Well I finally got round to swatching the Cuccio Wanderlust collection. I bought these back in the NPD black friday deal at the end of November for £25. I will say I was little disappointed when I first opened the box because they look nothing like the photos on NPD.
How is that photo representative of the shades? To me it looks like there's a mint shade, a dark green, a rose gold metallic and a dark purple creme, however I've grown to love them anyway as it's a beautiful set of Scandi inspired greys and golds.
Blissed Out // Chunky Gold & Silver Glitter
Due to Nail Polish Direct's off photos I though this was a pale sage green glitter, meaning I was a little annoyed when I discovered it was gold. However, thanks to the silver, this is a beautiful gold glitter that doesn't have an overly yellow tone to it. In the swatch I'm wearing 4 coats applied normally but my little finger is 3 sponged coats. I like both effects, especially when it's just applied normally as it kind of has this foil look to it. It's also super shiny and already looks like I'm wearing top coat.
Wind In My Hair // Light Grey Shimmer
Ready in 3 coats I was a little disheartened at first when I found out this was a shimmer. The shimmer is extremely subtle when applied though and so I'm not really all that fussed now. I wish the formula was a little thicker though as this would've made a nice stamping shade but it is quite sheer and needs several good coats.
I Wonder Where // Light Grey Creme
On a glance, this and Wind In My Hair look almost the same however, I definitely prefer this out of the two and I've already used it in several looks; this is my go to grey creme. These two are so similar in fact, that I originally deleted the photos of this one because I thought I already had them....That's also the reason why my index finger is shorter than the rest of the nails; I suffered a breakage *cries in nail polish*. This shade though almost has this warm undertone sending it into the mauve category and it goes with just about anything. I tend to do no more than 2 coats when using this.
Explorateur // Speckled Grey Shimmer
This beautiful shade kind of reminds me of grey denim thanks to the darker grey bits scattered in the polish. It looks like it would be textured but it dries smooth which I love even more as textured polishes aren't really my thing. I'm wearing two coats and it's super shiny by itself. I especially like the subtle red and blue shimmer that appears in the right light. If you're after a blinding mani though try this with Blissed Out on top; the shine is insane.
True North // Muted Mauve Brown Shimmer
This is almost identical to OPIs Berlin There Done That but it has soft shimmer finish instead. Generally I really like these nude shades and prefer them over reds or brights. It's ready in two coats but it's so similar to other shades, if you already have the OPI one then I'd say don't bother.
Transformation // Dusty Pink Shimmer
I kinda wish that this was a creme instead of a shimmer as I have so many pink shimmers now but this is an ok shade. The brush strokes are quite visible with this one though but from far away, it looks nice. The shimmer on this is also more on the silver side and can make it look a bit 'icy'. It does suit my skin-tone though which is nice for once. I will say it goes nicely with Dreamville. I'm wearing two coats in the swatch.
Dreamville // Gold Foil Glitter
I think this one might be my favourite out of the bunch. It has this gold foil finish but has this pink tinge to it to stop it from being too yellow. I also love the holo glitter chunks; I'd wear this all day everyday. It's sort of like Merry Whatever from China Glaze but I definitely prefer this one. I'm wearing two coats, but if applied slowly, you could probably get away with one as it's super pigmented.
Road Less Traveled // Violet Chrome
And last is a not quite chrome but not quite metallic polish. Ready in one coat this shade also contains some blue and red shimmer. I love this one as I don't really have anything else like it and the shade is really something. I like how they didn't just go for a silver or grey chrome.
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Verdict
If you have a spare £29.95 lying around and want to buy some quality nail polish; buy this set. I've not come across a truly terrible Cuccio polish and I now want to try and own every Cuccio polish as I love the bottles as well; they truly have become one of my favourite polish brands. The brush isn't the best; I feel it's a little to flimsy but at £4.95 a pop I can't complain that much. They appear to have a new set coming out soon (although it's all 'out of stock' at the moment) full of muted pastels and I'm severely tempted to buy the lot.
