Cult Nails Bitten

Bitten was released by indie polish maker Cult Nails as part of its Behind Closed Doors collection in November of 2012. A deep translucent crimson jelly filled with gleaming glass flecks that appear pink, fuchsia or red depending upon how the light hits them, Bitten is drop dead gorgeous -- sleek and sexy with a lively glow and an incredibly glossy finish.

Application of this polish was almost a religious experience. I've read about the joys of applying Cult Nails lacquers and now I understand. Bitten has a smooth, fluid, slightly oily consistency that glides around the cuticle arch and over the nail like velvety liquid garnet. It is translucent but not sheer in the usual streaky, see-through sense. Rather, the color has degrees of richness. One coat results in a deep berried pink. The formula applies so evenly and self-levels so beautifully that you could very well wear it this way. With further coats the color deepens. I used three coats to achieve close to bottle color, but two are beautiful as well. Really, it's hard to misstep with this polish, it's just that well composed. Bitten dries in very good time to a highly reflective glossy finish.

Photos show three coats of Bitten over Seche Rebuild treatment and Butter London Nail Foundation basecoat with a topcoat of Seche Vite.

Cult Nails Bitten

Cult Nails Bitten

Cult Nails Bitten

Cult Nails Bitten

Cult Nails Bitten

Cult Nails Bitten

Cult Nails Bitten

Cult Nails Bitten

Cult Nails Bitten

Cult Nails Bitten

Cult Nails Bitten

Regretfully my application resulted in a few crescent-shaped penumbras of brighter pink at the cuticle where I missed exactly layering subsequent coats of polish or topcoat, my apologies. I hate it when that happens. A similar thing occurs when using a non-3-free topcoat coat like Seche Vite over a 3, 4 or 5-free polish -- if you don't cover the polish completely with the topcoat, the part outside recoils from the edge of the topcoat and you get a little corolla of desiccated often off-colored polish at the cuticle. As a kid I was always one to color within the lines but in terms of topcoat application it's not something you want to be in the habit of doing. Topcoat ALL the polish!

I'm totally blown away by Bitten -- it's an exquisite polish, beautifully composed and executed, a joy to apply, a pleasure to wear and lovely to look at. And those glass flecks, mon dieu! Who doesn't love a good glass fleck? 

love,
Liz