I’ve been stalking the Nubar 2010 flakie top coat ever since I heard it was a better dupe of Sally Hansen Hidden Treasure (a polish I still haven’t been able to find anywhere).

By itself, the Nubar 2010 top coat has a subdued mother-of-pearl iridescence. The trick to unleashing this bad boy is when it gets hot and heavy with another color. Layer it over a darker polish, and you’ll fall in lust with it!

I strongly recommend this color because it can transform even the most mundane polishes into something new and exciting. Come check out some Nubar 2010 swatches and also find out the only thing about this polish that didn’t impress me.

Nubar 2010 Swatches & Pictures

 

Claims: TRUSTED

√ Creates a dramatic effect when layered

√ Contains flakes of reflective glitter in a polychromatic base

Key Notes

• Name: Nubar 2010
• Amount: 15 mL
• What I Paid: $4.25 CAD (Bought from a salon-supply store at a special discounted rate)
• Where to Buy: Some salons & eBay sellers

Nubar 2010 Review

Nubar 2010 was created to celebrate Nubar’s 10th anniversary, and how appropriate because it really does look like a party on my nails! Thin, iridescent, and irregular-shaped flakes flash red, orange, yellow, and green.

Since I’d be using this most likely as a top coat rather than alone, I didn’t bother putting on Nubar Diamont Seal & Shine Topcoat (that I previously reviewed) over this manicure so I could test the dry time and smoothness.

And if you’ve been to Swatch And Learn before, you may have seen that a little while ago, I posted NARS Zulu swatches and a review. Since I was already wearing that color (that I wasn’t in total love with), I decided to liven it up with Nubar 2010. You can really see the dramatic difference!

The flakie bits don’t feel gritty or chunky on your nails – they’re relatively smooth, but of course not as smooth as if you were sporting a creme-finish polish. Also, I was pleased to notice that Nubar 2010 dries relatively quickly so if you want to forgo the top coat, you could.

When layered over a dark polish, the Nubar 2010 flakes give off a multichrome effect – the middle and edges of the nail flash different colors depending on the angle the light hits them. And while most polishes look their best in the sunlight, I actually prefer the way it looks in low light. For some reason, it makes the flakies look brighter and contrast more with the dark base.

You’ll also notice from my Nubar 2010 swatches that the flakies are quite dense. This doesn’t seem the norm when I looked at other swatches online. My bottle’s formula was super thick (very uncharacteristic of Nubar polishes in my experience). I’ll have to use nail-polish thinner to get it to a nice consistency that’s easier to work with. When I do that, the flakies won’t be as dense. Also, I used 2 thick coats, so that’s why.

This is what I wore under the nail polish:

• 1 coat of Nail Tek Foundation III (Ridge-filling Base Coat)
• 1 coat of Creative Stickey (Base Coat)

Edit: I was finally able to get hold of Sally Hansen Hidden Treasure!

Pros Cruelty free No formaldehyde, phthalate, or toluene Dramatically transforms any polish when used as a layering top coat Doesn’t feel gritty Has decent amount of shine Handle shape is comfortable to use

Cons Formula was on the thick side (but that could’ve just been my bottle & I can use polish thinner to fix that in a jiffy) Nubar is really hard to find (especially if you’re a Canadian like I am) Limited-edition (once it’s gone, it’s gone!)

Final Verdict: 9.5/10

Nubar 2010 nail polish is a must-have if you’re a collector, you like unique nail effects, or if you want to breathe new life into some old, boring polishes.

What colors would you layer Nubar 2010 over? I’ve heard that it looks quite different over various colors – it’s the polish chameleon!