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Tuesday, May 4, 2010

Finally in my possession: Borghese Menta & Pistacchio Nail Lacquers

If you saw this post from last month, you know I've been wanting these bad boys for quite a while now. The Borghese limited edition Tutti Gelati collection has so many cute shades, but these two grab my attention every single time I walk past them. Since Rite Aid is currently running a BOGO1/2OFF on all nail polish this week, and I also had a $3 off Borghese coupon burning a hole in my pocket, it was FINALLY time to pick these up and experience them for myself. Borghese polishes retail for $8 each, but with the BOGO1/2OFF, that brought my total down to $12 (for two) and then with the coupon my total was $9. Not bad!



First let's look at Pistacchio:


This was super streaky on the first coat, and the pic above is actually after three coats. It definitely required three coats for total opacity. After I put it on, I immediately thought, "This REALLY reminds me of Sinful Colors San Francisco." San Francisco is one of my all-time favorite shimmery Christmas-greens, so here's a pic from my review of Sinful Colors San Francisco from last year:


As you can see, Borghese Pistacchio has more of a "minty" feel to it, while San Francisco has more yellow in it, making it a true Christmasy shade. But honestly, if you already have one of these shades, I can't say you need the other. They're pretty darn similar and only a true green polish fanatic might want to own both (guilty!).

Next up, Menta:


I wore this polish in my "How do I store my coupons" post from yesterday and I had two people ask me what color I was wearing. I guess you're liking it as much as I am! Yay! But let me tell you, this gorgeous, teal shimmer is not without its faults. I understood going into it that this was probably going to be on the sheer side, which is fine. But I didn't expect it to take five coats, and even then be pretty sheer. So yes, the above pics were taken after FIVE coats (pretty much a first for me as I have no patience when it comes to multiple coats of the same color). And guess what? It chipped after a day and a half. Bah!

Menta is a totally high-maintenance shade, however I still love it. Why? Because it reminds me of those colored plastic wraps they came out with a few years ago. Seriously, Menta looks like teal-colored plastic wrap on your nails when you see it in person, and it's totally eye-catching in a shimmery-mermaid-in-the-sea kind of way.

Since this chipped so quickly, I naturally had to play around with it and decided add a nice layer of...any guesses? Sally Hansen Hidden Treasure, of course!


In this pic, you can kind of see how Menta has a transparent quality to it. Hidden Treasure and all its beautiful flakes add an extra dimension of sparkle. Super fun.


I love how Menta brings out the pink and yellow in Hidden Treasure. It basically makes Menta feel like little speckled Easter eggs on your nails. :)

So, do you have any shades from the Borghese Tutti Gelati Collection? What do you think of them? Please share your thoughts in the comments!
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5 comments

  1. Menta looks like revlon ocean breeze. It takes 3 coats on me to reach full opacity. They both look gorgeous on you!

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  2. I confess: I bought both of these and returned them. :-(

    $16 worth of polish (though I did use coupons so it was actually less for me!) should just not be that sheer.

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  3. PCS: Thank you, honey! So does Ocean Breeze have that same transparent, plastic-wrap quality to it? It's kind of the only reason I'm keeping this one, I think. I just love it, despite its many flaws. lol! :)

    sparkly paints: I totally understand. :( Pistacchio wasn't nearly as sheer as Menta for me, but Menta was sheer AND it chipped. Such a bummer, but gosh it's beautiful. lol.

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  4. Maybe you should use a dark base color and put Menta over it? It's such a great color, and I think it'll show up better with a solid base color. Maybe like black with Menta over it? :) Just a suggestion!

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  5. Amy: Very good idea! I will try Menta with a darker shade underneath and see how it works. Thanks SO much! :)

    ReplyDelete

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