Bear Pawlish The Ponds

I can't remember exactly when I first saw The Ponds by indie polish maker Bear Pawlish in Tennessee's big cartel shop, but I think it was around the same time as Close But No Cigar or maybe a little earlier. The Ponds is a jelly-based linear holographic polish in a fantastic medium-light translucent emerald green bearing beaucoup cyan blue particle shimmers. This is quite possibly the closest thing to a real emerald, polish-wise, that I've ever laid eyes on. The blue shimmers add an iridescent-like sparkle to the polish and contribute to the blue lean of the green that makes it such a true emerald. It's a light-catching color with very dynamic holo action that nuances the base to various iterations of blue-green, and is super glowy on the nail.

This polish is quite translucent and requires multiple coats to build coverage. The consistency of the jelly base is fluid and smooth, but can become sticky if you linger over application. I stopped and gave the bottle a shake every now and then to keep it from pulling strings at the neck of the bottle. It has excellent self-leveling properties and is easily manipulated with Bear Pawlish's flexible flattened brush. I used four coats for this manicure and could still see light through my free edge when backlit, so opacity is relative and I suspect that if it were any more pigmented it'd be a stainer. There wasn't really wasn't much difference between three coats and four. On the nail, the reflectivity of the shimmers and the prismatic bloom of the holo pigment provide most of the coverage. Cleanup is easy and straightforward. The Ponds dries naturally in average time to a smooth shiny finish. I think that topcoat enhances the look of this polish and pops the shimmers especially.

Photos show four coats of The Ponds over treatment and basecoat with a topcoat of Seche Vite.

Bear Pawlish The Ponds

Bear Pawlish The Ponds

Bear Pawlish The Ponds

Bear Pawlish The Ponds

Bear Pawlish The Ponds

Bear Pawlish The Ponds

Bear Pawlish The Ponds

Bear Pawlish The Ponds

Bear Pawlish The Ponds

Bear Pawlish The Ponds

Bear Pawlish The Ponds

Bear Pawlish The Ponds

As you can see, even though I used four coats of The Ponds, the finished look isn't overly thick or blobby -- the polish's excellent self-leveling properties and propensity to go on in thin to medium coats account for that, I think. I'm not typically a thin-coat person but I do try and suss out whether a polish will take to thin coats and this one does. After the first coat, which was very sheer, I was like oh no, we'll never make it -- but it surprised me by developing this brilliant, vivid color. Given it's translucence, that's pretty amazing. 

The holo in this polish is also amazing. It's not a deep color but you can see the holo operating even in low light. Under incandescent lighting, the green deepens and the prismatic flair is strongly delineated, even more than it is in direct sun. For all the holographic drama, this color has a bright and cheerful presence on the nail for a jewel-tone, and is easy to wear.

love,
Liz