Octopus Party Nail Lacquer No Wane

No Wane was released by Connecticut-based indie nail polish maker Octopus Party Nail Lacquer (OPNL) as a stand-alone, pre-order polish at the end of October. Creator Dave describes it as "a dark cobalt linear holographic with copper sparks," but oh, it is so much more than the sum of its parts. The base color is heavily silvered by holographic pigment -- Dave uses SpectraFlair in this polish -- so that it has the appearance of a deeply dimensional steel or glaucous blue. SpectraFlair is a highly diffractive holo pigment of exceptional quality, and its effects are profoundly light responsive and athletic, visible to some degree in almost all circumstances. Direct sun elicits a blazing delineated prismatic flare with an inner ribbon of intense cerulean blue surrounding a central lick of pale semi-metallic sea green and edged by slender sparkling bands of aqua, green, yellow, orange and red. The outer three colors seem to intermix in certain circumstances to produce a caramel-colored border to the flare that gives it a stunning, slightly singed appearance before shading to deep steel blue towards the sidewalls of the nail.

No Wane also carries a sprinkling of what looks to be tiny metallic copper flake shimmers that gleam brightly amid the shifting blue tones of the polish as the light hits them. The effect is remarkably elegant and complementary. Someone need to design a gown based on this polish, pronto! It's like fine silk taffeta in a smoky, shimmering blue-grey randomly studded with glistening copper sequins. 

Application was a delight. The consistency of No Wane is fluid, creamy and dense, with a silky slip over the nail that has a slight pull to it and excellent self-leveling properties. It has a beautifully balanced viscosity for painting, likes to go on in thin to medium coats and is easy to manipulate with OPNL's slender round flexible brush. Pigmentation is also excellent, with impressive coverage in one coat and completely even opacity in two. Cleanup is easy and straightforward. No Wane dries naturally in very good time to a gorgeous glossy finish. Sweet!

Photos show two coats of No Wane over treatment and basecoat with a topcoat of Seche Vite.

Octopus Party Nail Lacquer No Wane

Octopus Party Nail Lacquer No Wane

Octopus Party Nail Lacquer No Wane

Octopus Party Nail Lacquer No Wane

Octopus Party Nail Lacquer No Wane

Octopus Party Nail Lacquer No Wane

Octopus Party Nail Lacquer No Wane

Octopus Party Nail Lacquer No Wane

Octopus Party Nail Lacquer No Wane

Octopus Party Nail Lacquer No Wane

Octopus Party Nail Lacquer No Wane

Octopus Party Nail Lacquer No Wane

Octopus Party Nail Lacquer No Wane

Octopus Party Nail Lacquer No Wane

Octopus Party Nail Lacquer No Wane

Octopus Party Nail Lacquer No Wane

Octopus Party Nail Lacquer No Wane

Octopus Party Nail Lacquer No Wane

Octopus Party Nail Lacquer No Wane

In an August interview with Nail It! magazine, Dave mentioned No Wane as one of his current favorite creations, and I can see why. 

Dave can "do" nail polish in any color or finish, but personally I think he is most in his element producing ambiguously-hued shades like this one, where the color is the result of careful combinations of elements, singular, changeable and difficult to pin down but ultimately profoundly beautiful and sophisticated. I only wish they were easier to snag! Hey Dave, can you set me up with a running account sort of thing where I automatically receive every polish you make? I will give you my left breast, my first born and unfettered access to my bank account. Whaddaya say?

Kidding! Well, kind of....

love,
Liz