Il Était Un Vernis Spring in My Step

Spring in My Step was released by French boutique polish maker Il Était Un Vernis as part of the Tales of Love collection last month. Described by creators Bé and Stéphanie as "a muted green sage full of tiny flakies that shift from gold to copper and pink," it's a silvery elvish color a la J.R.R. Tolkien, a desaturated misty melange of green and grey with a breath of blue, very like a dimensionalized variation of Cambridge blue. It's holographic, and the abundant finely-milled holo pigment gently nuances the base color with subtle shifting hues of mint cream, honeydew and shadowy blue-grey while generating a gorgeous golden prismatic bloom in direct light. Duochromatic flakies with a pink to gold color shift gleam as light travels over them, with the pink shift lending an exquisite rosy blush to the look of the polish at certain angles.

Application was almost as dreamy as the color, with the outstanding formula I've learned to expect from this brand. The consistency of Spring in My Step is fluid, creamy and dense with a medium viscosity and a nearly effortless, perfectly self-leveling glide over the the nail. Just a delight in every way! Pigmentation is very good with two coats delivering completely even opaque coverage. I very nearly managed a totally clean manicure with this polish -- a rarity here in hand tremorland -- so I had very little cleanup to do and what there was, was easily done. Spring in My Step dries naturally in very good time to a smooth shiny finish. Topcoat does not inhibit the holographic effects of the polish in any way. 

Photos show two coats of Spring in My Step over treatment and basecoat with a topcoat of Seche Vite.

Il Était Un Vernis Spring in My Step

Il Était Un Vernis Spring in My Step

Il Était Un Vernis Spring in My Step

Il Était Un Vernis Spring in My Step

Il Était Un Vernis Spring in My Step

Il Était Un Vernis Spring in My Step

Il Était Un Vernis Spring in My Step

Il Était Un Vernis Spring in My Step

Il Était Un Vernis Spring in My Step

Il Était Un Vernis Spring in My Step

Il Était Un Vernis Spring in My Step

Il Était Un Vernis Spring in My Step

This is possibly my favorite Il Était Un Vernis shade after Pinot Noir. It's absolutely stunning and sadly my photos do it no justice. In person, the color is slightly richer and more green than you see here, and the flakies are easily visible on close inspection. The holographic effects as well are stronger than what I could capture on this overcast and rainy day. 

You'll need to see the subtle, delicate beauty of this one for yourself. It's worth it, I promise!

love,
Liz