My first post concerns my and Jordan Liberty's trip to US new-comer Inglot on 48th and Broadway in New York City. First impressions are that it's very cool. It's a glass-encased corner store off of the main bustle of Times Square. It's fairly small, featuring one large center island and two walls of products.
My focus while I was there was the polishes, where Inglot started before branching out into makeup. They have a large display with all their polishes neatly arranged by colors, glitters, and mattes, then above they have their special O2 line.
The manager, was very quick to offer me assistance, which was great, but she didn't seem very well educated as to the particulars of the products. When I asked about the O2 polish line, she could only really tell me that it allowed the nail to breathe, which other polishes didn't, and that there were no chemicals in it (which certainly isn't true, as ALL products have chemicals in them, I can only assume she means there are fewer relatively harmful chemicals). She wasn't really able to provide me an adequate reason why that was actually necessary, so I decided to skip on those products ($14 a pop).
Their regular polishes, though, offer a delightfully large range of colors and finishes, so I was more than eager to explore them ($10 each). I've really been into purples lately, so I picked out a vibrant deep purple with shimmer (#940) and a matte lavender shade (#708). I also allowed myself to be talked into the Techno UV Coat ($9), a tester of the Nail Enamel Remover ($2), and Dry & Shine ($9).
I have to say, I'm quite impressed with how well the polishes go on. They are thinner in consistency than Essie and OPI, my usual standbys. That doesn't mean, though, they are watery like most thinner formulations. The coat is as pigmented as any thicker polish with less product and the application is very smooth and even--the colors are true to the bottle, just slightly translucent after the first coat.
The Techno UV Coat is a great top coat, very lustrous, smooth and shiny. It turns the matte polish into a nice glossy finish. I haven't tried out its purported UV reactive properties, but it does brighten the polish up slightly. It's a small change, but a valuable one if you're into it.The Dry & Shine is ah-maz-ing! Literally it goes on, sits for like 5 seconds, and your polish is dry. Best I've used, really. And it turns the matte polish into a nice satin finish.
The remover is okay. Definitely removes the polish quickly, but the full size is $9, which is a little steep for polish remover. I'll stick to my Sally Hansen and elbow grease. ;)
All and all, a pleasant experience, though mostly for the products and not the shopping experience. The service was passive aggressively pushy and not well educated--the manager couldn't even figure out how to open the train case they have on display. I do wish there was an explanatory write up in the boxes, as I like to know how and why my products work, or at least an on-line description.
Definitely I recommend a trip, as they have no website to order from (a shocking oversight!) and you can't get it from any other vendors that I know of, and there's some awesome unique products to be had.
