Friday, December 4, 2015

Pahlish Lion Hearted Girl

More Pahlish!

Like Ghost in My Lungs, Lion Hearted Girl was released by Arkansas-based indie polish maker Pahlish as part of The Hidden Door collection last month. This is a complex linear holographic polish in what Shannon calls a "blackened orchid" color, with a deep near-violet purple base loaded with pink metallic flake shimmers that, in combination, produce a dark but colorful shade similar to KSU purple. The pink shimmers are a genius touch. Not only do they help create the unique purple color, they glisten brightly from within the polish, giving it a dimensionalizing twinkle with a distinct magenta flash. Direct sun generates a sparkling prismatic flare with slender inner bands of glowing indigo and blue haloed by a corona of bright sparks in all of the rainbow colors, the whole floating over a central lick of rich semi-metallic purple.

Application was great! The consistency of Lion Hearted Girl is fluid, creamy and dense, with a plush glide over the nail and excellent self-leveling properties. The abundant flake shimmers splay the brush a little bit, but this does not interfere with application. Pigmentation is excellent with near opacity in one coat and completely even opaque coverage in two. Cleanup is fairly straightforward with some pigment travel as might be expected from such a deep, well-saturated shade but little to no trace staining. Lion Hearted Girl dries naturally in good time to a silky smooth, slightly flat finish. Topcoat adds a becoming gloss, enhances the presence and effects of the shimmers and does not appear to inhibit the holographic properties of the polish in any way that I could tell.

Photos show two coats of Lion Hearted Girl over treatment and basecoat with a topcoat of Seche Vite.


Pahlish Lion Hearted Girl


Pahlish Lion Hearted Girl


Pahlish Lion Hearted Girl


Pahlish Lion Hearted Girl


Pahlish Lion Hearted Girl


Pahlish Lion Hearted Girl


Pahlish Lion Hearted Girl


Pahlish Lion Hearted Girl


Pahlish Lion Hearted Girl


Pahlish Lion Hearted Girl


Pahlish Lion Hearted Girl


Pahlish Lion Hearted Girl


Pahlish Lion Hearted Girl


Pahlish Lion Hearted Girl


Pahlish Lion Hearted Girl

This is a splendid, rich purple for the colder, darker months of the year, deep enough to satisfy the craving for dark colors that accompanies fall and winter but colorful enough to make the eye happy. And like its stablemate Ghost in My Lungs, Lion Hearted Girl exudes the quality of carefully calibrated composition that makes for a profoundly satisfying, delightful polish experience all around. It's exactly what polish enthusiasts seek in artisan-crafted lacquers, not just a great-looking manicure but a tangible sense that the product they used was purposefully created with their happiness in mind.

love,
Liz

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