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Hello Loves. I have the NSI Polish Pro Sweetheart Collection and Matte Top Coat to show you today. I'm not sure why I haven't shown you anything from NSI yet, but we're going to fix that right now. :) The Sweetheart Collection has been around for a little while, but I like the colors for fall so here we go...
Let's take a second to talk about NSI Polish Pro before getting to the swatches. NSI Polish Pro is a professional gel polish line with nice range of colors that are LED compatible and remove in 10 minutes according to NSI's website. I have had several NSI colors that moved in and out of my collection over the years, and I don't recall having any issues with wear or removal. Of course, I picked up the NSI Polish Pro Top Coat and Base Coat so I can put it to a full wear test. I have quite a few wear tests lined up, so this one will have to wait a bit. I'll share my wear and removal results at a later date. Now on to the swatches! :)
The first color in this collection is a beautiful dark pink with a purple flash called Flirt. Application is quite user friendly and it is opaque in two coats. I'm not sure why, but I am completely drawn to this shade and finish combination. I have a few gel polishes in my collection that are similar, but I honestly can't get enough. Crazy since I don't wear pink that often.
Heart Throb is a clear base with red micro glitter. This one was a little tricky to apply as the glitter wanted to drag down the nail. I swatched three coats over a natural nail below, but I think this one would really come to life over a matching red base. You can see there are some spots where coverage is not opaque.
Love Potion is possibly my favorite shade in this collection. Love Potion is a super dark purple base with a scattered blue shimmer. If you love purples and/or dark and vampy colors, you need this one in your collection. It applies nicely with no shrinking, levels well, and is opaque in two glorious coats.
The next three shades in the collection have beautiful, frosty metallic finishes. The first is Cupid's Arrow. This might be my perfect silver accent. It is a light to medium silver and applies nicely. I did need three coats for opacity, but the third was super thin to help smooth out any brush strokes from the frosty finish.
Secret Admirer is a rosy copper toned polish with a frosty finish. Like Cupid's Arrow, I found I needed three coats. It is opaque in two, but the third thin coat helps smooth out any brush strokes.
Finally, my favorite of the frosts is Irresistible. This medium purple metallic finish is just begging to be paired with a black cream! Like Secret Admirer, she is opaque in two but I did three to help smooth out the brush strokes. These danged frosts and their brush strokes! But I still love them. :)
That wraps up the Sweetheart Collection, but we're not done yet! I also have the NSI Polish Pro Matte Top Coat to show you. This one has been part of my collection since it was first released...oh, I don't know...a year ago? I played with it some when I first purchased it, but I'm completely addicted to the high gloss shine of gel so it has been sitting on my shelf unloved. I don't know what happened, but I recently have been drawn to a matte finish so I broke her out again.
How does the NSI Matte Top Coat compare to other matte top coats? I haven't tried them all, but I have tried the OPI and Gelish versions. I feel like the NSI version is flatter and has less of a satin finish than the other two. When I go matte, this is the top coat I reach for.
I added the matte top coat to a few of the swatches from the Sweetheart Collection. The first, of course, being Love Potion. I just had to see her with a matte finish, and I love her both ways!
Of course, I had to see Flirt with a matte finish too.
Finally, I tried it over Heart Throb. I'm not crazy about this one. Glitter is supposed to bling! lol
A few notes: 1) matte top coats need to be shaken like color coats for the best results. 2) even coverage is crucial and be sure to cap the tips well. I applied it over a regular top coat and you can see in the Flirt picture that I didn't wrap the tips very well on a few of the nails.
So there you have it. Do any of the shades in the Sweetheart Collection jump out at you? How do you feel about matte top coats?
~Michelle
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Love Potion is gorgeous. I love the idea of matte nails, especially with neutral and/or dark colors, but I've never seen any gel top coats that are the level of matte-ness I'd like. This is one of the best one I've seen. From what I gather, you have to reapply it with some frequency so I might just get a RNP matte that I can take off and on as needed.
ReplyDeleteI was excited to see these metallics! They are beautiful but to me they look like a cross between metallic and glitter. I've been looking for some gel metallics that have a smoother appearance, any suggestions?Beautiful swatches :) I think my favorite out of these is Secret Admirer! Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteLove the matte top coat! I have the OPI one that I tried on the accent nail of B.M.C. Brunch in Paris mani, but it's not nearly as matte as the actual polish. :(
ReplyDeleteWould you maybe consider making a matte top coat comparison swatch? I read your thoughts regarding NSI one compared to the others, but I'd love to see it as well if you have a chance. Otherwise, thanks heaps for great swatches, reviews, and comments!