Monday, October 24, 2011

Nina Ultra Pro Mossy Britches

Ever seen a nail polish color and knew you HAD to own it, by hook or by crook? First, it was Chanel Peridot, the one Chanel polish that *almost* made me break my self-imposed $10 maximum price per nail polish bottle. In the end, Hammie convinced me that $25 was just too much to spend on one nail polish when I could get four or more for the same price. (I've heard rumors that Hammie hails from the Hamstons but this is one sensible, penny pinching hamster so I don't think so!) Then, came Butter London's Wallis but at $14, it was still over my limit. These green/golds were killing me! Not even wearing Nubar Wildlife could kill the crazy lemmings from these two. So I hit the interwebs in search of something that might be similar (I was so far gone, I didn't even need a dupe) without killing my budget. This is what I found:

Look at that pretty!

The Quick Take

Brand/Name: Nina Ultra Pro Mossy Britches
Color: Olive green
Finish: Olive green shimmer with fine gold flecks
Price: $3.99 CDN for 15mL
Seen at: Sally Beauty
Note(s): (if I'm not mistaken) This is a Sally Beauty exclusive so finding this in a brick and mortar store might be tricky for those who don't have one in their area.


The Fun Facts

It's greenish gold! Well.. Olive green with a gold flash..?

Looky! 4-Free! (also without formaldehyde resin)

Serial at the base.

That shorter, thicker brush might take some getting used to.

Tell me that doesn't remind you of Wallis. Sort of.

Mossy Britches is an olive green shimmer with a gold flash in very bright light. Sure, it's not a dupe of any of the two I mentioned earlier but this is a pretty color on its own. The color has a lit from within look that gives it that contrast at the edges where it looks blackened. Definitely not your run of the mill olive green! I was also debating whether the finish was shimmer or metallic, since if you look very closely, you'll see some very fine gold micro flecks. But it's just not a full on metallic, so I'd say this one walks the fine line between shimmer and metallic finishes.
***All nail swatches were done with Orly Bonder Base Coat and two coats of  Nina Ultra Pro Mossy Britches unless stated.

Natural light/No top coat/No flash
I was surprised at how relatively shiny this one dried to.

Natural light/No top coat/Flash
I love the darker edges to it!

Sunlight/No top coat/No flash
Not a dupe, but gorgeous all the same.

The brush on this one has a shorter handle compared to the usual suspects (China Glaze, Orly, OPI) but it didn't give me any reason to hate it. The actual bristles though were on the thicker side so it tends to retain more polish than you might want, making pooling or too thick coats a definite possibility. But once you've figured out just how much polish you need, application becomes a breeze. The consistency is a little on the thicker but not so much that it's a pain to apply. It almost felt creamy, like a thinned out milkshake, if that makes sense, and impressive opacity. Mossy Britches was almost a one coater! It also dries fairly fast that I'm surprised it's not being touted as a fast dry polish.

Natural light/Top coat/No flash
Even better!

Natural light/Top coat/Flash
Hammie says: It reminds me of metal even if it's not a metallic finish.

Sunlight/Top coat/No Flash
Hammie says: Purrr-ty!

With top coat, whatever brush strokes that might have been left behind when it dried are smoothened out, giving you this lovely finish that just shines. It better emphasizes the gradation from the greenish gold flash that you see when you look at it head on to the darker grayish green at the edges of the nail.


The Lowdown


There's a complexity to this color that really appeals to me. Dupe or no dupe, I think this can very well stand on its own. I have seen though, that a CQ polish called Golden Green is about 90% the same as Mossy Britches. For us Canadians, that might not really be a game changer as the CQ/Scherer brand isn't something we have ready access to. I've seen comparison swatches of both and unless you carry around a magnifying lens with you, you wouldn't know the difference. Now, value for price is amazing with Mossy Britches. It was on sale when I got my bottle so I only paid $2.99 for 15mL of polish. Imagine, for the price of one Chanel Peridot I could've gotten eight bottles of Mossy Britches. Just for purposes of price comparison, you see. Given all that, it's quite surprising that not more people like the Nina Ultra Pro line. It could be that Mossy Britches is the exception and not the rule. I must find out more.

So did it do what I hoped it would? Yes. But allow me to clarify: I still want Wallis (not so much Peridot anymore as I've resolved to live vicariously through everyone else who keep it under lock and key) although it does satisfy the craving for greenish gold. I like it so much that I've been wearing it on my toes for a couple weeks now.

Hammie doesn't understand my current strange fixation with green/golds. He says it's normally not my color of choice as I tend to gravitate towards my blues or neutrals. We both do agree that it's a very pretty color that has a depth to it that others lack. The darkened edges really make it stand out. The price is another plus point. Despite that, Hammie isn't quite convinced it deserves full marks. His score?

9 Hammie Points!

Would you settle for second best if THE best is out of reach? What color this season have you been gravitating towards that you normally wouldn't? Do you agree that Nina Ultra Pro polishes deserve more love?

11 comments:

  1. Camela, I literally burst out laughing at Hammoe from the Hamstons ;)
    That being said you won't like what I say: these swatches are beautiful on you and gold/olive green colours are part of my fall stash too but Peridot is soooo worth breaking your self imposed no buy. I too cringe at a $10+ nail polish price tag but I am craving a backup bottle of Peridot.

    This shade you are sporting is like the medium tone of Peridot, but Peridot is THE strongest shimmery duochrome I own. It goes from light gold, to gold, to this lovely green to an aqua blue! I might send Hammie a hamster treat to have him sing you a different tune. Honestly! Peridot = MUST HAVE ;)

    I am oddly attracted to pastel baby blues this season... Not really a fall shade but I'm digging them right now. :)

    Pssst... You are getting very sleepy, you want to get Peridot, Peridot would be a great addition to your collection
    What!?! Who said that!? Hammie?

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  2. I love greenish gold eyeshadow--and I love them on nails too. Actually, I like greenish-gold on clothes and accessories too... I'm a pinks and peaches girl, but greenish-gold has a certain appeal. This particular color is pretty, but it doesn't quite satisfy the greenish-gold craving--it's a bit too gold.

    Wow, so you've never broken your limit? I applaud your willpower. But don't you think it's okay to splurge on an item if you're going to save afterward? Like get dollar polishes--or no polishes at all for a while? I do think designer prices are rarely justified, but then, what if it's the exact thing you're looking for?

    (I looked at the Chanel Peridot post. *____* OMG I think it's the most beautiful nail polish I've seen in my entire life. It looks like it's worth the price tag.)

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  3. I'm glad Hammie made you laugh. :) He's doing his job well, then!

    Hahaha! Oh Marta, you enabler, you! Just when I've all but convinced myself I couldn't justify a $25 bottle of polish.. You have no idea how much I've stared at swatches of Peridot. My frugal, coupon loving side has been warring with my indulgent, splurgerrific side ever since I saw this polish. I'll try to see if I can still find a bottle and if I do, I'll get it since it's LE and if there's still one lonely Peridot bottle out there, it's meant to be. :D

    I'm thinking it's New Bohemian's fault. It paved the way for the blues. Although it might also be the weather. I've been gravitating to more spring appropriate colors myself (like pale purples and greens) to cheer me up.

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  4. Maybe the gold of it is what reminds me so much of metal. I've never quite gone out of my comfort zone of neutrals in terms of eyeshadow colors but I have been wanting to try some greenish golds or even purples and blues!

    Hahaha, thanks! It hasn't been easy but a little patience (and sales scouting + coupons) do pay off. If you've noticed from my Truckload Tuesdays I tend to buy in bulk. So after I do, I have some "no buy" periods to even out the costs. I've never purchased a designer nail polish yet though so Chanel Peridot might still be the exception to the rule..if I can find it that is!

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  5. Great review and pretty swatches! I like this colour on you...hehe, and you know how I love greens!

    The name of this polish makes me laugh. Makes me think of clothes that hasn't been washed in years and got...mossy? :P This is a great colour, and actually, the name makes me want it.

    I agree with you that this brand could use more love. They always have many colours at Sally's, but oddly, I've only picked up 2 or so. Would love to see more swatches of this brand.

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  6. I think Peridot is a fair equivalent of one Truckload Tuesday. *nudge, nudge* =P I don't even know why I'm trying to convince you to get it, maybe I just want to see more photos of the prettiness! (I'm sure even thrifty Hammie would change his mind when he sees its fantastic duochrome powers.)

    I've belatedly bloomed into my makeup buying and experimentation phase, and now I've resolved to only buy during sales for at least the next few months. (I'm looking at my current collection from past hauls and more than half of them are unused! So I really can't justify buying more... unless they're on sale! =D)

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  7. If you have family/close friends in the US, Peridot is still available on the Chanel website and they're offering free shipping until Dec. 16. Unfortunately, they do not ship outside of the US *sad face*

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  8. Thanks, Mary! I knew you'd love this. :D

    It's funny that you mention it as that's exactly was I was thinking too! When I was looking for this in the display, I asked Mr. J to help me look for it and he said, "What? You're looking for Mossy B*tches?" I guess it goes both ways! Hahaha!

    I still have one more color from them to review and I plan to pick up a few more since they're so easy to get a hold of and fairly cheap. Maybe it's the price that's throwing people off? You know, the bad stereotype where the cheaper it is the worse the quality gets?

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  9. I've been nudges enough that I've once again begun actively searching for this. I'll have to see what Lady Luck has in mind for me and Peridot. :P

    I hear you, Anthea! I also have the same problem. But it's more because I feel I have to "save" some for special occasions. Sales are my weakness though. Anything over 50% off and I'm guaranteed to buy at least 1 thing that I may or may not end up needing to begin with. (The power of sales compels you! The power of sales compels you!)

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  10. Thanks for the head's up, Blkrox! I'm still trying to track it down in actual stores (haven't given up hope yet!). I might have to order online as my last resort (since I'll be bugging family :P). How'd you get your Peridot? :)

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  11. I stumbled across your website while searching for a swatch of Mossy Britches (which I also bought because I wanted Wallis, but not badly enough to spend $14) to compare to the new China Glaze Agro. It's lovely, but because I already have MB, I think it's too similar (for me) to justify getting it.

    Anyway, I also wanted to let you know that you CAN get a very good dupe of Chanel Peridot from Jessica, called Iridescent Eye. And it's $7.50! I don't know if they ship to Canada, but here's the link: http://www.jessicacosmetics.com/miva/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Category_Code=peacock-queen

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