Application was delicious. The consistency of Sparkwood & 21 is fluid, light and smooth with a silky, self-leveling glide over the nail and well-behaved components. It has a nicely balanced viscosity for painting, a tad on the fluid side but given a jelly's common propensity for stickiness I much prefer a formula with this kind of fluidity. It's actually quite user friendly, doesn't run or pool, and is easy to manipulate with Hare's flattened flexible brush. There is a degree of translucence to the pigmentation that requires multiple layers to reach opacity. The first coat is evenly sheer. Coverage begins building with the second coat and those with shorter nails may be happy with it there. I still had areas of sheerness so I added a third coat for completely even opacity. Cleanup is fairly straightforward with some truculence on the part of the copper flakies, which part from the nail environs reluctantly, especially if given purchase in the sidewalls. You may or may not see evidence of this in the photos. Sparkwood & 21 dries naturally in very good time to a slick glossy finish. Nice!
Photos show three coat of Sparkwood & 21 over treatment and basecoat with a topcoat of Seche Vite.
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| Hare Polish Sparkwood & 21 |
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| Hare Polish Sparkwood & 21 |
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| Hare Polish Sparkwood & 21 |
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| Hare Polish Sparkwood & 21 |
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| Hare Polish Sparkwood & 21 |
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| Hare Polish Sparkwood & 21 |
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| Hare Polish Sparkwood & 21 |
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| Hare Polish Sparkwood & 21 |
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| Hare Polish Sparkwood & 21 |
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| Hare Polish Sparkwood & 21 |
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| Hare Polish Sparkwood & 21 |
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| Hare Polish Sparkwood & 21 |
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| Hare Polish Sparkwood & 21 |
The rich color and subtle dimensionality of Sparkwood & 21 evokes a sense of picturesque autumnal chic. I can easily conjure up a mental image of wearing this on a gusty, rainy fall day with flaming maples, purple dogwoods, and yellow pin oaks reflected in the slick black asphalt of the road that is edged by leaves already fallen.
I feel like Part 2 of creator Nikole's homage to Twin Peaks is somewhat more literal, less fantastical than Part 1. Back in February I featured another polish from Part 2, The Norwegians are Leaving. There's one other from this collection that I might grab if I see it during one of Nikole's restocks, My Log Has Something to Tell You. But I'm also wanting to re-examine the Winter 2014: Abduction of Persephone collection, which more or less just went right over my head when it was released. Oh, and I almost forgot Sea Bunny -- gotta get that one!
That's the thing about Hare. Nikole creates certain polishes that stay with you, ruminating, until you finally get your hands on them. Luckily her restocks are generally quite eclectic and include old favorites as well as newer releases.
Do you have a Hare Polish encampment in your consciousness?
love,
Liz
This is so pretty and totally looks like verdigris. I gave up on Hare a couple of years ago because my bottle of Neon Palm turned into a mess after one use. My experience with the brand has mostly been full of too many bumpy glitters. But this one looks less...Hare.
ReplyDeleteNikole's flakie-type polishes are a newer style for Hare and in my experience their consistency is smoother and more fluid than the heavily glittered polishes that probably require a more suspending type of base. They come either with her signature tiny square glitters or glitterless altogether -- both are much easier both to apply and remove than the heavily glittered polishes. They are also much more subtle. Sparkwood & 21 is one of if not THE least complex Hares I've ever come across.
DeleteThere's one well-known and popular indie brand (who shall remain nameless) with whom I've had an experience with that is similar to what you described with Neon Palm. And it happened not once, but twice. I can't say that I've given up completely on this polish maker, but I'm gun shy for sure.