Thursday, September 17, 2015

Darling Diva Have You Ever Been Mistaken for a Man?

Have You Ever Been Mistaken for a Man was released by indie polish maker Darling Diva as part of the Hug My Face AKA Alien collection at the end of last month. This collection was inspired by the Alien film series, and the name for this polish was taken from a scene in the first part of the second movie, Aliens (1986). PFC Vasquez (played by an incredibly buff Jennette Goldstein) is doing a couple of wide grip behind the head pull-ups, observed by PFC Hudson (played by Bill Paxton).
Hudson: Hey Vasquez, have you ever been mistaken for a man?
Vasquez: No. Have you?
Best. Comeback. EVER.

Creator Carrie describes Have You Ever Been Mistaken for a Man as an intense deep purple holo and a "must have for every purple fan." Although I do love purple, I wouldn't put myself in the same league as true purple polish enthusiasts, you now, the folks who must have ALL THE PURPLES. In fact, I usually skip purple holos altogether under the mistaken assumption that they were all too much alike. WRONG! I was so wrong. Have You Ever Been Mistaken for a Man is amazing! It is indeed a deep plummy purple linear holo, but the richness and intensity of that color and those revealed by the holographic effects in this polish are insane! In indirect light, there's a nuanced blaze of deep vivid violet, and in the sun, whoa! A magnificent flame-shaped flare of electric indigo trimmed with a ribbon of bright blue and red sparks floats over a scintillating lick of semi-metallic red violet, shading to a mysterious near-black purple at the edges. Scary good, is what it is.

Application was primo. The consistency of Have You Ever Been Mistaken for a Man is fluid, creamy and dense with a silky, self-leveling flow over the nail. It's supremely user-friendly, amenable to thin or thicker coats and stays right where you put it. Pigmentation is outstanding with completely opaque even coverage in one medium coat. This polish went on so cleanly that I could have left it at one coat, but I added another for plumpness, ensuring the non-appearance of my nail ridges. I had very little cleanup to do, but did notice some pigment travel with a hint of residual staining as you might expect from a dark polish this well pigmented. Have You Ever Been Mistaken for a Man dries naturally in very good time to a smooth shiny finish. Topcoat does not diminish the holographic properties in any way. 

Photos show two coats of Have You Ever Been Mistaken for a Man over Pretty Serious Rock On treatment (love this stuff!) and Pretty Serious All Your Base basecoat (my go-to) with a topcoat of Seche Vite.

Darling Diva Have You Ever Been Mistaken for a Man?

Darling Diva Have You Ever Been Mistaken for a Man?

Darling Diva Have You Ever Been Mistaken for a Man?

Darling Diva Have You Ever Been Mistaken for a Man?

Darling Diva Have You Ever Been Mistaken for a Man?

Darling Diva Have You Ever Been Mistaken for a Man?

Darling Diva Have You Ever Been Mistaken for a Man?

Darling Diva Have You Ever Been Mistaken for a Man?

Darling Diva Have You Ever Been Mistaken for a Man?

Darling Diva Have You Ever Been Mistaken for a Man?

Darling Diva Have You Ever Been Mistaken for a Man?

Darling Diva Have You Ever Been Mistaken for a Man?

Darling Diva Have You Ever Been Mistaken for a Man?

Darling Diva Have You Ever Been Mistaken for a Man?

Darling Diva Have You Ever Been Mistaken for a Man?

Darling Diva Have You Ever Been Mistaken for a Man?

Darling Diva Have You Ever Been Mistaken for a Man?

Darling Diva Have You Ever Been Mistaken for a Man?

Darling Diva Have You Ever Been Mistaken for a Man?

There are a lot of great photos of this polish online, but none that I've seen truly capture the awe-inspiring appearance and dynamic fluidity of this polish in person. The first time I saw it in the sun, my jaw literally dropped. It has the perfect balance of color pigment to holo pigment to allow the base color to dictate the spectrum of the prismatic display while maintaining the full athleticism of its effects. It is, in my opinion, the best kind of linear holo. 

Definitely a must have, for purple fans and those who, like me, have allowed themselves to become jaded by the abundance of purple holos available out there. Have You Ever Been Mistaken for a Man will wash away your apathy, revive your blunted aesthetic and reintroduce you to the beauty of purple. 

love,
Liz

4 comments:

  1. I didn't like Vasquez. :/ I do, however, like this polish! I love purples and consider them to be my personal neutral. I've never been in the camp of "All Holos, All the Time" (and actually prefer scattered to linear - gasp!!), and sometimes they all start looking the same, you know? You're right about this one being different. The red flash in the sunlight is gorgeous.

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    Replies
    1. Vasquez probably wouldn't like us either. But you have to admit, the comeback was awesome! My favorite Marine was Hicks, of course, thank goodness he lived. Paul Reiser always stuck out to me in that movie, like he just didn't fit somehow, but maybe it's because he had to play such a rat fink smarm-meister. I will say this about the man, he is definitely one of those guys who just gets better and better looking as he ages. He is MUCH hotter now than he ever was in Mad About You.

      I prefer scattered holos as well, especially scattered holos a la A-England. Seems like there's been an ongoing surfeit of linear holos in the indie market for a while now and sometimes I get to feeling like I'm over it. But that lasts only as long as it takes me to get something like Have You Ever Been Mistaken for a Man on my nails. No photo ever does justice to holographic effects -- the magic is always amazing and wonderful when it's happening right in front of my eyes....

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  2. Hahah, you're right - that comeback is the best! I could've kissed Vasquez for it (and gotten whacked for the effort, probably)! Great name choice, DD! I squee'd when I saw the name.
    I'm not a purple polish lover. I have two in my entire hoard.. uhh, meant to say collection. It's weird, though - I occasionally see some I really like online in manis but never even consider getting them. And I am pretty sure plummy purple would look good with my skintone. But still, when I see a polish review is about a purple, I usually move on.
    Okay, this time, I'm glad I stayed. This polish on your nails and your photos have almost convinced me to invest in a purple. That color and that flame together make a pretty gorgeous polish. And here I thought I was getting over buying so many holos, lineal or scattered!
    Hicks was my favorite - "Somebody wake up Hicks." LOL

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    Replies
    1. What? Only two purples? Unbelievable! I think that the thing I love most about purple is how well it plays with other colors, it's a superb complement to almost anything. Did you know that purple is the most powerful visible wavelength of electromagnetic energy? Purple symbolizes the cosmos, and is also associated with magic, mystery, spirituality, the sub-conscious, creativity, dignity and royalty. And Mardi Gras!

      I was never a purple lover as a child, but I was an uptight, bad-tempered, pathologically self-conscious little kid. As a grownup (so to speak) I am a lover of all colors -- I love them especially in relationship to each other, in bunches, but I'm learning to look at colors individually and see the potential there.

      Never underestimate your aethetic's capacity for expansion, Lara! Go for that plummy purple!

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