Darling Diva Nightbird

Nightbird was released by indie polish maker Darling Diva Polish as part of the White Witch collection in February this year. This collection of twelve holographic polishes was inspired by rock artist Stevie Nicks, and each polish was given the name of one of her songs. Carrie, the owner and creative force behind Darling Diva, describes Nightbird as a "deep indigo blue holo" with "just enough purple in there to make it not just another navy." It is indeed a beautiful dark but vivid indigo blue holographic polish that produces a beautiful well-defined linear prismatic display in direct sun. What impresses me about this polish is how finely tuned the balance is between the color and the holo. It doesn't contain overwhelming amounts of the holo pigment; the color doesn't segue into a reflective metallic in direct light and yet still produces a bold, nicely delineated flair; the base color is deep and rich in all lights; the holo pigment is sufficient and responsive enough to infuse the base color with prismatically nuanced shades of deep sapphire, midnight blue and violet in bright indirect light.

Application was very nice. This is a very user-friendly polish that has a fluid, smooth consistency with an even, self-leveling flow over the nail. Pigmentation is very good -- I used two coats for completely even opaque coverage. Cleanup is easy and straightforward with no trace of staining left behind. Nightbird dries naturally in very good time to a silky smooth, shiny finish. Topcoat does not diminish the holographic properties of the polish in any way.

Photos show two coats of Nightbird over treatment and basecoat with a topcoat of Glisten and Glow HK Girl, and are a mix of indirect and direct light shots.

Darling Diva Nightbird

Darling Diva Nightbird

Darling Diva Nightbird

Darling Diva Nightbird

Darling Diva Nightbird

Darling Diva Nightbird

Darling Diva Nightbird

Darling Diva Nightbird

Darling Diva Nightbird

Darling Diva Nightbird

Darling Diva Nightbird

Darling Diva Nightbird

Darling Diva Nightbird

Darling Diva Nightbird

To me, the indigo color of this polish shows off the holo flair in a particularly exquisite way. The prismatic colors pop boldly from the deep blue, and the contrast between them is graphic and overt. It is pleasing to the eye the same way that the primary colors are when you see them used together in graphic art or a woven pattern or even a floral arrangement. I love that the burst of color comes from within the polish instead of floating above it, which often occurs with strong linear holos that develop a metallic sheen in direct sun. Nightbird is a consummate holo with equal parts of strength and grace in its prismatic properties.

The depth and dimension of this deep blue polish dovetails well with the song Nightbird, which is about coming to terms with grief and loss. I think Stevie would be pleased.

love,
Liz