Swatchfest: Milani Limited Edition Retro Glam and Fantastical Plumage Nail Lacquer Collections

Press Sample 

Remember back at the end of June when I shared the press info for the new Limited Edition nail collections from Milani? Well the time is finally here and these new polishes are now hitting select CVS and Meijer stores (the Fantastical Plumage Collection is now available online  as well, and the Retro Glam Collection will be available shortly). So today I'd like to share my thoughts (and lots of swatches) of all twelve shades with you!

Let's start with the Retro Glam Collection:

Milani Limited Edition Retro Glam Collection

(retail: $4.49 for the Nail Lacquers; $4.99 for the JEWEL FX Specialty Nail Lacquer)

For all of the following swatches, I used three coats of nail color and one coat of Sprinkles (glitter top coat) on my accent nail. I also applied one coat of clear top coat to all nails:

Strawberry Shake

All of the shades in the Retro Glam collection are cremes, but Strawberry Shake is the only shade that also contains very fine, very hidden shimmer. I had to snap the photo below in the afternoon sun in order to show you the shimmer--in real life you can only see it at certain angles:

Close-up shot of the shimmer in Strawberry Shake

Macro shot of Sprinkles over Strawberry Shake

Raspberry Delight

Mint Chip

Almond Bliss

Creamy Pistachio

The glitter top coat in this collection, Sprinkles, is very easy to work with. You won't need to go "fishing" with your brush to pick up the glitter pieces--there are plenty on the brush every time you pull it out of the bottle. The only thing you might have to do is push the glitter around a bit with your brush, just to get it exactly where you want it on your nail.

As for the nail colors in the Retro Glam collection, all of them were pretty easy to work with, although every shade in this collection did require three coats for good opacity (they're all a little bit streaky after two coats). I also experienced some minor leveling issues on a few of these shades, but it was nothing that a layer of clear top coat couldn't fix. Dry time was excellent on the first coat for all of the polishes above, and good for the second and third coats. 

Next up, the Fantastical Plumage Collection:

Milani Limited Edition Fantastical Plumage Collection

(retail: $4.49 for the Nail Lacquers; $4.99 for the JEWEL FX Specialty Nail Lacquer)

For all of the following swatches, I used three coats of nail color and one coat of Carnival (glitter top coat) on my accent nail. I also applied one coat of clear top coat to all nails. The only exceptions were Scarlet Ibis and Blue Jay, which both required two coats of nail color instead of three.

Peacock

Canary

Scarlet Ibis

Blue Jay

Purple Martin

All of the nail colors in the Fantastical Plumage Collection are cremes. Carnival (glitter top coat) was, for me, not as easy to apply as Sprinkles. I found that I did have to go "fishing" for the white hex glitter (the largest glitter in this mix) but it only took a few dips and swirls to get some white glitter on my brush, so it's not a frustrating experience. Like with most glitters of this nature that have lots of chunky glitter pieces, you'll have to dab the glitter onto the nail (as opposed to brushing it on) and push it around with your brush for precise placement.

As for the nail colors in this collection, they were very much like the shades in the Retro Glam collection. Pretty easy to work with, but three of the five colors did require three coats for good opacity (Blue Jay and Scarlet Ibis were the exceptions and only required two coats for good opacity). Dry time was excellent on the first coat for all of the polishes above, and good for the second and third coats. 

The official release date for the Milani Retro Glam and Fantastical Plumage Collections is August, but many of you have already reported seeing these displays in stores, so keep checking your local CVS and Meijer locations for them. As I mentioned in my original post, these collections will be at select CVS and Meijer stores throughout the nation, but you can also purchase these polishes on the Milani website. The Fantastical Plumage Collection is already available and the Retro Glam Collection should be available soon.

Have you spotted these new collections in your area yet? Thoughts?

A sample of this product was given to Nouveau Cheap for editorial purposes, either directly from the manufacturer or from the agency that works on behalf of the manufacturer. All reviews on NouveauCheap.Blogspot.com are the honest opinion of its author and editorial samples do not, in any way, affect the outcome of product reviews. For more information, click here.