Smitten Polish Penny Dreadful

Penny Dreadful was released last month by indie polish maker Smitten Polish as part of the Fall 2014 collection. Noelie, the owner and creative force behind Smitten, describes it officially as a "coppery jelly filled with holographic microglitter." This amazing glitter bomb is so perfect for fall wear I can hardly stand it! It has a lightly tinted jelly base in which are suspended bazillions of infinitesimal baby-fine microglitters in a rusty burnt umber color, a big chunk of which are holographic. The color reminds me of the changing leaves on our big oak tree -- the overall look is of a profoundly sparkly coppery red-brown throwing red, dark pink and berry-colored sparks in indirect light. In direct light, ooh la la, it delights the eye as a brilliant tapestry of twinkling sparks in a rainbow of colors from the russet base. Penny Dreadful is a masterful, spectacular glitter creation, unlike any microglitter polish I've ever experienced.

Application was amazing. Noelie's jelly suspension base is not in the least bit thick or gel-like or sticky. It is fluid and silky smooth and applies as well or better than any creme. The microglitters are perfectly suspended in this base, and are so finely milled that you can't even tell that you're applying a glitter polish. It glides smoothly and evenly over the nail and is easily manipulated with Smitten's flattened flexible brush. No glitter tumbling or stacking or protrusions over the free edge with this puppy -- you can even wrap your tips as cleanly as you can with a creme. Like I said, amazing! Coverage is completely provided by the microglitters, which provide substantially wearable opacity in only two coats. I used three for this manicure, just to see if the additional coat made a difference in the coverage but it wasn't necessary and the only difference it made was a touch more opacity when backlit. Cleanup, too, is amazing. The microglitters are easily removed by a cleanup brush dipped in acetone or polish remover. Penny Dreadful dries naturally in very good time to a finely textured matte finish. One generous layer of topcoat is enough to smooth the surface and add a glossy shine.

Photos show three coats of Penny Dreadful over treatment and basecoat with a topcoat of Seche Vite. 

Smitten Polish Penny Dreadful

Smitten Polish Penny Dreadful

Smitten Polish Penny Dreadful

Smitten Polish Penny Dreadful

Smitten Polish Penny Dreadful

Smitten Polish Penny Dreadful

Smitten Polish Penny Dreadful

Smitten Polish Penny Dreadful

Smitten Polish Penny Dreadful

Smitten Polish Penny Dreadful

Smitten Polish Penny Dreadful

Smitten Polish Penny Dreadful

Smitten Polish Penny Dreadful

Gorgeousness! It's much more fantastic in person than a still photo could ever show, too. And so willing and well-behaved, I would never have believed a microglitter bomb like this existed had I not tried it myself. I believe that she used this type of formulation previously, in polishes from her Spring and Summer 2014 collections, and I could kick myself for shying away from them. I purchased another microglitter polish from Smitten at the same time that I bought this one, one of a Halloween duo called Cauldron Bubble. I think I'll have to go back and get the other half of that duo as well as as many of the other microglitters as my wallet can handle. Yes, I'm that blown away.

And as if it wasn't already impressive enough, this polish removes with only slightly more effort that a non-glitter polish. No soaking of tips in tinfoil and what not. What sort of wizardry is this, all of the benefits of glitter with none of the drawbacks?! Scrolls of heaven, roll on down!

love,
Liz