Emerald and Ash Tomato, Tomato

Tomato, Tomato was released by indie polish maker Emerald and Ash as part of the Life in Color collection this past summer. It's medium-toned gentle tomato red shimmer polish with superabundant red and golden flake shimmers in a sheerish red jelly base. The flake shimmers produce an especially dimensional amount of visual interest in this warm summertime red, flickering in colors of red, gold, pink and orange through the translucent jelly base. This one really has a glass fleck appearance on the nail, with a reflective dimpled metallic shimmering finish that has a multi-toned speckled aspect to it in the shade and loads of scintilling sparkle in direct sun.

Application was great! The consistency of Tomato, Tomato is on the thicker side (but still paintably fluid), fluffy and dense with shimmer flakes. It has a certain bulkiness to it that reminds me a little of Superchic Lacquer's formulas, prefering application in medium to thicker coats with a light, even touch on the brush, then thinning on the nail as it dries down. For once I had no issues with a thicker formula, it was not a bit sticky and spread easily over the nail. The flakies are dense enough to cause some splaying of the brush, but lie down nice and flat on the nail with only a few protrusions over the free edge that are quickly taken care of with a tip-wrapping swipe. Pigmentation is surprisingly good for a polish with a jelly base, with opaque coverage achievable in two medium coats. I used three to see if it made a difference in the color and I think it did provide a richer hue that was closer to bottle color. I ended up with almost no cleanup necessary, highly unusual and speaks a lot for the maneuverability of this polish. Tomato, Tomato dries naturally in good time to a smooth, shimmering finish. Topcoat adds gloss and accentuates the activity of the flake shimmers.

Photos show three coats of Tomato, Tomato over treatment and basecoat with a topcoat of Seche Vite.

Emerald and Ash Tomato, Tomato

Emerald and Ash Tomato, Tomato

Emerald and Ash Tomato, Tomato

Emerald and Ash Tomato, Tomato

Emerald and Ash Tomato, Tomato

Emerald and Ash Tomato, Tomato

Emerald and Ash Tomato, Tomato

Emerald and Ash Tomato, Tomato

Emerald and Ash Tomato, Tomato

Emerald and Ash Tomato, Tomato

Emerald and Ash Tomato, Tomato

Emerald and Ash Tomato, Tomato

Emerald and Ash Tomato, Tomato

Emerald and Ash Tomato, Tomato

Emerald and Ash Tomato, Tomato

Emerald and Ash Tomato, Tomato

You can see in the photos how it leans orange in some lights and pinkish in others. This chameleon aspect ties in perfectly with its name, a reference to George and Ira Gershwin's lighthearted ditty Let's Call the Whole Thing Off.

You like potato and I like potahto.
You like tomato and I like tomahto.
Potato, potahto, Tomato, tomahto --
Let's call the whole thing off!

Let me tell you, this is one photogenic polish. We have clear skies and full sun today for the first time in what seems like forever and I was shocked at how many of the numerous photos I took turned out beautifully. Although the finish on this polish gives it a certain vivid brilliance in the photos, I'm almost tempted to call it a medium-light red instead of a medium one. It's got the kind of lightness to it in person that is great for summer, but it still has hutzpah enough to be appropriate and at home during the Christmas season.

Sweet polish!

love,
Liz