A couple of weeks ago, when I was visiting my beloved Haven Spa in SoHo, i spotted an electric purpled pink amongst their impressive Zoya selection. For some reason, I chose to go with Dita (a deep magenta, for the record). Only a few days later, the lovely ladies from Zoya sent me a care package that just so happened to include Charisma. I took it as a sign.

When I hear the word "charisma", two things come to mind: A - it's always a quality that you would like to think that you posses (and want more of) and B: I immediately think of Charisma Carpenter from Buffy/Angel. How can either of those references be bad?

This shade of nail polish does, indeed, have a lot of charisma. when I applied the first coat (after removing a botched attempted matte mani, admittedly), the first coat dried with similar properties as a matte formula. I immediately became nervous. After convincing myself to move forward (it was a Monday, after all),I applied the second coat and finally the top coat.

Since I am admittedly unskilled when it comes to applying polish, I wasn't phased by the slightly uneven texture of the two coats that I applied (I belong to the school of "slap it on in a thick coat all around"), but the dulled finish and deeper color had me concerned. However, the moment I applied the top coat, the shade sprang to life (and mimicked the color in the bottle perfectly).

Charisma is a little complicated. In the sunlight, it is a vibrant neon purple infused pink. Indoors, it can appear to be a punchy purple. I am absolutely in love! i have a feeling Charisma might be transplanted to my toes during my next Haven visit.

Pick up Charisma for only $8 here.

Have you tried Charisma? What color is currently on your nails?