Revlon Colorstay Gel Envy Longwear Nail Enamel review
By Rebecca Peterson, Humour Editor
As a chronic nail-biter, I tend to wear a lot of nail polish in an attempt to curb the nervous habit. As such, I have an extensive nail polish collection, from OPI to China Glaze to Essie. However, I’m always looking for cheaper drugstore options to dupe in for more expensive brands. F.U.N. Lacquer may be great and all, but at nearly $13 a bottle (not counting tax and shipping), it’s not exactly practical. So when I find a great line of polish for a decent price, I tend to buy a lot of it, and the Gel Envy polishes have been my go-to for a while now.
When I’m looking at polishes, especially crème polishes (flat colours), I tend to look for two things: opacity and longevity. Ideally, a polish should only take two coats to be completely solid in colour (and for nail art, even better if it’s a one-coat wonder). As well, a good nail polish should last several days without chipping—longer if applied correctly with a base coat and top coat, and properly capped at the tips. The Gel Envy line has never disappointed me on these scores. The formula is thick and heavily pigmented, which is great for nail art in particular, as you can get away with single coats, preventing an awful gummy build-up of layers on your nails. As well, the mock-gel aspect of the polish makes it a lot more flexible, and less prone to chipping. I’ve personally worn their deep crème purple High Roller for up to a week without obvious damage.
The downsides to this line are few, but worth noting. There are 37 shades listed on their website, and you can find most of them in stores, both crème and sparkling polishes alike. However, I personally don’t find the colour selection very exciting. I would love to see them apply their gel formula to some of the more creative colours Revlon has been producing with their other lines of polishes, such as the gorgeous pink and green duo-chrome Daydreamer polish they’ve just released. As well, some have criticized the thickness of the formula for being hard to work with. It goes tacky very quickly, so you need to be efficient while applying it, and be certain to cap the bottle right away. I find if I’m not careful with the white crème polish I use as a base coat for gradient nail art from that line, the application can get a little clumpy, like I’m painting with white-out instead of nail polish.
All in all, however, the Gel Envy line delivers a lot for an extremely affordable price—$4.99 at London Drugs. If you’re looking to supplement your collection with some solid and cost-efficient basics, this polish is the way to go. I would suggest picking up the Gel Envy Diamond Top Coat as well, a new release for the collection that will keep your mani lasting even longer.
