nails inc. Magnetic Effect Spitalfields & Piccadilly

First of all, I must say that I NEED to visit London some day. nails inc., butter London, and probably many other British nail polish brands name all of their polishes after places in London, and some of the names of my polishes really have me wondering...I mean, Spitalfields?

Anyway, I'm sure Spitalfields, whatever it is, is a wonderful place; today I have for you part two of my reviews and swatches of the nails inc. Magnetic Effect nail polishes - fishnet magnetics Spitalfields and Piccadilly!

nails inc. Spitalfields (green) and Piccadilly (gold)

I was SO excited to get these when they first came out - I'd seen plenty of wave magnetic polishes, but no patterns this creative! Luckily, my wonderful sister got me this pair for Christmas.

First up is Spitalfields, a green just off "forest" with an almost frosty, metallic finish. As per the nails inc. instructions, I did one coat of base coat and then one of Spitalfields without the magnetic effect, and I was pleased to see how opaque Spitalfields was: 

Spitalfields before magnetic effect

Isn't Spitalfields pretty enough even without the fishnet magnetic pattern?

After waiting about a minute (I never wait too long between coats...I just don't have the patience!), I applied a second coat of Spitalfields and used the magnet, one nail at a time. Unfortunately, I had quite a bit of trouble with the fishnet magnet - the design barely even showed up, after I held the magnet over my nail for at least twenty seconds!

nails inc. says to hold the magnet VERY CLOSE to the nail; if "very close" means touching the nail, then that's about accurate. I couldn't get the design to appear over my entire nail on any except for one, which I accidentally touched with the magnet. Here's the best I could do for all my nails:

How did my fingers look so red?! They didn't look like this in person...

Can you see where I accidentally touched the magnet to my nails?

Although I thoroughly enjoyed Spitalfields before using the magnet, I found myself quite unhappy after attempting again and again...and again...to make the fishnet pattern show up. I was definitely hoping for more luck with Piccadilly, the slightly dirty-looking gold.

Here is Piccadilly before the magnet was applied (I used 2 coats for full opacity):

The gold sparkle is subtle, but I liked the color anyway. Maybe just not with my skin tone...

Anyway, I followed the nails inc. directions for the magnetic effect, and found that my results with Piccadilly were even WORSE than they were with Spitalfields! I tried holding the magnet closer (and had several more accidents there...), staying more still, rotating the magnet around my nail, holding it longer...nothing worked. Here's the best I could do:

It's such a shame I couldn't get the magnet to work well for me - I really liked the colors, and I always LOVE the nails inc. formula! Here's a shot of some of the other colors with the fishnet effect:

Spitalfields, Trafalgar Square, Houses of Parliament, Whitehall, Piccadilly

Oh well. It was a great idea, but not the most happy-making end product. I'll work on my magnet-using technique and let you know if I figure out any better ways to make the fishnet effect show up!

Have you tried out any of the magnetic nail polishes yet? What are your strategies for making the magnetic design show up the best?

Stay happy!