Friday, November 21, 2014

KBShimmer Snow Way!

(source)

Snow Way was originally released by indie polish maker KBShimmer as part of the Winter 2012 collection and has recently been re-released as part of the Winter 2014 collection. I loved this polish from afar in 2012 and it has hovered in my consciousness ever since, so I was thrilled to have the opportunity to pick it up upon its re-release. This is one adorable polish! Snow Way has a creme/jelly hybrid base of pale sky blue filled with white hex glitters in two sizes and sprinkled with iridescent particle shimmers. As a graphical representation of snowfall it works beautifully, and it's so pretty on the nail with the white glitters peaking out from their bed of icy blue punctuated by sparks of light from the tiny iridescent shimmers.

Application was ok! The consistency was fluid and creamy and fairly easy to apply. Glitter payoff is very good with a nice assortment of random glitters dispersing easily across the nail per brushful without tumbling or stacking or undue protrusions over the free edge. The crelly formula is by nature a bit sheer, so coverage is buildable. I used three coats for this manicure, which were a bit uneven at first but leveled out more as they dried and still more with an application of Nail Pattern Boldness Glitter Food and topcoat. The contrast between the whitened blue of the base and my pervasively stained nails is a little more noticeable than I would like, especially at the wrapped tips of the free edge where the polish is very thin, but this is just how it is and no fault of the polish's. Snow Way dries naturally in average time to a shiny finish that is textured by the components. 

Photos show three coats of Snow Way over treatment and base coat with a smoothing layer of Nail Pattern Boldness Glitter Food and a topcoat of Seche Vite.


KBShimmer Snow Way!


KBShimmer Snow Way!


KBShimmer Snow Way!


KBShimmer Snow Way!


KBShimmer Snow Way!


KBShimmer Snow Way!


KBShimmer Snow Way!


KBShimmer Snow Way!


KBShimmer Snow Way!


KBShimmer Snow Way!


KBShimmer Snow Way!

Did I mention how adorable this polish is? So pretty and fun! It makes me hope that we get a decent snowfall or two here this year. Considering the media hysteria, grocery store madness, electricity outages, tree damage and road chaos that ensues, the smart thing to do would be to count my blessings and be careful what I wish for. But looking at this polish, I just can't help it. Winter here without snow gets really dreary. 

My shrink always encouraged me to go for walks in the snow whenever we had some, because the light reflecting off of it stimulates the pineal gland and helps to elevate mood. I suspect it does, but the exercise probably contributes at least as much to mood elevation and I can do that without snow. Actually, just looking at this polish is elevating my mood right now! Note to self: wear this polish at least once a month til daylight time returns....

love,
Liz

4 comments:

  1. This is a really cute polish. I liked it when it was first released. I am always attracted to pastel blue polishes, but pastels just don't look worth two flips on me. :/ It looks really nice on you. And it puts me even more in the Christmas mood. Hmmm...some online shopping perhaps? :D

    Daylight Savings Time has the exact opposite effect on me. The less sun out there burning my oversize pupils, the better.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I don't like pastels on me either -- they make my skin look grungy. I keep trying to wear them and it never works. In fact, despite your sweet compliment (thank you!), I don't think this polish looks all that great on me, but I still love it!

      Just say YES to online shopping! That's how I buy all gifts, plus most of everything else. Yesterday I received eight four-packs of toilet paper that I ordered online from drugstore.com. Every piece of clothing I have on right now I got on ebay, including bra and underwear. Ha! I buy kitty litter and dogfood online from a local place with free delivery, which is awesome.

      DST, love the light. Hate the heat. I'm a walking heat sink.

      Delete
  2. Well, that does it. I need it. :) For some reason I never got the full snowy effect of this polish until you swatched it... and I LOVE snow!! (Thirteen days to winter wonderland!!)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You will love this polish, Marisa, it's just really fun to wear! Thirteen days... til your semester's done and you get to head back to Montana? Yippee! Do you put dedicated winter tires on your car to drive in the snow? Back when I was into cars, I had two full sets of tires and wheels and swapped them out for summer/winter. It doesn't snow much here at all, especially compared to where you're from, but when it does everything stops! *lol* You would be shocked at how we handle snowy weather in this state. If they even PREDICT snow, people flock to the grocery store and buy out all of the bread, milk and campbell's soup -- I've seen grocery checkout lines that run all the way to the back of the store when snow was predicted. Snow shovels sell out at all of the big box stores. Generators too, in case we lose power (which often happens since almost all of the power lines are above ground). All of the chaos is one of the things I love about having snow here, though. The heightened sense of emergency, the school closings, the potential for dire straits, the hunkering down... it's better than a vacation! (See, I can say that because I don't have children.)

      Delete