Lowdown on Lacquer

Mineral Fusion® “Minerals on a Mission™” Nail Lacquers in Blossom, Bubble, and Rockfall.

When it comes to impulse purchases, nail polish ranks high on my list. Like a lot of beauty products—lipstick, lip gloss, hand cream, etc.—it doesn’t take a lot of $ to treat oneself. Nail enamel is indulgent in that it’s both a quick beauty fix and a “medium-term” investment. One bottle typically should last a good two years.

Beauty side note: Know your product’s shelf life by spotting that little jar icon called the PAO Symbol (which literally stands for “period after opening”) at the bottom of packaging. The number imprinted inside it, usually 12 or 24, indicates the number of months it’ll keep once you’ve opened it.

At Whole Foods.

These three Mineral Fusion® Nail Lacquers were a recent find at Whole Foods. I was there during my lunch hour to shop for shower gel, eucalyptus oil and a new aroma burner when I stumbled upon these at the corner of the Whole Body department. Now, I usually feel guilty whenever I try polish on at the store, unless it’s Sephora where you’re expected to try things on before purchasing, yet I couldn’t help myself. My reasoning/justification though is I fully intend to buy something, so it’s just a matter of choosing.

About the brand (picked up verbatim directly from their website’s About page; I just fixed the dash):

Based in Denver, Mineral Fusion began as a mineral cosmetics brand in 2007. Mineral Fusion is now the leading natural cosmetic brand proudly offering cosmetics that instantly improve your complexion while nourishing the skin, all while being appropriate for even the most sensitive skin types. A range of shampoos, conditioners, body lotions, body washes and a full skin care line are our latest innovations—each delivering the uniquely beneficial power of minerals to the skin. All of our products are made in the USA and many of them are still handmade.

Up until writing this post, I didn’t know that they had other products. I guess it was tunnel vision upon seeing their nail varnish at the store that I didn’t notice the surrounding items! Mineral Fusion Nail Lacquers are formaldehyde, toulene, camphor, and dibutyl pthalate-free. (I don’t get the deal on camphor, can someone tell me why it’s in there and/or why it’s not supposed to be in things?) The main thing that I did notice is that thier formula is indeed long-lasting and chip-resistant. Don’t be fooled by the “natural” marketing, these lacquers pack a punch.

I picked up the following shades (from left to right in the succeeding photo):

Blossom/Floraison – a cool magenta; a happy pop of pink
Bubble/Bulle – a muddled lilac; a nice, nude wearable purplish gray
Rockfall/Rocaille – a creamy, navy blue reminiscent of Chanel Blue Satin