Monday, August 31, 2009

MAC - Dry Martini


I must apologize in advance to Flinty; her Dry Martini is en route and I don't mean to tread on any toes by commenting on this first. Sorry, Flinty! (Her opinion might be quite different from mine however, so I look forward to hearing what she has to say about it.)

Having said that, I thought I'd ask our readers just what they thought of this polish or, more specifically, what they think of this polish on my hands. To be honest, I'm not sure what to make of it. In a way, to me this is the nail polish version of MAC's Smoke and Diamonds, which, in my opinion, is a very confused eye shadow that is sometimes taupe, sometimes green and sometimes smokey grey. You'd think that would be a good thing, right? Not always.

Application
Dry Martini goes on very well. I do not have a lot of experience with MAC polishes; the one other colour I do have, I can't complain about and in that light, Dry Martini is the same. In one coat DM is a bit streaky, but after two you attain a nice creamy coverage. For the swatches I present here, I've applied three for good measure, but this is not necessary and it should be noted that I typically apply two coats of colour for all of my manicures. Nothing more, nothing less.

The Good
If you want a colour that can be categorized as unique then Dry Martini might be for you. After I looked at it online (the initial swatch on AllLaqueredUp being what sold me), I was convinced I needed this colour in my life as I thought it was something rarely seen. I still think that's a fair statement, to a point.

Under the lights at MAC, this polish was nothing special. After I'd gotten it home, it was already dark, so I waited until I could see this polish under bright sun to truly understand its complexity. In the light, DM reminds me of a smooth river rock; a little muddy, a little mossy. The olive tones of the colour really come through when it catches the sun.

The Bad
Unfortunately, with fall drawing closer and skies slowly turning to grey, there will be little sun for me to stick my hands under in order to admire the olive beauty buried deep within this polish. Neither yellow lamp light nor fluorescent light adequately brings the green of this polish to the surface. After a small sampling, it is clear that most people simply think of this colour as "brown". (Not even "khaki" as it is pleasantly described by MAC.)

The Ugly
I've heard this polish described on forums and other blogs as something reminiscent of what you'd find in a baby's diaper. While I think this description does the polish a disservice, I find that I'm really disappointed that it isn't more green as was initially promised.

Personally, I think this polish looks decent enough against my skin, but I'm not convinced that it's unique enough to warrant paying MAC prices, nor am I convinced that other people won't find it a) unprofessional or b) downright disgusting.

What do you guys think?

-mKat


shade sun flash


P.S. In case you hadn't noticed, I've chopped my nails off. :P I'm going in to Apple to give the iPhone one last try. No nails = no excuses. If I can't type now, I'll chalk it up to technological ineptitude on my part and I'll (sadly) admit that the iPhone is not for me.

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6 comments:

flinty said...

LOL, I'll get over the disappointment of not reviewing it first. ;) Looks great on you!

Maestra said...

I think it's a great color. Not your everyday color, but who wants that? Not a polish addict, I think... It looks great on you! Enjoy it! ;)

Piff said...

It certainly looks more brown than green (though, that is not to say you cannot see the green).

I think a more important point is that it looks REALLY good on you. So enjoy!

Hello Adrienne said...

I'm totally loving this on you!!

Nicole said...

I think it looks really good on you, and it's a unique color for sure. I dunno still if I would splurge on the MAC price for it though. I'm on the fence about that part!

mKat said...

Thanks for the feedback everyone.

I am getting used to it on my hands and I will admit that I'm nowhere close to hating it (as some people on Specktra and elsewhere seem to.) I do think it's fairly unique, but I am saddened about the lack of green. I'm typically a lover of blue but have been wanting more green in my life and a rich, creamy moss green would've been perfect for fall. (I guess I was hoping for something a bit lighter than ChG's Wagon Trail, without the shimmer.)

Anyway, I think I will likely end up keeping it. I agree with Nicole... MAC prices for a nail polish seem a bit ridiculous to me. (But then again, maybe it's also ridiculous to pay $13 for a pan of eye shadow.) :P I am hesitant to part with it because it's such a great creme. Shimmers are beautiful but I think cremes are classic...and classy.

By the by... someone on Specktra threw a matte topcoat over this polish and it looks awesome! (Unfortunately, I went to transdesign to buy Essie's Matte About You today and in between the time I'd logged in, decided what I wanted and made it to the confirmation page, MAY was sold out!) LOL Oh well... maybe one day.

Thanks again everyone!

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