Cult Nails Hypnotic Collection for Fall 2011

Good morning everyone!

   Sorry I didn't post yesterday, but I caught a cold sometime near the end of my trip and I've been miserable ever since. I usually love flying anywhere, but one of the flights I caught Sunday evening included three infants that cried a lot. I understand that they can't help it and usually I can tolerate stuff like this.. but my cold just made everything worse.

   Anyway, enough complaining and on to the polish!

   I'm a huge fan of Maria and the Cult Nails brand, and I almost have all of the polishes that have been released (I'm just missing Quench, which will make its way into my grubby hands at an opportune moment).

   I pre-ordered the Fall collection a while ago, and it finally arrived while I was on the other side of the continent. The Fall 2011 'Hypnotic' collection consists of 4 polishes; Awakening, Hypnotize me, Enigmatic and In a Trance.

In a Trance:
  In a Trance is a gorgeous olive green shimmer. Out of all of the colours, I was the most unsure about this one since I wasn't too sure about how it would look with my skin tone. After trying it on, I think the colour actually looks pretty good on me, and I would definitely wear this again.
   Application was great, the polish went on smoothly and dried quickly. Pictured is 2 coats with no top coat.

Enigmatic:
   Enigmatic is a beautiful plum/wine-ish purple with gorgeous shimmer and tiny scattered silver particles. No doubts about this one, since I love mostly everything purple, and this one is no exception!
   Application was a bit different than In a Trance, I needed 3 coats (but otherwise application was smooth), and the drying time was good. Pictured on my nails are 3 coats except my pinky, which only has 2.

Awakening:
  Awakening is a medium blue-grey which has a smoky appearance to it, which appears to be the trend for this Fall. What really makes Awakening special is the formula. It has this jelly-like creme base that really just glides onto the nail. I had to use 3 coats, but they weren't 3 frustrating ones like some of the polishes I own (Iris Dust I'm looking at you..).

And finally, last but definitely not the least..
Hypnotize Me:
  Okay, so I super love this. I was so eager to put this on over Awakening that I forgot to try it on its own (but that means you're spared from seeing my stained nails). This combination is gorgeous. On its own, Hypnotize Me is small teal-y blue glitter in a light green leaning teal base. Application wise, it's a bit thick, which can make it tricky to apply at times, and I recommend waiting a bit for the first layer to dry before putting a second on if you're using multiple coats. This layering combination reminds me of a lighter, brighter Living Water and I would probably describe this to being like the light reflecting off the waves when you're in the middle of the ocean at mid-day or so. Pictured is 1 Coat of Hypnotize Me over Awakening.

Edit: I forgot to mention that the the glitter in this layering also changes colour at different angles. Near the sides the glitter changes from teal to a fantastic marine blue colour.

Overall, I think this collection is really well suited for Fall. The colours are gorgeous and certainly fit in with this seasons trends. Application was fantastic, which I have already learned to expect from Maria, and all of the individual polishes are even more amazing than I thought they would be.

If you love the colour blue and all of its variations, I'd suggest you try the layering combination of Hypnotize Me over Awakening. It's gorgeous. I love it. I'm wearing it right now and I don't know when I'm going to take it off.

Heck, even if you don't like blue that much.. give it a try. It's absolutely stunning.

So, what do you all think? Have you tried any of the Cult Nails line up yet?

You can purchase the product featured in this post at the Cult Nails website for $10/each.

-Marisa
*note: I purchased the products featured in this post during the collection's pre-sale.