Unless you’re living in a cave you’ll probably know that a Ciate mini manicure is free with this months issue of Marie Claire, which is also on offer at £2.50 this month.
Nail Polish – Cookies and Cream
Caviar Pearls – Shooting Star
I’ve been wanting to try Ciate for a while but I couldn’t justify the price for a caviar set, so at £2.50 for a mini set it’s a bargain plus you get the magazine to read. However i’m not impressed with it, it took 3 coats before it was opaque and after the first coat you could be mistaken for having thought you hadn’t put any on, even a thick coat doesn’t show up well. I put this straight onto my nails without a base coat, and I also haven’t added a top coat because I already had plans for taking it off again.
I found it very difficult to get an even coverage of pearls, it is basically a case of pour them on to your nails and hope for the best. I was expecting there to possibly be some form of pourer or funnel to help make getting them out in small quantities easy. I do advise having a piece of paper to on a flat service to rest your hand on while your pour the pearls out so that you can then try to get them back into the bottle.
My camera has picked the colours up accurately and it is an ideal color for everyday wear, so I can’t fault them there. The nail varnish is also quick drying so even though you have to use 3 coats, you aren’t waiting too long for it to dry.
I am glad that it was a free gift with a magazine because I don’t like it, and so I won’t be purchasing a Ciate manicure set.