This review on Illamasqua Speckle was a long time coming! I wore this a while ago. You probably remember seeing it on my Instagram account.
It’s fine time I cropped the photos and brought this post to life like Frankenstein’s Monster!
Whenever I wear an Illamasqua nail polish, it always feels like such an experience because the bottle is so luxurious.
Illamasqua Speckle is a really cute lacquer because it reminds me of Easter eggs (the kind where it’s chocolate inside, but the outside has a thin layer of candy).
When I wore this to work, a co-worker said she liked it because it looked like a dinosaur egg. 🙂
Illamasqua Speckle Pictures
Sunlight
Natural Light
Flash
Sunlight
Natural Light
Flash
Illamasqua Speckle Swatches
All swatches have:
- Essie First Base (Base Coat)
- 2 coats of Illamasqua Speckle
- Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat
Sunlight Photos
Natural Light Photos
Flash Photos
Claim: TRUSTED
- Speckled lilac (Yes)
Key Notes
- Name: Illamasqua Speckle
- Collection: Illamasqua Imperfection Collection 2013
- Press Release: Click here to see the Illamasqua Imperfection Collection press release featuring the nail polishes & blush brush
- Colours Available in the Collection: Speckle, Mottle, Freckle, Scarce & Fragile
- Amount: 15 mL (0.5 oz.)
- What I Paid: Nothing! (This was provided by PR.)
- Where to Buy: Illamasqua website & some Sephora stores
Illamasqua Speckle Review
Colour
Speckle by Illamasqua is a pastel lilac nail polish with an Eastery quality that’s so adorable!
I feel like the Cadbury bunny wanted to hop on the edgy side, so it collaborated with Illamasqua for this. 😉 (Speaking about Cadbury, I’m craving those Creme eggs badly right now. The filling is sooooo delicious!)
The colour was a little tricky for me to capture accurately, so I’ll do my best to describe it here. It’s definitely a purple, as opposed to the blue that it comes off in some of the photos.
It reminds me a bit of a pastel purple that’s lighter than OPI Do You Lilac It?, but it’s more saturated than OPI Rumple’s Wiggin’ (from the Shrek Collection).
There are larger blackened matte hexagons peppered throughout, but the nail polish sometimes gently coats them, so they have a varied look from blackened to a soft grey. It’s a really cool look!
Finish
Speckle by Illamasqua is a purple creme with some large hexagons and small specks. There’s noticeable texture because of the sequins’ size.
This is a lacquer that I think a top coat is mandatory for because without it, the purple looks almost clay-like, and the texture of the sequins can look lumpy. But, when you apply a clear top coat, it’s like magic, blending everything together and bringing out the beauty of both the base colour and the interesting sequins.
Application & Formula
I found that the formula was on the thicker side. It makes sense, since the purple has a milky look to it.
Even though it was on the thicker side, it didn’t feel goopy and it wasn’t difficult to apply. In fact, the coverage I was able to get was wonderful because it was thicker!
You should only need to use 2 regular-medium coats in order to achieve full opacity.
Pros
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Cons
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Final Verdict: 8/10
Speckle by Illamasqua is a fun nail polish that I very much enjoyed wearing. Hehe, but the whole time, I was craving Easter eggs!
Are you into the speckle-nail trend? What’s the most recent Illamasqua nail polish you’ve worn? If you’ve never tried any Illamasqua lacquer before, which would be the first you’d try?
Aw! I like the glitter distribution so much more in this than the Hard Candy versions. That ended up being a bit much. Also love that it’s so opaque in two coats while still giving that “there’s glitter sunken in here” look. Totally shoulda grabbed a couple with my Sephora haul….
Lizzy recently posted: Blog In May: Day 7
Hey Lizzy!
The formula was thick, so that helped it look milkier. 🙂 I’ve never tried the Hard Candy versions, but I’m not surprised that Illamasqua nailed it here. 🙂
I have seen quite a few bloggers having massive chipping issues with these polishes – they look so gorgeous but I am now thinking that if there is a longevity issue then it isn’t really worth the monies.
Hey PocketMoneyPolishes!
Interesting to hear that because I wore this manicure for a few days and had absolutely no problem with chipping! Then again, nail polish tends to wear well on me. Even though I’m typing all day at my full-time job, it still takes a lot for polish to chip on me. (The funny thing is that polish never lasts on my toenails!)
Polish longevity varies from person to person. It’s really weird – something that lasts forever on me may chip within an hour for another…
I’ve tried on this polish at Sephora and agree it’s a beautiful color and look. I love pastels, love purple and love the milky glitter look, so I guess that’s no surprise. However, I won’t be splurging on Ilamasqua anytime soon, especially when Hard Candy has a line of adorable milky glitters for $3.
I tried replicating the look with a Sinful Color Sweet Tooth, Nubar Black Polka Dots and a sheer white polish, and found that the look was really, really close. I got the idea for a DIY speckled look after seeing this post: http://www.lucysstash.com/2013/03/diy-speckled-nails-with-tutorial-diy.html .
another Cristina recently posted: A beautiful mystery- OPI DS Magic with caviar accent
Hey Another Cristina!
I’ve heard that the Hard Candy versions have a finish that aren’t quite the same as Illamasqua’s. It’s all a personal preference, but yes, $3 for an awesome polish is definitely a great thing! 🙂
Really cute, but quite expensive.. I recently purchased a really nice confetti top coat by l’oreal, so I’ll stick to that one. 🙂
Hey Renee!
Yes, Illamasqua is on the pricier side. But I’m always pleased with their formulas, and they’re no stranger to taking colour risks. 🙂
I was very lucky 🙂
I got all five colors as an anniversary present from my husband and I absolutely love them!
I haven’t had any issues with chipping and it lasts quite a long time as well (I’ve been wearing Scarce, the pink one, for four days now without topcoat and no tipwear yet).
Hey Joyce!
What a very thoughtful husband! 🙂 And it’s such a cool gift!
Very interesting that you’ve worn it without a top coat. With Speckle, I felt like I had to wear a top coat because the finish by itself made it look a bit like dry clay. Did that happen to you with Scarce?
I thought so too. He’s really starting to get good at picking out polishes that are not like the usual ones and he even has a great eye for colors that fit my skin tone. If only he would apply that same eye to his choice of clothes, but I guess that’s where I come in 😉
Nope, Scarce (with me at least) has a satin-like finish that I really like.
I have to admit I didn’t have the time to do the topcoat so I literally ran out the door the moment I closed the bottle (and sat in the car with my hands held high for at least ten minutes, much to the amusement of my designated driver aka husband 😉 ) but when I got home I didn’t bother with topcoat as I liked it like this.
Hehe, cute – you help each other look your best. 🙂
Interesting how Scarce had a different finish than Speckle, even though they’re from the same collection.