Smitten Polish I Smell Snow

I Smell Snow was released by Missouri-based indie polish maker Smitten Polish, now Dreamland Lacquer, as part of the Christmas in Stars Hollow collection in late November 2015. This collection, one of the last Noelie released under the Smitten label, was inspired by and named for the American television series Gilmore Girls. I've never seen the show and wouldn't know anything about it if it weren't for indie polish makers like Noelie who have used it as a source of creative inspiration. These days, it seems like everything new I learn about popular culture I get from indie nail polish. (Because, as you know, I do in fact live under a rock.) Anyway, thanks to Jenny's excellent review of the Christmas in Stars Hollow collection on Lavish Layerings, I watched a few clips from Gilmore Girls and now I want to see more!

But about this polish, I Smell Snow.  This is one of creator Noelie's full-coverage holographic microglitter polishes, for which she is justly famous, featuring mass quantities of the tiniest of holo microglitters. The base color is a very pale, translucent silvery azure bearing oodles of fine holo pigment, so delicate and pretty! With plenty of light penetrating and activating the holo effects , the effect is a wonderful sun-on-snow scattered prismatic sparkle in almost any circumstance -- there's even a linear flare in the sun.

Application was great! The consistency of I Smell Snow is fluid, light and very smooth with a thin-to-medium viscosity and a buttery, self-leveling glide over the nail. This is a user-friendly formula that is amenable to thin or thicker coats and is very easy to work with -- a good thing as the translucent nature of the base requires multiple coats for opacity. I ended up using four, but my nails are profoundly polish stained. For those with unstained nails, three will probably suffice, or it could be worn as a sheer at two if you don't mind a bit of visible nail line.

I actually broke out my Zoya Naked Manicure basecoat and color correctors for I Smell Snow after a trial manicure using my customary basecoat failed to preserve the delicate blue color from interference by the staining. The Naked Manicure components have light diffusers built into them as well as surface smoothing agents that are as or more effective than any ridge filler I've experienced. Really nice products! Even though they worked much better than my usual basecoat, I still needed four coats of polish before I was satisfied with the look.

Cleanup was easy and straightforward, even with the microglitters. I Smell Snow dries naturally in very good time to a smooth shiny finish.

Photos show four coats of I Smell Snow over Zoya Naked Base, a coat of Lavender Perfector and a coat of Pink Perfector, with a topcoat of Seche Vite.

Smitten Polish I Smell Snow

Smitten Polish I Smell Snow

Smitten Polish I Smell Snow

Smitten Polish I Smell Snow

Smitten Polish I Smell Snow

Smitten Polish I Smell Snow

Smitten Polish I Smell Snow

Smitten Polish I Smell Snow

Smitten Polish I Smell Snow

Smitten Polish I Smell Snow

Smitten Polish I Smell Snow

Smitten Polish I Smell Snow

Smitten Polish I Smell Snow

Smitten Polish I Smell Snow

Smitten Polish I Smell Snow

Smitten Polish I Smell Snow

Light colors really accentuate my pinkage, as you can see. Whatever! Despite the multiple coats, I just love this ethereal, misty twinkler. The silvery paleness of the blue is created by virtue of the translucent formula, not the addition of white, which is what makes it so exquisite. It's absolutely divine on the nail, cool, graceful and serene, and not at all overpowered by the prismatic sparkle. 

Really, really pretty.

xo,
Liz