Got a need for speed?

My first thought upon laying eyes on Bourjois 1 Seconde nail polish was ‘What?! A nail polish that dries in one second?! There’s no way that’s possible…’ As it turns out I was right. This baby applies in one second and then takes another 50 to dry. Ohhh… I see… 

The reason why application is such a dream is because it boasts a patented curved-tip fan brush. This means you can place it up against your cuticle and then pull down to ‘activate’ the spreading of the fan.

There are quite a few nail polishes with super-fast fan-style brushes on the shelves but I’ve been disappointed with the majority of what I’ve tried. So far, Bourjois is definitely the best of the bunch. In fact, I’d say it sets the bar in that it really really does make for a speedy application.

In regards to drying, if you apply a thin coat as opposed to a thick one it does dry within 50 seconds. Not bone dry, but dry enough to do minor things like type or get into your car. I like to use three coats though to get a nice, creamy-looking coverage so obviously it took way longer to dry but was still much ‘speedier’ than an any of the other ‘standard’ polishes I own. I also like that it dries to an even, non-streaky finish unlike the last ‘top speed’ polish I tried from another brand.

Shine-wise, it’s initially very glossy-looking (the formula contains a bit of silicone) but it turned a little matte after I got out the bath. Fortunately, this is easily fixed with a slick of top coat. (Without a top coat, you’re looking at about 3 to 4 days of wear before it starts to chip.)

Shade-wise, I’m not sure if the selection I’ve seen online is the same as what’s available in South Africa. I was given a dove’s egg blue (Blue Water) and bubblegum pink (Rose Cupcake) colour to try and made swatches of the pink one:

I’m not crazy about either colour but was taken in by their ease of application. If you spot them in store (Edgars, Red Square) and find a shade you love, know they’re worth your cash. I’ll definitely be popping in to check out their reds.

Love, love

Leigh