Described as a cobalt blue, this is a vivid, medium-toned variation that to my eye actually looks a closer to ultramarine. In any case, the color is intensely vibrant with an unbounded, fathomless quality on the nail. Among well-known similar blue polishes, it bears a close resemblance to Nails Inc Baker Street, and to lesser extent Sally Hansen Pacific Blue, now discontinued, which is a shade or two lighter. If you'd like to see a comparison of these three along with OPI's My Pal Joey from its recent Hello Kitty collection, take a look at Sharon's post doing just that on her wonderful blog Nail Polish Pursuit.
Application was a pleasure. The consistency of Rhapsody in Blue is fluid, light and creamy with a thin-to-medium viscosity and a graceful, self-leveling slip over the nail that is easy to manipulate with Cirque's round, flexible brush. It went on best for me in medium coats from a bead-loaded brush, but seems user-friendly enough to adapt to personal painting idiosyncrasies. Pigmentation is excellent with near one-coat coverage and completely even opacity in two. I'll add that although the funky scent that often accompanies blue polishes is present, it is disguised remarkably well by creator Annie's practise of fragrancing her creations with minute amounts of clary sage and lavender essential oils. Cleanup is much easier than I expected, with only a skosh of pigment travel and no residual staining to speak of. Yay! Rhapsody in Blue dries naturally in very good time to a smooth, glossy finish.
Photos show two coats of Rhapsody in Blue over treatment and basecoat with a topcoat of Seche Vite.
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| Cirque Colors Rhapsody in Blue |
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| Cirque Colors Rhapsody in Blue |
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| Cirque Colors Rhapsody in Blue |
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| Cirque Colors Rhapsody in Blue |
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| Cirque Colors Rhapsody in Blue |
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| Cirque Colors Rhapsody in Blue |
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| Cirque Colors Rhapsody in Blue |
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| Cirque Colors Rhapsody in Blue |
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| Cirque Colors Rhapsody in Blue |
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| Cirque Colors Rhapsody in Blue |
I love wearing bright mid-tones on my nails so this shade is a big win with me. If you want a polish that will draw attention to your manicure, this kind of glossy intense color will acquit you well. It's also gorgeous under incandescent light, where the color deepens and a wonderful violet undertone appears that totally recreates the hue that I remember from my years of fascination with cobalt glass.
Awesome!
love,
Liz
A terrific review, Liz, and fabulous photos! This is making me wish I had included it in my Cirque order! Well, since it is now core, next time I order. I was wondering what that scent was. I normally detest most scented things but I was amused and pleased at the scent in Cirque polish. I am very glad I have added Cirque to my polish inventory worksheet! I had been seeing their polish praised so much for so long - you finally gave me the push to try them out.
ReplyDeleteThank you, my dear! It's an incredibly bold polish and so glossy that I had a hard time getting photos that didn't show recognizeable parts of me clear as day in the reflections. I love the way the fragrance of Cirque's polishes lingers after the polish has dried -- I keep trying to get John to smell my nails when I'm wearing one, but he won't do it. I believe he suspects some kind of sabotage.
DeleteI don't think I can take credit for your foray into Cirque -- you have yourself and Hatch to thank for that!