Nubar Knight's Armor

I don’t dislike this polish, but I’m definitely confused by it.  

This is Nubar Knight’s Armor from their Fortress Collection of grays.  It’s a charcoal base packed with square silver glitter.  The silver stands out, but I prefer more integration with my glitter polishes. I feel like I could have achieved the same effect layering a clear silver glitter over a dark gray. 

Sunlight - no bottle because we're on vacation & I left it at the house

The base of Knight’s Armor looks like a jelly but it’s overwhelmed by the silver on top. I love jellies and glitters combined in one polish – like CG Atlantis – and I’ve never seen a charcoal jelly, so I really would’ve liked to see some more of that base.  This was two coats and I was on the fence about a third.  It would’ve helped a few of the barer spots, but it also would’ve meant more glitter and I already felt overwhelmed by what was already on the nail. I think I would’ve liked the overall look more if it had been two polishes layered.  I would have had more control over the transparency and levelness of the jelly base without maxing out the silver glitter on top. 

I still loved the Nubar brush and this polish’s wear, but I only *like* the actual shade. Even a few days of wearing it didn't change my opinion. I know a friend who would love this polish so I think I should gift it her way so she can give Knight’s Armor the full appreciation a Nubar deserves.

Nars Zulu

My Zulu finally arrived on Tuesday evening! After all the hype, I was kinda nervous about my first face-to-face encounter with Zulu. When I finally got the nerve up to open the box and put it on, my fears were quickly assuaged. This dark green jelly flowed on to my nails like it wanted to be there. It was opaque, smooth, and very shiny in two coats.

I thought I loved Zulu because of what it symbolizes to the polish community - rare, coveted, completely beloved for its long awaited return. After it applied like a dream, I decided that Zulu had lived up to my expectations. Then I wore it to work this week and it completely blew me away!

My coworkers often check my polish to see the new shade I'm wearing. Normally, they come up to my desk and check my hand. Not with Zulu! They spotted it within minutes of saying hello from cubicles away. We'd be discussing something else and suddenly "What are you wearing? What's it called? Can you bring the bottle to work tomorrow?" They've asked the name of my polishes before, but never for a bottle loan. These ladies get their nails done, but they're not hardcore polish fans and Zulu still reached out and pulled them in.

What did Nars put in this polish? Zulu is bottled magnetism! (That's why I took my pictures with a magnet while my bottle was out on loan with a coworker.)

Sun - Visibly Green & Jelly - see those edges

Shade - Glossy & Dark

This is my first Nars polish and Zulu has incredible wear on my nails. When I took it off on Saturday evening - 4 full days of typing, baking, and even washing dishes without gloves - I still had polish on 4 of my 5 nail tips where I had wrapped the ends during the original mani! I rarely get chips, but I tend to get tipwear within hours even with wrapping.

I think I need a backup of this polish! I wonder if I can still find it anywhere...