Catrice SpectaculART Gold Leaf Topcoat

Gold Leaf topcoats are all the rage at the moment! It kick started with OPIs 18k Gold Leaf topcoat, which they brought out as part of their Bond Collection, but seeing as it’s 30 odd Euro and I’d barely even pay that much on a dress let alone nail varnish, I decided I’d have to give this trend a skip. Until Catrice announced they were bringing out their own version and I thought ‘I bloody better get my hands on this!’.

So when I saw it in the shops I leapt at the chance at buying it. It looked so pretty in the bottle. But even then I could see it wasn’t very ‘gold leafy’. And this was only confirmed once I’d applied it on my fingers.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s a lovely topcoat but it’s not gold leaf. Which is a shame. All the same, it’s beautiful and there’s a lovely sparkle off it! I said I’d test it out on both a dark base and a lighter base (that’s dedication for you!).

For the dark, I chose Nails Inc. in Motcomb St, a beautiful dark inky navy.

Natural light, no flash

With flash

For the lighter shade, a chose by Rimmel Lycra Pro Professional in Peppermint, a pastel minty green.

Natural light, no flash

With flash

Overall, I preferred it with the dark base, I just think it sparkled a lot more (my boyfriend was entranced by them!). It’s certainly different than other sparkly topcoats but if it’s real gold leaf you’re looking for, then you’ll have to look elsewhere!