Meet the new 5 Free nail enamels from Clinique, launching on 12th May (Debenhams exclusive). Clinique has done nail polishes in the past but these could not be further from the old-style (little bit dull) previous polishes.
It’s billed as a nail enamel for sensitive skin, and I’m afraid my bull-shit radar went into full alert when I was told that some people get contact dermatitis from their nail polish. But, in fact, it turns out that this is indeed the case. The very lovely lady who painted my nails said that one of the first things she learned at beauty school was not to wear nail polish to do facials in case it upset anyone’s skin. I believe that nurses also don’t wear it for the same reasons (bar the facial aspect, obviously!).
The shades are lovely – twelve permanent colours and nine limited edition shades for summer make a beautiful line-up and a good selection – and it is a distinct advantage that it is unlikely to cause any allergies (it took Clinique six years to come up with this formula).
My nails here are in Summer In the City (I think! ReallyRee and I managed to swap bags by mistake, so I have her Red Red Red and she has my shade!). It’s glossy, nicely colour saturated and a very vibrant shade.
If I stood this range next to something like OPI or Nails Inc, then it probably wouldn’t compare as well, but it’s for a different thing, and the technological challenges of making an allergy free nail polish are huge so I feel it’s quite an accomplishment. Polishes will retail for £12 each.
Leave a Reply