Muted and Hazy

Nails Inc. Porchester Square was high up on my London wishlist during my holiday last September, despite a surprisingly hefty price tag of £11 or just under $20. At that point, I wasn't aware David Jones in Australia stocks Nails Inc. for $19.95 per bottle — more or less the same price as the UK. At least the department store I purchased it from was having a 3 for 2 sale, so I split the cost with my friend who fell in love with the vibrant green Queen Victoria Street. After a century deliberating what second polish to buy along with Porchester Square, in the end I picked Queen Victoria Street as well. Despite taking home two Nails Inc. polishes, really all my excitement was reserved for Porchester Square, a greige polish favoured by blogger heavyweights like Essie Button and Vivanna Does Makeup.

Nails Inc. Porchester Square

I've already featured Porchester Square in my October Monthly Favourites of 2013, but I thought to dedicate an entire post to it anyway. This is one nude polish that's modern, timeless and elegant. It's an understated, sophisticated crème that's easy to turn to when you can't decide exactly what polish to wear, or you simply want a break from glitters, brights or metallics. It's not too busy or loud or garish, but it's not completely dull and boring either. You'll never hate it when it's on your nails.

One of the most fascinating aspects of these greige colours is how they subtly transform depending on the light. At times, it's more of a beige or putty shade like Barry M Hi-Shine Nail Paint in Lychee, other times more mushroom/taupe or concrete grey with a dash of brown, and I love it best when there's hints of lilac and blue coming through. It's a light-to-medium shade which I prefer — any darker and it would lose much of its distinctiveness and be too similar to Essie Chinchilly or Sally Hansen Commander in Chic.

The formula of Porchester Square is close to perfection. It's absolutely buttery and smooth, with complete opacity in one coat (though I painted two for good measure). I can't comment too authoritatively on longevity or chip resistance since I rarely wear my polish longer than a few days, but I remember my friend and I painted a few Nails Inc. colours from testers on our nails in the first week of our holiday. A whole week to two weeks later, the polishes showed minor signs of wear but overall were still going strong. We were impressed to say the least.