Priti NYC Moonstone Cactus

Priti NYC recently had a 20% off sale for fall and I took advantage of the discount to order four lovely polishes from my wishlist, essentially doubling my small Priti collection. One of them is Moonstone Cactus from Priti's core line, a venerable shade that's been around since 2011 at least. Officially described simply as an "opaque blue-grey," this color is a beautiful example of Priti's flair for creating subtle complex hues with a modern, grownup sensibility. It's a lovely blend of slate and azure producing a medium-toned creamy crepuscular grey-ish blue that's a near perfect non-metallic match for Crayola's shadow blue. Leaning more to blue or grey depending upon the circumstances in which it's viewed, Moonstone Cactus has a fetching duskiness that makes it well-suited for those days when you want something gentler than the traditional fall fare of vampy deep-toned hues.

Application was delicious. The consistency of Moonstone Cactus is fluid, light and very creamy, with a buttery, self-leveling glide over the nail. Although quite fluid, it has a very nicely balanced viscosity for painting with no running or pooling. Pigmentation is excellent, with wearably opaque coverage in one coat. Adding a second coat gives a richer, deeper look to the color, highlighting its complexity. Cleanup is easy and straightforward with a teensy bit of pigment travel but no residual staining. Moonstone Cactus dries naturally in good time to a glossy finish. 

Photos show two coats of Moonstone Cactus over treatment and basecoat with a slightly bubbly topcoat of Seche Vite.

Priti NYC Moonstone Cactus

Priti NYC Moonstone Cactus

Priti NYC Moonstone Cactus

Priti NYC Moonstone Cactus

Priti NYC Moonstone Cactus

Priti NYC Moonstone Cactus

Priti NYC Moonstone Cactus

Priti NYC Moonstone Cactus

Priti NYC Moonstone Cactus

Priti NYC Moonstone Cactus

Priti NYC Moonstone Cactus

Priti NYC Moonstone Cactus

I think Moonstone Cactus is at its prettiest in low light, where the color develops a subtle undertone of soft twilight purple that is unexpected and really lovely. I wish I could have captured that look!

Up at the gym, I was doing bicep curls when my personal trainer remarked that this polish reminded her of a certain slatey blue paint color similar to what was once known as Williamsburg blue, a shade that probably reached its apogee of popularity in the 1980s when it was often referred to around here as "country" blue and commonly paired with a flat peachy pink in "country" decor schemes. Ugh. Personally, I find Moonstone Cactus much softer, creamier, more luminous and altogether more unusual than that old chestnut, but grudgingly admit a vague resemblance. 

To me, Moonstone Cactus is actually kind of like a deeper, stormier cousin to Essie's Cocktail Bling. They have a similar subtleties to their coloring and share a certain hushed anticipatory aspect, like an overcast sky before a snowfall. 

love,

Liz