Retail price $18 (currently out of stock)
The OCD collector in me ordered this year's Sephora + Pantone Universe set since I already had last year's Tangerine Tango set in my collection.
Last year's set was priced at $24 and included a matte shade. I think removing the matte and lowering the price was a good move- there are so many matte topcoats on the market these days.
Last year's set included Glitter, Creme, Matte and Shimmer.
This year's set includes Metallic, Shimmer and Glitter.
Emerald Metallic
2 coats
Interesting choice of name... this is *not* what I would call metallic. It includes small holo glitter, and is so pretty in the sun. In some lights, it looks like silver glitter, but when light hits it just right, it comes alive.
Emerald Metallic (macro bottle shot)
Emerald Shimmer
(2 coats)
This was the problem child of the set. Let me show you what I mean on the macro shot below.
Emerald Shimmed (macro shot)
See those black dots? That's unmixed pigment. All the shaking in the world did not mix this up. At times, the pigment would spread as you were apply the polish, and you could almost blend it in. But other times, like you can see with the big black dot above, it wouldn't mix at all and would just sit on top.
It's a shame because this could be a really pretty shade.
Emerald Glitter
3 coats
This is emerald glitter suspended in a clear base tinted with green. I got decent coverage with each coat, and needed 3 coats. The glitter was suspended well and was easy to apply- I did not need to turn the bottle upside down or do much shaking. However, clear base glitters tend to chip like crazy on me, so I imagine this might work better over a colored base for me than on it's own. I did not test wear time.
Emerald Glitter (macro shot)
Final thoughts: Although this is a nice set, the unmixed pigments in the Shimmer shade are a big disappointment. That shade is pretty much unwearable for me since I am a perfectionist when it comes to my nail color.
Anyone else had this problem?
