Grey: Chick Gr8 Gray Owl, Misa Grey Matters and Barielle Out-Grey-Geous

The other day I herded a small flock of untried greys into my swatching chute and now I'm ready to try them out.


The first grey I have for you is Gr8 Gray Owl from Chick. Chick is an indie polish maker on a mission to make our lives less toxic -- more power to them! Their handcrafted polishes are vegan-friendly and free of carcinogens, and come in neat rectangular bottles with a carefully selected high-end round brush and a sweet chick logo on the front. I purchased Gr8 Gray Owl as part of a stout Llarowe haul early this past spring. It's a beautifully formulated light-medium Gainsboro grey creme with a smooth fluid consistency that flows easily onto the nail. The brush reminds me of Essie's in size, it has a petite diameter and flexible bristles that do not overload and fan out nicely over the nail when applying.

Gr8 Gray Owl is a superbly balanced grey. To my eye, it wants to lean cool on my nails but swatching on the wheel reveals it's perfect neutrality. It has a soft presence as you would expect and creamy sleek look. It dries naturally to a glossy shine.

Photos show two coats of Gr8 Gray Owl over treatment and basecoat plus a topcoat of Poshe.

Chick Gr8 Gray Owl

Chick Gr8 Gray Owl

Chick Gr8 Gray Owl

Chick Gr8 Gray Owl

Chick Gr8 Gray Owl

Chick Gr8 Gray Owl

Chick Gr8 Gray Owl

Chick Gr8 Gray Owl

Chick Gr8 Gray Owl

Chick Gr8 Gray Owl

Chick Gr8 Gray Owl

Chick Gr8 Gray Owl

Chick Gr8 Gray Owl

Chick Gr8 Gray Owl

The second grey for today is Grey Matters from Misa. Grey Matters is a light silvery grey creme with very fine iridescent shimmers and dainty charcoal flecks. The components really give this nicely balanced neutral a certain special je ne sais quoi (hey, FRENCH!), aka visual texture. The iridescent shimmers are only barely noticeable on the nail, but their presence adds a subtle overall glow, not quite metallic but light reflective in that way. The charcoal flecks are a delicious counterpoint to the light grey of the base and give Grey Matters an interesting speckled egg look that I find extremely fetching. This polish has a silkier and slightly lighter feel on the nail than Gr8 Gray Owl.
Application was easy and smooth. Photos show two coats of Grey Matters over treatment and basecoat plus a topcoat of Seche Vite.

Misa Grey Matters

Misa Grey Matters

Misa Grey Matters, with bonus dirt crumbles, nice... NOT!

Misa Grey Matters

Misa Grey Matters

Misa Grey Matters, with bonus doink

Misa Grey Matters

Misa Grey Matters

Misa Grey Matters

Misa Grey Matters

Misa Grey Matters

Misa Grey Matters

Misa Grey Matters

Misa Grey Matters

The third and final grey of this post is Out-Grey-Geous by Barielle. Out-Grey-Geous was released in 2009 as part of their All Lacquered Up collection, which was a collaboration between Barielle celebrity manicurist Elle and polish blogger Michelle from All Lacquered Up. It's a great collection and I own several polishes from it.

Out-Grey-Geous is a medium metallic charcoaly grey shimmer polish with golden glitter flecks in addition to loads of silvery shimmers. I adore mixed metals, I think they are the height of sophisticated chic when done well, and I love the concept of this polish. If I could redo the construction of it, I'd take away about three quarters of the silver shimmer and replace it with grey pigment. As it is, Out-Grey-Geous is somewhat sheer and -- dare I use the "f" word? -- frosty.

Frosts were the height of nail polish couture in the 1980s and since that time have been in an ever more rapid and steep decline. At present, the word alone is enough to trigger gag reflexes in the majority of nail polish enthusiasts, including me. To me, a frost is a polish that a formulator wasn't well-budgeted enough to finish properly so they threw in a boatload of highly reflective shimmer along with the towel. I'm sure there are folks out there who disagree with this somewhat cavalier assessment, but that's how I feel.

So it's no surprise that Out-Grey-Geous is my least favorite polish of the three in this post. Still, the inclusion of gold glitters in the silvery charcoal grey is a beautiful touch. If the polish had a less shimmery finish, they would stand out even more than they do. As it is, close scrutiny and the right angle of light are required to give them the appreciation they deserve.

Because it was so sheer, I applied Out-Grey-Geous right over my Misa Grey Matters manicure. Had I started without a base polish, I would have needed at least three coats possibly four to achieve aesthetically pleasing opacity. Photos show two coats of Out-Grey-Geous over the Grey Matters manicure above with a topcoat of Seche Vite. My application and clean up on this manicure left something to be desired, my apologies.

Barielle Out-Grey-Geous

Barielle Out-Grey-Geous

Barielle Out-Grey-Geous

Barielle Out-Grey-Geous

Barielle Out-Grey-Geous

Barielle Out-Grey-Geous

Barielle Out-Grey-Geous

Barielle Out-Grey-Geous

Barielle Out-Grey-Geous

Barielle Out-Grey-Geous

Barielle Out-Grey-Geous

Barielle Out-Grey-Geous

Barielle Out-Grey-Geous

Barielle Out-Grey-Geous

So there you have it, three grey polishes. The spectrum of this comparison reminds me of a discus throw: you start with the creme, then there's the point of release with the flecked creme and then there's a good bit of distance to the shimmer. To continue the metaphor further than necessary or tasteful, probably farthest out, the landing spot for the disc, would be a stark black and white glitter mix in a clear base like Lynnderella's Connect The Dots.

To me, grey polish is less about drama and more about satisfaction, hitting that sweet spot that gives you a little spiritual boost. Of course, there are times when drama IS the sweet spot, in which case colors other than grey are called for. But when the yen is for something effortlessly classy and sophisticated, grey is an excellent choice. 

I think I'll be on the look out for more of those "sweet spot" greys after this post!

love,
Aunt Liz