Lacquer Slacker Liz: SV by Sparkly Vernis E. huxleyi Bloom

E. huxleyi Bloom was released by indie polish maker SV by Sparkly Vernis as part of the Palm Trees at Night collection for spring 2015 in April this year. Like Pink Starfish, this polish takes its inspiration from coastal sights in the Pacific northwest, in this case Emiliania huxleyi, one of thousands of different photosynthetic plankton that freely drift in the euphotic, or sunlit zone of the ocean, forming the basis of virtually all marine food webs. It is studied for the extensive blooms it forms in nutrient-depleted waters after the reformation of the summer thermocline, the invisible blanket which separates the upper mixed layer of the ocean from the calm deep water below. The blooms can be identified through satellite imagery because of the large amount of light back-scattered from the water column, and appear as a bright blue-green in such photos.

As you would expect, E. huxleyi Bloom is a medium rich blue-green linear holographic polish with nuances of cyan and teal. It has a particularly creamy quality to it that gives it a soft, serene vibe on the nail. In direct sun there is a beautiful linear display with a flame-shaped flair of muted cerulean surrounded by a thin band of sparkling prismatic hues with a central flash of semi-metallic pale sea green. In indirect light, the holographic pigment generates cyanic hues of cerulean, teal and dusty aquamarine that shade the base color and give the polish dimensionality and depth. It's tranquil oceanic polish, manifesting the wonderful colors of serene tropical waters.

Application was very nice. The consistency of E. huxleyi Bloom is fluid, creamy and dense with a nicely-balanced viscosity for painting and a smooth, self-leveling glide over the nail. It's a user-friendly polish that is easily manipulated with Sparkly Vernis' flattened flexible brush. Pigmentation is outstanding. For practical purposes, it's a one-coater, but two coats are best for full, rich color. I used two coats for this manicure with the exception of two nails that I managed to mar after the second coat. A little pat to the defect and immediate area and a dab of polish over it and it disappeared as if never there, the new polish melting into the old leaving no trace behind. Don't you love it when a polish can do that? Cleanup took more time than I expected, but then I flooded a few cuticles and there was some pigment travel there that I never did completely remove. My bad! E. huxleyi Bloom dries naturally in very good time to a smooth shiny finish. Topcoat does not diminish the holo effects in any way.

Photos show two coats of E. huxleyi Bloom over treatment and basecoat with a topcoat of Seche Vite.

SV by Sparkly Vernis E. huxleyi Bloom

Against my pinkage, this pulls a little greener than it does in other photos I've seen, such as Amanda's on Amandalish and Ann's on Nailpolean, but the holo-generated cerulean tones and the sparkling aquatic blue of the prismatic display keep it in oceanic territory. Small wonder this is the creator's favorite of the Palm Trees at Night collection. In her post about the collection, she says this is "the best creamy holo" she owns.

An E. huxleyi bloom in the Berents Sea, a marginal sea of the Arctic Ocean located off the northern coasts of Norway and Russia. You can really see the inspiration for today's polish in the colors captured by this photo.

From what I understand, E. huxleyi Bloom is completely non-staining upon removal. If I experience otherwise, I'll leave a postscript.

love,
Liz