Renaissance Cosmetics Cursed

Cursed was released by Canadian indie polish maker Renaissance Cosmetics as part of the recent Modern Vamp collection last month. This six-polish collection was inspired by some of owner/creator Meghan's favorite movie and television vampire characters. This is my first experience with Renaissance Cosmetics -- I was immediately attracted to this polish when I saw the swatches on Meghan's blog, Will Paint Nails for Food, and ordered it right away. 

Cursed, inspired by the character of Aiden in the show Being Human (US version), is a medium-light washed cornflower blue with grey undertones, a modicum of red metallic microglitters in two sizes, iridescent white flake shimmers, abundant finely-milled pink microshimmers and a sprinkling of holo pigment. This is a beautifully constructed polish with carefully proportioned components that work together seamlessly to produce a gentle, serene look with interesting, edgy details that give it a certain discreet liveliness on the nail. 

Application was great. The consistency of Cursed is fluid and a little fluffy with a creamy, self-leveling flow over the nail. It's not a thick or heavy polish, just a little more bulky than I expected but still very easy to work with and manipulate. Glitter payoff is perfect -- Cursed is not glitter heavy and the components are well-incorporated into the polish, consistently providing just the right amount of components per nail. Pigmentation is excellent -- with a well-loaded brush and the proper mojo this could very well be a one coater. My mojo is unreliable so I ended up using two medium coats for completely even, opaque coverage. Cleanup is easy and straightforward. Cursed dries naturally in fairly good time to a flat finish that wants a good topcoat to look its best.

Photos show two coats of Cursed over treatment and basecoat with a topcoat of Seche Vite.

Renaissance Cosmetics Cursed

Renaissance Cosmetics Cursed

Renaissance Cosmetics Cursed

Renaissance Cosmetics Cursed

Renaissance Cosmetics Cursed

Renaissance Cosmetics Cursed

Renaissance Cosmetics Cursed

Renaissance Cosmetics Cursed

Renaissance Cosmetics Cursed

Renaissance Cosmetics Cursed

Renaissance Cosmetics Cursed

Although I love the contrast of the red microglitters against this soft blue, it's the finer details of this polish that make it really special. Like the amazing sheen from the pink microglitters, and the way the iridescent white flake shimmers flash a bright turquoise when the light hits them just right, and the sheer veil of sparkle from the scattered holo pigment. Each element is in a carefully balanced ratio to the others, allowing it to stand out while at the same time function smoothly within the framework of Meghan's concept for the polish. Even if, like me, you are not familiar with Being Human and the character of Aiden, you can still admire the meticulous attention to detail she's given to every aspect of this lacquer.

love,
Liz