I only take up the task of writing about nail polish on my blog a few times per year. There are a few reasons behind that, two most important being that I have blogger colleagues that only deal with nail polish and are much better in reviews than I am and also that my nails really don’t love any nail polish I put on them. That being said, I still enjoy painting my nails and trying new formulas and every once in a while I find a nail polish which really tickles my fancy. New Catrice ICONails definitely did.

O lakih za nohte na svojem blogu pišem le nekajkar na leto. Za to obstaja kar nekaj razlogov. Najpomembnejši je, da imam blogerske kolegice, ki se ukvarjajo skoraj izključno z laki in so bistveno boljše v opisih formul in njihovi primerjavi. Drugi, prav tako pomemben razlog pa je, da moji nohti enostavno ne marajo skoraj nobenega laka, ki jim ga ponudim v oceno. Ne glede na povedano sama še vedno uživam v lakiranju nohtov in preizkušanju novih formul, pri čemer občasno naletim na kakšno, ki me res prepriča. Catrice ICONails vsekakor sodi v ta razred.

ICONails Gel Lacquer is a new line from the well known Catrice brand. The line will replace the current Ultimate Nails line in May. I only managed to find about six different shades on the stand a couple of weeks ago and chose two – coral Nails On Fire and gray-blue Cloud Nine. In May, Catrice will be launching all 45 (!!!) colors and I’m sure I’ll be adding a few more to my collection. Besides the color polishes, Catrice also included a Gel top coat with hybrid technology that promises prolonged wear time for up to 10 days (3,79€).

ICONails Gel Lacquer je nova linija vsem dobro znane znamke Catrice, ki bo v maju nadomestila sedanjo linijo Ultimate Nails. Na stojalu sem pred tedni našla le kakšnih 6 odtenkov, zato sem izbrala dva – koralnega Nails on Fire in sivo-plavega Cloud Nine. Po prvomajskih praznikih na police prihaja vseh 45 (!!!) barv in prepričana sem, da bom svojo zbirko še dopolnila. Poleg barvnih odtenkov Catrice v okviru ICONails linije pošilja tudi Gel nadlak s hibridno tehnologijo, ki obljublja podaljšano obstojnost do 10 dni (3,79€).

ICONails promises a gel-shine finish and a maximum wear time up to seven days. Honestly, I find claims like “up to seven days” a bit funny since that can only mean one day, but since most formulas don’t even last 48 hours on my nails without chipping, I don’t give them much attention. I also cannot completely agree on the gel shine claim. Formula has a nice shine but I don’t think it can compare to a gel finish without a proper top coat.

ICONails obljublja gel-sijaj zaključek in maksimalno obstojnost do sedem dni. Iskreno povedano so mi trditve, kot je “do sedem dni” smešne, saj lahko to pomeni tudi samo en dan, ampak glede na to, da na mojih nohtih praktično nobena formula brez krušenja ne zdrži več kot 48 ur, se na takšne trditve ne oziram kaj dosti. Tudi glede gel izgleda se ne bi mogla popolnoma strinjati, saj formula sicer ima lep sijaj, vendar pa se ta po mojem mnenju brez nadlaka ne more primerjati z gel zaključkom.

So far, I’m being quite critical and I’m sure you’re wondering why you’re even reading this post. The reason is simple: ICONails is the first formula in years that held on my nails for four days (without top coat) and six days with a top coat. Even on day 7, my nails looked good enough that I would be comfortable going into work like that. Such hold is something almost supernatural for my nails and I’m equally impressed by the price since a single bottle only costs 2,89€. Now, you can probably understand why I’ll be adding more colors to my collection.

Zaenkrat samo kritiziram, kajne? Se sprašuješ, zakaj sploh bereš ta zapis? Razlog je preprost: ICONails je po letih prva formula, ki je na mojih nohtih zdržala brez krušenja štiri dni (brez nadlaka) in šest dni z nadlakom. Tudi sedmi dan je bila škoda tako minimalna, da bi šla s takšnimi nohti povsem mirno še v službo. Takšna obstojnost je za moje nohte nekaj skoraj nadnaravnega, enako kot obstojnost pa me navdušuje tudi cena, saj steklenička stane le 2,89 €. Zdaj razumeš, zakaj bom še dopolnjevala svojo zbirko?

A quick word or two about the bottle and the brush. Catrice certainly achieved expectations with both. ICONails bottle is square which makes for easier storing. On the back side the name of the shade is easily visible. There is a dual cap system – the top comes off and underneath you find a handy brush holder. The brush itself is quite wide and rounded at the bottom which makes for an easier application on my nail shape. It only took me three strokes to cover the entire nail with this brush.

Še besedo ali dve bi namenila steklenički in čopiču. Tudi z novo linijo so pri Catrice dosegli moja pričakovanja. ICONails steklenička je kvadratna, kar vsaj v moji zbirki pomeni lažje shranjevanje. Na zadnji strani je jasno in hitro opazno označeno ime vsakega odtenka. Pokrovček je dvojni – zgornji del se sname in razkrije priročno narebreno držalo čopiča. Čopič je dokaj širok in na koncu zaobljen, kar pri moji obliki nohtov omogoča lažji nanos. Sama sem s tem čopičem celoten noht enostavno prekrila s tremi potegi.

I was looking for similar shades in my collection and I’m happy to report I didn’t find any. The coral Nails On Fire is clearly different from the orange Essie Meet Me At The Sunset and looks a bit more similar to the L’Oreal “granate” Cherie Macaron, but the latter has a more apparent pink undertone.

V svoji zbirki sem skušala poiskati podobne odtenke, vendar jih nisem našla, kar me iskreno veseli. Koralen Nails on Fire se očitno razlikuje od oranžnega Essie Meet Me At Sunset, nekoliko bolj pa je podoben L’Orealovi “granatici” Cherie Macaron, vendar ima slednji veliko bolj opazen pink podton.

I also didn’t find a polish in my collection which would compare to the ICONails shade Cloud Nine. The closest I got was the Bell Hypoalergenic in shade 45, but it’s clearly more blue while Cloud Nine comes from the gray family.

Prav tako nisem v svoji kolekciji našla nobenega laka, ki bi bil primerljiv z ICONails odtenkom Cloud Nine. Še najbližje mu je prišel Bell Hypoalergenic lak v odtenku 45, vendar pa je tudi za izrazito bolj plav, pri Cloud Nine pa so bolj izraziti sivi podtoni.

As said previously I can’t wait for the entire stand since I have quite a few fun colors on my wishlist. I would certainly recommend you take a look when the entire collection hits the shelves since it’s a really great nail polish with an awesome price. Until next time, stay beautiful.