Laura Mercier Fall 2013 Dark Spell Collection Nail Polish Swatches & Review
I don’t know if I just wasn’t paying attention, or what, but I never really noticed Laura Mercier nail polish before. It wasn’t until I was touring the beauty department at my local Saks (for the event I’m hosting this weekend) that I noticed a heart-stopping green from the brand.
Laura Mercier Dark Spell for Fall 2013
I’m always on the hunt for a new and exciting green and Bewitched, from the Laura Mercier Fall 2013 Dark Spell color collection, had me at “hello.” If you adore green nail polish as much as I do, be prepared to fall in love as well.
Formula & Application: Laura Mercier nail polish is 5-Free (Formaldehyde, Toluene, DBP, Formaldehyde Resin, Camphor). The square bottles are near identical to Chanel with their removable outer caps. The only real difference is that the edges aren’t as rounded as the Chanel bottle. Also, the inner cap is smooth, not ribbed, though the thin, round brush is nearly identical in length and width to Chanel. I love the Chanel brush so this is a bonus.
Both polishes vary in terms of application, consistency and opacity so I’ll address that individually below.
Laura Mercier Bewitched is a lush forest green filled with light green and gold metallic flecks. Bewitched is so pigmented, you guys, that I barely, BARELY, needed two coats. It flowed on the nail so smoothly that it was an actual pleasure to apply (can you tell I’m enthralled?).
The fact that it’s dark, but not too dark, and extremely pigmented set it apart from all my other greens in this color range. Like Orly Meet Me Under The Mistletoe looks teal and super sheer in comparison. China Glaze Glittering Garland is much more evergreen. Bewitched is murky and sophisticated in comparison.
Laura Mercier Bewitched
What I love about flecked shades like this is how cool they look mattified. I added a layer of Revlon Matte Top Coat to give it a frosted glass finish. LOVE!
Laura Mercier Bewitched with Revlon Matte Top Coat
Now Laura Mercier Forbidden is another story. What looked like a promising platinum shimmer in the bottle ended up being a chrome metallic that suffers from brush stroke-itis. Not only that, it’s pretty sheer. I needed three coats and, with each coat, it became more and more streaky.
Laura Mercier Forbidden
Application Tip: Apply metallics with a stroke down each side, finishing with one smooth stroke down the middle of the nail. Also, wait for each layer to completely dry to minimize brush strokes.
If all else fails, sponge on your last layer and smooth with top coat. I used that technique with Forbidden and it all but eliminated the brush stroke madness.
Laura Mercier Forbidden sponged
Bottom Line: Bewitched is one of those colors that I could wear over and over again and totally unique to my collection. Yes, it’s a splurge but if you’re a green lover, like me, it’s TOTALLY WORTH IT! Forbidden, on the other hand, gets a pass from me. Even though a sponge can resolve the problems with its finish, at this price point, I don’t feel it’s worth the effort.
Laura Mercier Dark Spell collection nail polishes are available now at Laura Mercier counters nationwide. You can find them online at Bloomingdales.com, Macys.com, Nordstrom.com, SaksFifthAvenue.com. Laura Mercier nail polish retails for $18/ea for a .37oz bottle.
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Disclosure: Product samples were provided by reps for Laura Mercier. Affiliate links appear via rewardStyle and skimlinks. For more info view my Disclosure Policy.
Lisa N.
Ms Meatballhead
Birdie
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Bewitched is just stunning… love it
Bewitched looks SUPER close to the Hello Kitty Sephora polish “Night Sparkle”!
Both ate gorgeous!
Good to know! I haven’t seen that color, thanks!
Bewitched looks exactly like OPI Live And Let Die to me, but I may be wrong.
Unfortunately, I don’t own that polish to compare them.
Oh man, these are just gorgeous. I need to start getting more daring with some shimmer polishes.
Do it! Smooth sparkles like Bewitched are great because they still give you that glossiness you love about cremes with a hint of glitz
You would love Rainforest by Revlon. Looks like Bewitched but a little brighter.
Oh I have Rainforest and love it. It’s a great color
I’ve never seen these before either. Bewitched is gorgeous!!
Brushstroke-itis, haha! Love it. Well, hate it…but you know what I mean.
I haven’t tried it, but I’ve read that applying the polish over a base of matte topcoat helps with the brushstroke issue, too.
Thanks for the tip!
Thanks for that tip. Forbidden reminds me of Chanel Quartz a little…
OMG!!! I *dreamt* of EXACTLY the color Bewitched – it was so incredible (yes I have amazingly VIVID dreams sometimes!), so I went on a hunt, and found it was a combination of 3 polishes. I was trying to see if I can combine, but – HERE IT IS! THANK YOU!!!!!
You’re so welcome! I hope you love it as much in person
PS – How do you sponge on a coat of nail polish? Wouldn’t it sink into the sponge, dry out and harden somewhere along the way? What kind of sponge – and do you have a link to a live demo of this technique?
Hi Tess! If you dampen the sponge and squeeze out the excess water, it prevents the polish from seeping into the sponge as much. Similar to how they suggest dampening a Beauty Blender or makeup sponge. I use the makeup wedges you an get at drugstores. Just brush some polish on the damp sponge and lightly dab it on the nail to eliminate the brush strokes without taking off any of the lower layers of lacquer. Also, apply some cuticle oil or lip balm to the skin surrounding the nail to make cleanup easier.
Bewitched looks a lot like the Nailtini from the CG Catching Fire collection. I think the polished is called… Black heat? Are they as similar as they look?
Hi Kyema! They actually look nothing alike. Bewitched isn’t as blackened as Black Heat and the glitter is different.
That green is gorgeous! In my mind it looks like CND Vinylux Pretty Poison. Are they similar?
Pretty Poison is darker and doesn’t have the same flecks as Bewitched.