Shoppers Drug Mart has Revlon Nail Enamel (just the classic line) on sale for CA$2.99 this week, so I succumbed and bought Enchanting and Socialite. I’m tempted to go back for a couple more, but truth be told, I found their color selection very lacking.

I haven’t paid too much attention to Revlon’s nail offerings these days: I never seem to be able to find the new collection displays, and the core collection is just so uninspiring. Plus, the ones I like, I already have (like Vixen, Impulsive, and Valentine). Ah, I miss the days when Revlon nail colors were innovative and exciting, and it was thrilling to find older, discontinued colors at dollar stores.

The packaging also looks so tired. I noticed that they updated the cap so it’s now flat on top and has one thick gold band with “Revlon” printed on it. This echoes the packaging update for the Super Lustrous Lipsticks. But, while I love the packaging for the Lipsticks (especially the little windows on the caps so you can see the color inside!), the glass bottle for the Nail Enamel remains the old, clunky conical shape. I appreciate the nostalgia, because this bottle shape has been around for a long time and is kind of iconic for Revlon, but damn, it makes them hard to store since they take up so much unnecessary space. This is probably only a problem for collectors like me, heh. And, at least they are still not as bad as Nicole by OPI bottles. But I digress.

So after a lot of staring at the Revlon nail polish display in store, I chose two subtly shimmery pastels, since I’m in a summery mood these days.

Today’s swatch is Enchanted (220). My bottle has a “New Shade” sticker on it, but after a quick Google, it looks like that means it’s been sitting around in the drugstore for two years, since it’s from a 2013 spring collection.

Enchanted is a pastel lavender that leans a tad pink. It has super subtle shimmer which you can barely see apart from a fine pink sheen. Basically, it looks like a cream on the nail. I don’t think the finish is quite as nice as what you’d get with a salon polish like Essie or OPI, but I can’t really complain for $2.99.

Two coats was OK, but I did an extra third for more evenness.

Revlon Nail Enamel retails for around US$4.99 / CA$5.99 and is 0.5 US fl oz / 14.7 mL. They are free of toluene, formaldehyde, and dibutyl phthalate (DBP), and are made in the USA.

Revlon was founded in 1932 by the Revson brothers and Charles Lachman—hence, RevLon!. (I guess makeup sells during a Depression.) It is a public company based in New York, NY, USA.