Previous NOTD: Illamasqua Muse

I wasn't going to succumb to the siren's call of Illamasqua, at least not yet.  I lemmed Muse pretty hardcore, but I was going to wait until I needed more NARS blush and add Muse to help me get to $50 (Sephora and their darn free shipping offer gets me everytime).  However, I recently received a $15 GC as I'm a Beauty Insider and due to a loophole, I was able to order without a minimum.  So, I got Muse for a whopping 23c. 

Now, I've heard all about Illmasqua's amazing application and I will say, in that regard, Muse did not disappoint.  It practically flowed from the brush to my nails without any effort.  It also only took one coat to reach full opacity.  The thing I didn't like is that it was totally chippy on me.  I put this on Tuesday night around 9:00p and it was off by 11:00a yesterday morning.  Granted, I was baking cookies for my kids' teachers, so I was washing my hands quite a bit, so that could have been the problem.  I want to do another run of it to see if I get the same chipping.  I really hope it was the hand washing and not the polish itself.

As for the color... *swoon*.  I think this is the teal polish I've been waiting for.  It's not too bright, not too dark, not to green and not too dusty.  It's right on the money.  It's a perfect mid-to-darker tone teal creme.  In the big RBL rush yesterday, at the last moment, I opted to remove RBL Teal from my basket and put in Frugalista (I couldn't stand the thought of not having the glitter trifecta).  Now that I've seen Muse, I'm so happy I did that.  I think Teal would have just been too dark for my tastes.  I want a teal that looks teal, and this one definitely does.

All in all, I love this.  Great color and amazing application.  I'm willing to give it a pass for now on the chippy-ness do to the fact my hands were being washed like crazy, but if it continues the next time I try, I guess I'm going to have to figure out a better base/TC regimine.  I love it that much.  LOL.  I'm definitely going to try a few more Illamasquas in the future.  I'm already jonesing for Jan and Boosh.

Illamasquas are available at Sephora (though not all colors), or you can find the full line on Illamasqua's website.  They are $14 stateside and 12 pounds in the UK.