KBShimmer Stonewashed

Stonewashed was released by indie polish maker KBShimmer as part of the Fall 2014 collection just last month. From the first swatch I saw of this polish I knew it was the one in that collection that I just had to have. Described variously as a dusty navy, a deep teal, a grey/green denim, a dusty denim and a denim teal, I'd call it a deep muted slatey cerulean blue, as if you took a dark cerulean and added a few drops of grey to it, one of those creamy in-between colors with a harmonius, complementary nature. It's got plenty of body and saturation with an added softness that is SO FINE! Universally flattering -- I can't imagine a complexion it wouldn't flatter -- with a graceful, restrained presence and a versatility of tone that will allow it to analogously accompany many sprucey blues and greens, I say this polish is a must have blue for fall and winter.

Application was awesome. The consistency is fluid, creamy and oh-so-smooth, with an easy, self-leveling flow over the nail. It goes on nicely in thin or thicker coats, as is your preference, and is quite user friendly. It's been fibers in the polish week here and I had some extracting and patching to do on this manicure that was accomplished without undue drama and patches that melted into the existing coat without leaving a trace of themselves behind. Gotta love a polish like that! You also gotta love a polish that's so well-pigmented it's a perfect one coater. I used two for this manicure, but the second was only necessary to repair and finesse the first. Cleanup is straightforward with some extra attention given to removing any wisps of color that get drawn onto skin and cuticle with the cleanup brush. But it cleans up without a trace of staining, something I never take for granted with blues especially. Stonewashed dries naturally in good time to a glossy finish.

Photos show two coats of Stonewashed over treatment and basecoat with a slightly bubbly topcoat of Seche Vite and a fine residue of towel lint (my apologies). ;->

KBShimmer Stonewashed

KBShimmer Stonewashed

KBShimmer Stonewashed

KBShimmer Stonewashed

KBShimmer Stonewashed

KBShimmer Stonewashed

KBShimmer Stonewashed

KBShimmer Stonewashed

KBShimmer Stonewashed

KBShimmer Stonewashed

KBShimmer Stonewashed

So delicately balanced between blue, green and grey! It's soft as washed flannel but the depth of color gives it a bit of gentle drama. I woke up with this color on my nails, saw my hands and did a double take. It totally transformed my chubby paws into gracefully appended metacarpi, beautifully adorned with this amazing color that had me gasping with surprise and delight... if that's not reason enough to love a polish, I don't know what is!

love,
Liz