Brand: Misslyn

Misslyn is a German brand—originally Italian—that has been carried by Canadian drugstore chain Shoppers Drug Mart since early 2014, and while it was on my list of products to try, I wasn’t swayed due to the slightly cheap-looking packaging (reminiscent of Rimmel, to me), somewhat boring color selection, and the Essie-level pricing (about $9.99 regular, and sometimes they go on sale for $1-2 off).

Finally, a few weeks ago, I saw that SDM was clearing out some shades of various products, from Essie and Sally Hansen to store brand Quo and, yes, Misslyn! A slate blue kind of caught my eye, so I picked it up for about $5.99.

Aye Aye Captain (588) is a dark denim blue with a slate undertone and very fine silver shimmer that gives it a glossy pearl finish.

I see it as more of a denim blue than a nautical blue.

I learned the origin of the word denim a couple of years ago when we visited Nîmes, France: denim is supposedly derived from a fabric called serge de Nîmes (and jeans derives from the French for Genoa, Genes). There is some debate about whether the original serge de Nîmes (literally “fabric of Nîmes”) is actually the denim that we know today, but that is the current explanation given by most sources.

The polish’s application is surprisingly nice! The formula is thick and well-pigmented, though it’s not quite a one-coat wonder. Two coats apply nicely and cover perfectly. The finish is all right: glossy but I’d still want a glossier top coat over it.

The brush is small but quite dense and rounded: it holds a lot of polish.

Overall, I still think this brand is overpriced (at least in Canada at Shoppers Drug Mart). If I was spending $9.99 on a polish, I’d rather have an Essie, which is sold at SDM for between $7.99 and $11.99, depending on whether it’s on sale.

Misslyn Nail Polish retails for CA$9.99 and contains 0.3 fl oz / 10 mL. The packaging does not say where it was made, nor can I find an ingredient list online. The company is cruelty-free.

Misslyn was originally founded in Italy over 30 years ago; since a successful expansion into France and Germany, the company was acquired by ARTDECO (ah, this explains why ARTDECO is also available at Shoppers Drug Mart!), a German cosmetic company, and the brand was relaunched. Misslyn is currently available in many countries worldwide. As far as I know, only the nail polish is available in Canada (and only a small selection of the full line); Misslyn actually produces a variety of cosmetic products like lipsticks and eyeshadows.