I got this polish in this month's Marie Claire magazine (read: I bought the magazine for the nail polish...) after spying it in Sainsbury's. I've wanted to try one of Ciate's nail polishes for a while but couldn't really justify buying a full sized pot at £9 just to test it out as it's quite a bit of money for a student without any source of income!
I was so happy to find these and chose Playdate, described as a "bold pop pink with a playful coral edge" on the website, as it was a perfect colour to go with my prom dress! I wasn't sure if I was going to wear it at any other time but it's the perfect summer bright and I actually love it!
I'm not sure if it was just because it's a mini bottle or if it's a thing with Ciate brushes, but I found application quite difficult to get completely smooth and even because the brush was quite thin and the polish dried quickly making it more difficult to work with than my favourite brand, Essie. If any of you have tried the full sized polishes, let me know if the brush a consistent size with the minis and full sizes or not please?!
Once I got the hang of how to apply the polish (slightly thicker layers of polish and a bit more time to dry so it goes on shiny and even!), practically every nail came out perfect and I was really happy with the result. I'm quite tempted to buy some more if I can find a discount code for the website or an offer/sale!
With a good base and top coat, this has lasted 4 days now, including getting ready for prom, actual prom and cleaning my room, without a chip so I'm really impressed!
The colour also came with a bottle of their caviar pearls (not so sure of the name...) but I haven't used them yet as I know they'll get everywhere and will be a nightmare to get off! I'll probably try them over summer which will be fun!
Overall I think that the application of Essie nail polishes is much better but the staying power for the polishes is about equal. Essie is also cheaper which is another point in their favour but the colour range of Ciate is more appealing to me at the moment compared to Essie (though the line they've just brought out is rather pretty and tempting...)!
I'd love to hear your guys' experiences with this brand and what colours I should look at buying if I choose to!
Jess xx
