nails & whales

All aboard the hype train... a year after it first passed.

I've got a surprise find today – L'Oreal Masked Affair, from the Dark Side of Grey collection that had nail bloggers pretty much screaming last year. After hearing reports that pretty much all L'Oreal displays had been purged of Masked Affair and seeing it go for $25 on eBay, I never thought I'd get to see it in person. Until a routine rummaging through Marshall's nail polish bins, where I found a purpleish-silver metallic. Commence: "Oh my GOD, IS THAT MASKED AFFAIR?"

Yep. For $2, no less.


Well, I'm here to belatedly answer all the questions, after they've been answered by every popular nail blogger out there. A mainstream holo? Could it be? Just how holo-ey is it? And is that actually purple or just the light? Is it worth it or should I stick to my ILNPs and Color Club Halo Hues and a-Englands and other indies???

Simply put: I love Masked Affair.

Is it holo? It's a mesmerizing mix of large and very small holographic pigment, which means it's definitely linear but also has a slight scattered feel to it. You can tell in that picture above that it's most definitely linear in direct light, but the particles are unmistakably larger than your standard buttery-smooth fine linear holo (see: Color Club Blue Heaven [Aw, first swatch post. So cute and so unprofessional]). Result: a unique holo finish where it seems like there's ultrafine linear action going on beneath the surface (like a CD, almost), overlaid by larger silver particles.

Blurry for optimal holo goodness.

How did you apply it? A coat of Essie's ridge-filling base, 2 coats of Masked Affair, a tiny bit of Essie All-In-One Base as topcoat JUST on the free edge, and one more coat of Masked Affair to seal it all in. Worked perfectly – the finish is as smooth as a normal crème, and wear time was fantastic (a week with minimal tipwear).

More blurry holo goodness... I have no chill when it comes to holo. None.

Just what color is it? In the bottle, it reads as a silvery lavender. It dries true to color, though it does tend to shift colors under different types of light. (Unfortunately, not a duochrome. How I wish...)

How does it look in indirect natural light? See below! Due to its larger holo particles, it doesn't look totally boring and dull in indirect light. The larger particles show up as silver microflecks, adding some dimension to the darker grey of the base. This is where the underlying sheen of CD-like holo really shows up. It's super subtle and totally overlaid by the silver flecks, but it's definitely there and I definitely love it.

Normal, natural light. There are way too many photos, but I told you already – no chill.

Is it worth it? At Masked Affair's current running price on eBay for $10 - $40, definitely not. If you do chance upon it at a local discount retailer, though... snatch it.

L'Oreal Masked Affair


Overall: I'm very pleased that a drugstore brand has finally come out with a new holo. (Sally Hansen Prisms, when will you come back?) It's not the most holo-ey of holos, but it is absolutely unique and still very much gorgeous. And it's a drugstore holo. How many times can I mention that?

As a sidenote, I totally felt like one of NCLA's hand models while wearing this shade.

All credit to NCLA's Instagram and their product pages.

Y'know, these? Perfect cuticles and glossy, glossy finish. And rounded oval nail shape (not so much for the one on the right, but it's the closest shade match). After weeks of wearing somewhat uneven crèmes, the smoothness of Masked Affair made me feel as if my nails had been elevated to mannequin glory.

This is my last post from sunny California – I'll be on a plane to Providence by the time this posts. What is snow?!?

Thanks for reading :)
Bethany
Currently listening to Losing Myself by State Champs.

All products in this post purchased by author. Photos taken with an iPhone 6s and color-corrected in Adobe Photoshop CC 2015.