I had the opportunity to try three shades from Avon’s new “A Carnival of Colors” Pro Nail Enamel collection, which feature six bright, bold shades that are perfect for spring and summer. For my full review, please keep reading after the break.
The shades I received were Aqua Fantasy (a pale pastel blue shade,) Fuchsia Fun (bright pink) and Sweet Mint (a yellow-green.) The colors I was unable to try are Orange Creamsicle, Loving Lavender and Blue Escape. I’ve always loved bold nail color, so I was excited to try these and see how well they worked. For the purpose of this review, I used all three shades at once to make testing them simultaneously a lot easier on me. I’ve also decided to write this review in a Q&A format to make it easier for you to find the information you’re looking for regarding these polishes.
1. How Many Coats do you Need?
I used two coats until the color was opaque (meaning, not sheer or see-through; I hate visible nail line.) I could probably have used a third coat for an extra pop, but you can definitely get away with two semi-thick coats. Just make sure to let each coat dry before applying the next one, or you’ll end up with a thick, goopy, non-drying mess. Let me just say that I really like Avon’s nail polish brushes; they’re not too thin or too wide and they are super easy to use. Plus, the color was GORGEOUS.
2. How Long Does it Last?
Avon states that the polish can last up to 10 days with normal touch-ups, and I found that to be roughly the case. Normally, I change my polish every 2 to 3 days because I get bored, and the slightest tip wear drives me nuts. However, for the purpose of this review I wanted to leave the polish on for the full 10 days to really test its longevity. I also used a base coat on one hand only to test the polish with and without a base coat.
On the hand with the base coat, the polish lasted noticeably longer than on the hand without. I was able to get a full three days of wear with no visible tip wear or chipping, and then just touched it up with a clear topcoat every couple of days to make it shiny. On the hand with no base coat, the polish was starting to chip halfway through the second day.
Overall, I’d say you can get away with about a week of relatively decent wear, but after the 7th day (even doing my regular touch-ups) I could notice very visible tip wear.
3. How Long Does it Take to Dry?
For me, I waited about 5 minutes between each coat (first coat, second coat, then top coat.) Afterwards, I didn’t touch anything for an hour because I wanted to make sure my nails were fully set before I did anything. My nails were surface dry after about 20 minutes, though – however, they could still have gotten dinged or smudged if I had done anything really intensive with my hands, like washing dishes or typing.
Overall, I am really pleased with these Carnival nail colors. They’re bright and bold and look super cute on fingers or toes. I would definitely recommend using a base coat, and reapplying a shiny top coat every 2-3 days to keep your manicure looking fresh and glossy. I think the wear on these is decent – definitely comparable to more expensive brands, especially if you take care to do regular touch-ups. If you are a fan of bright colors, these are definitely for you! I’ll be wearing these shades throughout the spring and summer months, and I am definitely going to have to pick up the other three shades in the collection. If you’ve used these, please let me know what you thought!
Price: $2.99 introductory; $5 regular
Availability: Call your Avon representative or visit Avon.com.
