Mentality Crystalchromes!!

**I want to note that I am no longer affiliated with, or a supporter of, Mentality Nail Polish. Please see my post detailing my experiences with Mentality by clicking here for more information. In short, I would STRONGLY recommend not buying Mentality due to harmful effects that their polishes have had on some people. Even if you've been having an issue and you can't say for sure that it's Mentality polish that's causing it, discontinue use immediately. I didn't know what it was and by the time I realized, serious damage had been done to my nails. They are still not healed. Just don't take any chances. I will leave up my posts where I have reviewed or swatched Mentality polishes because I don't want to just delete them and pretend like nothing happened. I would also recommend reading these great, informative posts by Ashley is Polish Addicted and also The Mercurial Magpie who explain what's happened. Lab Muffin also offers some really interesting possibilities for what specifically about the polishes could be causing these effects.**

Hello everyone!! I am SO excited to bring you this post today. It has been too long since the flakie trend explosion hit the nail world and I was waiting to try them until one of my favorite brands put our their version. Turns out I made a great decision, because Mentality has finally come out with their version of the flakie, and they are called the Crystalchromes.

These flakies are unlike ANY other that has been put out so far because the flakes are made of a unique, exclusive ceramic/glass hybrid!! These amazing crystal glass flecks are different from the metal flakies because of the unique way the glass reflects and shows the stunning color shift. These flakes have a complex texture and shape - no two flakes are alike - yet they lay completely smooth. 

I want to take a minute here and discuss formula to save time, since all of these were pretty much the same. For all of these polishes, formula was great - even better than I expected! The flakies are PACKED in the base, no fishing needed. In fact, I had to brush most of the flakies off the brush before application to make sure it didn't cover up too much of my base. It makes these super easy to build up to opacity for a different look. And, given how shredded these look, I thought for sure you would feel something on the nail, but no! They really do lay completely flat. No edges sticking up, driving me nuts - they are amazing. I honestly have no complaints about these formulas - they are amazing!!

Now let's get on to the swatches. First up is Carnival!

Carnival is an exclusive ceramic/glass hybrid that shifts from red to yellow to green. Apply one coat as a topper, or 2-3 coats for opacity. Here is a macro shot in the bottle.

For this mani, I used one thin coat of Carnival over Sinful Colors Black on Black, except on my accent nail, which shows 3 coats of Carnival alone. I used HK Girl topcoat.

This polish really reminds me of fire, and flames - love it! <3

The weirdest thing happened when I took photos of this mani in sunlight! It made the base look dark purple - but I swear, it's the same black creme as in the other photos! So weird. But still so pretty :)

I wanted to do some kind of firey nail art stamping but I apparently don't have a stamp with flames on it. I swore I did! So, I just kinda picked a stamp that reminded me of fire a little bit haha. It didn't really turn out but I figured I'd show you guys anyway.

Here are two macros on the nail - one in the lightbox and one in direct sunlight, showing how different the base looks!

Next up is the lovely Carousel!

Carousel is an exclusive ceramic/glass hybrid that shifts from purple to an orangish red. Apply one coat as a topper, or 2-3 coats for opacity.

Shown here is 1 coat of Carousel over Sinful Colors Black on Black, except for the accent, which shows 4 coats of Carousel. This was the only one that I needed an extra coat for full opacity. But, the thin coats made it not too terrible to add an extra coat. I used HK Girl topcoat.

I love how this polish just seems to really glow! The blurple flakies are so vibrant, especially against the black base! I was thinking this one would be a great topper for Halloween, over a bright orange or a lime green.

I wanted to add something fun to this mani, so I used a decal that I got from Born Pretty Store on the accent nail. I love how it changes the look so easily! I just stuck it on and done!

And of course, I have to show you a macro of Carousel on the nail. Check out all the different sizes and shapes of flakies!

Next for today is Funhouse!

Funhouse is an exclusive ceramic/glass hybrid that shifts from aqua to blue to purple. Apply one coat as a topper, or 2-3 coats for opacity.

I've shown 1 thin coat of Funhouse over Sinful Colors Black on Black, except for the accent which is 3 coats of Funhouse alone. I've used HK Girl topcoat to seal it in!

This one really reminds me of oceans, water, and waves! Or mermaid scales. It would be great in a nautical themed nail art look. I think I'll have to try that :)

To go with the waves/water imagery that Funhouse reminded me of, I chose a swirly decal from Born Pretty Store to add to the accent. I think it really completes the look!

And here's a macro on the nail. I love how you can really see the color shift here!

This next one is my favorite of the entire collection - Panorama!

Panorama is an exclusive ceramic/glass hybrid that is a multicolor blend of color shifting glass flecks. Apply one coat as a topper, or 2-3 coats for opacity.

Seriously!? I can't even with this polish! There are so many amazing colors in here and they all work so well together! I can think of so many colors that would be great to pair this topper with. Here, I've shown 1 thin coat over Sinful Colors Black on Black, except for the accent nail, which is 3 coats of Panorama alone. I used HK Girl topcoat.

I actually love this both over black and built up alone - I don't think I can pick a favorite! It's so multidimensional and every time I look at it, it looks different! Love it so much.

I've used another Born Pretty Store decal here to add something extra to the mani. I just love these decals! They are so easy to use but I think they really make the look.

These macros on the nail kind of blow my mind. I think this might be my favorite polish ever! It looks so great on its own too! You can really see all the different color shifts in the flakies when you look at it up close.

And last but not least - check out Sideshow!

Sideshow is an exclusive ceramic/glass hybrid that shifts from orange to green to blue. Apply one coat as a topper, or 2-3 coats for opacity.

I've shown 1 thin coat of Sideshow over Sinful Colors Black on Black, except for the accent nail, which is 3 coats of Sideshow alone. I used HK Girl to top it off.

This one just feels so elegant to me! The gold color along with the shimmering effect of the flakies just reminds me of fancy parties and luxury! :)

At first, I really saw the gold color in these flakies predominantly, but when you look at the bottle macro above, or these macro nails below, the blue/green shift is so evident! It's amazing. I love how unique these flakies are and how a simple lighting change totally alters the look of the polish!

The Crystalchromes are available now in the Mentality shop!!

You can purchase the entire set, all 5 Crystalchromes, for $100 - or they retail for $20.75 apiece. These flakies are somewhat pricier than the metal flakies that have hit the market recently, because of the exclusive pigment and the ceramic/glass hybrid of the flakies. I believe these are worth every penny! You can get flakie polishes cheaper, but not of the same quality as these are. They are truly unlike anything else that is out there. Also, because the flakies are so packed into the base, and you need so little as a topper, I could see one bottle lasting me a really long time! So I think they are a great value for what you're getting.

You can see the listing for the entire Crystalchrome set here!

And you can find the listing for the nail stickers from Born Pretty Store here. If you use my code, you can save 10% also! :)

Check out the Mentality shop to see these and other great polishes, and be sure to follow them on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to stay up to date on new releases! Thanks for reading!

<3
Kelly