Maybelline Super Stay gel nail color in Surreal review and swatches

Yes, yes, I admit it. I've bought too many nail polishes recently. But that's because drugstore polishes have recently surpassed the level of high-end ones. For affordable prices, with countless promotional offers you can get incredible polishes for less than $3, like the new Maybelline Super Stay Gel Nail Color in Surreal.

First of all, I need to comment upon the photo above. This nail polish doesn't look like the one in the first photo at all. For some reason it tends to look in the blog post completely different than in the original picture and even more different than in reality. When I was buying it I thought I was getting something purple, but it seems to me now that it's excatly half way between cornflower blue and lilac purple. It's a kind of romantic, dreamy, muted shade, nothing like the bright blue above, the picture below represents the shade much better. 

What I really hated when I started applying the polish was the brush. Although I really loved the fact that it was wide and flat, I was more than disappointed by hairs sticking out in all directions. I noticed this right after opening the bottle, so this wasn't a result of wear or my careless poking around with the brush. The shape of the brush was rounded, but very irregular, with one side more rounded than the other. The fibres themselves seemed wonky and feeble and not as stiff as those in applicators by other brands (eg. Bourjois ! Seconde). 

With some effort, however, it was possible to apply the polish on my nails. The first coat was uneven and streaky, but the second one evened out all imperfections and made my nails look amazing! 

This polish is worth the effort and waste of time with the horrible brush. The effect fully compensated for the sacrifice. The colour is opaque and unbelievably shiny. It wears well for days without shrinking, chipping nor showing any symptoms of wear and tear. 

In spite of the fact that the brush needs improving, I'm going to get a couple of other shades from the line.

Disclaimer: I bought the product myself for my personal use and I am not affiliated with any company. I am not paid to do this review and everything I said here is my genuine opinion.