Nail of the Day: Revlon Milky Way

Today's nail of the day is Milky Way from Revlon's new Moon Candy 3D Cosmic Effects Collection.

2 Coats Grey Polish + 2 Coats Glitter Polish, Natural Light

Milky Way is a duo containing a dark grey creme base, and a flakie-like holographic glitter top coat. The grey polish dries darker on the nail than in the bottle, and essentially looks black once applied. I said that the glitter is flakie-like because I don't think it is a true flakie (like Essie Shine of the Times). For one thing, the flakes are much larger (more along the lines of China Glaze Luxe and Lush). But they are also much thicker and stiffer, so it appears that it is just glitter cut irregularly to resemble flakies. However, I am not complaining. I love holographic polishes, I love chunky glitter, and I love flakies. So a combination of the three is a win in my world, regardless of its actual composition. The base is slightly tinted, but is so sheer that it essentially applies clear. As with everything holographic, the holo effect is much stronger in person than it is in pictures.

2 Coats Grey Polish + 2 Coats Glitter Polish, Direct Sunlight

Formula-wise, this duo has its ups and downs. The grey side applies nicely and is very opaque. I think you could get away with 1 thick coat, but I opted for 2 thin coats instead. However, once it dried, it had the effect of a crackle polish around the edges of my nails. This was one of the weirdest things I have ever experienced from any polish. It didn't crack all over my nails, but just in a thin layer around the edges. It could be the formulation, or a bad batch of polish, or maybe it was the way it reacted with my base and/or top coat. Either way, I have never seen anything like this before. I was able to scrape most of it off, but you can still see some of this strange effect in the pictures.

As for the glitter side of Milky Way, it was extremely hard to work with. The glitter flakes are pretty sparse, so I used 2 coats of this as well. The glitter does not apply evenly, and does not want to lay flat on the nail. It requires a lot of working with if you want a lot of glitter and even coverage. I found that dabbing it on was the best method to achieve this result. It also creates quite a lot of texture on the nail, which will take 2-3 layers of top coat to even out. I used 2 and there was a little bit of bumpiness remaining, but not enough to bother me. That being said, this was a 7 coat manicure, and it took a long time to complete. This is definitely not the polish for you if you want to quickly paint your nails and get out the door. I certainly would not do this on a daily basis, but I think it is a fun look for special occasions.

I am not a big fan of the design of the bottle. It is tall, thin, and round, which makes it awkward to store. It is too tall to fit in most nail polish racks, and even if you can find somewhere to stand it up, it falls over incredibly easily. I am always worried that it is going to fall and shatter. And of course since it is round, it doesn't stay put on its side either. The best place to store it is probably in a drawer somewhere, which is a bummer because that makes it much easier to forget about. I also found the design awkward during application. The "handle" is about an inch longer than anything else in my collection, since it always includes one side of the duo. It is not impossible to use, but does take some getting used to.

The biggest disappointment with this polish is the small size. At 0.26 ounces, both sides combined are roughly half the size of a regular Revlon nail polish. The photo above shows the glitter end of the duo after 1 use. That's right, ONE. It is literally a third of the way gone after applying 2 coats for 1 manicure. I feel like it is a major rip-off that I can only get 3 full uses out of this product. You obviously could stretch this out more by using only 1 coat of it at a time. But personally, if I am going to put large holographic glitter on, I want to go all out, and the glitter just isn't dense enough for me in 1 coat. The only good news is that the grey base is a nice color that I could see myself using in the winter, even after the glitter is used up.

As you can probably tell from this looong review, I have very mixed feelings about Milky Way. The final result is stunning, but it takes ages to apply due to a few formula issues. I am bummed out that I will only get 3 uses out of the glitter side. Despite how difficult and irritating this polish can be, I still want to use it for special events. I think it is a total rip-off, yet I kind of want to buy a back-up bottle because I am in love with the effect, and I will probably want to use it more than 2 times in the future. Revlon duos retail for around $8 at drugstores, but I do feel better about this purchase because I got it during a 40% off sale. I am torn about whether or not to repurchase it! Perhaps if there is another good sale I will get it again, just for the fact that it is both unique and stunning.

Have you tried any polishes from the Moon Candy collection? What are your thoughts on them?