Lacquer or Leave Her!: Review: Spellbound Nails Harry Potter Book 2 Collection

(Press sample)

Hello!!

I have a soft spot in my heart for polish collections that celebrate books and shows that I love...so when I got the opportunity to review Spellbound Nails' Harry Potter Book 2 collection, you can bet I was allll over it like foam on butter beer.

Let's jump right in, and take a look at these magical potions...

Spellbound Nails Acromantula is inspired by Aragog, the spider Harry and Ron go chat with under the cover of night. It's a glitter topper with black, gold, copper and glow-in-the-dark glitters in hex and squares, with a few spider-leg gold glitters thrown in for spidery goodness:

Spellbound Nails Acromantula over Zoya Rekha

This is one coat brushed on with no fishing; excellent formula and application.

When I buy polishes that are inspired by something, I want two things out of them. I want them to put me in mind of the book/movie, and I want them to be beautiful in their own right, even if you didn't know they were inspired by the book/movie. All of the polishes in this collection do both of those things for me, and that shows the thought and love that went into them both from a nail polish lover's perspective, and a Harry Potter fan perspective. This polish makes me think of all the little spiders dropping down from the trees coming to feed on Harry and Ron...the glow-in-the-dark glitter even reminds me of spider eggs, but in a good way.

And yet, this is a beautiful topper even if you've never read the book (shame on you!). It makes me think of confetti at a swank Oscars party or New Year's Eve party; it's fun, and has an adult feel to it.

Next on our alphabetical list is Basilisk, inspired by the poor critter brought in to do Tom Riddle's bidding; it's an Irish green crelly with gold and red glitters:

Spellbound Nails Basilisk

This is three thin coats; you might be able to get away with two if you want a sparser look to your glitters. The formula was excellent, and the polish applied well; some patchiness on the first coat as with most crellies like this, but smooths out beautifully with the second/third.

I love the glitter choices she made here; the gold glitters make me think of scales and the red glitters look like glowing red eyes. It's a fun combination for any time of the year, but you can be darned sure I'll be pulling this out come Christmas.

Floo powder is inspired by, well, floo powder, the magical substance that allows witches and wizards to travel via the fireplace superhighway. You'd expect this stuff to be like a slightly ashy version of some Tinkerbell fairy dust, and that's exactly what it is; it's made up of holographic glitters with a spray of lavender glitters to give it a special feminine kick:

Spellbound Nails Floo Powder

Spellbound Nails Floo Powder over Tom Riddle's Diary

This is one coat--seriously, only one!--over Tom Riddle's Diary (which you'll see in a minute). Formula was excellent, and it applied like a dream.

These pictures show the coverage and the depth of the polish, but they don't capture the sparkle of the holographic glitter, which adds to the magical effect of this topcoat. Anything you want to make extra-special, throw a coat of this over it; it'll be softy sublime over spring pastels, summer brights, and even the heartier jewel tones of winter.

Oh, and did I mention? It glows in the dark! I forgot to take a picture of it before I did some nail art with it, but luckily the mani I did was a skittle and I'd left one nail completely uncovered:

Taking pictures of glow-in-the-dark polish can be a pain with a regular camera and without blacklight--but this one was so bright, it was no problem at all. This is my hand under my bedspread with my little Nikon Coolpix. You can even see it on my thumb, which was mostly covered by other polish.

And of course, Book 2 would never have happened if Harry and Ron hadn't borrowed Ron's father's Ford Anglia; Spellbound Nails Ford Anglia is a minty-blue crelly with blue, red and gold glitters:

Spellbound Nails Ford Anglia

This is two coats, and I have a bit of visible nail line; this showed less in person, but keep in mind you might need three coats if you have lots of staining like I do.

I love this polish--it's fun, it's flirty, it's retro. It's a great spring color, but the red and blue flashes keep it from being too sweet the way some spring polishes can go. And, it captures the joy of the boys flying that vintage car up, up, and away...I love, love, love it.

Next we have Howler, inspired by the very angry 'howler' letter Ron gets from his mom; this is a topcoat packed with red and white glitters in hex and square varieties:

Spellbound Nails Howler

Spellbound Nails Howler over Zoya Sia

This is one coat over Zoya Sia, brushed on with no fishing. The formula was great and I didn't have to struggle to get even coverage.

This perfectly captures the moment when that howler self-destructs, and when I was wearing it, the thought of those little bits kept making me smile. And that's what pretty polishes are really about, right, making us smile?

Because we have a few patriotic holidays coming up soon, I decided to try this over blue, and I love the effect--this is a great look for a Memorial Day lake trip or a Fourth of July BBQ. I'll also be wearing this over gray and purple, probably also yellow and orange come summer. I adore it.

Next we have one of my very favorites, Mudblood, a brick jelly polish with gold glitters:

Spellbound Nails Mudblood

This is three coats--this is a polish that is meant to be built up and layered, and is good for 'pond manicures' or stamping sandwiches; I've already done one for you with this polish that you'll be seeing soon. Minimal patchiness on the first coat evens out beautifully, and the formula is a breeze to work with.

I love the shade of red she chose for this, not a typical cherry red, one a little more, well, muddy and bloody. I think it's sexy with just a dash of vamp, and the glitters call out with that extra little flash. Another one that's great all year, but so perfect for Christmas! I love every polish in this collection, but this one has a special place in my heart.

And to wrap us the collection, we have the villain himself, in horcrux form: Tom Riddle's Diary. This is a matte-finish black polish with a subtle blue sheen:

Spellbound Nails Tom Riddle's Diary

This is three very thin coats, but only because I had ridge issues with one nail--my fault, not the polish's, and you'll likely be fine with two regular coats. Formula was excellent, and application was lovely.

This is another of my favorites from this collection. I've never seen a polish quite like this; when you have on only one coat, it almost looks like micro-est of all micro glitters, but it's not a glitter at all. The pigment has been milled in a way I haven't seen before, and something about that (I'm guessing) comes together into a matte finish that's not fully matte and not even what I'd call waxy. It's supposed to mimic the leather of Tom's diary, and I think it captures that feel quite well; the blue sheen adds to the effect, making it look like something you'd find on a luxurious leather book.

That blue sheen also makes this possibly my favorite black polish, ever--often black polishes can be harsh, but the blue here makes this very wearable, like a beautiful black pearl rather than a harsh chalkboard. You can see this even more once I add topcoat:

Spellbound Nails Tom Riddle's Diary with topcoat

If you've always wanted to wear black polish but don't because you're afraid it will look too harsh or too goth, this might just be the polish for you. It's now my go-to black to wear solo or as a base for art.

So what do I think of the collection overall? I love it. The quality is top-notch, and there isn't a single polish here I don't love. This collection makes me smile, plain and simple--it captures the magical fun of the movie in polishes that are wearable and versatile. I'm in love with the collection, and with the brand. And I can't wait to see what she does for the rest of the books...no pressure...ahem...:)

Spellbound Nails' Harry Potter Book 2 Collection will be releasing on February 14th; you can find the polishes in the Spellbound Nails store, and don't forget to follow her on Facebook for updates, sales, and fun stuff like that.

Mischief managed,
M.