Review: Hard Candy Just Nails Nail Color in "Mr. Wrong"

I'm mad at work testing out the other products I purchased during my Hard Candy haul from last week, but I wanted to do a quick review today of the nail color I bought, "Mr. Wrong" (retail: $5). Let's take a look:

First I want to say big thanks to Tanya at The Pink Train Case for doing a review of this a few weeks ago--her review is the main reason I bought this color. And also thanks to Halifax who sweetly asked me yesterday when I was going to review it--I had initally put this at the bottom of my list to review (I'm really excited about reviewing the makeup!) but now I am so glad I busted it out--it's stunning!

As you can see, this color is quite the chameleon. I've got to say, it's one of the most interesting and complex shades I've come across in a while (especially at the drugstore level). Depending on the lighting, "Mr. Wrong" can look like a taupe, a golden foil, an iridescent silver or even a deep purple shimmer. I totally understand why they named this shade "Mr. Wrong" because this color is mysterious and alluring and anything but boring...just like many "Mr. Wrongs" I've met in my life. :)

Here are some swatches (warning, these were taken pre-clean-up because I wanted to get this blog entry up as quickly as possible):

(All pics taken after 2 coats, base coat (Orly Bonder) and top coat (Revlon Quick Dry Top Coat).)

See...I told you it's a chameleon! I've got to say, this color would be perfect those of you who are attracted to dark, vampy colors, and if you've secretly always wanted to wear black nail polish but never thought you could pull it off, try "Mr. Wrong." It's dark and seductive yet the intense gold and silver shimmer manage to keep it lighter and more feminine than your average vampy almost-black shades out there. You know, I'm going to go out on a limb and say I even think is a safe-for-work color. Yep, I really do. Because even though it's got tons of shimmer, the base color makes it almost neutral. In other words, it's not a shockingly bright color in real life. It's subtle from far away, but it sucks you in as you get closer and closer to it. Like I said, it's appropriately named, that's for sure!

Let's talk about the brush and texture. I'd say the brush is on the thin side (which I personally like because it makes it easier for me to paint the sides of my nails). If I had to compare the brush to another brand, I'd say it's quite similar to China Glaze brushes. The texture? Well this is where I hit a minor snag. It's not thick at first, but mid-manicure this polish thickened up on me. Nothing too terrible, but I still want to note it so that it doesn't surprise you. But seriously, this is nothing that a few drops of nail polish thinner can't fix--and really, no good recessionista should be without a bottle of nail polish thinner anyway! It's the cheapest, quickest way to extend the life of your existing nail polish stash, so definitely get some at your local beauty supply if you don't already own some. I bought this one at Sally for like 4 bucks and it's awesome because the dropper is built-in.

As for the staying power, I can't speak to it yet because I've been wearing this for less than 24 hours. But so far, so good. I'll update this post after a few days to let you know how it passes the chip and wear tests.

[10/11/09--UPDATE: To see how my nails looked on day five of my Hard Candy "Mr. Wrong" manicure, click here.]

And here's a bonus shot of my Mr. Right, the boyfriend, modeling the iconic Hard Candy ring, which comes with each bottle of nail polish:

I took this with my Blackberry camera because there was just no way he was going to sit still with this ring on while I ran upstairs to grab my digital camera. :)

So do you plan on picking up some Hard Candy Just Nails polishes? I'd love to hear your thoughts!