Smith & Cult Dark Like Me Swatches and Review

Ladies, did you notice that new bright star on the beauty horizon? Smith & Cult sneaked up on us with their inaugural collection of 30 stunning nail polish colors, packaged in unbelievably beautiful bottles that are worthy of being displayed on the fanciest of vanity tables. Started by the creator of Hard Candy Dineh Mohajer, Smith & Cult polishes boast fancy 5-free formulas [no DBP, toluene, formaldehyde, formaldehyde resin, and camphor] and range from sheer and jelly finishes, to opaque cremes and funky glitter toppers. Their first collection collection is called Diary of a Beauty Junkie, which is hilariously appropriate for the occasion.

To test the waters I bought just one bottle of Dark Like Me, a gorgeous deep merlot jelly that is ideal for this time of the year. I love pairing dark nail polish with short nails and clean neutral makeup for that effortless chic look.

The bottle itself is quite impressive – it’s thick and weighty, and adorned with a pretty golden hammered cap. I bet it can even be used as a cute girly paperweight! I’m not used to heavy caps so the application felt a bit uncomfortable at first, but I like the way it turned out.

The formula is a bit watery because, you know, it’s a jelly after all, but I love that I can control the opacity without having to apply a million thick layers.

I wore Dark Like Me all of last week, and the color stayed put; it was vibrant and glossy, just like it did on the first day. By the end of the fifth day there was minimal tip wear on one of my pinkies and that’s about it.

Considering the popularity of the early days of Hard Candy [they used to be sold at Sephora!], I wonder if that’s what we can expect from Smith & Cult in the future: a luxury brand that is hip, quirky, and fun. Rumors say they plan to expand into color cosmetics and introduce a range of lip glosses in 2015. Are they the next big thing? Time will tell, but I for one can’t wait to see what else S&C’s creative minds come up with!

PRICE & AVAILABILITY
$18 USD for 0.5 oz. Available at Net-a-Porter [with free shipping!], Smith & Cult.

Ingredients:
Butyl Acetate, Ethyl Acetate, Nitrocellulose, Adipic Acid/Neopentyl Glycol/Trimellitic Anhydride Copolymer, Acetyl Tributyl Citrate, Isopropyl Alcohol, Stearalkonium Bentonite, Acrylates Copolymer, Styrene/Acrylates Copolymer, Benzophenone-1, Silica, Trimethylpentanediyl Dibenzoate. May Contain/Peut Contenir (±): CI 77891 (Titanium Dioxide), CI 77742 (Manganese Violet), CI 77510 (Ferric Ammonium Ferrocyanide), CI 77007 (Ultramarines), CI 15850 (Red 6), CI 15850 (Red 7), CI 19140 (Yellow 5), CI 15880 (Red 34), CI 47005 (Yellow 10), CI 77266 (Black 2), CI 42090 (Blue 1)