Illamasqua I'mPerfection

The Illamasqua I'mPerfection collection is all about 'standing up and showing the world what makes you perfectly imperfect'. There are sixteen products in the collection - including powder and blusher duos, a brilliantly fluoro lipstick 'Immodest' and a lipgloss in Pantone-colour-of-the-year emerald, 'Shoot'. But what really caught my eye, right from a snapshot on the internet to seeing the collection in Selfridges, were the five limited edition nail polishes. Taking their influence from nature, the mottled egg-shell shades are an all-in-one flip on the glitter polish trend. I chose the blue - Fragile - (although was very tempted by the nude and dusky pinks) and couldn't wait to get it on. 

Illamasqua I'mPerfection in Fragile - £14.50

I'm in two minds about this nail polish: I'm absolutely smitten with the colour, the effect and how it looks on my (pale, pale) skin... However, it has near-to-no staying power and I've found myself reapplying every day. Within a couple of hours of its first application (two coats over a base coat, topped with a top coat), all ten nails had chipped quite dramatically. And its happened on the two other applications since. 

For a nail polish retailing at £14.50 a pop, I was a little disappointed. I adore the aesthetic but with its chipping disposition and its higher-than-average price tag, its made me think twice about snatching up the other shades I was coveting.