"Percy Pig" and "nail polish" are two phrases you probably wouldn't expect to see bundled together. However, Marks and Spencer and Nails Inc have joined forces to create a scented polish and after Holly Willoughby approved of it on This Morning, naturally, we needed to test it too.
Retailing for £15, M&S's Percy Pig Nail Polish Duo contains two exclusive polishes created by Nails Inc. One shade is a bubblegum pink, the other a hot raspberry - and yes, both allegedly smell like Percy Pigs.
Committed This Morning watchers might remember this product from December 7, when it featured in the show's stocking filler segment and racked up praise from Holly and Philip Schofield for smelling just like the actual sweets.
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But how did it fare as an actual nail polish? And could this product win over a reviewer who wasn't a fan of the OG sweets?
First things first, the packaging is very cute - adorable, even. The hot pink cardboard felt sturdy and better yet, was decorated with various Percy Pig motifs. "Dries to a Percy scent," promised a text bubble in one corner.
The actual bottles were likewise sleek and expensive, in line with Nails Inc's usual style. I'd expected gimmick and I was getting... kind of chic?
I went for the 's lighter shade first, which is a Barbie-esque muted bubblegum that's intended to colour match Percy's face. I assume this the face of the cartoonised Percy Pig rather than the physical sweet, because it definitely leans neon more than the latter. I unscrewed the polish and sniffed: so far it was all polish, no Percy.
The first coat came out more electric than the bottle had suggested and quite patchy. Before I'd completed the first hand, I began getting whiffs of sugared berries and strawberry laces. I smelled my drying fingertips more deliberately: oh, they really did smell like Percy Pigs!
The brush put up more resistance on the second coat, but this was thankfully not to the detriment of my nails, which were becoming increasingly vibrant and (nearly) patch-free. I was onboard.
Intoxicated by the nostalgic scent, I decided to take a risk and do a third coat after a few more minutes. This is normally where things go awry for me. But instead of turning the surface tacky and streaky, the applied smoothly.
All remaining patches disappeared. My nails glinted solid and shiny. And I could for the life of me stop smelling my fingertips.
Buoyed by the success of the first polish, I turned my attention to hand two. It was at this point that I thought to turn over the polishes and realised they had names: "Kind of a Pig Deal" (the bubblegum) and "Pig-sure Perfect" (the raspberry). The latter looked a closer match to Percy's ears and nose, though regretted I didn't have a bag with me to swatch.
This one was another strong Barbie shade - or actually, a dead ringer for Elle Woods' power suit in that iconic Legally Blonde courtroom scene. I loved this pink too; I maybe even preferred it. (And not because it ended up being the one that got more compliments!)
The application process confirmed things. Despite applying shade two with my left hand - something I'm historically bad at and would absolutely not include on my CV - everything went incredibly smoothly. "Kind of a Pig Deal" had applied with no major issues, but "Pig-ture Perfect" was applying like a dream.
One to two swipes each was all it took to complete the right hand's first coat. Already the hot pink swatches were patch-free enough that I could leave the house right now without fear of ridicule - but I did two coats for good measure.
I was glad I did as the colour deepened to a more decisively neon-leaning raspberry ideal for rainy January days and/or upcoming romantic holidays. And as it began to dry, there again was the delightful scent. I was sold!
The verdict
From the on-trend Barbiecore shades to the mouth-watering smell, Marks and Spencer's scented Percy Pig Nail Polish Duo has got a lot going for it. As one would hope for polishes created by Nails Inc, the formulas screamed high quality. This was clear even from the application process: both were extremely easy to apply, quick to dry and boasted a gorgeous lacquered finish.
They're also surprisingly durable. At the time of giving this verdict (approximately four and a half days after painting) my nails have survived multiple meal preps, attempts at exercise and Tube journeys - plus a very deep clean of my kitchen. I've only just begun to notice them chipping away at some of the top edges. And if that doesn't sound like a long time, know that I've had professionally done gel nails last less time than that and ignored the instructions to apply a base and top coat.
As for the scent: the pungency of this began to die down after about 24 hours, mainly resurfacing when I washed my hands or waved them near my face for whatever reason. I was grateful for that despite having fallen in love with the smell - nothing kills a crush like being crowded. It was one nil to Percy.
Shop Marks and Spencer X Nails Inc Scented Percy Pig Nail Polish Duo for £15 online.
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