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JINsoon Tibi Nail Polish Collection for Fall 2013 – Swatches & Review

By on August 23, 2013
in Black, Blue, Fall 2013, Gray, Green, JINsoon, Red

The JINsoon Tibi nail polish collection for Fall 2013 is, in a word, SPARK-TACULAR! Known for her high fashion, glossy cremes, Jin Soon Choi, took a different route with her eponymous line when she teamed up with tibi designer, Amy Smilovic.

JINsoon Tibi Fall 2013 nail polish collection

JINsoon + Tibi Fall 2013

Affiliate Link|Press Sample

Sticking to her simple, sophisticated roots, Jin created five sparkling shades that are refined and elegant. Yet, adding a layer of the new Matte Maker top coat brings out the urban, utilitarian feel of Tibi’s fall line. Named after minerals and rocks, these shades hit on the jewel tone and vampy nail trends that are shaping up to be the theme of Fall 2013.

Formula & Application: JINsoon nail polish is 5-Free and includes UV filters to prevent yellowing and fading of color. The bottles are tall, thin rectangles with shiny, black removable caps. Think of them as a thinner, more angular Chanel bottle shape. The brush is flat and wide with bristles that are shorter and stiffer than OPI’s Pro Wide Brush. They are still flexible enough to allow for fanning of the brush without any dragging though sometimes the firmness makes it a challenge to create a curve at the cuticle.

All the lacquers in this collection have a smooth, squishy consistency. They spread evenly on the nail and self-level. They are packed with pigment, providing full coverage with two coats.

JINsoon Matte Maker top coat

JINsoon Matte Maker

This collection also introduces a Matte Maker top coat that will become part of the permanent line. It’s not a totally flat matte, like Essie Matte About You, yet it’s not super satin, like Barielle Matte-inee. Matte Maker dries with a velvety finish so, over the more glittery shades, it gives the appearance of frosted glass. Just make sure you apply a very thin coat so you don’t obscure the glitter.

JINsoon Azurite is a deep sapphire packed with silver, smooth micro-glitter. Like a starry sky on a moonlit night, this shade is reminiscent of an old, discontinued favorite, Essie Starry Starry Night. Though the shimmer in Azurite is more subdued.

JINsoon Azurite nail polish

JINsoon Azurite

JINsoon Azurite nail polish swatch

JINsoon Azurite

JINsoon Azurite nail polish with Matte Maker

JINsoon Azurite with Matte Maker

JINsoon Epidote is a gem of a gold-laced, verdant green. Though hidden in that rich, tonal shimmer is a shade-shifter. At the right angle, a rusty, reddish-brown plays with the light. It’s hard to capture on film but it’s there.

JINsoon Epidote nail polish swatch

JINsoon Epidote

JINsoon Epidote duochrome nail polish

JINsoon Epidote

JINsoon Epidote nail polish with Matte Maker

JINsoon Epidote with Matte Maker

JINsoon Jasper is a rich, burgundy with fiery red shimmer. The shimmer lights up like dancing fireflies and I love how it peeks through the Matte Maker top coat like slow burning embers.

JINsoon Jasper nail polish swatch

JINsoon Jasper

JINsoon Jasper nail polish tibi

JINsoon Jasper

JINsoon Jasper nail polish with Matte Maker

JINsoon Jasper with Matte Maker

JINsoon Mica is a graphite shimmer that has a granite-esque appearance indoors. Yet, as soon as I saw it, I had a feeling there may be some magic hidden in that smooth shimmer. Sure enough, once you take Mica for a walk in the sunlight, the holographic shimmer comes out. Now, it’s not dense enough to be a true linear, prismatic holo but it sure does light up with a rainbow of colors.

JINsoon Mica nail polish swatch

JINsoon Mica

JINsoon Mica holographic nail polish swatch

JINsoon Mica in sunlight

JINsoon Mica nail polish with Matte Maker

JINsoon Mica with Matte Maker

JINsoon Obsidian is a glossy black creme packed with irregularly shaped micas, in a variety of colors, including green and gold. The most predominant is a reddish purple that adds warmth to the cool base color. This one is my favorite to wear with Matte Maker as it makes the flecks look trapped in ice.

JINsoon Obsidian nail polish swatch

JINsoon Obsidian

JINsoon Obsidian nail polish swatch

JINsoon Obsidian

JINsoon Obsidian nail polish swatch with Matte Maker

JINsoon Obsidian with Matte Maker

Bottom Line: I’m swooning over the depth of these lush, rich shades. The glitter in Obsidian raises black to a whole new level and the duochrome goodness of Epidote is not to be missed. Azurite is simply stunning and while Mica is cool, you won’t appreciate its holo qualities unless you’re in super direct sunlight. As pretty as Jasper is, reds don’t set my world on fire.

On another note, matte is back this season and I love that brands are giving us matte top coats instead of expecting us to buy a million matte polishes. I think they realized it’s not happening. The JINsoon matte is the perfect meld of satin and flat so it’s definitely worth checking out.

JINsoon Tibi collection nail lacquers and Matte Maker are available online at JINsoon.comSephora.com and Tibi.com in addition to select Sephora stores. They retail for $18/ea for a .33oz bottle.

What do you think of these new JINsoon shades? Which ones do you plan to pick up? Are you happy to see matte making a comeback?

Disclosure: Product samples were provided by reps for JINsoon. Affiliate links appear via Skimlinks and rewardStyle. For more info view my Disclosure Policy

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There Are 51 Brilliant Comments

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  1. Kellie says:

    Wow…I LOVE the way every single color looks mattified. GORGEOUSNESS.

    • Michelle Mismas says:

      I’m right there with you. I thought I was so over matte but Obsidian mattified is beautiful.

  2. JJ says:

    The blue and green are STUNNING. *picks jaw up from floor*

  3. Icequeen81 says:

    Azurite, Obsidian and Jasper are gorgeous but I prefer them without matte

  4. terri says:

    that’s a nice collection, excellent swatches as usual!

  5. nailsss says:

    Every single one of these is a beauty!!

  6. R says:

    Are these limited edition?

    • Michelle Mismas says:

      As far as I know, they are. The Matte Maker top coat will become perm but this is a seasonal collection.

      • R says:

        Ah! Well, that did it…Obsidian and Azurite are on their way to my front door. I wish I could explain my need to have all the glittery blacks and sapphire blues.

  7. Lara says:

    Thank you thank you thank you!!! I’ve been trying to find swatches of these all week! Now, unfortunately, I’ll have to buy the whole collection, but that’s neither here nor there.

    • Michelle Mismas says:

      You’re so welcome! I’m glad they were helpful though, my apologies to your wallet ;)

  8. Sue says:

    I love your review, Michelle. So many beauty websites just do shots of the bottles. I have Azurite, Jasper and Epidote and may have to pick up the other two now.
    On another note, while this collection is limited edition, her previous limited edition (A la Mode) collections have not sold out anywhere. As much as I love indie brands, sometimes they are just too difficult to obtain.

    • Michelle Mismas says:

      You’re so right Sue. I’m glad that it seems like the seasonal collections are produced in a large quantity. While they won’t be around forever, they’re at least more accessible.

  9. Phyrra says:

    You make me want them all!

  10. Jennifer says:

    It’s rare that I love every single color in a collection! gorgeous!

  11. Squeaky Q says:

    These are pretty much all gorgeous, and I love how the bottles look!

  12. julie says:

    I love all these colors and with the matte! There too pricey though. I don’t know if I’d spend $18 on one bottle!

  13. Lou says:

    Wow, loving these. I really want the whole collection but my wallet breathes a sigh of relief as I can’t seen to find a place the ships to the UK.

    Really loving the top coat over these as well, look stunning :-)

    • Michelle Mismas says:

      SpackNK carries JINsoon but I didn’t see this collection on the website yet. Hopefully it will come to the UK SpaceNK stores.

  14. Elsa says:

    I seriously couldn’t pick a favourite out of these, they look all amazing!

  15. Theresa says:

    I have an old Chanel Night Sky that is my all time favorite because it reminds me of Van Gogh paintings I saw in the Netherlands. I’ve never found a dupe (missed Starry Night). Azurite looks pretty close to the color but with less dense glitter. I think I found my replacement! Thanks for theae swatches!

  16. KK says:

    I rarely feel like a polish line is doing something reallly different but I feel like this is refreshing and new. Your swatches are some of the best around, too!
    xx

  17. Amanda Medlar says:

    THEY’RE ALL STUNNINGLY BEAUTIFUL, I COULD’NT PICK JUST ONE… :-)

  18. Beth says:

    I can’t even. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a collection where I absolutely want every single color, and yet it’s happened right now. I need these colors in my life, immediately. Great swatches, you really do the colors justice!

  19. Helena says:

    Azurite looks nothing like the image on Sephora thst I fell in love with :( Ah well. Epidote is still quite pretty.

  20. hi
    beautiful nails polish!I love jinsoon but no disturb in france ;(((
    bye

  21. Mary says:

    I am in love with all of these, especially Azurite. I normally don’t like reds but I think Jasper could be my Xmas nail polish!

  22. ReaderRita says:

    Oh, by crikey- those are all just dazzling!

  23. Raquel says:

    I wish I could find those in Brazil…

  24. Vienne says:

    Sorry I’m a bit late to the party. Thank you for the swatches! I was ready to get Epidote but then came across Nars Night Porter online and thought they seemed quite close. As best I can tell from the swatches online, Night Porter may be a smidge darker? But both have similar complexity. Just curious if you’ve got access to both and could do a comparison? Thanks!

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