Cirque Boudoir

Boudoir was released in September 2014 by NYC-based indie polish maker Cirque Colors as part of the Burlesque collection. Officially described as a vampy burgundy holo, the color is a deep purple-leaning red, similar to something along the lines of wine dregs or deep ruby from the British Standards colour list. Valesha of Peachy Polish describes it as a "reddened grape" in her review of this collection, also helpful in envisioning the color. It is less dense and heavy than I typically think of for burgundy, buoyed by abundant fine holographic pigment that reads as a shimmery pale gold within the base and gives the polish a delicate dusty look on the nail. The holographic effects allow strong tones of indigo and patriarch purple to come to the fore in ambient light, and generate a beautiful linear prismatic display in the sun with thin sparkling ribbons in all of the rainbow colors surrounding a gleaming semi-metallic lick of silvery reddish purple and shading to a deep wine color around the edges of the nail.

Application was a pleasure. The consistency of Boudoir is fluid, light and very smooth with a thin-to-medium viscosity and a fluent, silky, self-leveling glide over the nail that is a real joy to finesse with Cirque's round, flexible brush. Not to over-anthropomorphize or anything (yeah, right!), but it actually feels like it wants your manicure to be perfect! Love it! Pigmentation is very good, delivering evenly opaque coverage in two coats. Cleanup is remarkably easy for a darker shade. Boudoir dries naturally in very good time to a smooth, shiny finish. Topcoat does not inhibit the holographic effects in any way. 

Creator Annie infuses her polishes with a signature mix of clary sage and lavender essential oils, imbuing them with a light, fresh, herbal scent. It lasts well after the polish dries, and I find it very pleasant indeed -- it adds a sense of luxury and craftsmanship to the application process, especially, and completely disguises any chemical smell from the polish itself. 

Photos show two coats of Boudoir over KBShimmer Love You Strong Time treatment and Pretty Serious All Your Base basecoat with a topcoat of Seche Vite.

Cirque Boudoir

Cirque Boudoir

Cirque Boudoir

Cirque Boudoir

Cirque Boudoir

Cirque Boudoir

Cirque Boudoir

Cirque Boudoir

Cirque Boudoir

Cirque Boudoir

Cirque Boudoir

Cirque Boudoir

Cirque Boudoir

Cirque Boudoir

This is so much prettier and more unusual than I was expecting! I like that the purple tones keep you guessing about what color it really is, and it has a deft, weightless feel on the nail with a beautiful subtle shimmer from the holographic pigment that's like getting a wink from someone you love. I am still kicking myself for not purchasing all of the Burlesque polishes when they were released two years ago. Boudoir is the only one from this collection that is still available. It is currently out of stock on the Cirque website, but you should also be able to find it at one of Cirque's stockists.

love,
Liz