Nubar Forest mattefied (and still sick)

Lacquering: Nubar Forest swatches (with two different matte top coats)

During my extended hiatus from Makeup Alley and the Nail Board, Nubar seemed to have shot to OPI/Essie/ChG status. It was odd to come back to find that mid-range brand I hadn't heard of before at all was suddenly the cool kid on the block. But it seems to deserve its status. I haven't loved everything of theirs I've tried but so far, I've been favorably impressed. To make it even better, they released a mattefying top coat (which I suppose everyone's doing but they got to it quicker than most other brands). So, without further ado...

Nubar Forest:

Nubar Forest with Orly Matte Top (done on my right hand so excuse the messy application):

And finally, Nubar Forest with Nubar V for Men:

Orly's matte topcoat provides more of a satin finish (which is lovely in its own right) but Nubar's is far closer to the definition of "matte" in terms of nail polish. It doesn't reach the level of matte of my two lone matte polishes (both ManGlazes) and doesn't look as matte as other matte polishes I've seen swatched, but it does what it says it does: it mattefies shiny polish. So I'm a happy camper.