I was lucky enough to win a full set of CND Vinylux Flora & Fauna Collection at the recent #CNDxCanada twitter party. This is the Spring 2015 collection due out this month so I thought I would share them with you!
Retreat to the peaceful harmony of nature with the new Spring 2015 Flora & Fauna collection from CND Vinylux. Colors and styles are inspired by watercolor impressions of luminous landscapes. “This season’s trends are all about unplugging from today’s digital world and embracing the simpler things. Sun-bleached tones and dreamy watercolor paintings emerge from the perfection of nature,” says CND Co-founder and Style Director Jan Arnold. “Nails are easy and softly squared – as wearable and simple as a barefoot stroll through the grass while finishes play with matte and shiny effects.”
I loved this collection when I first saw the press pictures released on twitter, particularly Thistle Thicket and Wild Moss. Thistle Thicket shows a beautiful lavender hue in the press gallery so I was surprise to find it look so grey when I got my paws on the collection. Other than that, the collection is beautiful (and Thistle Thicket is a gorgeous grey, I do love my grey polishes).
First, if you are not familiar with CND Vinylux polishes, they include a self-adhering colour coat that eliminates the need for a base coat and their weekly top coat includes ProLight technology which makes it more durable as it is exposed to natural light. They are quick drying and when combined with the top coat, they last a week with no chips.
The new CND Vinylux Flora and Fauna collection includes the following shades: Dandelion, Fragrant Freesia, Thistle Thicket, Salmon Run, Blush Teddy, Wild Moss, Creekside and Field Fox.
On to the swatches:
CND Vinylux Blush Teddy is on the girly side for me. While most people have a huge collection of pinks, I have a handful but I really like Blush Teddy. It has a great formulation, bright, but not in your face and not overly girly pink.
No streaking and it covered the nail tip well which is always an issue with lighter and pastel polishes, I hate looking like you could need another coat of polish.
This may be my favourite pink (ever), a neutral colour and the fact that it applies so easily with no streaking is always a plus.
As I mentioned, I was looking forward to the lilac/lavender of CND Vinylux Thistle Thicket. A gorgeous grey, one I see myself using a lot over the coming months, but lacking the purple hue shown in the press images.
Pastels with a high amount of white tend to be streaky, this was not at all the case with Thistle Thicket. It has a great formulation and is beautifully bright and pigmented.
It does appear more grey or more lilac according to light conditions, and picks up the colours around it so will go with pretty much anything.
CND Vinylux Salmon Run was one I was least expecting to like. Colours like this generally do not suit my skin tone and it has already been promised to a friend who loves salmon and coral colours. That being said, I was surprised by both the colour and formula on this one.
As you can tell by the swatch, it was not overly salmon for my pink toned skin and doesn’t look too bad. My friend will still get it, but if not, I would probably wear it.
It looks more vibrant in the bottle than on the nail, and while most of the others were great with two coats, Salmon Run needed three thin coats for the swatch shown.
CND Vinylux Wild Moss is by far my favourite of the collection. I love darker polishes and am a huge fan of green.
The gold flecks in Wild Moss give it depth and look whiter in brighter light to give it a different look. While it is dark compared to the rest of the collection, it is not too dark for Spring and the flecks make it feel even lighter. I wore this one to work this week and lots of people wanted to know what colour it was (even a random cashier stopped me to ask when I was at the cash register beside her so expect comments on this one).
The formulation on this one is great, two coats for full coverage. I have mentioned several times how hard I am on my nails, the swatch is after 3 days wear. As you can see, no chips or tip-wear!
CND Vinylux Fragrant Freesia is probably the hardest to describe. It is the least pigmented of the collection but is absolutely beautiful. It is a pearly nude pink with light flecks similar to those found in Wild Moss.
Since it is more jelly like, it needed three coats for coverage which left a little bumping with the flecks, but the top coat left the polish smooth and shiny.
It is a great neutral with the added benefit of the flecks to give it depth and make it not so “normal” looking.
CND Vinylux Creekside is a gorgeous bright pastel blue. Given the amount of white in this polish, I expected formula issues, but Creekside went on perfectly with two regular coats. No streaking, no running. It is the perfect formulation for a polish with such a high white content.
It is not so white that it is difficult to wear, the perfect blue shade gives it a softer look and it will look great with jeans and soften down bright whites.
Despite being very bright for my skin tone, there is something I just love about Creekside and I imagine it will become a summer staple for me too.
CND Vinylux Dandelion is my least favourite of the collection. It was billed as a neutral with shimmer but the formula is streaky compared to the rest of the collection and it seems lacking despite the shimmer. Maybe on different toned skin, the shimmer would show more and give it more oompf but it is just not me.
It is definitely a spring colour through, helping you move from winter colours into summer brights. As you can tell from the swatch, it looks very different in light compared to the shadier parts of the picture. For me, it looks better in shade but on a darker skin tone, maybe the brightness helps. Three coats were needed for the coverage shown and it was still a little streaky.
Finally, CND Vinylux Field Fox – my perfect neutral colour. In some lights, the rose colour in it shows more but think cafe au lait. This colour can really be worn with anything and I imagine looks great on all skin tones.
The formula on this one, like most of the collection, is great. It applied with no streaks in two coats with full coverage and easily covers the whiter tips .
I think I may have found my new go-to neutral polish in Field Fox, it picks up on pinks and browns depending on light and surroundings so I can wear it all week with it looking different as it picks up the colours worn with it too.
Buy CND Vinylux Flora & Fauna
The best place to buy CND Vinylux polishes in Canada is NailPolishCanada
CND Vinylux Polishes are priced at $11.95 each with discounts when you buy a complete set
CND Vnylux is also sold at Trade Secrets and some salons that use CND Shellac polishes
OOooh gorgeous colors! I love how soft and matte they are!
[…] up easily). The images are without topcoat to show how much texture is in the bottle and using CND Thistle Thicket as a base […]