Illamasqua's Shattered Star Nail Varnish in Trilliant

Illamasqua's Nail Varnish in Trilliant (left) and Marquise (right)

What can I say, I'm a bit of princess when it comes to doing my nails. For two plus years I've been getting my nails done by the lovely ladies over at French Pink and also by Erin of Blonde Tiger. Once you find that cocktail (talent + communal banter) -- you keep asking for more.

With the long holiday weekend upon me, I was tasked with the challenge of doing my own nails and I was kind of looking forward to it. My skills might be rusty, but I had two shiny bottles brightly smiling at me on my desk.

Cue Illamasqua's Trilliant and Marquise, two of the three shades from the Glamore collection.

This week we'll take a closer look at Trilliant, a shimmering champagne featuring silver hexagons, half-sized bars and loads of sparkles.

Close up of Trilliant

Illamasqua isn't a brand I immediately think of when it comes to nail polish, but for me I can now see why it's a huge hit. The brush is easier to wield as the handle really lends itself to being closely hugged by my thumb, pointer and middle fingers. The polish flowed off the brush in a manageable fashion, spread evenly and dried fast.

I had serious misgivings about the three dimensional texture lifting off and peeling. Today marks day five of wearing Trilliant and there isn't one chip in sight. With that said, it could be a field day when it's finally time to remove this glitter bomb of a polish.

Wearing Trilliant on my nails

Visually I get Robin Sparkle's "Sandcastles in the Sand" or even a sparkling Madison from the film Splash.

Trilliant is a high-performing two coater and I can picture it looking cotton candy sweet on tanned tootsies.

The Bagful breakdown:

Total amount for Illamasqua's Shattered Star Nail Varnish in Trilliant:

• $22.50 AUS / $17.00 USD 

Value for money spent (performance and quality):

• 9 out of 10 bags — Pleasantly surprised.

Would another purchase be on the horizon?:

• I've been kindly invited back to my local Illamasqua counter for a healthy helping of Glamore. What sort of look would you like to see on me?

*PR sample provided  –  Thoughts and ramblings written here are completely my own.