Illamasqua Raindrops Swatches & Review

Illamasqua Raindrops Swatches & ReviewHaha, unless you drank a lot of liquid and need to use the washroom, one of the most soothing sounds is the rain.

Illamasqua Raindrops is a special grey nail polish that was discontinued in the past.

However, Illamasqua listened to all their customers and brought this shade back from the dead!

Good news for you! In 2013, it’ll be available for sale again. So…there’s no need to stalk eBay or pay highly inflated prices!

P.S.Β After reading the cute handwritten note accompanying this polish, I was so excited, I literally tore open the package and quickly painted my nails like a possessed polish addict. (Sometimes nailphiles let emotions get the better of us…haha!) Despite my flawed application, I still enjoyed wearing this manicure for a couple of days and didn’t bother ‘fixing’ my mistakes. πŸ™‚ Remember the philosophy I keep harping about on here: happiness is more important than perfection.

Illamasqua Raindrops Pictures

Illamasqua Raindrops

Flash

Illamasqua Raindrops Photos

Natural Light

Illamasqua Raindrops Photos

Flash

Illamasqua Raindrops Pictures

Natural Light

Illamasqua Raindrops Ingredients

Illamasqua Raindrops Ingredients

Illamasqua Raindrops Swatches

All swatches have:

Flash Photos

Illamasqua Raindrops Swatches & Review

Illamasqua Raindrops Swatches, Review & Pictures

Illamasqua Raindrops Review & Swatch

Illamasqua Raindrops Swatch, Review & Photos

Illamasqua-Raindrops

Illamasqua Raindrops Review & Swatches

Natural Light Photos

Illamasqua Raindrops Review & Swatches

Illamasqua Raindrops Review & Swatch

Illamasqua Raindrops Swatch & Pictures

Illamasqua Raindrops Swatch & Review

Illamasqua Raindrops Swatch

Claim: TRUSTED

√ Sheer light grey

Key Notes

  • Name:Β Illamasqua Raindrops
  • Amount:Β 15 mL (0.5 fl. oz.)
  • What I Paid:Β Nothing! (This was provided by PR.)
  • Where to Buy:Β Will be available for sale in 2013 (Check the official Illamasqua website, the Sephora website & Sephora stores.)

Illamasqua Raindrops Review

Colour

The sweet pale grey has an ethereal quality, and I think it definitely captures the idea of raindrops on the window!

Illamasqua Raindrops reminds me of spring, but you can obviously rock this shade any season.

Finish

Raindrops by Illamasqua has a sheer, jelly-like quality, and there are small, silvery flakies throughout. Together, this finish and glitter create a magical polish that brings to mind fairies and all things girly. However, it also looks very elegant and sophisticated to me – not immature at all!

The finish of this polish has slight texture, but after applying a top coat, everything becomes smooth very easily.

In my hurry to wear this polish, I actually forgot to apply top coat on my ring finger…haha, and only on this hand! That has never happened to me before, so I suspect I was under the spell of this soft, magical polish! πŸ˜‰

If you look really hard at my ring finger, in certain photos, you can see the minimal texture I mentioned. It’s not gritty at all. It’s just not completely as smooth as a creme polish.

Application & Formula

This polish had a thicker consistency than I expected for a jelly polish. And, due to the sheerness, if you want full opacity, you’ll need to use 3 coats. That’s what I used, and each coat had a medium thickness. If you apply thinner coats, you may need an extra coat.

I found that the polish was easy to control, however, unfortunately I was a little overexcited applying it, so my results were pretty messy! (I still wore this manicure for a few days because apparently it wasn’tΒ too messyΒ to bother me.)

Pros

  • Sweet, ethereal grey
  • Has small, silvery flakies
  • Jellyish finish can become opaque with 3 coats
  • Illamasqua brought this shade back after listening to their customers
Cons

  • Jelly finish can show visible nail line (if you apply fewer than 3 coats)

Final Verdict: 8/10

If you’re a fan of light-grey nail polish, subtle flakies, and polishes that are very sweet-looking, Illamasqua Raindrops will be right up your alley.

I think it’s very cool how Illamasqua listened to their customers and brought back a shade that a lot of people enjoyed. It shows that they care about their customers, and that mentality goes a long way!

Do you own the original version of Illamasqua Raindrops? Are you a fan of light-grey nail polish? What colour is your favourite jelly polish that you’ve ever worn?

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30 thoughts on “Illamasqua Raindrops Swatches & Review

  1. frogcooke

    Yippy skippy!! This is one on my list to get. I’ve been eyeballing this and am glad im not going to have to resort to ebay!!

    So pretty!

    Reply
    1. Mary Post author

      Hey frogcooke!

      Oh, this is just perfect for you then! Good thing you didn’t jump the gun and buy off eBay right away! I think it’s supposed to come out around February 2013.

      Reply
      1. Icequeen81

        I second that I have that skin tone that makes it difficult to wear some shades. Im happy to say that the shades I like and goes with my personality do suit my skin tone. But indeed there are some greens, and read I would love to wear but it just doesnt look good on me

        Reply
        1. Mary Post author

          Oh boy…I would be a little sad if the colours I adored the most clashed terribly with my skin tone. But…I think, in that case, I might still wear them anyway. πŸ˜‰

          Reply
    1. Mary Post author

      Hey Lizzy!

      This is a great grey polish to add to your growing collection. πŸ™‚ The flakies and jelly finish make it special. And I really cherish this lacquer because, even in general, I don’t have many greys.

      Reply
    1. Mary Post author

      Hey Catherine!

      I think you’re right! And, yes, that’s high praise considering that she’s a reviewing/blogging MACHINE! πŸ˜€ Her blog is like a beauty encyclopaedia. πŸ™‚

      Reply
  2. Jessica

    This looks really cool and unique! I wish more companies (*cough* OPI *cough*) would bring back old faves that are in high demand.

    Reply
    1. Mary Post author

      Hey Jessica!

      Hahaha, maybe they’ll read your comment and take the hint. I would love for them to bring back many of their old multichromes!

      Reply
    1. Mary Post author

      Hey Samantha!

      They’re definitely making a lot of naiphiles very, verrrry happy…and saving them money that they might have spent paying higher than retail on eBay.

      Reply
  3. Sarah

    All I want in life is to have enough money to get Illamasqua nail polishes (and not feel bad about it later). This one is so pretty and different! Maybe I’ll save up for it in a jar labeled, “For Nail Polish Only!”

    Reply
    1. Mary Post author

      Hey Sarah!

      Hahahahhaa, spoken like a true nailphile! πŸ˜‰ I love your idea of the money jar!

      You’re right about this grey being different. I feel like there are so many that are cremes or close to the colour of cement. But this one has a light, fairy-like quality.

      Reply
    1. Mary Post author

      Hey Lauren!

      Thank you so much! πŸ™‚ Haha, I take soooo many photos and then weed through them at the end, so it means a lot that you appreciate the work I put into this blog. It encourages me to continue!

      Reply
  4. Roberta

    I am so excited! I really wanted this polish and saw the crazy prices on eBay. I’m so glad I didn’t give in. I usually don’t stock up on polishes but this may be the only one that I will πŸ™‚

    Reply
    1. Mary Post author

      Hey Roberta!

      Good idea – don’t let it slip through the cracks again. I’m so happy that now people don’t have to resort to the overly inflated prices on eBay. Beautiful polishes should be affordable for and accessible to all!

      Reply
  5. Manda

    looks like a great spring color, love the flecks of glitter too..keeps it from being bland.. not familiar with jelly polish, will have to do a lil research

    Reply
    1. Mary Post author

      Hey Manda!

      Definitely it’s a wonderful spring colour. But I also think it would work really well in the winter, too. It’s one of those any-season shades, really. πŸ™‚ Really soft and pretty.

      Reply

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