Octopus Party Nail Lacquer Crepuscular

Crepuscular was originally released by Connecticut-based indie polish maker Octopus Party Nail Lacquer (OPNL) as part of the limited edition Winter Sunset Duo in December 2014/January 2015. It attained mythological status almost immediately from what I can tell, and has remained a much-sought-after fan favorite ever since. Most recently, it was re-released for pre-order in January 2016 to the anticipatory delight of many, including me!

Unsurprisingly given its name, the color of this polish is difficult to pin down. I see it as representative of the cusp between lilac and lavender, lilac being more pink and lavender more blue. It's a very pale, translucent violet-based shade along the lines of languid lavender, a misty, fugitive color further obfuscated by overtones of grey, a kiss of pink and the silvery glow of the profuse holographic pigment it contains. Within float abundant tiny metallic blue and red shimmers and slightly larger holographic hex glitters, fortifying the polish's purpled aspect and giving it a deliciously speckled appearance, while the hex glitters generate glowing sparks in prismatic colors as light travels over them. Lavishly holographic, there's a dazzling fully-delineated prismatic flare in direct sun, replete with every rainbow color and extra-sparkly from the component shimmers and glitters. The prismatic effects are active to some degree in almost all circumstances, suffusing the polish with a blaze of pale periwinkle that shades to a smoky lilac/lavender at the edges of the nail.

Application was a little tricky for my aging eyes -- the translucence and pale color of Crepuscular made it difficult to see what I was doing, especially with the first coat. The consistency is fluid, creamy and dense with a thicker viscosity than I am used to from OPNL but a docile, self-leveling glide over the nail nonetheless. Pigmentation is sheer and must be built to opacity over multiple coats. Dave recommends three and that's what I used. Most of my cleanup was spent carefully attempting to sweep up escapee shimmers, and not very successfully either. Crepuscular dries naturally in very good time to a somewhat flat, matte-ish finish with just a skosh of discernible texture from the components. Topcoat brings everything to life and provides a becoming gloss. 

Photos show three coats of Crepuscular over Pretty Serious Rock On treatment and Pretty Serious All Your Base basecoat with a generous topcoat of Seche Vite. My apologies for the terrible scruffiness of my fingers and nail surrounds. I've tried salt scrub but it doesn't help for long. Perhaps a mani bomb?

OPNL Crepuscular

OPNL Crepuscular

OPNL Crepuscular

OPNL Crepuscular

OPNL Crepuscular

OPNL Crepuscular

OPNL Crepuscular

OPNL Crepuscular

OPNL Crepuscular

OPNL Crepuscular

OPNL Crepuscular

OPNL Crepuscular

OPNL Crepuscular

OPNL Crepuscular

OPNL Crepuscular

OPNL Crepuscular

OPNL Crepuscular

OPNL Crepuscular

OPNL Crepuscular

This surreptitious little charmer likes to travel incognito at a casual glance, looking for all the world like a pretty silvery lavender grey with the occasional twinkle. But the more you look and the closer you get to it, the more intriguing it becomes. It really comes into its own in angled ambient light, where the color deepens and the shimmers and holographic glitters catch the light and you can see its creative inspiration coming into form. The gorgeous prismatic flare in the sun is icing on a most delectable cake. 

Beautifully composed and executed, Crepuscular justly deserves its accolades. 

love,
Liz