Review: Revlon Parfumerie Nail Enamel

Scented nail polish is not an entirely new concept … but this is the first time a major beauty brand has brought out an entire line of fragranced nail enamel.

In fact, there’s a whopping 24 shades on offer in Revlon’s Parfumerie Nail Enamel range.

And it’s the first time that fragranced nail polish has seemed so glamorous (in the past, they tended to be scented and coloured like candy, and were marketed more to our inner five year olds).

The line is divided into three sub ranges. There’s Fruits & Florals, which are largely bright and cheery shades in opaque finishes; there’s Sweets & Spices, which are richer hues, mostly in shimmering finishes; and then there are the Freshes, which are all about the cool pastels and a variety of fun finishes.

Each shade is inspired by a certain smell – and the colour corresponds too.

For instance, Wild Violets – for the record, one of my favourites – is a glamorously dark purple that really does smell like the pretty powdery flower. It also has a gorgeous retro feel to it – like you’ve dipped your fingers into a vintage pot of violet-fragranced face powder.

After sniffing and swatching my way through the entire line, I have to say, most of the smells are impressively true to their inspiration. Albeit in a subtle way – after all, you don’t want your nails to clash with your signature scent. This isn’t about taking over from traditional fragrance – it’s about simply getting a nice sensory trip every time your hands come close to your nose. (On that note, try not to sniff your fingers too much; it’ll look a little strange).

Sure, it’s not a life necessity that your nail polish has its own fragrance … But it definitely scores high on the novelty factor.

Other smells and shades I love are:

Pink Pineapple, a pale and shimmering pink that does indeed smell like the fruit, albeit a sweetened version:

Espresso, a deep slightly blue-based black that subtly recalls the aroma of coffee beans:

Apricot Nectar, a peachy crème that smells good enough to drink:

Balsam Fir, a lush green that comes across fresh and foresty:

And, Autumn Spice, a rich brown shot with rose-gold particles that makes you think of a cup of sweet cinnamon chai:

Whichever shade you go for, it helps to start with base coat and then apply two layers in order to even the colour out and get the most intense effect. Just make sure to keep your layers quite thin, which will give you better control of the outcome as well as speed up drying time, which is around ten minutes.

Skip the top coat for a day to get the full effect of the scent. But after 24 hours or so, you’ll probably find the perfume has trailed off. This is the time to get that top coat on – with daily top ups you should get another two to three days’ wear out of this. That’s pretty good to me, as this isn’t meant to be a long-lasting formulation – Revlon has another range (ColorStay Longwear) if that’s your main goal – this is about having fun and experimenting, both with a spectrum of colours and an array of fragrances.

Without looking (or smelling) like your inner five year old.