Rescue Beauty Lounge Gondoliere

Gondoliere was released by indie polish maker Rescue Beauty Lounge as part of the Italian Summer collection in August 2014. This is a well-saturated medium warm-leaning red. Ji calls it orange-based, and you can see in bright direct sun or incandescent light especially that it possesses a healthy splash of orange that brings "tomato red" to mind. But in indirect light and shade, it has all the earmarks of a bold bright true red: the intoxicating freshness and radiance, the sexy glowing richness of color, the potent sense of luxury, the balanced iconic quality of a classic.

Gondoliere has a superb formula. The consistency is fluid, creamy and dense but also light and eminently paintable, following the brush with perfect obedience and a creamy, self-leveling flow over the nail. Pigmentation is outstanding, I was amazed! One thin coat nets opaque coverage and full bottle color. Of course I used a second coat to finesse some edges, but the depth of color did not change. There was perhaps slightly more backlit opacity as you would expect from an additional coat, but that was all. Cleanup went a lot better than I expected -- waiting for the polish to set and surface dry and using the least amount of acetone necessary on my brush helped to keep pigment transfer to a minimum. Gondoliere dries in very good time to a gorgeous glossy finish that reminds me of Chinese lacquerware.

Photos show two coats of Gondoliere over treatment and basecoat with a topcoat of Seche Vite.

Rescue Beauty Lounge Gondoliere

Rescue Beauty Lounge Gondoliere

Rescue Beauty Lounge Gondoliere

Rescue Beauty Lounge Gondoliere

Rescue Beauty Lounge Gondoliere

Rescue Beauty Lounge Gondoliere

Rescue Beauty Lounge Gondoliere

Rescue Beauty Lounge Gondoliere

Rescue Beauty Lounge Gondoliere

Rescue Beauty Lounge Gondoliere

Rescue Beauty Lounge Gondoliere

I had wondered whether Gondoliere would truly read as red on me, whether the orange in it would be stronger than I wanted it to be, but I have to say that I can't imagine a better medium red, for me or anyone, and it has supplanted Zoya America as my favorite in the category. Ji has mixed a vermilion red of exceptional character and quality. For lovers of red polish, this one's a rare treat.

love,
Liz