Purple Friday: Illamasqua Faux Pas

Hey all! I'm technically squeaking this post in on Friday, though most of you will probably see it on Saturday. I've decided to shift from Football Fridays to Purple Fridays, because that's the weekly "spirit day" we have at UW before every football game. Plus, I figured that calling it Purple Friday would be more of a reason to actually review the polish. Or something. In any case, I'm giving it a try!

Tonight I have Illamasqua Faux Pas to show you. Faux Pas is described as a "blue violet" with a rubber finish. This was released several years ago (in 2011) but I grabbed it a couple years ago when it showed up on sale at Sephora. This was my first exposure to Illamasqua as a brand and I was definitely pleased. Faux Pas has a great formula and applies really easily. This could also be a one coater, but I used two in photos below-- I have wide nail beds so it gets a little draggy if you try to use too many strokes. While Faux Pas does take slightly longer to dry down to the rubber finish, it didn't feel like it was very long and you can complete your manicure fairly quickly (always a bonus in my book). The rubber finish is a not a true matte but as a subtle shine to it, making it look kind of like vinyl. Personally, I really love the finish but if you're looking for a true matte, this isn't it. Overall, I love this polish and I regret not buying all the other rubber finish Illamasqua polishes when I had the chance. Maybe they will re-release them someday (I can only hope)!

Quick note: photos are making this a bit brighter and more blue than it is in real life.

Artificial light (flash):

Natural light: 

Faux Pas is still available to purchase, but unfortunately you can't buy Illamasqua at any brick and mortar stores in the US at the moment-- you can only buy it from their website and then pay to have it shipped from the UK... which means $$. But Illamasqua will definitely ship internationally so that's an option if you really want this and have money to spend!