*Disclosure: PR samples- I received these polishes free of charge in exchange for photography.*

Release: 1 March 2020

6 polishes

A collection inspired by Vincent Van Gogh’s painting Irises

I have a special fondness for Van Gogh’s work. He was the first artist I learned about in art classes at school, although the work with which I was introduced to him was his Sunflowers series. I still remember being six years old and learning how he applied paint to the canvas sometimes with the other end of the paintbrush, and sometimes with his bare fingers. These alternative painting techniques produced textured grooves and raised ridges that gave his paintings a three-dimensional quality that could only be fully experienced in-person.

Just as famous as Van Gogh himself is his struggle with mental illness. I think for a lot of people, he epitomizes the trope of the tortured artist. Thankfully, his brother Theo unconditionally supported Vincent throughout his life. I remember thinking how wonderful it was that even though he suffered a great deal in his life, he had such a steady source of support in his little brother.

The colors of Irises are directly reflected in the palette of this collection, which I think is a lovely decision.

Exquisite Nature

Stunning chartreuse. I really have developed a soft spot for this shade in between yellow and green. I love it on my warm skin, and all the glitter and sparkle packed into this shade make it so much fun.

2 coats + 2 coats of top coat

Full of Air & Life

The only description I have for this base shade is: the most luxurious shade of egg yolk you could imagine. Have you seen those incredible eggs where the yolk is so vibrant the color leans far more orange than yellow? That’s the kind of rich color this base shade reminds me of. So stunning. It looks more mustard-ish in the bottle, but it dries down more saturated. And those flakies–I love the shift to blue at the far end. Unusual combination, but as is usual with Femme Fatale…the unusual works.

3 coats + 1 coat of top coat

Saint-Rémy

Lovely warm terracotta-brick color, a mix of reds and browns. I think it would look lovely on warmer skin tones, although the final appearance is heavily dependent on your skin tone and lighting, so be sure to check out all the other swatches! Also–I believe this is only the second creme Femme Fatale has ever done!

2 coats + 1 coat of top coat

Since cremes are notoriously difficult to accurately photograph, here’s a comparison I put together. Cirque’s Famous Original and Essie’s Playing Koi are the closest in hue in my collection, but Famous Original is darker, and Playing Koi is more saturated and more red. Essie’s Angora Cardi is obviously totally different in hue, but it is closest in saturation/dustiness. There are lots of swatches available of these three comparison shades online, which should aid in understanding Saint-Rémy.

Solace

Really lovely light sky blue color with soft pink shimmer. In some of my pictures it could look like it leans periwinkle, but it’s definitely not periwinkle. No hint of purple whatsoever. Just clean skies all the way.

This polish does have some tiny little blue flecks that cannot be filtered out. They’re not hugely annoying, but if you have a sharp eye you can spot them. They can also poke out a bit if you use a thinner top coat.

3 coats + 1 coat of top coat

The Asylum’s Garden

This one really surprised me with how much I liked it on! I especially like how it looks when the light catches the blue metallic glitters. The overall look is really dynamic and captivating. Since I love how the glitters flash in the light, I tried to capture that in my photos.

2 coats + 2 coats of top coat

The Lightning Conductor

Freaking stunner of a polish. So simple yet so effective. Just iridescent glitters in a deep jelly base, but the depth of the jelly really brings out all the potential facets of the glitters. Shockingly opaque formula, but you’ll need a lot of top coat to smooth everything out.

Application is not for the faint of heart. Shake it up really well to loosen the formula and redistribute all the glitter, and don’t be afraid to go in heavier-handed on the coats. You don’t want to use 3 coats of polish or else there may not be enough top coat in the world to smooth everything out. Luckily there’s enough glitter packed into this polish that two generous coats will give you sufficient coverage. Be patient with letting each coat of polish dry. Go in with a great quick-dry top coat and don’t be stingy. Is the final result worth all the effort? I think it absolutely is.

2 coats + 3 coats of top coat

And I shot some more photos in diffused light for full display of the glitter goodness.

I thought I’d put the polishes in a collage together with the original painting since Sophie said she pulled a lot of the colors directly from the inspiration:

Absolutely lovely. Everything about this collection is so good–the inspiration, the colors, the finishes, everything.

Femme Fatale Cosmetics: https://femmefatalecosmetics.com.au/