These polishes are described as eco friendly because they are free from formaldehyde, phthalates and toluene as well as being carcinogen free, suitable for vegetarians or vegans (not quite sure what they mean by this), and not being tested on animals (yay!).
I received one of their four polishes in the shade Vital, a beautiful deep purple, somewhat similar to one of my all time favourites OPI's plugged in plum.
This polish is very richly pigmented and is opaque after just one coat, though I found that two coats gave it a much deeper colour. It was also a little streaky at first, but with two coats it seemed to even out. The best thing about it was the drying time. It was dry to the touch within a matter of seconds and set in a couple of minutes, which is great for me as I am always doing my nails in a rush. Also, even though the finish is matte it did not look dull as it has tiny flecks of shimmer to give it dimension.
Sounds great right? However, one of the most important things for me in a nail polish is longevity, and this one unfortunately did not live up to its promise of a 'chip resistant formula'. After application in the afternoon it started chipping within a few hours, and by the time I had finished preparing dinner some of my nails had barely half the nail polish left on. I am glad they say this polish is suitable for vegetarians as some of it probably ended up being a 'special' ingredient in my Thai green curry yesterday.
Overall, I would say that for £8 this did not quite live up to my expectations. I loved the super fast drying time, the colour and the unusual matte finish, but it just chipped far too quickly. However, I am determined to make it work so I shall try to invest in a good matte topcoat to improve its lasting power and shall report to you all.
The Modern Matte collection and other nubar nail polishes are available at www.beautyshed.co.uk.
Do you guys have any recommendations for a good matte topcoat? What do you think of matte nails, is it just a passing trend?
