The products: SinfulColors Pride polishes in Resilient, Sugar Pumpkin, Bye Felicia!, Envioius, GoGo Boy, Love Thy Self, Call Me Violetta, and Pride
Every June, brands from all kinds of industries launch collections and ad campaigns to show their support for pride month. Some campaigns are better than others (I don’t believe for a second, for instance, that banks who refuse to support sex workers want anything more from pride month than a boost in their bottom line), but the SinfulColors Pride polishes are just… fun.
Identity is so closely linked to appearance for many, and the SinfulColors Show Your #Pride collection was designed to make an entire rainbow of colours available. Their June nail polish collection is the Loud & Proud Pride Collection, “celebrating the historic victory for same-sex marriage and civil rights last year.”
I loved shooting these and playing with the collection, but dear reader… don’t forget. Pride isn’t about a party. It’s about a riot.
Why SinfulColors nail polishes are great
I don’t wear nail polish as a general rule, but I’ll put on a manicure for theNotice. (I don’t like how it feels on my nails, or with my gender.) For years, however, I made the same mistake that most non-nail-polish people do. I reached for drugstore polishes from mass-market brands.
Different brands work well for different people, and SinfulColors is a brand that works well for me. Their polishes are thin, with a round brush and blunt tip. They need two coats, but they go on evenly. They’re stunningly affordable, too, at $2-ish in both the US and Canada.
» TIP: Do you struggle with applying your nail polish evenly? I do, too. My favourite brands for a no-mess mani are (at three different price points) SinfulColors, OPI, and YSL. I try my best to avoid Essie, Sally Hansen, and Revlon.
What I want to see from pride collections next year
I have a long wishlist of things that I want to see from brands’ pride collections. I would LOVE, for instance, shade names that reference big moments or figures in LGBTQ+ history. Likewise, actually seeing a percentage of each collection’s profits going to a LGBTQ+ charity would be amazing. (Marriage equality is a big one, but causes like suicide hotlines and living supports for LGBTQ+ teens are essential, too.)
As much as I loved this collection, I would go nuts for a variant of it. This collection was about the pride flag, and that’s amazing – but being able to paint your pride flag would be so, so cool.
I’m wearing Resilient, Call Me Violetta, and Love Thy Self (all LE) in these photos to represent the bi pride flag. In my hand is SinfulColors Pride (perm), a glittery polish that represents my ties to the community and my identification as a queer, polyam individual of colour. On the backdrop are swatches of the entire collection.
Availability: The SinfulColors Show Your #Pride collection is limited edition, but their nail polishes are $1.97(ish) across North America at these retailers. Toluene, Formaldehyde & DBP Free.
