This polish is just awesome. It's got a bright medium-toned avocado green base that is loaded with gorgeous shifty blue/pink iridescent glass flecks as well as sparkly speckles of copper and gold, and I suspect there may be some multichromatic pigments in there too as the polish displays different washes of color, gold and purplish pink, that vary according to how the light hits it. The finish is dappled with glowing glass flecks, throws a blue flash in dim lighting and sparkles like crazy most of the time. I love the blue iridescence of the flecks with the green base, it freshens up the color to a vibrant grassy green with a blue heart, so stunning. I could gush on for paragraphs about the multifaceted, dimensional nature of Swatch and Learn, but I'm reining it in here. Suffice to say that this polish is heaven sent for lovers of green lacquers, glass fleck shimmers, multichromatic pigmentation and all things deeply cool.
Just about the only thing that could make Swatch and Learn even more awesome is a nice application, and it's got that too. The consistency is fluid, smooth and dense with components. It goes on with an easy silky slip over the nail, stays where you put it and self-levels like a dream. Pigmentation is buildable: sheer but very even on the first coat with sufficient opacity for wearing on the second. I used three coats because macro, and also just because I could. Swatch and Learn is so sparkly and beautiful when it's wet! Cleanup is problematic only because those glass flecks really like to stick around, but the polish applies so easily that you probably won't have much cleanup to do. Swatch and Learn dries naturally in good time to a smooth shiny finish.
Photos show three coats of Swatch and Learn over treatment and basecoat with a topcoat of Seche Vite. Apologies for the swipe of polish to the side of the middle finger nail on my left hand. I didn't see it until I was about halfway through taking the pics. I cleaned it up at that point but as you'll see there were some recalcitrant glass flecks left behind.
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When swatches of the Stop! Collaborate and Listen collection began showing up on polish blogs, Swatch and Learn was immediately my favorite and the only one of the three that I just had to get. Don't get me wrong, the other two are beautiful also, but Swatch and Learn was irresistibly so. I don't have anything like it in my collection. It's one of a kind, for sure!
love,
Liz
Wow, this is gorgeous. I love the subtle duochrome to it...
ReplyDeleteIsn't is though! The color shifts are more athletic and noticeable in person too. Michelle, remember way back when you did a post on some of your favorite greens and I left a mammoth comment? This is one of THOSE greens!
DeleteHey Liz!
ReplyDeleteThank you for your glowing review - it means a lot that you love it as much as I do! :) You've captured the essence of the nail polish so well in your photos, and I really enjoyed reading what you had to say because you describe it so well. I appreciate your clear talent for writing. (I've linked to your review in my post on Pretty Serious Swatch And Learn.)
- Mary
I'm so happy that you stopped by, Mary, and that you enjoyed this review! Obviously I loved your polish, it's glass flecky delicious goodness is now among my favorite greens. Thank you for the compliment, you are very kind! :)
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