Milani Liquid Metal Intense Color Collection - Swatches & Review

A few days ago, I posted a preview of Milani's latest nail color collection- the 'Liquid Metal Intense Color' collection. I was excited to get my hands on these, as the promo pictures looked gorgeous, and sure enough, these didn't disappoint, though the one that stood out to me the most in the promo images turned out to be my least favorite on the nail.

Here we go:

Milani Hot Metal

Fuchsia base with bluish purple & pink shimmer

This color was the one from the collection that I was most excited about, but turned out liking the least. In the bottle and in theory, it's beautiful, but it's not a color I would ever wear. It applied well in 3 coats (with 2 coats, there is a visible nail line, as seen on the index finger) and is a shimmer finish.

Opacity scale (1-5): 2

Use for Konad: not bad, but not totally opaque when stamped. works on lighter colors, but not dark.

Finish: Shimmer, three coats to be opaque.

Milani Molten Rock

Teal base with teal & silver shimmer.

This color was the other polish of the bunch that I was eager to get my hands on, and this one didn't let me down. :-P I adore this color, it looks like a foil finish, and applies easily in 2 coats.

Opacity scale (1-5): 3

Use for Konad: not bad, but not totally opaque when stamped. works on lighter colors, but not dark.

Finish: Shimmer, but has foil finish appearance, two coats to be opaque.

Milani Metal Gear

Burnt Orange shimmer with foil-like finish

Ok, I'm pretty sure this is my favorite of the bunch, I sear I actually had a cell phone case years ago in this exact color. It was less opaque than some of the others, but still applied easily in 3 coats.

Opacity scale (1-5): 2

Use for Konad: not bad, but not totally opaque when stamped. works on lighter colors, but not dark.

Finish: Shimmer, but has foil finish appearance, three coats to be opaque.

Milani Melt With U

Candy Apple Red Shimmer

This red looked like the finish on a new car... metallic and spicy red. Applied easily in 3 coats, borderline 2 coats on some nails.

Opacity scale (1-5): 2.5

Use for Konad: not bad, but not totally opaque when stamped. works on lighter colors, but not dark.

Finish: Shimmer, three coats to be opaque.

Milani Melt in the Sun

Brassy gold shimmer.

This color is a brassy based polish with flecks of gold microglitter flitting about within it. It applied easily with 3 coats. I know the image of this one is in the shade, but I couldn't get an accurate portrayal of the color in direct sunlight with this one.

Opacity scale (1-5): 2

Use for Konad: not bad, but not totally opaque when stamped. works on lighter colors, but not dark.

Finish: Shimmer, but has foil finish appearance, three coats to be opaque.

Milani Melt Down

Burgundy-red shimmer with foil-like finish

This color seems to glow from within, it's gorgeous! It applied easily in 2 coats. I found a similar polish in my stash (albeit a different finish, but only a slight difference in base- Zoya Isla has a bit darker of a base than Melt Down)

Melt Down on the left, Zoya Isla on the right

Opacity scale (1-5): 2.75

Use for Konad: not bad, but not totally opaque when stamped. works on lighter colors, but not dark.

Finish: Shimmer, but has foil finish appearance, two coats to be opaque.

When I saw the promo images, I expected these to be foil finishes, but they really don't apply like any of the other foil polishes I have, and removal is different than other foil polishes, too. Perhaps I'm totally wrong in my description of the finishes, but the colors in the above photos speak for themselves. :P

Products featured in this post were sent to me for consideration by the manufacturer.

A Beautiful Life - Nail Lacquer & Remover

A Beautiful Life Poison

Ok, I'll be honest, I'm not really much for red polishes on me, I suppose they feel too 'traditional' or something, but this is actually a red I could see myself wearing. I actually really like it on me. It's a red that isn't pink-based, it's a little deeper than a true red, and it has a warm tone to it. It applied with ease in two coats.

Opacity scale (1-5): 3

Use for Konad: not bad, but not totally opaque when stamped. works on lighter colors, but not darker.

Finish: Creme, two coats to be opaque.

A Beautiful Life Vexed

This color is super pretty, again, it applied with ease in 2 coats. However, this one was an amazing brownish burgundy shimmer polish with copperish & green-gold microglitter instead of a creme like Poison. WOO!!

Opacity scale (1-5): 3

Use for Konad: not bad, but not totally opaque when stamped. Doesn't stamp well over darker colors.

Finish: Shimmer, two coats to be opaque.



Soy Polish Remover

I was SO excited to try this, with the amount of polish remover I use, I was extremely eager to experiment with something a bit more natural, something without the harsh chemicals in the removers I normally use. This polish remover is a soy-based remover with essential oils to both remove & moisturize.

I'll be honest, it works, but not as well as a simple non-acetone polish remover. I did a few experiments to compare the removers that I generally use as well as the Soy Based Remover from A Beautiful Life with both their lacquers and with a manicure that needed coming off so I could apply the next days design. Their remover left a bit to be desired, with normal non-acetone polish remover on a cotton ball, I can remove every trace of polish from my nail in about 7 seconds, I checked the soy-based remover at 10 seconds with pressure and rubbing, and still, lots of polish. It took over 20 seconds to remove all the polish from the nail with the soy-based remover. It may not seem like much, but when you change your manicure as often as I do, that time certainly adds up. I even tried different methods, like letting the remover soak on the nail for a few seconds before 'swiping', but got the same result. It fared better with their own polishes, but still wasn't awesome.

One thing I really liked about the A Beautiful Life Soy Polish Remover was the essential oil addition, I felt that my cuticles were nourished and moisturized after removing my polish, which was obviously a bonus. All in all, this isn't a bad remover per se, just make sure you have more time & patience than I apparently have. :-P To be perfectly honest, I had to force myself to start using non-acetone polish remover because acetone polish works SO much faster than non-acetone, and I'm incredibly impatient, so impatient that I was willing to overlook the damage it was doing to my hands. That said, this polish remover makes non-acetone remover look like it works at acetone speed.

Non-acetone removal after 7 seconds:

Soy-based Polish remover after 10 seconds:

Soy-based Polish Remover after 20 seconds:

I really liked the A Beautiful Life Nail Lacquers (as did my roommate- she was eyeing them up), and plan to order some in the future (possibly Juiced and Shroom- they're calling out to me), the pigmentation is great, they apply flawlessly, and they have a nice range of colors in their collection. At $12, they're a tad on the pricey side, but if you're looking for a soy-based polish that is safe for kids as well as adults, these aren't a bad way to go! :)

The Soy-Based Polish Remover was a bit of a letdown to me honestly, and at $20, I doubt that I'd shell out the dough. But, everything works differently on different people, and what I like, you guys might hate, and vice versa, so if you're curious, give it a try.

Products featured in this post were sent to me for consideration by the manufacturer.

Milani Liquid Metal Intense Color Collection - PREVIEW

Ok, from what I can tell from the pictures, these are gorgeous, I can't wait to try 'Hot Metal'!! I'm a little curious how it compares to Milani Totally Cool, but the shimmer looks more intense and blue-based purple in Hot Metal than in Totally Cool. I'm excited to check out 'Molten Rock' as well, from the promo pictures, it looks interesting, and I always love teals.

Milani Hot Metal



Milani Molten Rock



Milani Melt Down



Milani Metal Gear



Milani Melt With U



Milani Melt in the Sun



The polishes are available at CVS starting June 1 - July. As soon as I get my hands on them, I will get some swatches up for you! :)