Farewell, Cult Nails

 purchased by me 

A few weeks ago, my buddy McGee was the first to tell me the really sad news about Cult Nails.  I don't buy from indie/boutique brands often, but I own over a dozen of Cult's shades.  Their white and black creams, Tempest and Nevermore (bottom of that post), are among the best I've tried.  They were a quiet favorite of mine and I feel like I never expressed that enough on the blog.  I'm fixing it, belatedly, and spamming a shimmery, murky, beautiful goodbye.

Masquerade is a teal jelly with fuchsia/gold/green shifting fleck shimmer.

This is the polish that got me to join the Cult.  Amazingly, it sat untried for almost a year and a half.  I don't even know how that's possible.  Look at it!  Back when I bought the Midnight Masquerade trio, I don't think I'd ever bought anything from an indie brand.  I saw swatches and knowing it was a small run LE, I just couldn't risk not owning it.  This is three coats.  Two coats are enough to cover, but I wanted more depth and shimmer.  The flecks aren't super dense and I think that's what makes this polish as phenomenal as it is.  Holding back on the flecks a bit gives the jelly more impact.  It's like some magical pond.

And when I say magical, I mean it...

So many indie brands are all about the holo, but Cult wasn't, and I loved them for it.  I do like holos, but I adore depth, shimmer, and shift....like this...

I couldn't take it off just yet, so I added OPI Matte Top Coat.  Daaaaaayum...

with OPI Matte Top Coat

The depth, the shift, just...all of it...

with OPI Matte Top Coat

I could wiggle my fingers around like this for ages...

with OPI Matte Top Coat

Midnight Mist is a deep olive green with rich copper shimmer.

Another third of the same trio, Midnight Mist is just as perfect.  The shimmer is fine and dense enough to make what would be a murky shade just glow.  Beautiful.  This is two coats.

Living Water has a scattering of green and blue microglitter in a blue-black jelly base.

Another exercise in understatement, and the first polish to put Cult Nails on my radar.  I saw someone's photo of it on the Nail Board, probably jyj's, and a lemming was born.  It was gone by the time I started buying from them, but I lucked into it on Storenvy last year.  This is two coats, with lots of topcoat because it's thirsty.

Hypnotize Me has blue and green microglitter topper in a teal tinted base.

over Wet n Wild Putting On Airs

I might be wrong, but I think this is the same glitter mix as Living Water, just denser.  The base is suuuuuper thick, but it still applies really well.  This is one coat.  The twinkle kills me!

over Wet n Wild Putting On Airs

You're My Dandy Lion is a softened yellow with a hint of yellow shimmer.

Love the color, but I'm not sure it's right on me.  My fingertips are redder in person.  This is three coats because...well...it's a yellow.  They're fussy.  The third coat fixed everything though, which is more than you can say for a lot of yellows.


My Kind Of Cool Aid is a very dusty plum with a little bit of silver microfleck shimmer.

This was one of their first shades.  I've eyed it for a long time, so it was an obvious choice for my...sob...final order.  I was sorta confused when it arrived, because my bottle looked nothing like the swatches I've seen online.  Apparently this polish is impossible to photograph.  My description above says "plum" because it's considerably warmer and a touch darker than any photo I've ever seen of it.  This is two coats.


Wax That is a "waxy" topcoat.

over My Kind Of Cool Aid

Another I had to have.  It was gone by the time I made my last order.  Dammit.  I would use it more often if this wasn't the only bottle I'll probably ever have.  It's such a cool effect.  It's what made my candy corn nails just right last October.


Doppelganger has delicate green, blue, and fuchsia shimmer in a milky-looking base.

over My Kind Of Cool Aid

Shimmer toppers always get me.  Doppelganger has more going on than you can see over a light-ish color like this.  There are at least three colors and two sizes of shimmer.  Dense too.  This is just one coat for all that twinkle.


Grunge is a dusty sage cream.

I love a good cream and Cult Nails made some excellent ones.  Grunge would probably be a one coater for someone who uses thicker coats.  This is two.

Two Timer has gold and green shimmer in a clear yellow base.

over Grunge

The whole Deceptive collection was toppers.  I have all but one of them.  Just lovely, and they apply so well.  I really will miss this brand.  This is one coat.


It's sad to see any brand fold, but it's especially sad when it's an indie...and when they match your own tastes as well as Cult Nails matched mine.  Maria, thank you for all of this beauty!

 all products in this post were purchased by me