shu uemura X Maison Kitsuné | Plum Glitz & Indigo Glitz Nail Color

She Uemura, the brand that put eyelash curlers on the map not to mention made washing your face with ‘oil’ the coolest thing ever, also happens to produce some pretty amazing nail lacquers. Recently, Shu Uemura teamed up with design label Maison Kitsuné (kitsuné is Japanese for ‘fox’, hence the cute little critter on the bottles) to bring out a collection filled with eclecticism and fun glam, but what stood out for me were these two lovelies: Indigo Glitz and Plum Glitz Nail Color.

shu uemura x Maison Kitsuné | Indigo Glitz & Plum Glitz Nail Color

Plum Glitz Nail Color, limited edition (CAN $25.00) | a plummy/blackcurrant base hue filled with ultra fine pink of gold glitter flecks. The formula appears semi-sheer with the first layer but quickly becomes totally opaque by the second coat. Self-levelling and with a natural glossy finish, there is just so much depth with both these polishes that you can literally spend hours staring at your nails. BONUS: non-staining upon removal, with no excessive glitter spread either.

In the last swatch for both shades, I added a matte top coat as I absolutely love how this really makes the glitter pieces stand out against the base colour. Plus, it just looks so damn cool.

Coats: 2, plus top coat

shu uemura x Maison Kitsuné | Plum Glitz Nail Color swatch

shu uemura x Maison Kitsuné | Plum Glitz Nail Color swatch, mattified

Indigo Glitz Nail Color, limited edition (CAN $25.00) | an inky blue shade with even finer shimmer/glitter than that of Plum Glitz (or so it appears to me), that has a bronze, purple, green, and turquoise shift seen at certain angles. The formula is slightly more dense, giving excellent coverage even with the first layer, falling in a smoothly self-levelling way and ending with a glossy finish. Seen in direct light, it’s literally like having mini galaxies painted on your nails (and equally mesmerizing to behold, believe me). BONUS: non-staining upon removal with hardly any glitter spread.

Layering a matte top coat over Indigo Glitz does all kinds of wonderful to the glittery bits – you need to try this.

Coats: 2, plus top coat

shu uemura x Maison Kitsuné | Indigo Glitz Nail Color swatch

shu uemura x Maison Kitsuné | Indigo Glitz Nail Color swatch, mattified

With Spring pastels and Summer brights starting to flood counters, sometimes I like going in the complete other direction and indulging in darkling, almost brooding colours such as these two. Having a shimmer factor that’s off the charts coupled with a stellar formula doesn’t hurt the cause either and if you’ve yet to try shu uemura lacquers, I can’t recommend the brand enough. Still showing available online, and well worth the investment – that’s all I’m going to say.

Shu Uemura products are available at Sephora and The Bay across Canada. Find more information via www.shuuemura.ca