I love nail polish but I end up accumulating too many because I am always switching shades. I had several shoe boxes full before I decided to slim my collection down. I never could use them all up before they dried out. For that reason I was attracted to the idea of Max Factors Max Effect mini polishes which are about half the size of a standard polish. I thought that I could try a new colour and after applying it a few times I would be at the end of the bottle and ready to move on to the next with no waste. Well that was my excuse for coming home with one anyway.


THE RANGE

Max Factor obviously do a lot of polishes, and the Mini collection has over 30 shades to choose from. Some are metallic, others are sparkly and there are of course the more natural colours too! I bought my first in Boots for £3.99 in the shade "Diva Pink" which is a cerise.The second I bought on Amazon for £2.69, in "Diva Violet". The latter looked a pale lavender in the online picture, but having seen it in Boots I knew it was actually far more pink in tone. As for how big the bottle actually is, I have to estimate. I can't find the size in ml anywhere on the bottle, but comparing it to the other polishes that I have, I would guess that it is about 4.5ml or so in size. This obviously makes it relatively expensive if you pay the full price but it is a smaller investment than buying a full size polish from Max Factor if you aren't sure about the colour. I didn't think that Diva Violet was a polish that I would wear all year round as I tend to wear lighter and pastel shades in the summer. I also thought it wasn't a colour that would go with everything I wear so I didn't mind opting for just a small bottle.

Max Factor say the polish is long lasting and chip resistant. They also say it can be applied with a second layer for a higher intensity colour, which implies one coat could be suficient otherwise. I will give my opinion on that below!


APPLICATION

The polish has the sort of brush that I normally don't like - small and stubby. However, I find that this one is easy to use. partly that is because the small size suits the small bottle and partly it is because it still has a full size handle which makes gripping it a comfortable experience. The brush head is quite narrow and doesn't spread out much so it is difficult to cover the nail in one stroke. As it dries quickly, you also have to move fast in order to avoid developing brush marks or an uneven finish. It does deliver a good amount of polish to the nail though, and the narrow head makes painting accurately near the nail edges simpler. This is helped by the fact the polish has a perfect consistency. I hate runny polishes! The good texture left me surprised at how watery the first coat actually looks. I think a second one is always necessary to make the nail finish opaque, and in fact I feel that "Diva Violet" benefits from a third layer to really develop it's colour. This is more of a problem when you have a small bottle to work with as obviously it isn't going to last very long.


MAX EFFECT FINISH?

The first coat dries very quickly, within 2 minutes. Subsequent ones take marginally longer. I was impressed by this because Max Factor doesn't specifcally say that it is one of the faster drying polishes. This makes up for the fact I have to apply several coats. The end result is a shiny, smooth and good quality finish bar the first weak looking coat. I fell out of love with the lilac shade as I thought perhaps I would, being fadish when it comes to my nail colour. I have replaced Diva Pink though, as to me it is a more versatile colour that is easier to match or complement what I am wearing.

As for the supposed chip resistant qualitie,s I would say it isn't a long lasting polish in my experience. I got it to last a maximum of 4 days in good condition before the tiny chips at the edge became too noticeable. That is about average for me, but I would have hoped a polish that promises to be long lasting to fare better, especially when I had applied 3 coats. It was easy to reapply as it came away easily with basic polish remover, but having to do so more often than I liked meant the small polish is used up quickly.


WOULD I RECOMMEND THE POLISH?

I ddon't think this offers great value for money given that at least 2 and sometimes 3 coats are necessary and it isn't really especially chip resistant. I could get 3 full size polishes from MUA for the prize of one tiny Max Factor one, and I think the cheaper ones last as long and I can sometimes get away with a single coat of those. Therefore I have decided I would only buy a mini one again if I couldn't get a similar colour elsewhere. I don't think most of the colours in the range are that unique and hope I have now spied a cheaper alternative to "Diva Pink" . If you are looking for a good value polish, or a long lasting one I wouldn't recommend it. Otherwise, if you care more about it drying quickly and don't mind applying more than one coat I would recommend it if a colour catches your eye.

I mentioned above that I bought one of my polishes at Amazon. They are still available there but now the delivery time is quoted as 2-4 weeks on most items. I got mine in just a few days! They do offer cheaper prices though, which vary by shade rather a lot. Boots and Superdrug offer far more colours and you would get it sooner even if you pay more.

[This review is also on Ciao under my user name.]