Illamasqua – Scorn (£13.50/15ml)

When I first saw matt, black nail polish, I was transfixed. I had no idea how it worked but I knew I wanted it. As an avid black nail polish wearer since my early teens, the prospect of adding an interesting twist to it excited me and upon seeing that one of my favourite brands, Illamasqua, made one, I took the chance to snap it up.

When you first apply Scorn, you’re almost in disbelief that it’s actually going to dry matt. It looks like any other nail varnish when coming out of the (uniquely square) bottle and you find yourself watching it intently, as if you’re daring it to dry shiny and smooth. Of course, it gradually starts to turn matt, fascinatingly leaving tiny, wet puddles as the whole nail dries. It’s an interesting look, although someone has to be looking pretty hard at your nails to notice, and I like it.

The polish is thick and takes a little while to dry properly, meaning I have little dents and finger marks all over the place. It also can dry a little bit lumpy in places because of this thickness. However, this means it doesn’t chip and, although I used two coats, you don’t really need more than one. I think that if you really give yourself time to apply this properly, it can be well worth the money.

A word of advice: don’t use a transparent, top coat varnish as it eradicates the matt-effect, giving the effect of any other run-of-the-mill, black nail polish.

Overall, Scorn is an intriguing edition to any nail varnish collection. If painting all your nails black is a little bit bold for you, try just painting one of your nails and using a colour you’re more comfortable with on the rest. The important thing to remember is to have fun and experiment with your beauty products, and this product definitely aids that.