KBShimmer How You Dune and Elevation Polish Piteraq

Note: the name of this polish is How You Dune? -- with question mark. For ease of reading I'm omitting the question mark in the body of this review.

How You Dune was released by indie polish maker KBShimmer as part of its Fall 2014 collection. It's a creamy shade of light grey with a hint of beige, giving it the color of pale dry sand. Christy writes, "Depending on lighting and skin tone, this work perfect neutral can shift to accent the gray or the beige undertones." Against my cool-toned complexion, it has a grey lean. I love it! It's a touch cooler than my heretofore favorite greige, OPI Skull and Glossbones, and I think it suits me better.

It also has a better, most fabulous formula. I mean it's so good that one could weep with gratitude! The consistency of How You Dune is fluid and creamy with a smooth even glide over the nail and a perfectly balanced viscosity for painting. Pigmentation is out of this world fantastic for a white-based polish -- it's a one-coater, I kid you not. Application of this stuff is almost a religious experience for those of us who have struggled with the uneven, streaky, chalky orneriness of pale shades. It's just as creamy and self-leveling and opaque as it can be at one coat. Of course I used two coats for this manicure to give it a chance to camo my furrowed nail beds, which it very nearly accomplished after the first coat. Two coats did it proud. Cleanup requires a bit of looking after as this is a very pigmented shade and swipes with the clean up brush can pull pigment onto cuticle and skin, but easy to remove with a second pass. In a nail polish coup de grâce, How You Dune dries naturally in good time to a beautiful glossy finish.

Photos show two coats of How You Dune over treatment and basecoat with a somewhat messy and slightly smudged topcoat of Seche Vite.

KBShimmer How You Dune?

KBShimmer How You Dune?

KBShimmer How You Dune?

KBShimmer How You Dune?

KBShimmer How You Dune?

KBShimmer How You Dune?

KBShimmer How You Dune?

KBShimmer How You Dune?

KBShimmer How You Dune?

I find this shade so forgiving and delicate and graceful. It reminds me of Audrey Hepburn for some reason. Yet you can see it's an absolutely grand workhorse of a polish, ready and fit for anything from palate cleansing to workplace suitability to nail art base to topper ready.

Speaking of which, I couldn't help but think about what I might layer over this puppy while I was applying it. Since I hadn't tried it yet, I decided on Elevation Polish Piteraq. Piteraq was released as part of Elevation's Naughty by Nature collection last November, and is a shimmer topper. It has flake shimmers in silver, white and ice blue with pale aquamarine particle microshimmers in a clear suspension base.

My lord this is a gorgeous creation! Inspired by the icy katabatic winds of Greenland, this topper adds the most extraordinarily beautiful silvery sheen to its base polish. The white and pale blue flakes possess an almost iridescent effect, which together with the highly reflective silver flakes have a dynamic interplay with light that results in a sleek ethereal glow on the nail. The aquamarine shimmers lend a delicate chilly effect that is just stunning. This is one of those polishes that immediately pulls you in for a closer look and totally fascinates with its composition, visual texture and otherworldly sparkle.

Application was a snap. Piteraq has a gel-like consistency that is not at all sticky and spreads evenly and smoothly over the nail. I used one of Piteraq coat over the How You Dune manicure above with a topcoat of Seche Vite for the photos.

Elevation Polish Piteraq over KBShimmer How You Dune?

Elevation Polish Piteraq over KBShimmer How You Dune?

Elevation Polish Piteraq over KBShimmer How You Dune?

Elevation Polish Piteraq over KBShimmer How You Dune?

Elevation Polish Piteraq over KBShimmer How You Dune?

Elevation Polish Piteraq over KBShimmer How You Dune?

Elevation Polish Piteraq over KBShimmer How You Dune?

Elevation Polish Piteraq over KBShimmer How You Dune?

Elevation Polish Piteraq over KBShimmer How You Dune?

Elevation Polish Piteraq over KBShimmer How You Dune?

Elevation Polish Piteraq over KBShimmer How You Dune?

Elevation Polish Piteraq over KBShimmer How You Dune?

Elevation Polish Piteraq over KBShimmer How You Dune?

With its irregular shapes and random distribution over the nail, Piteraq has an organic, earthy quality and its effect is transformative. It doesn't just lay shimmers over the base polish, it has creates a presence that is more beautiful and dynamic than the sum of its parts. I've seen it layered over other colors, but I was unprepared for how mesmerizing it is in person. Lulu astounds me with her toppers, the creativity and construction of them is just wonderful. Believe me, you want this in your stash!

love,
Liz