Nails Inc Porchester Square. A colour I don’t have to be in any particular mood to slick on, it always hits the spot. A greige lavender, I’ve often touted it as my favourite nail polish ever (a claim I still stand behind) and it is in fact only one of two nail polishes that I’ve ever repurchased (Essie Topless and Barefoot being the other). So when I spotted the best shade of all in a new gel-finish formula it took about a nanosecond to travel from shelf to basket. FYI it’s £14 from Beauty Bay, though I spotted mine on the stands in my local Boots. With promises of a high-shine, self-plumping, hardy finish, I’ve put it to the test over the past week. So how did it fare compared to my ol’ favourite formula?
There’s three points to consider here: application, finish and longevity (it’s not worth commenting on colour, they’re an exact match). Application-wise the original P.S wins; the gel-finish offering takes three coats to get opaque coverage, the other only two, though the brush on the gel-version is miles better – a great cuticle cuddler. The gel texture does win hands down though when it comes to finish. It’s way shinier than the original, I’m not talking ‘grab your sunglasses cause there’s a glare’ shinny, but it’s got a noticeable gloss that the older one lacks. Though I tend to throw a top coat on anyway through habit, I wouldn’t say that it requires one. The deciding point for the longevity category too goes to the gel polish, which lasts a good five to six days on my chip-prone nails before things get a little worse for wear (baring in mind no maverick glove-free washing up is conducted).
So the new gel finish Porchester Square formula wins – as long as you don’t mind whipping on another coat. It’s ok, I’ll take it.Â
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