KOH Rain Forest Nail Polish Review


For all my KOH nail polish swatches: Brand: KOH

I had written a post introducing KOH Cosmetics earlier this month. I admit I was gushing about this brand but hey, what’s not to love?! I love its concept, I love its packaging and I love its wide range of nail products. I’d like to think of it as fresh and different.

I had promised that I would write more about this brand and so, here is my first review of a KOH product, a nail polish that I purchased several months ago. There was a teeny photo of my nails with this Rain Forest nail polish in that first KOH article and so, to compensate for that shamefully almost-microscopic photo, I shall include here larger and clearer images.

Note: I suppose nail polish reviews should be quick and short but since KOH is not yet very known outside of certain countries in West Europe, I’ll do an elaborate review here.

Product
Name: KOH Colours! in Rain Forest
Colour choice: Last I checked, there were 124 colours as there were new releases recently but there could be even more choices now (it’s hard to keep up!)
Volume and Price: 10ml / 0.34 fl oz for €14.95

Packaging
Every KOH Colours! nail polish comes in a case with embroidery and the KOH logo. The case is shut with a press-stud. Inside, under the flap, are two elastic bands to hold a mini nail file. The brush handle is long and narrow and the brush is pretty standard.


Nail file pictured was purchased separately


According to KOH (excerpts, translated)
KOH Colours! are enriched with topaz. This exquisite exclusive gemstone has a crystal-clear brilliance and a unique hardness. Just like topaz, KOH Colours! have a dazzlingly beautiful sparkle and the nail polish is longer protected against damage.

Contents
Rain Forest is a very glossy sap green with a slight yellow undertone.

I mentioned before that I didn't find formaldehyde, dibutyl phthalate (DBP) and toluene on the list of ingredients. I've scrutinised the list to the best of my ability (I'm sure you would understand how difficult to read and complicated ingredients lists tend to be). I do see topaz listed somewhere at the bottom of the list.

My thoughts
Packaging
Like I said before, I love the case in which the nail polish bottle comes. It’s basically an oversized liptick case, big enough to hold the tall bottle. I think it’s cool and handy that you can store a mini nail file in there too.


The long brush handle is slightly pinched in towards the top half. I have no problems with this handle shape as the grasp is fine.

Application and Nail Polish Consistency
KOH Colours! nail polishes have a normal nail polish scent. The nail polishes are pigment-heavy. The formula is rather thick and they dry quite fast. That could be a boon or a bane, I suppose.

With this nail polish, one coat would actually be enough. Personally, I don’t prefer this method even though it is less work. You’d need to have a sure, quick and steady hand. Otherwise, the paint job may look uneven and sometimes streaky due to its pretty fast drying time. Yours truly doesn’t have a sure, quick and steady hand, so would rather let the nail polish drain a little from the brush first before applying a moderately thin layer. The second layer can be applied five to ten minutes later. So far, I’ve never needed to apply a third layer. The images below are with two layers of Rain Forest (the second image is with flash photography).

Durability
The topaz in the formula is supposed to increase the hardiness of KOH nail polishes. From my own experience, KOH Colours! nail polishes stay in good condition for averagely three days. But I’m always of the opinion that no matter how great a nail polish is, the durability of a nail polish depends on how dainty you are and how much work you do with your hands, household chores, for example. So, it all depends on personal circumstances.

I’ve recently started using KOH Top Coat Bamboo as a protective layer. I will give Top Coat Bamboo more time to prove its worth before doing a review on it.

Conclusion
I’m happy with the quality of its nail polishes. It’s very pigmented and with the thick formula, you’ll never encounter issues with having to paint four to five layers! I don’t know how you feel about green-coloured nail polishes but I sure love Rain Forest! And I’m not someone who’s usually that crazy about the colour green. I was feeling adventurous the day I purchased it.

KOH Cosmetics has positioned itself as a luxury brand and the beautiful packaging attests to that. I think KOH Colours! nail polishes would make great gifts especially because every KOH nail polish bottle comes with a lovely case which you can use for many purposes. You don’t necessarily need to use it only to keep the KOH nail polishes!

To expand on what I mentioned previously and as an indicator, the price of a bottle of KOH nail polish is €1.00 dearer than a bottle of OPI (here in the Netherlands anyway) but I admit you do get more volume in an OPI bottle. On a per bottle basis, KOH is about a quarter less expensive than the nail polishes of other luxury brands like Chanel. Per ml basis, I think they work out to be almost the same, perhaps KOH being a tad less expensive and you do walk away with a beautiful casing. I try to take advantage of the occasional deals offered by the beauty stores.

At the moment, KOH nail polishes are available in upmarket beauty stores in only several countries in West Europe.

If you’re curious about this brand, please read my previous post on KOH Cosmetics. You may also want to have a look at the KOH Cosmetics website but as mentioned before, the Dutch version is more extensive than the English version. So, do let me know if you have any questions.

Next month, I will share with you my recent visit to nail polish heaven. Yes, I said heaven!

Update
You might also be interested to see KOH Rain Forest with the KOH Matt top coat.

Further reading:
All my features on KOH nail polishes.

29 comments:

twinsouls888 said...

Ooooohhh the color is so cute, so chic ^_^. If only there were Koh Cosmetics here in Manila ^_^.

Have a nice day girl.

xoxo
ems

DinaXYYan said...

the packaging is so pretty and the color too!

Thanks for entering my giveaway btw.
i don't know why but my brother always has better skin than me and my sisters! that's weird..

Carine said...

i don't normally go for green polish but this green is fantastic !

Witoxicity said...

@twinsouls888
I know, it's a pity that this brand is only available in a few countries in Europe. But, who knows........

Do have a lovely evening too!

@Dina
You're welcome, and I'm glad you approve of this green shade too! :)

@Carine
I hear you! Honestly, the more I look at it, the more I love it.

Shop N' Chomp said...

Wow, that packaging is awesome! Have not heard of this brand until now so thank you for the review. :D

P.S And thanks for your sweet comment!

Witoxicity said...

@Shop N' Chomp
You're welcome! As for the packaging, I know that the quality and the performance of a product should be above all else but this KOH packaging is waaay too enticing. :)

Catherine said...

Hi hon, thanks for stopping by my blog. Glad you like it. =) & thanks for your kind words about the choking incident. My throat is still sore unfortunately lol....

Anonymous said...

I'm sure i had already commented this? =S. Hehe. Anyway, this is a great review, as usual xD. And I love the colour alot! I'll have to find a replica because I don't know if I can get that brand where I live =(.

The Beautifier said...

I love to read your review posts hun! The packaging is so classy and I love the colour too! xoxo

The Beautifier said...

Hey! Congrats on your 1oo followers girl! xoxo

Witoxicity said...

@Linda
Oh? If you had earlier left a comment on this post, I'm afraid it didn't go through. Could I be having technical issues with Blogger.com?

Anyway, thanks for your lovely comment. I'm pleased you like this shade. To the best of my knowledge, I don't think KOH is available in the UK. Not YET, anyway!

@The Beautifier
Aww, thanks! You noticed! Ha ha! Well, you'll be getting to this milestone yourself pretty soon too!

It's good to know that you enjoy my reviews. I do wish I wasn't so verbose though! :D

As for the packaging, I think it's a cool idea to include those classy cases with the nail polishes. It's unique, isn't it?

Babybubblz said...

Wow, that's a gorgeous green! But I haven't seen this brand here yet, hoping one of the Zoya's look like this.

The case is interesting, I prefer to store polishes so I can see them but I'd definitely find another use for the pretty case.

Minimalist approach to beauty is always great! It's fun to put on different products, but at the same time - that is a whole lot of stuff.

Love the blog name!!

street angel said...

I love the color.

Anniepop said...

AHHHHH! thats just the most perfect shade of colour EVER!!!!!!!!

Witoxicity said...

@Babybubblz
It's lovely of you to drop by. I'm pleased you like the blog name. That compliment's a first, actually! :D

I have to say that this Rain Forest is the most curious shade of green. This shade will certainly grown on you if you're not one who's normally into green.

I agree with you about the case - it's handy for storing other things as well.

@Style Bird
I'm glad to hear that! :)

@annieo
Ha ha! Thanks for that huge dose of enthusiasm! I do think it's an awesome shade too! :)

The Beautifier said...

Hey! I love your blog! I have nominated you for and award! check out my blog xoxo

Witoxicity said...

@The Beautifier
Gosh, thanks so much! That's so sweet of you! :)

DluxEdition.com said...

The packaging is really pretty and I love the color!

Anyways check out my blog too if you want! :)

Witoxicity said...

@Kittynail
Thanks for coming by. Yes, the case is gorgeous, isn't it? :)

Anonymous said...

Great review~! The polish looks fantastic on your nails!

Witoxicity said...

@Natalie
Thanks! At that time, it felt like quite a gamble when I chose this colour. :)

Anonymous said...

I am absolutely smitten with the polish and the packaging. What an beautiful gift it would make for a nail polish connoisseur. Rain Forest is a gorgeous colour on your nails and while I am not a green polish fan, I could definitely imagine wearing this on my nails. I think the gold flecks contained within the polish do it justice. Great post and I can't wait to be transported to Nail Polish Heaven, is there such a place? If there is, I'm done for ;) xx

Witoxicity said...

@Danielle
Hi! I can certainly imagine this colour on your nails and knowing how creative you are, you would add some gorgeous artwork on it too! :)

It's been a short trip so far, this journey of my beauty awakening, but, girl, I got really starry-eyed when I stepped into this place I call nail polish heaven! I will write about it in a week or two and you can decide if it's heaven or not. :D

lorien kate said...

The packaging is too cute! x

Witoxicity said...

@Lorien BeautyLove
Ha ha, I'm very drawn to the pretty casing too! :)

littlem said...

So we're talking, around the price of Rescue Beauty Lounge here in NYC.

Amazing color, and looks lovely with your skin.

Witoxicity said...

@littlem
It's lovely of you to drop by. Yup, it's of RBL's price range. I'm pleased you like this shade. :)

Honey Bomb said...

Whoa! Is this close to a Chanel Peridot dupe? Love it! Such cute packaging too!

Witoxicity said...

@Honey Bomb
Hi, Homey Bomb! Yeah, KOH puts a lot of emphasis on the packaging. They're lovely. Dupe for Peridot? I haven't seen Peridot in person. I've seen only photos on the internet, so I can't be sure. It does seem to me though that Peridot has more gold than green while it's the reverse for Rain Forest. :)