Review - Ciate Paint Pots

I have read a few reviews of these nail varnishes lately, so I was happy to be offered some to try! Although Ciate sounds like a French brand, it is actually British... The range was developed by British celeb manicurist Charlotte Straughan.

They are currently available in 35 shades (Brights, Darks, Reds, Naturals and Metallics). I recieved two to try - shade 015 "Fashionista Sister" - This is described as a deep blue purple, which is a pretty good description of the colour - in the bottle it looks like it has a gold/green undertone, but this doesn't come out on the nails. I also recieved shade 023, "Speed Dial" - This one is described as a bright orange, and this is a spot on description!

Both shades appeal to me for different reasons - "Fashionista Sister" is perfect for nights out, while "Speed Dial" looks like a great shade for the summer for toes or fingers.

I think the packaging of the nail varnishes was very appealing - the retro labels and tiny ribbons are super cute, and I love the long handle - it makes application seem a lot easier than nail varnishes with chunky lids. The brushes are also well designed - the bristles are fairly long and this seems to help the polish go on easily and smoothly.

Unfortunately, when I tried to test out the "Speed Dial" (the colour that most appealed to me at the moment - probably cos of the time of year etc...), I was very sad to discover that the Brush was faulty - some of the bristles either seemed abnormally long, or they had come loose... either way, I was unable to use it... I did try to photograph this to show you, but my camera couldn't quite manage it (what a shocker...). I was so disappointed about this, as I LOVED the look of the colour! I am hoping this was just a one off fault, though, rather than a quality issue with the products.

The formula of the polish is nice and creamy, two coats gives a full coverage colour. I thought it dried a lot faster than some drugstore brands, and even some higher end ones - China Glaze for example.

Here is one of "those"pictures of me pretending to be a hand-model wearing "Fashionista Sister"...

The polishes last resonably well too - I've tried this polish a couple of times and got 3-4 days wear pre-chipping... I am not one of those people who wears rubber gloves for the washing up or anything (And yet I am constantly surprised when my nails break...Lol)

The Paint Pots cost £9 for 13.5 mls... just to give you an idea about this, an OPI polish contains 15mls. They are available from www.powderrooms.com and www.ciate.co.uk, as well as ASOS and HQ Hair.

In addition, on hele's fab blog (www.helesays.blogspot.com), you can find a 20% discount code off the range to use at powder rooms (http://helesays.blogspot.com/2009/05/ciate-paint-pots-20-discount.html)

My overall thoughts... a good quality nail polish for the price, good colour range, but I was so upset about the broken brush... Overall I'd give them 7/10 (marks were knocked off due to the disappointment of the brush problem...)

Has any of you tried this range? What do you think?