[Swatch + Review] 'Hatch' from Cirque Colors

• Shop name: Cirque Colors
• Location: Brooklyn, New York
• Known for: Handcrafted nail polish in a variety of finishes that is woman-of-color owned, vegan, cruelty-free, and 10-free

Hatch from Cirque Colors is described as a white nail polish with fine black specks. Our speckled polishes are made with irregular-shaped flake pigments which gives it a unique, spotted finish. I bought this in a purchase directly from the shop in late 2019 after seeing that Cirque had another shade I'd been trying to find for a few years (Palm Springs, which I'll swatch another time).

Their bottles have short, shiny caps and very thin brushes. I could see either one being hard to use if you have bigger hands or wide nails. I don't mind it, but I'd probably prefer one or the other instead of both.

For this particular manicure, I used:

• Base coat: Glisten & Glow Base Coat
• Top coat: Glisten & Glow Top Coat
• Coats used: Three
• Tips wrapped: Don't think so!

Thoughts

I was drawn to this because I love white polish, and the speckled texture looked so fun! I still haven't seen many companies do this with the black flecks, and none look like the tiny bird-egg pattern from this collection. This color made me feel very professional, and my neutrals-only coworker was also a big fan. I think it's a great polish line if you want to take a baby step above basic creme shades.

The application was pretty good, within the realm of what I prefer - it was streaky in one coat, sheer in two, and finally opaque in three coats. This was my first time using the Glisten & Glow base, and I don't think I used enough, since this started chipping pretty much immediately. You can see small chips in the first photo, even though it hasn't been more than a day since applying. I also felt it was pretty gross by the time I took it off a week later... It would be interesting to try this polish again with my improved skills, then I could judge if it's the fault of the polish formula or my lack of protective measures. I did this in March 2020 and have changed a lot since then. (Also glad my cuticle care has improved since these times!)

Based on this, I am still interested in Cirque Colors as a company, but it wasn't love at first sight or anything. I have tried their polish since and will continue to do so. Bottom line, I enjoy this polish and am glad I have it.