Face Stockholm Nail Polish – a pop(sicle) of color!

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photos: we heart this

The first time I saw the words ‘Face Stockholm‘ was in the mid 1990s on a now-defunct retail beauty website. I remember being intrigued by just the name alone, and when I saw the colors of the products in collection, my intrigue quickly grew into a mild obsession. I have used and loved many Face Stockholm products over the years (their eyeshadows are amazing!), and the wht review team gave a big stamp of approval to their precise eyeliner pencils. Yet, until I delved a bit more into the company for this review of their vibrant Non Toxic Nail Polishes, I never knew the story behind the name.

The founder of Face Stockholm, Gun Nowak, owned “three of the hippest fashion boutiques in Sweden in the 70’s and 80’s” (what a FUN time in history to own a fashion boutique, right?) and was into “crazy makeup”. But Ms. Nowak had a hard time finding makeup in the colorful shades she wanted, so she decided to take matters into her own hands. She opened her first makeup shop in 1980, and then enlisted her daughter Martina Arfwidson (who was in the midst of launching a singing career in New York) for help. This mother-daughter team went on to create a brand that has really made a name for itself when it comes to sleek, modern products in cutting-edge colors.

See! Bright, punchy, fashion forward color – for women, not tweens.

The wht review team received a few of the latest shades from Face Stockholm’s expansive Non Toxic Nail Polish, ($12) collection and when I saw the shades I would be testing, 106 (a beautiful, deep, hot pink crème) and 107 (a luscious lavender-purple crème), I was immediately reminded of the bright, vivid, bold shades of popsicles. Maybe it’s the sweet tooth in me, or maybe it’s because summer is in full swing here in Southern California, but whenever I look at these shades, I want to bite right into a popsicle. What could be better than that?

photo: Recessionista for we heart this

Beyond the sublime shades, these eco and body friendly polishes cost a reasonable $12. A bit more than a drugstore deal, but worth it for the of-the-moment shades and promise that these polishes are Big Three Free (that means they contain no DPT, Tulene or Formaldehyde) – yay! And all Face Stockholm products come in minimal and recycled packaging and are never tested on animals.

My sole complaint? The shades are numerically named without a color description, which can make colors hard to remember (trying to recall if own number 104 already is harder than recalling a name) and after some wear, the numbers are hard to read.

Back to the pluses (and this is a biggie), the formula; both 106 and 107 applied very smoothly and the texture of both crèmes is lovely (not thick and goopy, not too thin or watery). Both polishes required two coats for full opacity and while they did dry to a satin, almost matte finish, your favorite top coat can quickly transform the finish into a glossy one in no time. Ready to see some more shades?

More fab nail polish colors:

A patriotic trio:

I was able to get three days of wear out of both polishes before I saw any chips (and when I say “wear” I mean rough wear, like washing dishes and cleaning the house type of wear). A quality top coat (and better treatment of your hands) will lengthen that time a few more days.

Our review team received a collection of the newest shades of Face Stockholm nail color; so please check back to hear their thoughts on those colors (spoiler: there’s a taupe, a blue and a green!). In the meantime, do you own any Face Stockholm products? Do you have any faves from this brand?

Disclosure: This review includes products that were provided by the manufacturer/PR firm for our consideration. For more info, or any questions, please see our disclosure policy.

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19 Comments

  1. I have been a Face Stockholm fan since I went to their Soho store in NY and was in makeup heaven! I have never tried their nail colors, but am loving the unusual shades! I am particularly smitten with color 121. I have tried a few beige/ taupes without falling in love so far…this one looks like it’s worth a try! Is this one as nice as it looks in the bottle?

  2. I am totally drooling over these polishes! They remind me a bit like RGB and Rescue Beauty. Classic bottles with fun colors, but beautifully opaque. I’m so wanting these now!

  3. Just like @glamazon56, Face Stockholm’s Soho store has been one of my top NYC shopping destinations for many, many years (I adore their eyeshadows!), yet I have never tried their nail polishes.

    Then again, they weren’t offering such scrumptious colors the last time I was there. That 107 is so unusual and pretty, I must own it! Thanks for a great post, @nouveaucheap!

  4. Such gorgeous & rich colors. I think the teal in the first pic would make such a fun pedicure color! Love hearing the story on how there name came to be. When there’s a unique name like that, I’m always curious.
    XO Piper

  5. I tried 105 and it is the PERFECT summer color. On trend and just plain pretty! It is subtle (which is where I tend to go if I even wear polish). I think the color says – hey, I’m young but not a teen, fashionable but not too trendy. I give it 5 stars!

    I’m intrigued by the same one Stef is interested in- 121. But 107 looks good too! And 104…and 102…heck, they are all so pretty.

  6. I am so jealous of those of you who have access to their SOHO store! Oh to be able to see the entire collection of Face Stockholm in person. *sigh*

    Based on my long-time love affair with Face Stockholm, combined with the fact that they are still, to this day, producing products and colors that are on the cutting edge of fashion and yet completely wearable, I have to give this new collection five glowing stars. Heck, I’d give them five stars for the colors 100, 102 and 104 alone!

    And thanks so much, @turboterp :)

  7. @katieg I am so happy to hear you got 105. I was super curious about that shade as it looks gorgeous in the pics. Glad to know you love it!

  8. I got to try the lovely matte gray 121! I was wary of the gray shade for summer but its sort of an interesting pop against bright summer clothes, etc!

    @nouveaucheap is right – two coats gives you the most professional of manicures. I really felt like a got a couple of good days of wear on my fingers with this one too – which for hands is excellent progress for no chips!

    4 stars!!

  9. I had 105 and it is a gorgeous not too dark not too bright red. Two coats was the magic number for me too, and I loved how fast drying it was! I’m a fan, especially with it being eco-friendly. 5 stars from me!

    And um, @nouveaucheap? The fact that you took pictures with OTTER POPS makes me heart you a little more.

  10. Yay! I’m so happy that my fellow testers are finding great success with two coats as well. :)

    @lyssachelle OMG, I was hoping someone would say they liked the Otter Pops! Haha! I should have known it would be you–we are kindred spirits, I tell ya! xo

  11. That 105 looks so wonderful. I love cantaloupe colors on tan toes in the summer. Alyssa, you describe it as a red, does it have any orange to it like the bottle appears? Anybody get a chance to try 102?

  12. I’ve written about a lot of personal things on WeHeartThis and on my blog, but there is something I have yet to reveal. I have a severe, passionate love affair with the color red. I cannot own enough red whether it be clothing, shoes, accessories, or make-up. There are so many things and so many shades, but it is hard to find the perfect shade sometimes especially when it comes to nail polishes. Sometimes the colors are too bloody, too orange, too golden….But, I think Face Stockholm has gotten it right.

    I received 124 to try, and it is the closest think to the absolutely perfect red red nail polish I’ve ever tried. With two coats, my two nails were coated with this perfect cherry red popsicle color. It did go on a bit matte, but my top coat brightened it up. It also had amazing staying power. Walking around New York City in open toe sandals and working with children is guaranteeing that your toes are going to encounter a lot of foreign obstacles. My nail polish didn’t chip. After two weeks, I just got tired of looking at the color and took it off myself. :-) This is definitely a 5 out 5 star purchase. I don’t normally pay $12 for polish, but I might have to when this bottle wears out.

    (P.S.: As new nail polish addict, that picture with all their colors are making me drool.)

  13. I would love to try 104. Soooo pretty!!!!!!!! I will have to try this polish. Great review!

  14. @kellie76 – it just so happens I DID try 104! And I think you (and everyone else) would love it. It’s a true teal with no shimmer, the perfect blue green! @tyna – it reminds me a bit of the MAC Alice and Olivia polish you were wanting last week (Morning.After) But 104 leans a bit more towards blue. It’s a good “wild” shade that I can see liking for a long time (not getting tired of it as soon as the trend passes).

    I’m happy with this formula too. Not too thick, not too thin, and great coverage with just 2 coats. Pretty chip resistant too!

    I take only 1 star off for the numbering system rather than a name (which seems to be a pet peeve with quite a few of us on the review team!)

    But this is a solid 4 star polish!

  15. Grrr! I’m sorry ladies, I actually had 103, not 105! Count me as one of the ones who hates the numbering system in lieu of names.

  16. I tried the 102 the white with a purple hue. I used it to coat tips for a French mani. Which I liked. I did try to pain the whole nail just to see what it would look like, but I felt like a kid who painted my nail with white out.

  17. JCrew.com now sells these polishes. they have a branding partnership with the company.

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