Elevation Polish Toubkal

Toubkal was released by indie polish maker Elevation Polish as part of the Morocco collection in November 2012. It is a dark rich garnet colored creme/jelly hybrid (leaning a bit more to the jelly side of that spectrum) bearing relatively large irregularly shaped flaky shimmers in gold, pink and red. The base color is a beautiful red-violet, deep and saturated but translucent enough to catch and hold light, so that it never looks black. It's regal, but not aloof -- the shimmers see to that. They sparkle like little jewels from within this color, perfectly reflecting out their gold, pink and red colors. You can see their dancing sparkle even in low light and in direct sun they are breathtaking.

Application was great. The consistency of Toubkal is a little thick but still liquid enough for a smooth, languid flow over the nail. Pigmentation is very good, surprisingly so for a jelly. I got completely even opaque coverage in two medium coats. Cleanup is easy and straightforward, although with a polish of such a saturated color a little extra care is required to remove all traces and the shimmers will stick like limpets to cuticle and skin. However it goes on so easily that you can manage a fairly clean manicure with little effort -- any tiny swipes wipe away in a trice with a clean up brush. Toubkal dries naturally in slightly longer than average time to a glossy finish. A fast dry topcoat helps to hasten dry time and pops the shimmer colors as well.

Photos show two coats of Toubkal over treatment and basecoat with a topcoat of Seche Vite. They were taken late in the afternoon without the benefit of direct light and Toubkal looks very dark (as indeed it is), but you will see that the shimmers are lively nonetheless. I encourage you to click on the photos to see the full size pics.

Elevation Polish Toubkal

Elevation Polish Toubkal

Elevation Polish Toubkal

Elevation Polish Toubkal

Elevation Polish Toubkal

Elevation Polish Toubkal

Elevation Polish Toubkal

Elevation Polish Toubkal

Elevation Polish Toubkal

Elevation Polish Toubkal

Elevation Polish Toubkal

Elevation Polish Toubkal

The namesake for this polish is the highest peak in the Atlas Mountains, located about 63 kilometers south of the city of Marrakesh in the Toubkal National Park. Lulu writes, "Toubkal has one of the most amazing summits. The view from the top is nothing short of spectacular. You can see for miles and miles but I got fixated on the valleys below and how all that green short grasses mixed with shadowing looks like it was glowing and shining purple."

Cool!

love,
Liz