Monday, October 10, 2011

I got a lovely parcel in the post...


...Thank you, Illamasqua! :)

Well, I've always said good things about their customer service. I once returned a lipstick because I accidentally ordered two of them in one of their 30% off sales. I sent them a cheeky email asking if I could return or preferably exchange it (even though 'being a doofus' isn't one of their grounds for return) thinking they'd maybe grudgingly refund me since it was by then out of sale period, and it's a bit naughty me asking for a product at 30% off when there's no sale on.

But to my surprise, they shipped a replacement colour out via courier at their expense. And sent me an email to ask me which colour I wanted most, and to let me know their stock levels, since I put a random bunch down on the return form. (I felt I was probably taking advantage enough already to start getting picky). They are a really, really nice company.

Which is why it made my day to find that they read Polish or Perish. Hayley, their marketing manager, got in touch to chat about nail polish and take some contact details. And a couple of weeks ago a lovely parcel turned up with two of their new polishes for review, plus a lipgloss in Belladonna. (I mentioned I was really interested in the glosses from the new collection, so I was really touched that they popped one in - it's lovely, by the way!). Yeah, I am a total fangirl.

So these are the two polishes, Kink and Vice:



I wanted to wait a little while before giving a review, because for me the most significant thing about the A/W polishes is their 'rubber' finish, rather than the shades. So I've had Vice on for the last week, and here it is. This colour is lovely, a kind of purplish wine/berry shade, but it's the finish that makes it stand out from other similar polishes. I'd describe it as kind of satin-y. It's not quite as matte as I was expecting, but not fully glossy, either.


I've tended to stay away from matte finish polishes because they chip on me something rotten, so I wore Vice for a full 8 days before writing this (the pictures are from day 3). I have tremendously limited patience so I managed to scracth the finish a little even before it was fully dry (I am spoilt by seche vite). However, that cock up aside, it wore really well. Looking at them a week later, there is one chip (my right middle), a couple of teeny nicks on my thumbs, and a little tip wear. And I've been intentionally bloody hard on my hards this week - I've been washing up, I did gardening, and I've relaid the tiles on my hall floor, all without gloves. My hands feel like catcher's mitts, but the polish still looks very respectable.

(The only odd thing is that black line on my ring finger - I think it's a shed bristle? I've never had one of their brushes shed on me before, so it took me a while to work out what it was!).


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9 comments:

fingers said...

I just placed my first Illamasqua order-I got Kink, Taint, Phallic and Envy-I can't wait to try them! So nice to hear they have such great customer service-you retiled without gloves??? And didn't break a nail? WOW am jealous of you!

Fashion Footing said...

I love Illamasqua. I've only tried Kink so far but it applied beautifully and the color was awesome, didn't chip, and I loved the finish!

I love Vice.. gorgeous color!

Fashionisaparty.com (Suz) said...

i love the polish!

Jennifer said...

Thank you for sharing your experience with the customer service! It really influences my opinion and my decision to buy from a company or not!

The polish itself doesn't impress me, but I can't wait to try other product from Illamasqua!

fleur de lis said...

What a gorgeous colour!

Anonymous said...

That polish is so GORG!

Anonymous said...

That polish is so GORG!

Toyomi said...

The design of the bottles are so cute and quaint. This bold color looks very nice.

Grace Thomas said...

Fingers - good choice! You'll love Phallic, it's gorgeous. Which colour is Envy? I don't recognise the name. I did retile without gloves, because I am a crazy person. My hands weren't thanking me for it after, I can tell yo. Also, by the by - your cats are gorgeous, I love colour points!

Suz, Fleur - thanks :)

Jennifer - their customer service is really awesome. They are also really receptive to feedback, so if ever I have liked a product or not liked a product, I've told them! I sent a begging letter about my favourite contouring blush being discontinued and it ended up being kept for another few months, which meant I had time to buy backups. They really listen to demand.

Nail venturous - Thanks! I love your blog!

Toyomi - I really like their bottles, they're easy to get a grip on while painting (I like Essie for the same reason).

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