Illamasqua Nurture is a look-at-me green from the limited-edition Rubber Brights Collection that has a unique ‘rubberized’ finish instead of the traditional glossy look.
I really love Illamasqua because they’re a brand that never seems to shy away from doing something different and risky. And their photoshoots are some of the most artistic and dramatic ones in the beauty industry!
While I haven’t worn many matte or rubber finishes, I’m always open for trying new nail looks. So I gave this a shot. The green already was right up my alley.
What was the verdict on this rubberized green? There’s only one way to find out! 😉
Illamasqua Nurture Pictures
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Natural Light
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Illamasqua Nurture Ingredients
(This is gonna be a lonnnng photo!)
Illamasqua Nurture Swatches
All swatches have:
- Nubar Foundation Base Coat
- 2 coats of Illamasqua Nurture
- No top coat!
Natural Light Photos
Flash Photos
Claims: TRUSTED
√ Candy apple green
√ Fast, buildable coverage
√ Matte rubber-like finish
Key Notes
- Name: Illamasqua Nurture
- Collection: Illamasqua Rubber Brights Collection 2012
- Colours Available in the Collection: Nurture, Optimist, Aorta, Devotee, Serenity & Prosperity
- Amount: 15 mL (0.5 fl. oz.)
- What I Paid: Nothing! (This was provided by Illamasqua.)
- Where to Buy: Coming soon to the Illamasqua website, Sephora stores & already on the Sephora website
- Limited Edition? Yes!
Illamasqua Nurture Review
Colour
Nurture by Illamasqua is a cartoon-slime kind of green that’s bright and a little crazy. Well, for me, this kind of green is my normal. 😉 But for those who aren’t used to wearing all colours of the rainbow, this one is a little more ‘out there’. Dare to have fun!
It’s a fresh green that pops on your nails. I think it’s especially great for the spring and summer, but hey, they’re your nails, so wear any colour you want regardless of the season.
Finish
What makes this polish unique isn’t the colour, but the finish. It has a ‘rubber’ finish. What does that mean? It isn’t chalky like a matte polish, but it also doesn’t have the high-gloss shine of a typical lacquer. It falls in between, but is closer to a matte. There’s a bit of a sheen, and when you run your fingers along the nail, it’s smooth and satiny.
This finish is really cool to look at when you’re washing your hands. You can see the water roll off it, and it looks like your nails are ‘dry’ but your hands are wet from the water. (Haha, I think while wearing this polish, I washed my hands for even longer than normal just because I found this way too fascinating.)
Despite using hand lotion a few times during the day, I didn’t notice it changing the rubber finish on this polish. (I’ve heard that using hand lotion can change the way matte finishes look over time.)
Also, if you have any pronounced nail ridges, I suggest buffing them before polish application or using a ridge-filling base coat because this lacquer won’t conceal them. But, if you just have minor ridges, they’ll be hidden under this polish, and you won’t need to buff first.
Application & Formula
With this finish, if you apply the polish too thickly, instead of getting bubbles like you would with traditional polish, you get what look like tiny indentations. So, my suggestion is to use as thin a coat as possible for each layer.
Also, according to the information that Illamasqua sent me, you should wait 30 seconds between coats and then 2 minutes at the end for the rubber finish to appear. This wasn’t hard to follow, since by the time I finished painting all my nails, more than 30 seconds elapsed when painting the first coat. (Hehe, I’m not that fast! But, yes, this finish dries way faster than typical polish. However, it doesn’t dry so quickly that you have to be a speed demon. You can paint your nails without being a nail-polish Usain Bolt.) 😉
Another important thing to mention is that while you’re not “supposed to” use a top coat, you can use one if you want to convert it to a shiny polish to switch it up.
It was a bit of a struggle for me not to reach for my usual fast-drying top coat at the end. It felt so wrong…haha! And then I was worried about dents, which I never worry about when I use the top coat. However, everything dried fairly quickly, and I didn’t get any sheet marks.
The polish was opaque in 2 coats, and the formula was easy to control. I really like the soft, rubberized cap – it made painting my nails very comfortable.
Promo Pictures of the Illamasqua Limited Edition Rubber Brights Collection
Since Illamasqua was nice enough to provide me with a flyer containing more information about their inspiration and the other colours in the Rubber Brights Collection, I felt the strong need to share this with you in case green’s not your thing, but you prefer some of the other shades.
Why Illamasqua Impresses Me
Not all brands are equal. Some rise to the top like the cream of the crop. Illamasqua is one of those brands that continually impresses me not just because of their creative spirit and daring to be different, but also because of their personal touch.
Every single time I’ve been lucky enough to receive samples from the company, they’ve always made me feel like they’re paying attention to me instead of viewing me as ‘just another blogger’.
Case in point: They sent me a green nail polish (haha, you know how I’m a greeeeen fieeeend)…and look at this handwritten letter. It’s a nice touch, and it makes them stand out. Thumbs up to their marketing and public-relations campaigns!
So while Illamasqua products may be splurge items, I do feel like they’re worth the investment because you get quality. I’d much rather put my money toward a creative and forward-thinking company than one that merely follows the trends and plays it safe any day.
Pros
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Cons
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Final Verdict: 7.5/10
Even though I’m not the biggest fan of matte polishes, I was surprised how much I enjoyed wearing this rubber finish. I think it’s a refreshing twist that has the appeal of a matte without being flat.
Are you on board this rubber-finish trend? Do you prefer glossy polishes? Are you an Illamasqua fan?
Why am I not surprised the green is the first one swatched. It’s so AMAZING! I may need to get this because I suffer from the same green addiction as you.
Hey Radha!
YES – from one green lover to another, we’re in the same wonderful boat! And we’re not rocking the boat…Dangerous enabling! 😉
Wow! Such a gorgeous color! I love it!
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Hey Brianna!
It’s the kind of green that lifts up your spirits…haha, and makes people check out your nails more.
Well, they sure sent it to the right gal! Man, do they know you, or WHAT? LOLOL.
Typically great and informative post. But, seriously, with all due respect, I’m having a twisted time here trying to wrap my head around that color. LOLOL.
Lisa
Lisa recently posted: Ahoy!
Hey Lisa!
Definitely! They knew what they were doing…sending a green to a green fanatic. *Heart races*
I just started seeing swatches of these popping up and the “finish” confused me. I couldn’t grasp my mind around what a rubber finish would be other than it might be squishy. Your explanation cleared it all up for me now. Unless I’m wrong, but I imagine it dries to the finish of what the inside of a balloon looks like (without the chalky dust). I know this is a wierd and super random comparison. But I imagined it was like a latexy finish until you said it was not shiny and almost matte…so I turned my balloon inside-out 😛
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Hey Frosso!
Glad I could clear up the confusion. I don’t think a lot of people have tried rubber finishes. Something relatively new to play around with! 🙂
You know what? Your description of a balloon turned inside out is way cooler. Wish I had thought of that creative way to describe it.
Illamasqua is one of the brands I put on when I want to go ‘fancy pants.’ (Butter London and Deborah Lippmann are on the list too.) I agree I love Illamasqua for being out there and different.
Nurture aka Double Dare slime green isn’t my first choice of nail polish colors. I can completely see you wearing it to the office or out to the club that night. However I do love me some matte nail polish. From the promotion you showed Devotee (‘candy pink’) might be my first foray into pink nail polish in ages. It’s so hard to find a pink shade that doesn’t read ‘grandma’s nail polish’ or ‘stolen from niece’s Hello Kitty nail polish stash.’
Hey Tennyoceres!
I’m on the same page as you. Butter London, Illamasqua, and Deborah Lippmann polishes all fall into my “Fancy” category, too. They’re splurges, for sure!
Love this green for you Mary! It’s retina burning yet with the rubber finish it tones it down just ever so slightly!
I don’t think I will be splurging on Ilamasqua polishes, but I have no problem dreaming and looking at swatches 😀
Hey Erica!
Thanks! 🙂 Yes, you’re right – the rubberized finish tones down the brightness a bit.
Hey, at least it’s good for your wallet! 😉 I ‘polish dream’ a lot, too.
I am really loving this rubber finish. I’m not a fan of completely matte finishes, so I like how the rubber finish has a little bit of shine. The note was cute as well, it’s nice to see a company that adds a personal touch when communicating with their bloggers :).
Hey Jessica!
I agree with you. Mattes just never really moved me, but the rubber finish is something I like a lot more – it’s not chalky, not shiny, but just right.
Every time they send me something, they really put in effort, and I respect and admire Illamasqua because of it. That takes a lot of time from their staff, I’m sure…and it’s greatly appreciated!
This actually looked really fun! I like matte polishes but I dislike it when they get shiny of just the natural fat of the hand, when wearing lotion, cuticle cream etc. If this has a better formula I’d love to have it!
Very nice swatch you have done of this! (haha, would have loved to have seen the washing-hand-effect of it! ;))
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Hey Gelic’ nail art!
Sounds like, yes, you’d like this rubber finish way better than the matte polishes.
Hehe, if I took a photo of me washing my hands, my nails would look the same, but my hands would just be wet. Hahaha, and I don’t even know how I’d take the photo. (I’m a bit stubborn because I still refuse to use camera tripods.)
Aw man, I wish they sold Illamasqua in Canada 🙁 I really love this green color
Hey Lawren!
They do sell Illamasqua in Canada! I’ve seen their polishes at Sephora stores. I’m not sure if they already have Nurture in stock, but it’s worth dropping by to check. Actually, tomorrow after work, I’ll be meeting up with some friends at the mall. I’ll try to remember to swing by Sephora to check and then report back here.
Really?? I’ve been to a few Sephora stores in the GTA and havent seen any (unless of course I wasn’t look hard enough). Do you know if the Eaton Center one sells Illamasqua? That’s the only one I havent been to in a while, so I’m not entirely sure
Okay, I don’t know if the Eaton Center has it, but probably! On Friday when I went to the mall, I checked another Sephora location, and they had this rubber collection already in stock. It’s a relatively new thing. Several months ago, they introduced a whole ‘nail bar’. You can also find SpaRitual and Julep, in case you were interested. 🙂
Yay~ Which mall did you go to? I assume it’ll only be in bigger malls, so hopefully I can get to one soon
I saw it at both the Sephora at Fairview and at Yorkdale, so the one at the Eaton Centre should have it.
Really??? My friend works at the one in Yorkdale and says they never sell Illamasqua. She lied :0 lol
Haha, I was just there on Friday and they had the Rubber Brights collection at the nail bar. Maybe your friend meant that they hardly make a sale on Illamasqua? Not sure how she could’ve missed that! I found it in a few seconds.
Wow, that colour is amazing!
Hey Char!
It was a treat to wear. When you’re having a crappy day, bright nail polish never fails to make me smile.
That is a crazy cool color! Nickelodeon SLIME!
Hey Olivia Frescura!
Do you think you’ll be getting it or any of the others shades in this collection? I’ve seen the yellow one on Scrangie, and she rocked it!
I think both the green color and the rubber finish look nice!
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Hey Heidi!
Yes, they do work well together, don’t they? I was surprised how much I did like it! Usually I’m all about glossy finishes.