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365 of Untrieds- Miss Marion Garnet

By on April 21, 2011
in 365 of Untrieds
miss marion garnet nail polish bottle 365 untrieds 365 of Untrieds is my personal challenge to weed through the polishes in the ALU stash that I’ve been wanting to try but just haven’t gotten around to.

Yesterday the boyfriend and I hit the 12-year mark in our relationship.  It’s kind of unbelievable when I think about it. How young we were, even though I thought I had lived a thousand lifetimes.  How random our meeting was via an old high school friend I hadn’t seen in years.  How we have built this wonderful life together with no real plan to it all.  I’m very lucky to have him in my life, though saying “12 years” sure does make me feel old.

Since the boyfriend is a fan of red nails, as many men are, I decided to polish them with a fiery red hue recommended to me by Athena Elliot host of Nail Talk Radio. She told me that Miss Marion Garnet has magical qualities so I just had to get a bottle and find out for myself.


Formula & Application: Miss Marion nail polish is 4-Free (includes formaldehyde resin). The bottle looks very old school with it’s rounded pyramid shape and tall ribbed cap.  The brush is short and fat and picks up a lot of polish so make sure you wipe the brush well.

In terms of pigmentation, it gets the job done.  I only applied two coats, due to time constraints, and while to the casual observer my nails are covered, I can see the tiniest hint of VNL (visible nail line).  I would have applied three coats if I had time.

Miss Marion Garnet looks like a faded berry toned red when you first apply it to the nails.  As the bottle label indicates, it is very frosty and the brush strokes show.  Honestly after putting on two coats, I was all, “Where’s the magic?”  THEN I added top coat and shock me, shock me, shock me with this electrified red hue.  We’re talking bright candy apple red.  I took a pic of the polish before top coat, next to one nail with top coat to show how it transforms.

miss-marion-garnet-nail-polish-swatch-pre-top-coat

miss-marion-garnet-swatch-nail-polish-365-untried

Bottom Line: The finish is a bit too frosty and brush stroke-y for my taste but it will be fun for our anniversary night out (we’re celebrating a day late).  Plus, it is fun to watch the color change as the top coat dries.  If you can find it easily and are a fan of reds, pick up a bottle.  You won’t be disappointed.

365 of Untrieds Stash/Share Verdict: STASH.  Even if I only wear it for our anniversary.

I found Miss Marion Garnet on eBay. I paid $9.99 for three bottles but Athena says you can find the brand in hair stores.  I don’t remember seeing them in my area but maybe the brand is more popular in Texas where she lives.

Have you seen Miss Marion polishes before?  Thoughts on the brand?  Do they have any other colors that do this?  Would you pick up a bottle of Garnet if it was more accessible?

Disclosure: I paid for this polish. For more info view my Disclosure Policy.

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There Are 29 Brilliant Comments

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  1. Serena says:

    Congrats on the 12 years!!

    That is a fun/sexy red. Good choice

  2. Meredith says:

    Congratulations! I agree with you on the STASH decision; I say make yourself happy with crazy colors the rest of the year, but it’s nice to give him a thrill on your anniversary. :)

  3. Happy 12th anniversary! My boyfriend ans I are a few weeks away from our 8th and its crazy how it feels like forever yet not very long at the same time. I live in Texas and have never seen this brand, but then again I never go to salons.

  4. Looks great on you! I was on a mission this time last year to find Miss Marion’s Garnet… I ended up buying A LOT (every color I thought was interesting) and haven’t worn them yet. Thanks for the inspiration! Will pull one of these out very soon. :)

  5. Rebecca says:

    I like it! I usually don’t grab reds either but I like this one a lot (especially with the top coat). My birthstone is the garnet and I like this color so I would probably pick it up if I came across it somewhere; although I live in California and I have never even heard of let alone seen this polish. Have a great anniversary celebration!

  6. Magz Ali says:

    To brush strokey. Pretty color but it doesn’t look like it applies well. We all love polish and know a great one when we see it, this…not so much. Would love to know if something magical happened, if it did, I’ll run out a buy 2 bottles.

  7. Iris says:

    I think the color is super-pretty with the topcoat, but… that bottle… I don’t know, it just reeks of “dusty old granny” to me. Is it awful that the bottle means as much to me as the product inside?

  8. Ashley says:

    OMG!! I love this!! I have a red fetish and this is amazing! I’ll have to see if I can find it! Thanks!

  9. Lynn says:

    Congratulations on 12 years!!! :) I love the bottle shape, so different!

  10. Monique says:

    Wow such a big difference without the top coat! Beautiful color, thanks for sharing.. I’ve never heard of this brand (:

  11. Chris says:

    Congrats on the 12 years! The color of this is pretty, but I could not handle the brush strokes.

  12. Elaine says:

    Beautiful color! Just a bit too streaky for me. Happy anniversary, nevermind the years, stop counting! (ps, we passed 12 – wait, let me do the math…almost 7 years ago) I met a wonderful lady in the grocery store recently, we started talking. I told her she looked wonderful. She said “want to know my secret to looking good? I turned 84 last week…” I said yes! “I never look in the mirror with my glasses on” This will make more sense when you’re vision changes…but it’s right up there with stop counting!

  13. Kitty says:

    This would be a fun one to have even with the brushstrokes.

  14. Stephanie says:

    Ooo, pretty!

    Congratulations to you and the boyfriend. I hope you have a great night out together :) Tell him I said hi!

  15. Adrianna says:

    Gorgeous candy apple red!

  16. Monique says:

    Wow! I wasn’t feeling the frosty look, but it looks really good with the top coat. I don’t think I would order this though.

  17. I really like the fact that it so vivid, the nails would grab anyones attention.

  18. JACQUELYN says:

    LOOKS GOOD ON YOU WITH TOP COAT, BUT NOT FOR ME.
    CONGRATS ON 12 YRS. STAY HAPPY.

  19. Silva says:

    It looks really nice with topcoat! And congratulations with your anniversary :)

  20. Tisha_ says:

    I can’t believe the difference with the top coat. That’s amazing. It’s a very pretty red.

    Keith and I were married on our 11th anniversary. It’s so weird now, after all these years, to say we are married. lol

  21. DLFM says:

    I’m oddly digging the brush strokes on this one at least in the picture. I don’t see any bald/streaky spots which would turn me off for sure and it’s an awesome red! Happy Anniversary :)

  22. I’m such a crazy about “red” kind of girl. I will have to try it!!! Thanks so much.

  23. coco_fiere says:

    This reminds me of Theon’s No. 5, which was the must-have polish if you were to be “cool” in my Chicago high school back in the day. I recently bought a bottle of it at a BSS for nostalgia’s sake and this post makes me want to use it for my next mani. The hoarder in me wants to buy this Miss Marion just because though. Happy anniversary! :)

  24. Janine says:

    Girl… I am not going to lie… this one isn’t too bad, but I HATE Miss Marion polishes. They’re pretty common in the Cuban-owned mom-and-pop drugstores here in Miami; my grandma had a whole heap of these polishes and that’s what they look like, Granny polish. Go to their website and look at the color selection for yourself. They basically have varying shades of pink, red, brown and white – that’s it. They have cremes and then they have these HEINOUS pearls – truly heinous – I mean, not just frost but straight-up I-can-hardly-see-the-color-it’s-so-frosty pearls. On their browns, on their reds, on everything. The color selection is limited and ugly and the formula chips within hours.

    Apparently Miss Marion was a pretty popular brand in the 60′s; too bad they never bothered to update their product as time passed…

    • Rita says:

      Miss Marion Nail colors are very classic and has now a very up to date colors…. Nothing to be ashamed of….. Cremes? Pistaccio, Celeste,Morisco

      NEons??? all of them!…..

  25. Alexis says:

    First off congratulations! Wow 12 yrs together that’s so nice! I wish for you and your love many more happy years to come

  26. Judith says:

    Hi Rita, I remember when I first saw this polish – I was right out of cosmetology school and working in a nail salon at the time (1983). We went wild over this shade! I have to agree with you that the colors are updated, and DEFINITELY NOT GRANNY at all! Neons are really hot this season and they’ve got them. Janine should most def take another gander, she may be happily surprised – and who cares about the bottle, you don’t wear the bottle folks! LOVE MISS MARION FOREVER!

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