FLORAE | Der Codex

I have collected every seasonal release since I found this shop and I am not stopping. Each one has its own idea rather than being last season with a different colour on it. I keep the boxes. I know how that sounds.

I follow a lot of nail accounts and I've genuinely not seen these designs anywhere else, which is rarer than it should be. Most shops are all running the same three trends. These feel like someone actually sat down and drew them.

Missed one last year because I sat on it for two weeks and it went. Not making that mistake again, I ordered this one the day it dropped. Limited actually means limited here, which I respect and also slightly resent.

Wore mine to a party where three people were wearing the same set from a big brand. Nobody had mine. That's most of why I buy here.

The custom sizing is so accurate it genuinely feels like I sat in a chair and had them done. Not one nail is a compromise. I don't know how else to explain it, they just look like they grew there.

A designed set at my salon is well over $100 and even a plain colour is $65, then it's grown out in a fortnight. I worked out what I was spending in a year and stopped fairly quickly after that.

I rotate three sets and re wear each of them. Take them off gently, clean them, back in the box. They still look right on the third wear.

Ordered a milky lilac fully expecting purple. It's the milky lilac. After enough online colour disappointments you start to treat that as a feature.

Machine made sets are quick and cheap and I still keep a couple around. But they're built for an average hand and painted by a printer. Different product really, once you've worn both.