"Mint is a boutique nail varnish company that specializes in ultra-formulated toxin-free* polish. The idea behind Mint originated after the discovery that nail polish products are still considered Hazardous Waste in counties like Los Angeles. The idea that we are coating our nails with something that we can’t safely put in the trash was dumbfounding, especially considering Proposition 65, California’s Toxic Enforcement Act.

Before our 2012 release, Mint's formula was tweaked, tested, and re-tweaked to exhaustion. The result? A long-wearing nail lacquer with increased molecular polymers to improve shine, durability, and application. Not included in our secret formula? Formaldehyde, DBP, Toulene, and animal testing."

So, they are 3-free as well as vegan.  Let's get to the polishes-

First up is the brand namesake, Mint- Original Mint:



Original Mint is a light blue-green, swamp-colored polish.  We've seen a ton of these in the last few years, so I wasn't too excited at first.

Artificial light, two coats:


Here's what I wrote before I actually swatched it, based on how it looked in the bottle, alone:  "Meh.  Another Mint. They don't look great on me, and I'm kind of over them right now.  This is not a bad mint, though."

However, I did really, really like it on the nail, which surprised me.  I do think it will look even better on darker skin tones.  This is actually a great mint.





It's also actually unique among the light greens/blues/mints I own.  It's greener than China Glaze- For Audrey & Orly- Gumdrop,  bluer and darker than China Glaze- Re- Fresh Mint, lighter than Zoya- Wednesday....you know, maybe I'll just do a light blue-greens comparison at some point.

Window-filtered daylight:




Above, you can see on the ring finger nail that when the sun hits this polish it looks a lot greener and warmer.  (That nail was in both shade & sun.)

Outside, shade:


Partial shade/sun:


Formula: Neither thick nor thin; first coat is streaky, but not chalky. Second coat self-levels very well, and is opaque.

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Next, is the other pastel I chose, Mint- Lavender Macaron:



Lavender Macaron is a cool lavender creme.  It's a great Spring shade.

Artificial light, two coats:




This is not a totally unique color, but the closest I have to it is actually the base color in Zoya- Julie.

I think there are probably plenty of polishes on the market similar to Lavender Macaron though: OPI- Done Out In Deco, Illamasqua- Wink, OPI- Rumple's Wiggin' (lighter), & Essie- Lilacism, just to name a few.


Mixed artificial & natural daylight:




Window-filtered daylight:


Outside, shade:




I really enjoyed this one.  It's a good color temperature for pale skin.



Formula: First coat is streaky, but doesn't cuticle drag.  Second coat evens everything out, and is pretty much opaque.
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Nextly, is Mint- Dirty Shirley, a medium fuchsia pink jelly with gorgeous purple microshimmer:



This is the color that really got me interested in Mint polishes.

Artificial light, three coats:




Artificial + natural daylight:


Very bright, shiny, juicy, and "squishy."  This will be a great Summertime polish...eventually.  Dirty Shirley is my favorite by far out of these four.



Window-filtered daylight:


Outside, shade:


What I love about this is that the purple shimmer is always visible.  It seems like a lot of times, shimmer is too subtle, or only shows up in the bottle, but this is not!  Win.



Sun:




Formula:  Goes on like butter! Also dries to the touch (not cures), very quickly.

The only downside is you need three coats before the visible nail line is not in-your-face, but it is a jelly after all.  I didn't mind it at two coats, but did three for swatching purposes. You'd probably need four for complete opacity....but, I don't think that's the point of jellies.

If you don't like the squishy VNL look of jellies, you could layer this one over a similar fuchsia.  Or, it might be really cool used in a syrup manicure.
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Lastly, is Mint- Ribbon Dancer:





Ribbon Dancer is a dark pink, or light plum, glitter.  It's really sparkly, and catches the light even in low light situations.

Artificial light, three coats:


Very girly and pretty without being prissy. Okay, maybe a little prissy.  But it's good.





Window-filtered daylight:


I only needed one coat of INM-Out The Door to smooth out the glitter.  The nails may look rough in photos, but I assure you they were perfectly smooth to the touch.

Outside, shade:






Sun:


Up close!


The glitter seems to consist of a mix of small squares: silver, purple, pink, and indigo (or black? I'm not sure)

Formula: The base acts like a jelly, consistency-wise.  It was mostly easy to work with, although that type of consistency makes it hard to wrap the tips of the nails.  It takes about three coats for opacity, and might do better layered over a similar base color in the future.  Not bad, though!
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Product Packaging & Other Stuff:

I love the tall rectangular bottles.  Such a great shape.  (They hold .5 fl oz.)  They fit so nicely into the wall racks, it's like they take up no space at all.  I like the silver caps too; they look like brushed metal (Are they? I don't know.), and don't feel cheap.

The brushes are long, narrow, and round.  Bristles spread easily, and are generally pretty easy to control. Even though the brushes aren't really wide, the handles (the 'stem' part, if you will) did tend to accumulate a lot of polish, so you have to be patient not too overload your brush, and take that into account.

Overall, I am really impressed with these polishes.  The formulas are very decent, the packaging and presentation is great, and the colors are beautiful.  They also wore pretty well for me.

So far, it looks like their line consists of only 8 colors, plus a sold-out limited edition Christmas polish.  Hopefully, they add some new shades soon!



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Mint polish retails for $10.00 USD, and can be purchased online at http://www.mintpolish.com .