Nail Polish-Inspired Perfume Is a Thing Now... And I’m Kinda Into It

Snif’s fruity floral pairs a sharp, fresh-polish accord with juicy lychee, rose, and jasmine absolute before vanilla and musk soften everything as it dries down. The result still has that strangely satisfying lacquer-like bite when you spray it, but the juicy fruit and creamy base keep it firmly in perfume territory rather than giving “I just opened bottle of Essie.” Basically, it smells like getting a fresh mani and ordering a lychee martini afterward. Two of my favorite things, personally.Key NotesLychee, nail polish accord, rose, jasmine absolute, vanilla, muskIf you wanna take the nail polish note somewhere much sweeter, this one’s for you. It opens with a deliberately sharp lacquer accord alongside pink pepper and icing sugar, then piles on vanilla sugar, raspberry, and cotton candy before drying down to powdery heliotrope, white musk, and guaiac wood. Think painting your nails at a childhood sleepover with a bag of cotton candy nearby: sugary, nostalgic, and definitely not your average gourmand.Key NotesNail polish, vanilla sugar, cotton candyAdvertisement - Continue Reading BelowThis EDT was doing nail-polish perfume long before it became a buzzy fragrance concept. Launched in 1998, the aptly named “anti-perfume” combines 53 unconventional, inorganic-inspired smells, including nail polish, metal, oxygen, sand dunes, freshly mowed grass, laundry drying in the wind, and even flaming rock. The result is less manicure followed by dessert and more cool, avant-garde art gallery with a nail salon next door.Key NotesVolcanic rock, oxygen, nail polish, sand accordCatharine Malzahn is a contributing beauty writer at Cosmopolitan and was previously the beauty assistant at Good Housekeeping, Woman's Day, and Prevention.