A Shy Hello with the Not-So-Shy Born Pretty Store…

When online retailer Born Pretty Store contacted me a couple of weeks ago to inquire whether I’d like to review their products, I was in disbelief. After all, my last post here was nearly?six months ago. Flattered as I was to be asked, I wondered: what made them think I’d suddenly start again?
I’d pondered this space often during this long hiatus for the nth time, and every time, I’d over-thought and analyzed (read: procrastinated.) Is this actually useful? Does the blogosphere need yet another review of the same product…two months after launch? Do my readers enjoy this? Do I mind that it’s consumerism-driven and societally “shallow?” (I may be a closet hippie.)
You get the idea.
But I accepted. Holding myself accountable with an unofficial agreement seemed to be the most effective motivator. I miss this creative outlet and the process of photographing, writing, and sharing with you when I don’t.
So let me ?jump right in and show you one of two nail polishes I chose: Cosmiss #04.

What Cosmiss #04 lacks in non-numerical name, it makes up for with bountiful of glitter. I mean, just look! I spot hexagonal turquoise, silver, orange, and purple confetti (and is it just me, or are some?polka-dotted?) with thin strips of silver slivers.

Born Pretty Store Cosmiss #04 swatch in indirect sunlight
All of these different colors somehow work with the milky turquoise base. The swatch on BornPrettyStore.com showed a bluer hue, but to me, it is a greener, mint-like shade.

Note to self: don’t be such a hand cream hater — start using one!
It takes at least 3 coats for full coverage, much like a translucent base for French manicures, but in turquoise instead of pink. It’s not all bad news, though; the thin texture creates depth, letting previous glitter layers peek through. I became overzealous and applied a 4th coat for even more glitter, but the layers turned quite thick, like gel nails. Still, I like that the last coat made the base more vibrant!

Born Pretty Store Cosmiss #04 swatch in indirect sunlight
One thing that concerned me at first: it has a paint-like smell, unlike any of the other polishes I own. I did some detective work and plugged in DBP, toluene, and formaldehyde, the 3 toxins of concern, into google translate, but I didn’t spot them on the list of ingredients written in Chinese (which I can’t read, but can recognize characters due to knowing Japanese.) Born Pretty Store actually contacted me about it, saying they are aware of the smell, but confirming it is toxic free and as well as cruelty free. Nice!

Other colors in the Cosmiss Yogurt Series. Photo via BornPrettyStore.com
Cosmiss #04 is part of the Candy Color Glittery Sparkle Yogurt Series (I like to just say Yoghurt series) and retails for?$4.36 on Born Pretty Store.
The company provides free worldwide shipping from their Hong Kong location. My package took 2 days (!) to reach me in Japan, but they say to allow 2~3 weeks for delivery.

They let me choose a?10% off?code?OMG10?for you to use, if you want to try one out yourself. That’s easy to remember, right? (I do not receive commission, by the way, but perhaps they’ll know you were referred by me.)
What do you think of this glitter? I find myself staring and running my fingers over my nails to feel their texture. I also got a green one, which I will show you soon!

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Tags: glitter, nails, turquoise