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ALU’s 365 of Untrieds – Nubar Indigo Illusion

nubar-indigo-illusion-nail-polish-bottle 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.

Last week when I reviewed the CND Perfectly Bare Duo I mentioned that the Perfectly Bare Effect layered over Sally Hansen Gray by Gray reminded me of Nubar Indigo Illusion.

At the time I pulled out my bottle of Indigo Illusion and realized that I have never actually worn the color. When I first heard of Nubar nail polish four years ago ALU was just a baby. I posted about the brand but had only swatched Indigo Illusion on a nail art wheel. All this time has passed and I still haven’t taken it for a test drive. That situation is now rectified.


Formula & Application: Nubar nail polish is 4-Free (includes formaldehyde resin) and is free of camphor which can be an irritant. The brand is also billed as vegan and cruelty free. The bottles are topped with a curved, matte cap that is designed to rest comfortably between the thumb and forefinger. The brush is thick and round and the width doesn’t impede application. In fact it’s one of my favorite brushes. It has a bit of resistance which allows for control but the bristles are flexible enough to fan out nicely across the nail bed.

The formula on this polish is kind of thin but nice and smooth. It’s not that squishy kind of thin that seems to be the standard with polish nowadays. The only downside of the thin formula is the opacity. I ended up using three thin coats to achieve full coverage but those three coats feel like two.

Nubar Indigo Illusion is a challenge to describe. It has a green tinged denim blue base with a pinkish shimmer. The blend of colors give off a duo-chrome effect that causes the polish to look blue/green/purple depending on the angle you view it at and lighting.

nubar-indigo-illusion-swatch-nail-polish

Bottom Line: Indigo Illusion is a unique flower and one of Nubar’s biggest hits. For anyone trying the brand for the first time I consider this a “must have” along with Nubar 2010 anything from the Going Green collection and of course their amazing Foundation Base Coat. You will not be disappointed.

365 of Untrieds Stash/Share Verdict: No doubt this one is staying in the STASH.

Nubar Indigo Illusion is available online at ByNubar.com. Nubar nail polishes retail for $7.49/ea for a .5oz bottle. Orders over $50 receive free shipping.

What do you think of Indigo Illusion? Are you a fan of Nubar polishes? What are your “must have” shades from the line?

Disclosure: A product sample was provided by Nubar. For more info view my Disclosure Policy.

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There Are 28 Brilliant Comments

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  1. Krystal S. says:

    Gosh this is lovely!

  2. Hanna says:

    That is stunning… just gone to look at that and the green collection and have had to hide my credit card. I’ve not come across Nubar before but I could seriously bankrupt myself on their stuff… so many beautiful polishes… eh oh! (THANK YOU!)

  3. I can’t believe that I STILL haven’t ordered from Nubar after several years of wanting to. I love duochromes and definitely want this one!

  4. Scienter says:

    In the jar, I thought it was meh. But it looks fabulous on your nails, I love it!

  5. KittenPoker says:

    Oh dear, I’m afraid I have a new lemming! I love a duochrome and this looks unique to my growing collection. I just wish Nubar was more readily available. They’re the red-headed step children in my local Bloomin’ Beauty, all separated and marked down for clearance.

  6. Ulmiel says:

    Surprisingly Indigo Illusion was one of my heart breaks when I put it on. Too much pink, too little green and the duochrome combination did nothing for me. In theory it has everything I love in a polish and I worship Nubar as a brand, but Indigo Illusion was a sore disappointment.

  7. NailPolishFan says:

    Love how the color keeps you guessing.

  8. Laura says:

    The color looks really amazing. Like a pair of jeans with glitter :D

  9. Scha'Chia says:

    I have this as well, great choice- mine is sitting out waiting to be worn sometime next week…. they have impeccable duochromes- my favorite outside of the old Sally Hansens :)

  10. Kim says:

    So pretty! When I first saw the bottle I thought it would be rainbow, but I like this even more! Cool colors are my favorite. This is going on my shopping list! :)

  11. Katarina says:

    It’s very similar to Catrice – iron mermaid or Essence – where’s the party? Essence has better coverage while on the other side Catrice is more sheer.

  12. Liliz says:

    This is so pretty!
    Would you say that it is similar to ORLY’s Space Cadet, though? Or are they very different in person?

    • All Lacquered Up says:

      I would say they are nothing alike. Space Cadet has a completely different finish with its foil-y glass fleck effect. Plus their base colors are different. Space Cadet is more of a rose/green combo whereas Indigo Illusion has more of a denim base with pink duo-chrome shimmer.

  13. heather says:

    I am getting ready to put a Nubar order in. I will have to add this awesomeness to it!

  14. Ann says:

    Wow! This looks really similar to an old favorite of mine, Sinful Morph Spring (still in the old bottles). I’m gonna have to check this one out!

  15. Maribeth says:

    I just tried this recently and loved it too! It is such a pretty shade!

  16. meme says:

    I adore this shade and Nubar as well. I was introed to the brand from chatting with an eBay seller, who really wanted me to try other good brands. I am the proud owner of Nubar Peacock Feathers which is perhaps their all time best know polish (now out of stock but they still show it on their web site). Similar to this shade, it’s VERY duochrome & in the blue/green range. So glad you finally tried this one for a mani and are stashing it. It’s very YOU!

  17. KayDiKat says:

    I just bought this a couple weeks ago! I also got Reclaim and Cotton Candy. I really want Peacock Feathers, but I think it’s DC’d :( Oh and 2010 is a fave, too! Nubar doesn’t get as much blogger love as they deserve. Thanks for sharing!

  18. Chris says:

    Wow, this is a unique flower! It reminds me of a Black Radiance polish I owned ages ago when I was in junior high. It’s nice to see a shade like this, esp. in our nail art era. :)

  19. maya says:

    I’m a huge fan of Nubar. Actually, it’s my fav brand, ex aequo with Orly. I love their flattering colors and perfect formula.

  20. Olivia says:

    such a cool color!

  21. Suze says:

    I LOVE this color and have to have it! I’ve been trying to “create” something similar with OPI’s Sahara Sapphire that I just found a few months ago…couldn’t figure out how I missed that when I was looking for a blue I could “deal” with (I’m generally pretty traditional reds/pinks, but have been branching out a bit recently!) to do my toes before I had my little boy – and it came out when I was pregnant with him. I’ve tried a few differnet pink hues with it and haven’t been able to create what I’m looking for, but this is it! I love it…well, on you…hopefully I love it just as much on me!

  22. Shaina says:

    OMG,THIS IS PURE GORGOEUSNESS!

  23. mel says:

    i LOVE your blog, but i think i might have to stop following. before i go crazy shopping for all the new lines you feature! lol =]

    the ocd in me wants to have only the same brand, since that’s the storage i have. (and it has to match the brand: opi.)

    but… i am loving this color sooo much!!! and: bL “no more waity, katie” (i don’t like the name or the royal connection- do you think you would like it w/ another name??), essie “smokin’ hot”, & sh “gray by gray”.

    keep up all the great work. i LOVE seeing all the different colors! i will just have to keep a lid on my wishful shopping!

    i do have a question. if you don’t mind sharing: what type of camera are you using? i’m in the market & would love something that can shoot such great close-ups. thx!

  24. Hannah says:

    It’s gorgeous!!! How does it compare to Zoya Ki?

  25. sparris says:

    I was very disappointed with my bottle of Indigo Illusion, the duochrome was barly visible, all I got was an inky blue polish with some purple thrown in. Bad batch?

  26. Jo says:

    This is so incredibly beautiful! Going on my want list :)

  27. Amber says:

    Love this review! I decided this weekend I needed to make my first Nubar purchases, and so went out shopping today with your post in hand. Managed to pick up 2010, Indigo Illusion, Reclaim, and a few other colors. Can’t wait to try it out!

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