Collection: Nails Inc. 2016 Spring, Sweet Almonds Powered by Matcha

Nails Inc. is a British brand that I first tried many years ago—I swapped for some with a lovely Scottish girl, but my first might have been bought off eBay. The older bottles were little cylinders; their newer lines come in rectangular bottles that are similar to polishes by British-inspired (but actually American) brand butter LONDON.

In recent years, Nails Inc. have been hopping on the superfood bandwagon and they put all kinds of foodstuffs in their polishes, from kale to coconut. I don’t get it at all, but I suppose I’m not the target market.

Nevertheless, I’m still a sucker for pretty polishes even if they have some nuts or berries in them, so last November I picked up a Nails Inc. set including four mini “Nail Fuel” colors and one base coat.

The polish I’m reviewing today is from their Sweet Almonds Powered by Matcha line.

This new range of Sweet Almond nail polishes provides a fresh take on the classic nude palette. Choose from muted yet rich shades in porcelain grey, linen blue grey, warmed pink and a luxurious, subtle rose gold. Each shade is formulated with a sweet almond oil base and enriched with Matcha powder – a powerful and potent antioxidant. The result is an intense moisture booster for optimum nail health and protection.

Mayfair Market is a lovely pinked copper penny shade that is, rather unfortunately, also a superfrost. I think Nails Inc. are calling this a rose gold, but I feel it’s a bit too orange.

Like with many luxury brands, the rectangular (well, slightly bowtie-shaped) cap comes off to reveal a smaller, round, ridged plastic cap underneath, which makes application easier.

The brush in these mini 5 mL bottles is a good size, but a little too rounded and wide for my taste. At least they’re not teeny little brushes, though.

The formula is on the thinner side, and it applies smoothly without any issues. However, because this shade is so frosty, it shows brush strokes no matter what. Two coats gives full opacity.

It’s a perfectly good nail polish, though there’s nothing particularly special about either the color or the formula.

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Nails Inc. Sweet Almonds Powered by Matcha Nail Polish contains 14 mL and retails for GB£15 / US$15 / CA$16. The formula is free from toluene, formaldehyde, formaldehyde resin, camphor, and dibutyl phthalate (DBP). My set of 5 mini polishes retailed for CA$35.

Nails Inc. was launched by fashion editor Thea Green as a chain of nail bars in 1999. Founded in London, England, the company currently has 60 locations in the UK.