Fancy Gloss is an new-to-me indie polish maker that only recently came onto my radar when I saw a swatch of the much beloved Frozen Berries by Sheila of Pointless Cafe back in November, here, a polish which Sheila eventually named as her favorite polish of 2014. Since then I've unsuccessfully tried to pick up a bottle of that beauty during restocks at the brand's big cartel shop, and had about given up connecting with it until I came across another more recent Fancy Gloss swatch from Sheila, this time of a gorgeous deep yellow-green, Camo Home with Me. My exaggerated covet response fully triggered, I was ready to try again when shortly afterward the stars aligned just right and scrolling down from the heavens came the news that Llarowe was debuting its stock of Fancy Gloss. I rushed over and got four Fancy Gloss holos: the two aforementioned plus two other green holos, of which Lily Pad is one.
Lily Pad is a striking lighter chartreuse or fresh yellow-green holographic polish with abundant finely-milled holo pigment that speckles and shades the base color in the beautiful dimensional way that creamy, non-metallic holos do. The prismatic display appears to be predominantly a sparkling, glowy gold with hints of rusty red, but today is overcast with steady light rain so I don't have the sun to facilitate the full glory of this polish's holo effects. Anyway, by now you know that I love the subtle effects that show up in indirect light better than any blazing rainbow, and this polish is formulated to make the most of them. The dewy chartreuse fairly pulses with delicate golden shadings and accents. This is a gorgeous polish for spring!
Application was lovely. What a beautifully made polish! The consistency is fluid, creamy and light with a silky glide over the nail and excellent self-leveling properties. Pigmentation is also excellent -- it's opaque in one medium coat! I used two because I could, but this polish went on with such ease and control that I had a clean, perfect manicure with one coat, and that almost never happens here. Of course, I swiped some skin with the second coat, simply because I wanted to be able to report on cleanup, mind you (yeah right), which is easy-peasy. Lily Pad dries naturally in good time to a silky smooth, shiny finish. I thought that topcoat helped to emphasize the golden sparkly part of the holo effects, but it could be my eyes playing tricks.
Photos show two coats of Lily Pad over treatment and basecoat with a topcoat of Seche Vite.
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| Fancy Gloss Lily Pad |
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| Fancy Gloss Lily Pad |
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| Fancy Gloss Lily Pad |
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| Fancy Gloss Lily Pad |
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| Fancy Gloss Lily Pad |
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| Fancy Gloss Lily Pad |
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| Fancy Gloss Lily Pad |
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| Fancy Gloss Lily Pad |
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| Fancy Gloss Lily Pad |
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| Fancy Gloss Lily Pad |
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| Fancy Gloss Lily Pad |
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| Fancy Gloss Lily Pad |
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| Fancy Gloss Lily Pad |
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| Fancy Gloss Lily Pad |
Lily Pad reminds me of new leaves and buds and the fresh earthy-clean smell of growing things, harbingers of spring. It's quite a contrast to what's going on outside at the moment, with the rain freezing on the leaves and stems of the shrubs, bending them toward the ground, and grey freezing slush forming where snow still lies from the storm of a few days days back. I took the dog out a little while ago and happened to glance at my nails while waiting in the rain for her to sniff for varmints under the snow and otherwise do her thing in the pen. Presto! This beautiful rich bright green instantly brought a smile to my face!
And I don't doubt that its effect will be exactly the same when I wear it again later this spring!
love,
Liz
Oh my gosh... I love this. Every year I have an atypical color crush (atypical for me) and this year it has blossomed into an especially strange one: yellow-greens from moss to olive to sprout to chartreuse (gasp! My grandmother's most vehemently despised color; she would be literally incensed if I were to ever wear such around her). I used to be a strictly cool-toned green girl, but I have finally begun to appreciate the striking, earthy beauty of a good, muddy warm green. It doesn't hurt that I have been seeing you wear them so well around here!! Contrasted against primal smoky and elemental hues, a lurid moss tone really is just so evocative. I actually have KBShimmer "Ins & Sprouts" on right now, and I'm holding my hand up to the screen trying to convince myself that I don't need both haha, but this is just so charming on you! Your photos capture the glowing-within golden shimmer so irresistibly. I wore Milani "Florence" just the day before yesterday, and even though I thought it was more tart apple in the bottle it was definitely bordering on too richly olivine on me... these hues suit you so much better. This "Lilypad" beauty, like "Ins & Sprouts" are just sunny and light enough for my "spring" coloring, which in truth doesn't play well with the lush earth tones of autumn. I'm currently busy mulling over Takko "Absinthe", just restocked today on Llarowe... what think you?? It's a bit much, perhaps, but it is such an unusual shade... and I think it would be amazing paired with a muted Tiffany turquoise.
ReplyDeleteHa! Ins and Sprouts was the one of KBShimmer's spring collection that made me go "I'll get you my pretty!" Great minds, eh? I LOVE yellow greens. Even Fuzzy, who after countless blue manicures still mutters under her breath about blue being an unnatural color for fingernails, really cottoned to Lily Pad. "Oh yes!" and "Great!" By now I can't think of any color that would be off limits for nails, although there are some that I just don't wear often. Yellow, hello. I absolutely think you should go for Absinthe, it looks fabulous. Then again, I love lime greens. China Glaze makes a particularly vibrant muddy lime called Def Defying that thrills me every time I put it on!
DeleteHahaa, YAY FUZZY!! I just love that. My mom also finds all colors but pink and red "unnatural" on fingernails, though she doesn't bother to keep her voice down about it, ha. And yet... nothing about red or deep pink is "natural" on nails! If anything, it should appear bloody- and such is the power of widespread acclimation to social norms. Had a lovely Tiffany blue started out as the "classic" nail color, we would probably regard reds as quite racy indeed! But then, my mom is a hand therapist and so certain colors, especially black but also "unnatural" shades of green, blue, yellow, and purple, remind her of injured or infected hands so I don't think there is any convincing to be done on that quarter.
DeleteI very very nearly picked up Absinthe (so interesting, so unique!), but then remembered that I have Butter London "Wellies", and should maybe see about layering one of my many shimmering topcoats (that I never use anymore) over it to sate the craving. Instead I picked up some shinies from the Llarowe sale page, including Different Dimension "Luck & Leprechauns"... they also have a bunch of fabulous shimmering reds on sale that reminded me of you!!
Just ordered Lily Pad last night... your turn to be the enabler!!! :D
Delete*raises arms in triumphant Rocky pose* Score!
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