Review: Formula X for Sephora Pyrotechnic

Sephora has been promoting their new line of nail polish pretty hard, which normally makes me suspicious – sometimes heavy advertising can seem a little bit desperate. I was curious though – because omg, new stuff!!! – so when a mini version of the Formula X polishes popped up as a Sephora perk, I decided to part with 100 of my hoarded points.

Pyrotechnic is a bright, ever-so-slightly cool red in a clear base. Honestly it’s not the first color I would have chosen since bright reds aren’t really my thing. However, it is quite eye-catching and I got some compliments on it. The line has a really impressive number of colors and finishes, so there are lots of other options if red isn’t for you. It dries fairly quickly and has a glossy finish.

My bottle of course is a mini, but the full size bottles are similar – squared with a square cap that pops off to reveal the top. They don’t take up too much space on my rapidly-filling nail polish shelf, which is nice. The full size bottles contain .4oz/12ml.

The brush is pretty standard – round, not especially wide, not too long.  The brush may not be remarkable, but the polish application is. It covers evenly and I had no trouble maneuvering around the edges of my nails. The coverage was opaque in two thin coats. I got through five days before the first chip appeared, and by that time I was ready to change colors anyway.

In Short: This polish was much easier to work with than most of my drugstore go-to’s, and outlasted some of the pricier polishes I’ve tried to. More colors will be purchased.

Formula X for Sephora ($10.50) is available at sephora.com