Review: Mentality Nail Polish

(All products in this post were purchased by me).

Hello!!

UPDATE AUG 2015: Please see this post about a serious recent issue with mentality nail polish before you read further. Thank you!

For some time now, I've had a couple of Mentality Nail Polish holos to show you...for some reason that review slipped through the cracks--I had thought I posted it, but never did. When I went to the Eyes On Indies event and Mentality was there, it reminded me about the review (that's what made me realize I hadn't posted it, because I couldn't remember which colors I'd shown, lol--funny how our brains work). Anyway, it worked out for the best because now I have a couple more awesome things to show you.

When I think of amazing soft linear holos, I think of Mentality. They have an incredible range of colors, and a holographic effect that is clearly linear, but in a more understated way than the full-on-blast-in-your-face holos that may not be as appropriate for all occasions. And most important of all to me--they look beautiful in all lights.

This is quite enough on its own--lovely holos are a thing of magic and happiness. But at the Eyes On Indies event I learned that they do other things really well, too--including, as it turns out, matte polishes.

Until that day, my favorite mattes had been the Layla Softouch Effect polishes. They have now been supplanted by the Mentality line, which have equally high quality, a broader range of interesting colors, and...are cheaper. That's right. Cheaper.

They also have toppers, including a 24k topper for an extremely reasonable price! After I got home and tried them all out, I immediately went and ordered a bunch more...although I wish I had waited because they are now having a great sale! More about that later...

But, let's get to it--a little less conversation, a little more polish!


Let's start with the matte that blew my mind--Mentality Bandit, a dark jewel-toned forest green flecked with charcoal grey:

Mentality Bandit, two coats, direct sunlight

Mentality Bandit, indirect light

Mentality Bandit, dark shade

And look at how it comes to life when you put topcoat over it--like a light has been turned on inside of it:

Mentality Bandit with topcoat over the middle nails; artificial light

I'm wearing two coats in these pictures, but I could have easily gotten away with one careful coat; this really is a one-coater. The formula on this is an absolute dream, as are all of the Mentality polishes. I've never had the slightest problem applying any of her polishes.


Okay, next up, one of the beautiful holos! Here is Mentality Entice, a brown-gold polish that makes your nails looks like you've draped expensive liquid burnished gold over them:

Mentality Entice, 2 coats, direct sunlight

And here is how beautiful this polish looks even in lights when the holo isn't activated:

Mentality Entice, 2 coats, shade

If you're looking for the sparkle of a holo in a wearable fall neutral, look no farther, my friend! Browns and golds are not my favorite polish colors, but this just sings. Classically elegant, and superbly wearable.


Next I have Mentality Morality--warn your husbands and hide your childrens, 'cause this is an absolute stunner--a dark grape duochrome holographic polish with a subtle purple-blue-gray-green shift:

Mentality Morality, 2 coats, direct sulight

Here's the polish in the shade, without the holographic sparkle--how many holos can claim to be this beautiful when out of the light?:

I found the colors hard to capture on film no matter what light and angle I tried, but you can see the full range of colors in the bottle on the shots. That lovely olive green shows up beautifully when the nails are at extreme angles away from the eye, and I'm so annoyed I couldn't capture it! The only color I didn't see when it was on the nail is the pinkish shade you can see in the bottle. The rest are all there. :)


A couple of days ago, I showed you some nail art with Mentality Seduce as the base. Here are some more shots, including some shade shots...:

Mentality Seduce, 2 coats, direct sunlight

Mentality Seduce, 2 coats, artificial light

Mentality Seduce, 2 coats, artificial light

And here is this lovely lady in the shade:

Mentality Seduce, 2 coats, shade

 I think this shade is so vibrant and energizing, without being too much. And I love the almost-flecked effect in the shade so much that I'd buy this polish even if it weren't holographic. How many holos can you say that about?!

And last, at least for today, I have Tease. This is a soft, femine lavendar with lashings of silver and hints of pink:

Mentality Tease, 2 coats, direct sunlight

Mentality Tease, artificial light--sorry for the awkward shadow, but this shows the indoors color perfectly!

And a shade shot, to show how beautiful this is even when the holo doesn't show:

Mentality Tease, 2 coats, indirect light

What more can I say about these? In my perfect polish world, I want specialty polishes that are beautiful, have a wonderful formula, and cover in two coats. Every polish I've tried by Mentality does all that, and more.

In fact...because I've found these polishes to be so consistently excellent over an ever-increasing range of polish types, I've decided to 'induct' Mentality Nail Polish into my Indie Polish Hall of Fame. As of my last order, I own more polishes by this maker than by any other indie, and I'm still lemming quite a few more. My criteria for the polishes I put on that site is that they have, over several purchases, consistently produced high-quality, well-performing polishes that have something special that set them apart, in my opinion. This is a no-brainer for me. :)

Right now if you spend $30 or more on Mentality's Etsy site, you can get 20% off of your purchase through the end of September using the code MENTALITY; also, if your after-discount purchase is more than $30, you'll get a free bottle of their polish Not For Sale. Shipping is always FREE within the United States; and while it isn't free, they DO ship internationally!

I'll definitely be back with more Mentality in the future...for now, I hope you've enjoyed these!

Hugs and love,
M.

(All products in this post were purchased by me).