Dermelect has come out with a new collection of color nail strengthening treatments for the summer. I had a chance to try 3 of the colors.
Above It
Luxurious
Persuasive
These polishes are infused with peptides. Peptides are made of small chains of amino acids (2-20 for example). In contrast, proteins are large chains of amino acids, greater than 100. My general view of protein based treatments (or polish) can be found in this post. In short, I don't believe protein based treatments change the nail plate like formaldehyde, fluoride, DermaNail, and DMU can. I do believe they can provide a nice layer of protection for as long as it is on top of your nail plate.
What is interesting to me with these polishes is that because peptides are much smaller, I wonder if they somehow have the ability to interact with the nail plate? I wonder about this, but have no other insight to give you.
The other tid bit I found interesting is the description of how to use the polish...
"The first coat instantly bonds to the nail, while
the second fuses with the base coat to create a flexible web of color
that resists chipping and improves brittleness (patent-pending
technology)."
Wait, wait! Are you telling me I can skip base coat?? That would be a fantastic option for my laziness and the ultimate solution for a successful party comprised of base coat wearers and ignorers. I wrote Dermelect just to make sure that I was correct in my assumption and indeed you can do either or. As soon as I heard this I ran with it. *Feel free to click on the pictures to enlarge*
Out of the three, 'Above it' gave me the most trouble. I did two coats for each polish except this one. It was a bit thick and after two coats it was still a bit uneven. I think some thinner will fix it right up. This was the first coat, no base!
After 3 coats, 'Above It' ended up being a bright baby blue that is definitely eye catching. I really enjoyed wearing this color.
In direct sunlight.
This blue still manages to look bright in the shade.
The first coat of 'Luxurious' went on smooth and I only needed two coats to make it look flawless. Again, I wore no base coat.
My camera makes Luxurious look a bit blue, but I guarantee it is lavender purple. You'll be able to see it more clearly in the comparison pictures in the next post.
Lastly, here is Persuasive in full sun. What an interesting color. It is described as peach, but I noticed it tends to morph between pink and peach depending on the lighting.
Indirect sunlight makes Persuasive look bright light pink.
More shade makes Persuasive look more peach ... and makes my skin look dirty. lol
OPI's Mimosas for Mr. & Mrs. also has this distinction.
OPI's Mimosas for Mr. & Mrs. also has this distinction.
Aside from giving me "dirty skin syndrome", I liked the formula.
You know how I feel about stains? Look here, here, and here for major stains and how I remedy them. However, none of that was necessary. None these colors left any sort of stains. Woot!
Conclusion:
I must admit, I thoroughly enjoyed skipping base coat for once. It was very freeing. I'm usually the type to wear two layers of base to prevent stains, so skipping this step allowed for frivolous dilly-dallying. If you are looking for a Dermelect base coat, I reviewed their Anti-aging Ridge Filler in an earlier post, but as always feel free to use what works for you!
My absolute favorite out of the three polishes was Above it, even if the formula was a bit thick. It was so bright, cheerful and compliment worthy.
This is the first color collection for Dermelect's color nail treatments, so I wouldn't expect the color range to be especially cutting edge, but that doesn't mean I wouldn't have appreciated a surprise. The colors are basic and as I will show in the next post, dupable. I'm interested to see if their next collection keeps it safe.
*Sent for review*
