Cheeky Monkey Cosmetics Nail Polish

I received my free sample of Cheeky Monkey Cosmetics nail polish in my Beauty Board gift bag. Like everyone at the Beauty Board, I was drawn to Cheeky Monkey’s colourful display and its owner, Andrea Pahn’s friendly, outgoing personality.

Based in Toronto, the company aims to be, “…edgy and fun, but above all, high quality. Just like the women who wear them.” Currently, Cheeky Monkey, which claims to be a, “Environmentally responsible company in our operations and our products,” offers several dozen nail products and polish colours, all in a three-free formula (no toluene, formaldehyde, or dibutyl phthalate).

Each shade has a cheeky name though some are cleverer than others. The colour I (and I think everyone else at the Beauty Board) received was a rich red shade called Cheap Whore. Now, I have nothing against fun, and even dirty, colour names but “cheap whore” just seems tacky. Personally, I would have preferred it if this colour had just been called “whore.”

But while the name is cringe-worthy, the colour, and the actual polish itself, is not. It only took two coats to my toe nails to get a sophisticated, dark red shade that has just the right amount of gloss.

Unlike the last polish I tried out (the dreadful Revlon Colorstay Longwear Nail Enamel.), the Cheeky Monkey enamel was just the right consistency: Not too thin and not too thick. It went on smoothly, with plenty of coverage, and upon initial application, stayed liquid-y enough that I could get away with fixing any immediate mistakes.

I'm currently on day seven of wearing this product and so far there are no chips or cracks (not even on the baby toe that I've repeatedly smashed into the leg of my new couch). Of course polish always lasts longer on toes than on fingers but the fact it’s a week-old on my toes and still looks fresh can only be interpreted as good thing.

Gross, toes! (I've spared you the really weird looking ones.)

At $15 a bottle, this isn't a cheap polish however, it is a high quality one that I think is priced fairly. Of course, that’s $15 before shipping fees.  While a few beauty shops do carry Cheeky Monkey, it’s still very much an indie brand and because of that, the easiest way for most people to get this line is to buy it online.

Would I buy this product: If you’re a regular reader of this blog, you’ll know that I'm not a fan of buying stuff online (I'm impatient, hate shipping fees and hate having to deal with my local post office). So no, I won’t be ordering any Cheeky Monkey online. However, I would pick up another bottle of it if Cheeky Monkey and I crossed paths again in person.

Should you buy this product: Sure. It’s a solid, long-lasting, three-free product that comes in some great colours. Plus it’s always nice to support some of the smaller guys.