KBShimmer Sugar Plum Faerie

Like Snow Way, Sugar Plum Faerie was originally released by indie polish maker KBShimmer as part of the Winter 2012 collection and has been resurrected for this year's Winter collection. With a medium-dark slightly dusky purple base that reads as plum or violet depending upon the light in which it's viewed, it carries an abundance of multi-sized hex glitters, some of them holographic, in bright lively colors: magenta, lime and purple. The name of this polish recalls Tchaikovsky's ballet suite selection Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy, and for me this polish brings to mind the sequence in the 1940 film Fantasia where fairies anoint a flowery forest with morning dew in an animated interpretation of that famous piece.

Application was pretty good. The consistency of Sugar Plum Faerie is fluid and smooth and very crelly-like, with an easy flow over the nail. Glitter payoff is great, with a satisfying quantity of glitters dispersing almost effortlessly across the nail per brushful, no stacking or dragging and very few protrusions over the free edge. With a translucent base, pigmentation is buildable. The first coat is very sheer, but builds up surprisingly well on the second coat with completely even opaque coverage in three coats. You could also layer this polish over a like purple creme, and that is probably what I'll do when I wear this polish in the future in order to avoid sheerness at the tips... plus I had some trouble getting crisp, even lines around the cuticles. Cleanup wasn't difficult, but the smaller glitters especially stick like glue. I eventually called a truce and left a few on my nail environs, souvenirs of the application experience. Sugar Plum Faerie dries naturally in fairly good time to a slightly flat finish with notable texture from the glitters. I used a layer of Nail Pattern Boldness Glitter Food to smooth and even out the surface before applying topcoat.

Photos show three coats of Sugar Plum Faerie over treatment and basecoat with a layer of Nail Pattern Boldness Glitter Food followed by a topcoat of Seche Vite.

KBShimmer Sugar Plum Faerie

KBShimmer Sugar Plum Faerie

KBShimmer Sugar Plum Faerie

KBShimmer Sugar Plum Faerie

KBShimmer Sugar Plum Faerie

KBShimmer Sugar Plum Faerie

KBShimmer Sugar Plum Faerie

KBShimmer Sugar Plum Faerie

KBShimmer Sugar Plum Faerie

KBShimmer Sugar Plum Faerie

KBShimmer Sugar Plum Faerie

KBShimmer Sugar Plum Faerie

This polish really showcases Christy's outstanding formulary skills with glitter crellies. It's able to provide richly-colored opaque coverage while at the same time allowing the glitters to show from within the polish and making the most of their reflective sparkle by permitting plenty of light to reach them. Sugar Plum Faerie doesn't feel like it's jam-packed with glitter while you're applying, and yet... just look at it! It's full of exuberant pops of color! This is a fun polish to wear and is especially sparkly at night under interior lighting.

All day long I've had Tchaikovsky's music playing in my head with visions of Fantasia fairies leaving sparkly dew drops on whimsical animated flowers. Watch this video clip from the movie and tell me whether Sugar Plum Faerie isn't a perfect representation of it in polish form! Love it!

xo,
Liz