BLOGS IN BLOOM - Lauren asks 'Are Ciate Polishes Worth the Price Tag?'

This Wednesday, Lauren from Sugar, Spice and All Things Nice raises the question - are Ciate polishes really worth the price?

1. Tell us a little about yourself...

Well, hello there! In case you didn’t know my name is Lauren. I’m a 16 year old girl who is about to start her first year of college! I’m your typical girl – the kind that greatly enjoys having a good laugh with friends, fun and all things fashion and beauty related! I have to admit I’m a complete perfectionist and have a rather bad habit of spending a lot – I can’t help that I enjoy a little retail therapy! ;)

2. What can we expect to see from your blog?

On my Blog, Sugar and Spice, and all things nice! , you will most definitely find reviews of products and brands as well as the occasional ‘TAG’ post and haul. You will also find posts that include Outfit of The Days (OOTD), updates on my current nail varnish and (if I remember!) monthly favourites, as well as general/random updates with bits and pieces of my life intertwined.

3. Top three blogs/ sites?
My top 3 Blogs would have to be the following:

(In no specific order!)

1.       http://fleurdeforce.blogspot.com/ -Fleur does great reviews and always seems to get products a bit before their release date so I know about the product before it’s even hit the stores! This especially helps if it’s limited edition so I can budget for it!

2.       http://beautysbadhabitblog.blogspot.com/ -Lily is a lovely girl who is the most interactive blogger I’ve read/watched and it’s so refreshing! I also love that she shows us make up looks and she also uses a lot of easily available and reasonably priced products which is great for me! (ed. Aaaw, thanks, Lauren!)

3.       http://www.amarixe.com/ -Allison is great at showing swatches and puts a lot of effort and detail into her posts. Although she doesn’t post constantly when she does they are great!

Review Alert! : Are Ciaté Paint Pots Worth The Steep Price?

Retailing at around £9, plus postage if you order online, I find that as a 16 year old girl currently without a job that that is a little expensive for a nail varnish. No matter how much I adore decorating my nails with the latest colour - £9+ on a varnish is a little out of my budget considering I usually go for brands such as Barry M, Beauty UK and occasionally Max Factor which sell their varnishes under £5 – not to mention they are really easy to get a hold of as they are available in many shops, supermarkets and drugstores. Other than the odd magazine, I’ve found no way of getting Ciaté Paint Pots other than online and in my dreams!

Now, I’ve been wearing my Ciaté Paint Pot in ‘My Fair Lady’ as you can see from the below pictures.

The colour on my nails is the same exact colour (whether you can see it through the camera lens of not!) as in the bottle, however, it did take around 3 coats to build the colour up. The varnish went on with great ease – maybe it was the brush, but I’m not too sure – the polish applied nicely and stuck to the nail rather than the surrounding skin and the varnish also dried very quickly, perhaps within a minute or two? There is something about the formula of these Paint Pots that just make them feel very similar to Gel nails and maybe that makes them very resistant to chipping. On me, nail varnish tends to chip within the first few days – however with these Paint Pots I’ve had nothing other than where my nails have grown and some slight wearing just on the tips which is more than expected. They look professionally done and I don’t feel the need to put on a top coat as they don’t chip too much and they have a great gloss and shine already!

Another bonus with these polishes is that you receive 13.5ml verse the regular 7-10ml in a usual nail varnish. Another thing is that – although I’ve only seen them online – Ciaté does offer a good selection of colours and if I had the money I would buy a good few of them!

Overall I’d definitely give these Paint Pots a strong 4/5 – I would’ve given them full marks had they have been priced slightly cheaper (although I understand that some companies can’t do this and what not!) and I would much prefer it if I could find these much more easily rather than just online. Taking in consideration the price and the fact that I can only find them online I would re-purchase/purchase more of these Ciaté Paint Pots as although expensive you do get more product in adorable packaging as well as the great product itself.

Paint Pots shown in My fair Lady (Left) & Wait Until Dark (Right), both of which are from a previous edition of Marie Claire!

Thanks for showing us such pretty Ciate shades, Lauren! If you want to see more, why don't you stop by Sugar. Spice and All Things Nice!