Ruby Ribbon Nails, from Revlon & some Rainbow too. NOTD

I know, I know. I just posted a red manicure yesterday and here I am with another red manicure. For my defence, this one is ruby, it's not red :P Plus, You'll see how gorgeous it is and you understand immediately why I just had to post it as soon as I finished playing with it.

I was very fortunate to win 'Revlon Ruby Ribbon' at Perfectly Polished Nails blog giveaway but never got round playing with it until today.  I was not going to post pictures of it tonight. I was not even going to do both my hands it. I was only wanting to swatch it quickly tonight and wear it another time but before you know it I had both my hands done. The following pictures show 2 sloppy coats on all the fingers, and 3 coats on the thumb and index finger.






I had seen previous pictures of Ruby Ribbon before (for some reason, I keep on calling it 'velvet ribbon) but was really curious about trying it out for myself, and was very suspicious about whether or not I would like it on me. I am not a 'matte finish' type of person, have never experimented with matte polishes before and for me the first duty of a nail polish is to be glossy. It's a bit a like a shampoo I guess. It's meant to do lots of foam on your head, otherwise something is not quite right. So in my head, I was not going to like ruby ribbon on my nails. Well, reality turned out to be totally the opposite. I love it and I have never experienced a nail polish like it.





And what an experience it was. First impressions were not overwhelming. The bottle looked and felt quite big in the hand (but admittedly less heavy than an opi bottle) and I was not a fan of the gold lettering on the cap. It looks a bit too classic and 80's for me. Opening the bottle and I began to ask myself why on earth they could call this a matte polish, as it looks just like a regular polish with some sort of silver shimmer running through it.







Now, I was expecting a very troublesome application. I was expecting not to have the time to place it properly on the nail bed and seeing a streaky mess drying it too fast before my eyes. Oh my, this polish totally proved me wrong. The formula was just a dream and so easy apply. It applied very smoothly and started to dry out glossy. I was still asking myself why this was called a matte finish. And then it happened, the polish started to go dull at first, it felt like the light had been switched off from it. Seconds later, the dull had gone and was taken place by this beautiful finish. I am not sure how to describe it but it's gorgeous: semi matte muted glazed finish with a lovely sparkle and definitely not dull.






To say that this polish messed with my head and emotions (I know, I probably need to get out more) is an understatement: I went from massive doubts, to liking it, to not liking it and then to love it again. I still can't believe how easy this was to apply: this was not supposed to happen. I probably will end up not liking it, as I believe that the longevity of matte polishes is much shorter than a traditional polish, but for now, after my first play with it, I am in love. For a first flirt with matte polishes, I think I definitely cheated here as I would not call this a true matte but I feel this is just enough matte for me and would not like it any matter.


Would I choose this red polish over a traditional glossy red for a special night out? I am divided. I will always prefer a glossy finish (and I think the world - aka your typical average man - are not yet ready for semi matte polishes yet) but this polish is so quick drying, it really impresses me and is perfect for last minute manicures to match last minute changes of outfit. So yeah, one could say I am in love with this ruby ribbon of gorgeousness…


More experimentation below. This is ruby ribbon with a top coat of  my latest acquisition (landed today, thank you Rosalyn from Primps and Preen!! ) and much lusted after Gosh Rainbow. Not convinced this is the best combination, and I think I’ve ruined the red a little bit but I thought I would share the pics anyway. I will review Gosh Rainbow in more depth in another post.