Flakie polishes are mesmerizing, yet aren’t easy to find and can be quite expensive.
The ever-popular Nfu-Oh flakie polishes cost a small fortune and can only be found at etailers or on eBay.
I was really lucky to get hold of the limited-edition Nubar 2010 (love it!), but searched for Sally Hansen Hidden Treasure to no avail.
When I heard about the Joe Twilight flakie nail polish, I automatically assumed that I’d never find it.
One day, while grocery shopping, I casually browsed through the shelf of Joe Fresh nail polishes. They have some pretty colors, but I never bought any to try.
Then my heart stopped when I picked up the Joe Fresh Twilight flakie polish! Could this be? Did I actually find it? Yes! The nail-polish gods smiled down on me!
Joe Twilight Pictures
The flakies you see here look exactly the same on your nails.
Straight-on shot shows the orange.
Since I wasn’t able to take a picture that showed all the Joe Twilight ingredients, I’m typing them out. Take a deep breath. It’s long!
Ethyl Acetate, Butyl Acetate, Nitrocellulose Adipic acid / Neopentyl Glycol / Trimellitic Anhydride Copolymer, Isopropyl Alcohol, Trimethyl Pentanyl Diisobutyrate, Trphenyl Phosphate, Propyl Acetate, N-Butyl Alcohol, Stearalkonium Bentonite, Diacetone Alcohol, Stearalkonium, Hectorite, Ethyl Tosylamide, Benzophenone-1, Citric Acid, Dimethicone.
May contain: Mica, Polyacrylate-4, Barium Sulfate, Titanium Dioxide, Iron Oxides CI 15880:1, CI 77266, CI 77510, CI 19140, CI 15850, CI 15850:1.
Terrible stubby & short brush, but it worked okay.
Joe Twilight Swatches
All swatches have:
- 1 coat of Nail Tek Foundation II Base Coat
- 1 coat of China Glaze Liquid Leather (black)
- 2 coats of Joe Twilight
- 1 coat of Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat
Natural Light
Sunlight
Sunlight
Flash
Flash
Flash
Natural Light
Natural Light
Natural Light
Sunlight
Flash
Natural Light
Claim: TRUSTED
√ Fabulous color (Funny how this is the only ‘claim’)
Key Notes
- Name: Joe Fresh Style Twilight
- Amount: 6 mL
- What I Paid: $3.33 CAD with the 3 for $10 CAD special (If you buy 1 bottle, it’s $4 each)
- Joe Fresh Nail Polish Colors Available: Twilight, Moss, Seashell, Marshmallow, Latte, Mocha, Eggplant, Papaya, Tin, Apple, Crush, Pineapple, Mallard, Cobalt, Navy, Iris, Bloom, Cement, Hula, Lagoon, Wave, Cloud, Mist, Oyster, Wine, Sun Kissed, Fig, Nude, Pink, Coral, Tomato, Cherry, Fuschia, Berry, Petal, Ballet Slipper, Buff, White, Gun Metal, Jet, Prune, Storm, Fog, Brick, Caramel, Persian Blue, Jade & Orchid
- Where to Buy: Loblaws & The Superstore
Joe Twilight Review
Whenever I hear something called Twilight these days, I always think that they’re trying to piggyback on the success of the vampire frenzy, which makes me roll my eyes because I’m not a fan.
Since I haven’t read the books and have only watched one of the movies (because my sister-in-law wanted to see it when I was over), I can’t say if Twilight by Joe Fresh Style bears any relevance to the Twilight series.
Color
Twilight by Joe Fresh Style is a dark and foreboding shade. It has large, irregular-shaped flakies suspended in a menacing black base.
The flakies aren’t overpowered by the deep base – in fact, they shine through brilliantly with a pop of green and orange (which leans more on the yellow side rather than the red side).
Prior to painting my nails, I swatched it on a color wheel that was lying around because I wanted to see the opacity. It’s definitely not a 1-coater. You’ll need about 3 coats if you want to achieve the bottle color.
Since Joe Fresh Twilight only comes in a tiny 6 mL bottle, I didn’t want to waste too much of it with several coats. That’s why I layered 1 coat of China Glaze Liquid Leather (a black jelly polish) underneath. This allowed me to use only 2 coats of Twilight but still get the bottle color.
Formula
The consistency was easy to work with – not too thick and not too thin. It glided on my nails easily and took as much time to dry as any typical polish.
Finish
Without a top coat, Joe Fresh Style Twilight doesn’t feel gritty like a glittery polish, but it also doesn’t feel as smooth as a creme polish. When I ran my finger along my nails, I could feel some slight texture, but nothing that would snag on your pantyhose.
Twilight also had a jelly-ish finish that really has depth. You can’t get this look by just layering a flakie top coat over a dark polish. So I really appreciated the uniqueness of this finish.
Brush
I really dislike the short, stubby brush and the wide handle. (My favorites are by Orly because the handles are long and rubberized. And their brushes apply the polish on your nails like a dream.) But, surprisingly, I had no issues applying Joe Fresh Twilight with this disappointing brush. So…it works, but it can definitely be improved.
Flakie Polish Application
Applying a flakie polish is different than a regular polish. Because the flakes are large, they may not lie flat on your nails, or they may stick out beyond the tips of your nails when you brush them on. Sometimes you’ll have to use the brush to push the flakies down.
Also, it’s a good idea to wait several minutes in between coats because you want the new layer of flakies to go on without dragging the previous layer(s) of flakies with it.
Joe Twilight Swatches without Layering China Glaze Liquid Leather Underneath
Joe Twilight vs. Nubar 2010
Joe Fresh Twilight layered over China Glaze Liquid Leather on left & Nubar 2010 layered over NARS Zulu on right
Layering
- Nubar 2010: Iridescent flakie polish that’s typically used over dark, light, sheer & any other colors
- Joe Fresh Twilight: Duochrome flakie polish best layered over black and vampy colors (Result will be black or near-black)
Colors of Flakies
- Nubar 2010: Flakies have gradients with green, yellow, orange & red
- Joe Fresh Twilight: Flakies show up as green & yellowy orange
Density of Flakies
- Nubar 2010: Dense flakies that lie on top
- Joe Fresh Twilight: Not-as-dense flakies (but also not sparse) that have depth – it’s like you’re seeing them underwater
Click here to see my Nubar 2010 swatches & review so you can compare for yourself!
Layering Experiment Over Green Nail Polish
Since one of our readers, Kee, was disappointed that the base was blackish and not more green, I decided to experiment by layering Joe Twilight over 2 different greens to see if it would add a green tinge.
Sorry, Kee, but looks like it’s a streaky mess. It looks worse in photos when it’s blown up, but even on the nail wheel, I thought it looked terrible! And the green doesn’t really show up too much. Looks like it’s a pass if you’re craving a green jelly instead of a black jelly.
Oops! Please excuse that piece of fluff on the left nail.
| Pros |
- Inexpensive
- Rare flakie nail polish
- Can be found at Loblaws & The Superstore (Canadian grocery stores)
- Easy-to-worth-with formula
Cons
- Available only in Canada
- Small 6 mL bottle
- Short & stubby brush
Final Verdict: 9/10
If you’ve had a hard time finding flakie polishes or if you don’t want to shell out a lot of money for one, Joe Fresh Twilight is perfect. It’s a vampy polish with some zing to it.
Have you tried Joe Fresh nail polishes? Are you a fan of flakie polishes? What color do you like layering under your flakie polishes?
It’s fabulous!!!! Pity I can’t get it :p
Alaeis recently posted: Why spend your money on OPIS crackle polish when there is
Oh, you never know! 🙂
Its so beautiful. Your nails look like bright beetles. 😛 Can I ask something silly please? What are those in the second last picture? Even I see those nail like things in US mags, but since these are something not common in India, I’m curious
Nivedita recently posted: Himalaya Herbals Fairness face pack
Thanks, Nivedita! Hehe, although the thought of beetle nails is creeping me out. 😛 (When I wore this manicure, someone told me that my nails look like an oil painting because of the way the light reflected on the flakies.)
It’s not silly at all. Those are plastic nail wheels (or color wheels). You can find them in clear (like the ones I have) or in white/ivory. They have plastic ‘nails’ all around in a circle. Here you can find them in beauty-supply stores. They also sell them online at etailers like Trans Design. Some people use them to swatch colours (like I did), and others use it to practice their nail-art techniques. Hope that helps!
Thank you so much. Yes, I always wondered. Lol. I love looking a beetles but not on my body though. ;P
At last we have the GFC and the newsletters subscription!! Thank you so much. Without them, I had missed so many posts
Nivedita recently posted: Himalaya Herbals Fairness face pack
Thanks for joining our site, Nivedita! Added the newsletter option after you mentioned you wanted to subscribe. 🙂
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This is absolutely gorgeous!! It looks just as amazing as those expensive Nfu-Oh polishes!! I really wish I could find great flakie polishes like this in American drugstores 🙁
Ruthe recently posted: My Chemical Romance Concert Experience!! -D
Hi Ruthe!
I’ve been drooling over those Nfu-Oh polishes for the longest time. Pretty soon, I’m going to take the plunge and get some. Love how they have so many different color choices – not too common with flakie polishes.
But yeah, it’s nice that there’s finally an affordable flakie on the market for Canadians – we rarely get these kind of exclusives. Too bad it’s not available elsewhere.
However…I bought an extra bottle, so it may be part of an upcoming Swatch And Learn giveaway. Hint hint! You never know! You might just get your hands on it. 😉
I dunno Mary…I’m not really feeling this. I guess I was so hyped up from seeing the promo pics, cuz it looked more green with orange and yellow flakies. Then when I first saw swatches, I was disappointed. =( I wish they would make more flakies though, different colours and such!
Kee recently posted: Secret Periwinkle and Hidden Treasure Picture Heavy!
It’s definitely not for everyone, but it’s so gorgeous to me. When I wore it, kept staring at my nails!
Yeah, no green base – it’s a black jellyish base. The flakies show up as green and yellow-orange, which really stands out from the dark base though.
I didn’t try it, but if you layer this over a bright green, you might be able to transform this into a dark-green with flakies. Now I’m kinda curious to see if this can be done!
Yeah, hopefully with the success of this polish, Joe will put out other flakie colors like purple and green!
Oh true….try layering it over a bright green and see if it can be done! Whee! Another mission! =)
I would NOT mind a green and purple flakie at all!!
I’ve chosen to accept this mission!
I’ll update the post with a photo and include a comment on here. Very curious to see how it’ll turn out. Thinking about using a neon green because the jelly base is pretty dark and I want the green to show through. Maybe I’ll try a non-neon green, too, just for good measure. (Hope it’s not a total fail…hahaha!)
Mission quite possible!!! =)
I can’t wait to see the update!
Hey Kee,
I’ve updated the post to include my layering attempt over 2 different green polishes – one’s a neon and the other is just a medium green.
Unfortunately it looks streaky and terrible. So save your money if you were hoping for a green base. Joe Twilight is best layered over black and dark colors because the black jelly doesn’t wind up streaky.
Wow the one coat shot literally made me cringe. Great experiment though! Thanks for humouring me and trying it out!! =)
Kee recently posted: Do You Think Im Tex-y holo-fied!!!
Hey Kee,
When I swatched 1 coat, I had second thoughts about posting the picture on the blog because it looked so sloppy and streaky. But…Swatch And Learn is dedicated to showing the good, the bad, and now…the ugly!
You’re welcome. At least now we know that layering it over those greens doesn’t work.
I layered one coat of twilight over one coat of jumpin’ jade from Sally Hansen Insta-Dri. It’s magical! It’s got this shimmery green under tone and it sparkles like jade. I think it just needs a metallic/shimmer green base!
Hey Pearl,
Good thinking! Never thought that the finish might make a difference. I have that Jumpin’ Jade color – gonna try it out sometime since it worked out well for you. Thanks for letting me know! 🙂
Have you come up with any other great layering recipes that you can share?
I was trying to respond to your comment but couldn’t somehow. Anyways, I’ve posted the result on my blog. Check it out! =)
Pearl Yip recently posted: You light up the night with brighter beauty than twilight
Hey Pearl!
That’s odd – well, good thing your comment went through this time. I checked out the layering combination you did – very nice! (Thanks for sharing.) And you look pretty in that dress, too.
Thanks Mary!
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