Illamasqua Nail Varnish in Baptiste Review, Photos and Swatches

Jill and I have long raved about Illamasqua's nail polishes (case in point: here, here, here and here). They are easily some of the best nail polishes out there in terms of quality, price point and colour/texture selection. 

In this post, I have Baptiste, a rich, metallic purple shade, to show you. I'm at the point in the summer when I'm ready for it to be over. Warm weather and I are frenemies and each year I do my best to be patient and understanding, but every year, warm weather is a monster to me, and I stop trying in mid-July to be nice to it. Since it's now September, I'm pretty grumpy about warm weather and wishing for autumn.

Because of this, the fall shades start making an appearance around this time. The deep lip and nail shades start calling out to me. I miss them, and in my desire for cooler weather, I embrace fall and winter in the small ways I can. Mind over matter, right? Sod off, summer, I'm over your corals and pinks and neons and light, shimmery makeup. Bring on the vampy, the moody, the dark, rich tones of fall and winter.

Hello, Baptiste! I haven't seen you since last winter! I've missed you.

Baptiste is a dramatic royal purple, cool-toned, but with a hint of red to it. It's also very shimmery, and almost metallic depending on the light. Also depending on the light it can look inky and almost black. 

Illamasqua Nail Varnish in Baptiste

See how pretty it looks? It look so luxurious and rich. It makes me want a giant bed covered in purple velvet that I can wrap myself in naked. 

Anyway... Velvet, that's what Baptiste makes me think of. 

Illamasqua Nail Varnish in Baptiste

You can see hints of the red shimmer, as well as the silvery-fuchsia shimmer that make this inky purple metallic. This is a dark polish, first and foremost, with the shimmer playing second fiddle to the rich colour. It's a subtly shimmery polish.

Illamasqua Nail Varnish in Baptiste

And here it is on my (short) nails. Baptiste is a challenging shade to photograph. It looks inky in the shade but the shimmer pops when in direct light (like a camera flash). 

Application-wise, Baptiste is like the other Illamasqua nail polishes I've tried - smooth consistency, a good brush that allows for control, quick-drying, high shine, and opaque after one coat.

In this photo, I'm wearing two coats plus a top coat. Wear time with Baptiste is also like the other Illamasqua polishes I've tried - with a top coat, four days pass with only minor signs of wear.

Welcome back to my manicure, Baptiste!

Grade: A

C.