Cirque Colors – The Dark Horse Collection

Cirque Colors’ debut collection, Dark Horse, is a grouping of 12 shades in a variety of finishes and in a breathtaking array of unique shades. My awareness of this brand began with this collection, although my first swatches were with the latest releases, namely – the ‘Objet d’Art Collection’ (reviewed here), the Arms and Armory collaborative shade ‘Alter Ego’ (reviewed here), and the Mei Mei Signatures exclusive ‘Fleur est Belle’ (reviewed here). Creator & owner Annie Pham, has done an amazing job of bringing to life some truly outstanding colours, and as if that weren’t enough, I also adore everything about this entire concept.

As this is a rather picture-heavy post, I’ll keep my descriptions to a minimum, and let the shades do the talking – enjoy!

Cirque – Dark Horse Collection

Never Nude – semi sheer soft nude with a golden reflection and a subtle ultra-fine prismatic shimmer. Surprisingly good coverage for such a light hue and bearing a shiny finish, it can be made more opaque by layering over a neutral base, although I much prefer this delicate look. Coats applied: 2, plus top coat

Cirque – Never Nude

Cirque – Never Nude, with flash

Vaudeville – semi sheer muted & filtered lilac/lavender hue bearing fine prismatic flakes that flash primarily green and gold. Lovely glossy finish at the end and a layerable shade as well, I prefer its ethereal tone as is, rather than made more opaque. Coats applied: 2, plus top coat

Cirque – Vaudeville

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Dark Horse – the namesake of this collection, this is a clear base absolutely filled with black & prismatic ultra fine glitter that comes to a lustre finish. Due to its sheer nature, this is best layered for impact – seriously even more impressive when seen in person. Coats applied: 2, over black plus top coat

Cirque – Dark Horse

Cirque – Dark Horse, with flash

Fascination Street – quasi-sheer rich blueberry/purple shade bearing holographic shimmer. Excellent flow, density & coverage even by the first coat, the finish is more lustrous than shiny – another one that needs to be seen in person to appreciate its richness. Coats applied: 2, plus top coat

Cirque – Fascination Street

Cirque – Fascination Street, with flash

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Epoch – deep teal shimmer with a blue and purple duo chrome flash seen along the sides of the nail. With its perfect density, no more than 1 coat layered over black was needed to achieve this look – superb! Top coat added.

Cirque – Epoch

Cirque – Epoch, with flash

French Roast – a clear base filled with a complex mix of bronze, brown & gold glitter dust, as well as gold ultra fine glitter and topped off with gold & copper medium sized hexagonal glitter pieces – some random green specks spotted as well. Semi-matte finish. Coats applied: 1, layered over black plus top coat

Cirque – French Roast

Cirque – French Roast, with flash

Your Hand In Mine – semi-sheer pearly white hue with finely ground pink and green glitter flecks and while it provides a soft focus when worn alone, this becomes almost magical layered over other shades. Coats applied: 2 (thin) over black plus top coat
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Cirque – Your Hand In Mine

Tibetan Nights – le sigh … quasi-sheer royal blue base with silver & blue ultra fine glitter as well as needle-fine glitter strands, all seemingly suspended just under the surface. Excellent flow, density & coverage, the effect is one of a star-lit sky and ABSOLUTELY STUNNING! Bonus: non-staining upon removal. Coats applied: 3 (thin) plus top coat

Cirque – Tibetan Nights

Cirque – Tibetan Nights, matte

Trousseau – a clear base filled with a multitude of ultra fine pale and brighter gold glitter, as well as more scattered medium & large gold hexagonal glitter pieces throughout. With a lustre finish at the end, some fishing/placement of the larger glitter pieces required, but I didn’t mind the extra effort at all. Can be worn alone (shown with 3 coats in the first swatch photo), but just as easily layered for more effect (shown with 1 coat over Curiosity – reviewed here – in the other photos), plus top coat.

Cirque – Trousseau

Ophelia – clear base completely jam-packed with unique cornflower blue glitter in ground, ultra fine, and medium-large hexagonal formats. Each brush stroke provides more than enough glitter for application – best appreciated when layered. First swatch photo shows 1 coat over Cape Liz (reviewed here), while the other 2 photos are 1 coat over Fascination Street.

Cirque – Ophelia

Potosi – a clear suspension-like base, filled with varying silver glitter forms: ground, small round, and irregularly-shaped shard pieces. Definitely needs to be layered over a base hue (preferably a dark shade), in order to appreciate its originality. Interestingly enough, this bears a glossy shine at the end, although it will need between 1-2 layers of top coat for a smooth finish. Coats applied: 1, over black plus top coat

Cirque – Potosi

Debris – a clear base loaded with silver glitter in dust (which appears somewhat prismatic), square & small/medium/large hexagonal formats, black satin glitter in both small & large square shapes, as well as black hexagonal glitter pieces. The formula was slightly thicker and definitely chunkier than the rest of the collection, and while it may not spread out fluidly, it can still be easily layered over a base shade. Coats applied: 1, over CHANEL Eastern Light (reviewed here), plus top coat

Cirque – Debris

Final thoughts: Cirque Colors ‘Dark Horse Collection’ is outstanding! I have yet to be disappointed in anything from this brand, nor do I expect to be. When art comes together with originality and wearable beauty like this, it’s like all my criteria are met – love it when that happens! If I were to pick a favourite here, I would have to say Tibetan Nights has stolen my heart, with Never Nude a close second, although Epoch, French Roast & Ophelia call to me with their total uniqueness. No matter which you choose, you seriously cannot go wrong with any one of these shades!

Cirque Colors ‘Dark Horse Collection’ lacquers range between $13.00 – $15.00 each.

Feel free to visit the Cirque Colors website to view the entire range of products available.