KBShimmer Leggo My Mango

Leggo My Mango was released by indie polish maker KBShimmer as one of seven "tropics inspired faded neon" cremes, a part of the massive 28-polish Summer 2015 collection, last month. Also called bleached neons or sun-bleached neons, these are whitened polishes, pastels really, with the same fluorescent look as regular neons. Having tried my very first neon polish just a couple of weeks ago, I knew I had to try some of Christy's faded neon shades and scooped up five during my recent KBShimmer spree. I even got a green this time! Woohoo, livin' large, baby!

Described on the KBShimmer website as a "creamsicle orange," Leggo My Mango is a very desaturated orange with a breath of peach to it that does indeed remind me of creamsicles/dreamsicles and push-ups. I really like this color. Despite a very fluorescent appearance, it's still fruity, light and creamy in the most delicious sort of way (mmm, dreamsicle). It has a huge impact on the nail, where the brightness of the color just glows in contrast to my skin, which looks muddy, ruddy and dull in comparison. But I don't care, the energy is fantastic! It's like having exotic butterflies on your fingertips!

Application was a matter of patience and a light touch with the brush, as you might imagine with any polish containing this much white. The consistency is slightly thick but still fluid and creamy, with a touch of goopiness that occurs as the polish sets up and begins to dry, which it does rather quickly. So a deft, quick hand will make for the best application experience. As you know, not my forte. But a little mental preparation goes a long way and I surprised myself. I used thin to medium coats and allowed a little dry time in between. The first coat was streaky and uneven, as was the second and I had a moment of despair when I realized that my nail ridges were still glaringly obvious after the second coat. But with the third things came together, my ridges disappeared and anything that hadn't leveled off did so with the help of Seche Vite. The formula has a lot of white in it, is what, which keeps it from self-leveling beyond a certain point, which comes rather quickly. But it doesn't pull patches and I didn't find it to be chalky at all. It does ghost a little bit around the edges but topcoat will help with that too. Leggo My Mango dries naturally in very good time to a smooth, slightly flat finish characteristic of neons. Don't forget the topcoat!

Photos show three coats of Leggo My Mango over treatment and basecoat with a topcoat of Seche Vite.

KBShimmer Leggo My Mango

KBShimmer Leggo My Mango

KBShimmer Leggo My Mango

KBShimmer Leggo My Mango

KBShimmer Leggo My Mango

KBShimmer Leggo My Mango

KBShimmer Leggo My Mango

KBShimmer Leggo My Mango

KBShimmer Leggo My Mango

KBShimmer Leggo My Mango

KBShimmer Leggo My Mango

KBShimmer Leggo My Mango

This color also reminds me of various psychotropic medications I've taken over the years. In fact, I went to take my midday dose of generic Adderall and lo! Matching nails.

Fuzzy absolutely loves this polish: "Oh! What a perfect summer color! Wonderful!" Actually, she's loved all the neons I've tried so far except one. Who'd a thunk it?

love,
Liz