Smith & Cult

Nude sheer glosses are essential for easy summer makeup looks. I am already in love with the Fresh Sugar Lip Treatments, so I knew their Sugar Shine Lip Treatments would be a hit in my collection. I wasn’t sure what to expect with the new Smith & Cult lip lacquers, but I am already a fan of their polishes (see my post on them here) so I had high hopes.

1. Fresh Sugar Shine Lip Treatment in Rose, Honey and Nude – There are much bolder shades in this collection, but I was instantly drawn to these natural shades that are perfect for everyday wear. The Rose shade had the most pigmentation and looked like “my lip color but better” when on, while the Honey and Nude shades were very natural and a great layering piece. The texture is much thicker than I anticipated and did not have as much slip as I would like, but the way it made my lips feel and how well they stayed hydrated made up for it completely. It’s nice to have a gloss option in my collection that can also double as a lip treatment.

2. Smith & Cult Lip Lacquers in Her Name Bubbles and Life in Photographs – As I said earlier, I already love the polishes (and the names – they always get me), and from the looks of the glosses in the tube they seemed promising. As you can see from the above swatches, they are VERY sheer. And both shades almost looked identical when on which was a bit disappointing. But the major selling point for me was how great they felt on my lips. They have a jelly-like finish and glide right on without disrupting any lipstick I may already be wearing. Since I have only tried these two shades, I cannot speak to how pigmented the brighter shades will be but it may be worth trying if you like bold colors with a sheer and wearable finish.

Nothing lures me in like good packaging. I am a sucker for that each and every time.When I began seeing snippets of this new line, Smith & Cult, around the web and in the blogosphere, I couldn’t help but be intrigued. Created by Dineh Mohajer, who was the founder of Hard Candy cosmetics, the Smith & Cult line is a 5-free nail polish formula with the most unique packaging. The round shape mixed with the abstract silver cap makes for quite an impression. Even when I took one of them to the nail salon with me for the first time, the manicurist stopped for a second to admire the bottle. So with all this built up hype, I was lucky that the formula was one that I enjoyed just as much as the aesthetic. The colors I tested were Feed the Rich (green), Feathers & Flesh (nude), She Said Yeah (purple) and Teen Cage Riot (glitter).

Though most of my daily makeup is neutral central, I am surprisingly drawn to more unique nail polish colors, so I instantly grabbed for that purple shade called ‘She Said Yeah’. And the formula went on beautifully with just one coat – I was a bit shocked, to be honest. Out of all four shades, the only one that required a bit more precision when applying in order to get a full opaque look was the nude shade called ‘Feathers & Flesh‘.

The brush is quite thin so I find it easy to maneuver when applying the polish – I am not always a fan of the bigger brushes for nail polish. My most surprising find out of all four was the glitter shade called ‘Teen Cage Riot’. I typically am not drawn to glitter polishes because they can be patchy or too chunky on the nail, but this gives the most unbelievable even and opaque application. With just two coats, I was able to the most perfect finish.

I used my Sephora Formula X system for the base and top coat so I was able to get a good 5-6 days of wear out of each color. My favorite one is still the purple because of how vibrant yet pale it is, but the glitter came in a close second. Feather & Flesh was the perfect understated color for everyday and Feed the Rich was a nice change from the typical dark blues, purples and burgundies I have in my collection that I like to wear in the fall and winter.

You can currently find the line at Net-a-Porter and Neiman Marcus.