Sally Hansen Lava, Moonstone

I’ve been excited about the new Sally Hansen Lustre Shine polishes since I heard about them on Nouveau Cheap a couple weeks ago – I love duochromes!  I was tempted to buy the whole collection, but since these are on the expensive side for drugstore polishes, about $8 each, I just bought two – Lava and Moonstone.   I did take bottle pictures of the other shades with my cell phone.

SH Lustre Shines: Firefly, Plume, Copperhead, Scarab

Lava is definitely my favorite of the two I bought – it’s a pinky red with a very strong orange duochrome.  The formula was great – thin and even. The large shimmer particles made cleanup really difficult – I apologize for the messiness!  I did three coats alone on my middle and little finger, and two coats over black on my index and ring finger.  I think it works well either way.    This polish looks best in the shade or indirect light, because that’s where the duochrome is strongest. In full sunlight, it’s very blingy and quite pretty, but doesn’t have much of a duochrome.

Lava – natural light

Lava – indirect light

Lava – full sun

I also bought Moonstone, thinking that sometimes the prettiest polishes don’t look like much in the bottle.   Moonstone’s formula is also great – thin and even.  I tried Moonstone over black (index finger; one coat), over white (middle finger; one coat), and alone (ring and little finger; three coats).  It didn’t really work over white, looks fine alone, and looks great over black.  Alone, it’s a soft, shimmery/frosty white with a faint pink shift. Over black, it’s a pale blue with a strong pink duochrome and a slight golden shift at certain angles.   This one also looks best in the shade or indirect light.

Moonstone – indirect light

Moonstone – flash

Moonstone – direct sun

Overall, these are great polishes – they apply easily and there are no colors like the two I swatched that are easy to find at US drugstores (I think the Lustre Shines are permanent, so they should eventually be on the wall and easier to find than they are currently). Now – I just need a US drugstore brand to come out with a multichrome collection like Ludurana’s Aurora Boreal collection . . .