Saturday, October 26, 2013

China Glaze Skyscraper and Deborah Lippmann My Prerogative

Skyscraper was part of China Glaze's Metro collection for fall 2011. It's a lovely muted indigo glitter polish with a violet-blue tinted translucent jelly base filled with silver microglitters. The effect is of a sparkly silver-speckled dark denim color.

The consistency of Skyscraper is thick and gel-like and I added a couple of squirts of polish thinner to my bottle to make it easier to apply evenly. The color and coverage are buildable. One coat is fairly sheer, two coats are sufficiently opaque and three coats would be for maximum richness of color. Skyscraper dries naturally very quickly to a satiny smooth surface -- no sandy stuff here. A topcoat would certainly boost the color and sparkle power for a more intense look.

Photos show two coats of Skyscraper over treatment and basecoat with no topcoat to show the natural finish, which I quite liked.


China Glaze Skyscraper


China Glaze Skyscraper


China Glaze Skyscraper


China Glaze Skyscraper


China Glaze Skyscraper


China Glaze Skyscraper


China Glaze Skyscraper


China Glaze Skyscraper


China Glaze Skyscraper


China Glaze Skyscraper


China Glaze Skyscraper, halogen lighting to show sparkle


China Glaze Skyscraper, halogen lighting to show sparkle

Deborah Lippmann's My Prerogative was originally released for Holiday 2012 as one of a three-part limited edition mini collection called She's Always A Woman. At some point it must have been re-released as part of her core line, because my bottle is the regular 15ml/.5oz size as opposed to the mini's 8ml/.27oz. But it's no longer available on her website so perhaps the large size was limited also.

My Prerogative is a nicely-pigmented rich dark ultramarine blue creme polish with a little bit of jelly-like translucence to it. It's a beautiful polish and beautifully formulated as well. Application is wonderful, the polish just flows onto the nail, stays where you put it and self-levels like a dream. Coverage is great with opacity reached in two easy coats. My Prerogative dries naturally in slightly longer than average time to a glossy jelly-like finish.

Photos were taken in the kitchen under the halogens and show two coats of My Prerogative over treatment and basecoat with a topcoat of Seche Vite to accelerate drying and ward against molestation.


Deborah Lippmann My Prerogative


Deborah Lippmann My Prerogative


Deborah Lippmann My Prerogative


Deborah Lippmann My Prerogative


Deborah Lippmann My Prerogative


Deborah Lippmann My Prerogative


Deborah Lippmann My Prerogative


Deborah Lippmann My Prerogative


Deborah Lippmann My Prerogative


Deborah Lippmann My Prerogative


Deborah Lippmann My Prerogative


Deborah Lippmann My Prerogative

My original plans were to swatch Skyscraper and My Prerogative separately each for its own respective post, but I was reading reviews of Skyscraper on MakeupAlley in which several folks mentioned that it worked well as a topper over dark blue polishes and the idea of a combination post took hold. So here we are at the combination part of this combination post, the part where I layer Skyscraper over My Prerogative.

Fuzzy was immediately opposed to the "covering up" of My Prerogative with anything. "Oh NO!" All the while grabbing for my hands, as if that would prevent the blasphemous act from occurring. She thinks My Prerogative is perfect as it is and of course she's right, but it's not like I'll never ever do another My Prerogative manicure. You know. And it turns out that this layering combo is rather nice.

Photos show one thin coat of Skyscraper over the My Prerogative manicure above with a smooth shiny topcoat of Seche Vite. Apologies for my wildly flaky fingers (too much contact with cuticle remover will do that, it turns out).

China Glaze Skyscraper and Deborah Lippmann My Prerogative, bottle shot

China Glaze Skyscraper over Deborah Lippmann My Prerogative

China Glaze Skyscraper over Deborah Lippmann My Prerogative

China Glaze Skyscraper over Deborah Lippmann My Prerogative

China Glaze Skyscraper over Deborah Lippmann My Prerogative

China Glaze Skyscraper over Deborah Lippmann My Prerogative

China Glaze Skyscraper over Deborah Lippmann My Prerogative

China Glaze Skyscraper over Deborah Lippmann My Prerogative

China Glaze Skyscraper over Deborah Lippmann My Prerogative

China Glaze Skyscraper over Deborah Lippmann My Prerogative

China Glaze Skyscraper over Deborah Lippmann My Prerogative

China Glaze Skyscraper over Deborah Lippmann My Prerogative

China Glaze Skyscraper over Deborah Lippmann My Prerogative

China Glaze Skyscraper over Deborah Lippmann My Prerogative

China Glaze Skyscraper over Deborah Lippmann My Prerogative

China Glaze Skyscraper over Deborah Lippmann My Prerogative

In person, the blue base color is more the main player here with a somewhat less speckled look than the bright halogen lighting shows in the pictures, while the silvery glitters are more incidental, less blingy and more twinkly -- especially in low light. The effect is wonderfully like stars in a night sky. 

I love how the two different blues combined to make a new color, a nice midnight blue that is deep and dark without being too sharp or crisp. This lighting is a bit harsh to show this combination at it's best, it's more subtle that the photos show, but perhaps you get the idea. I'll definitely combine these two again in the future.

Bonus! Removing this manicure won't be as problematic as you'd think from looking at it. Skyscraper, unlike all of the other China Glaze glitter polishes I've worn, comes off without needing to soak and My Prerogative is non-staining. No foil, no smurf. Shalom!

love,
Aunt Liz


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