My Picks from Maybelline Brocades

I had a tough time finding Maybelline's Brocades.  CVS only seemed to get two, Silver Swank which Nichole reviewed and a red called Crushed Crimson.  This was a bit of a speedbump for me, since CVS is usually the most convenient and least expensive option for me.  I wound up getting only four of the ten shades because Rite Aid's BOGO50 deal that week still left them costing a bit more than I wanted to pay.  Like all Color Show polishes, the bottles are essentially minis at only .23 ounces, so I try not to pay more than $2-3 for each.  I really wish CVS had gotten all ten, because I lingered for maybe five minutes while trying to narrow my selection to just the four I eventually bought.  I went completely typical me on these....

All polishes are shown top coated.


Emerald Elegance has a sheer teal base packed with a super-dense mix of gold and green microfleck shimmer and small and medium emerald green hexagonal glitter.

The Brocades aren't typical textures, since they don't have little bits of grit.  They dry much more smoothly and gloss up with less of top coat.  They're all a bit gloppy and Nichole rightly described them as "frothy" to apply.  I also had to poke them a bit with my cuticle pusher to tame wayward glitters at the gaps, tips and sides.  They're not the easiest polishes you'll ever apply, but the result really does have an ornate, baroque feel.  Two coats of Emerald Elegance will cover the nail line completely.

Of the four I bought, Emerald Elegance has the most harmonized color scheme.  The gold isn't as vibrant on the nail as it is in the bottle, but it gives the polish some depth and a bit of sparkle.

Black n Mirrors has a blend of gold microfleck shimmer, gunmetal gray microglitter, and small and medium gold hexagonal glitter.

Another two-coater, Black n Mirrors is just as gloppy and fiddly to apply as Emerald Elegance, but smooths out about as well with a couple of coats of top coat.  I love how the gold pops out against the smoky gunmetal.

I wore Black n Mirrors as a full mani while shopping and I didn't have any of the "instant" chipping that I know others have had with the Brocades.  I didn't even use my usual base and top coats on these four nails, I just left the swatches on.  (I use NYC Matte Me Crazy as a swatching "base coat" and NYC Grand Central Station to top my swatches. Neither wears very well on me long-term.)  I only wore it for about 16 hours, but they were pretty busy ones.  I showered, dressed, shopped, carried groceries in from the car, and later slept without a single chip.

Embellished Blues has a sheer blue base loaded with gold and blue microfleck and small and medium cobalt blue hexagonal glitter.

Of the four Brocades I tried, Embellished Blues is the only one that needed a third coat.  It took a bit of taming like the others.  The blue glitter is lighter and brighter than the background color, so it stands out with a bit of a pop.  The gold shimmer is more obvious here than in Emerald Elegance.

Something about Embellished Blues reminds me of fish scales.

Amethyst Couture has a dark purple jelly base with tons of gold shimmer and purple glitter.

Two coats here again.  Like Embellished Blues, the glitter is a bit lighter than the background color, though it doesn't pop quite as much here.  The gold shimmer shows more in Amethyst Couture than in Emerald Elegance, but not as much as in Embellished Blues.

It sorta reminds me of L'Oreal Sexy In Sequins, though they're not dupes.  There's just something similar-ish, in my mind.

Bottom line: I like them.  Love would be a stretch, but I do like them.  They're not the easiest polishes to apply, but they're easier to smooth out than lumpier textures.  The shimmer and glitter payoff for all four is strong and the coverage on all but Embellished Blues is great.  They're a bit busy as full manis for me, but have great accent nail potential.  I didn't have chipping issues when I wore Black n Mirrors, though I didn't wear it for long.


Did you get any of the Brocades?  How did they wear on you?