Whether or it’s summer where you are now, you’ll love the new NCLA Swim Club collection. It features 4 cream polishes in muted pastel shades:
- light mint – NCLA Take A Dip
- orchid purple – NCLA Endless Summer
- muted peach – NCLA Bikinis & Martinis
- milk chocolate – NCLA Golden Coast
My personal favorites are the mint and purple. I used them to create this curved two tone nail art. The NCLA Swim Club polishes are highly pigmented and the formula is so rich that even the lightest shade (mint) only needs 2 coats for a fully opaque finish. But not everything was so smooth with these babies. “Why not” you ask? All is revealed in our review below!
REVIEW – NCLA Swim Club Collection:
- Formula: According to shopncla.com NCLA polishes are “5-Free meaning we are not only 100% free of DBP, toluene, and formaldehyde, but also of camphor and animal testing”. This is somewhat misleading because 5-FREE should refer to the absence of Formaldehyde Resin, not to the absence of animal testing. As commendable as Cruelty-free is, it has nothing to do with the formula but rather relates to the testing process.
- Finish: True cremes. Highly pigmented, only 2 coats for a fully opaque finish but the colours are a bit dull. They look significantly better with a top coat so that’s something we’d definitely recommend.
- Application: The polishes are relatively easy to apply. It dries out relatively quickly and evenly without any streaks, doesn’t go bubbly and is easy to remove/clean up. So the formula is great but the brush is substandard & makes it difficult to apply.
- So… The Brush: “Our Dupont flat brush allows for an easy, perfectly smooth application” (shopncla.com). Well, application was not that easy and the short, thick brush is really lets these otherwise fantastic polishes down. I noted the strange brush when I tried these NCLA polishes but thought it was only used for the toppers. Apparently not, that’s the brush! Take a look at the photo below, that’s the brush from my NCLA Endless Summer bottle and the same fluffy mop brush is in my Bikinis & Martinis.
- Wearability: 4 days without a top coat.
- Nail Art: Perfect for any kind of nail art or for details. Excellent formula but use your own brushes!
Overall Impression: NCLA Swim Club polishes are beautiful classic cremes with great formula and are perfect for summer. The only downfall is the brush. Seriously, for an expensive polish like this I’d expect a much better brush*. But if you’re looking for some unique colours to add to your stash this summer and don’t mind the fluffy brush, go for it.
Availability: NCLA polishes available US $16, here.
Wearing: Spikes Ring.
What do you think about NCLA Swim Club? Which colour is your favourite? What do you think about the formula and that brush?
– Maria, xx
*NCLA guys, if you’re reading this article, please improve the brush and we’ll happily give you 5 stars :)
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