Cirque Hatch

Hatch was originally released in March 2015 by NYC-based indie polish maker Cirque Colors as part of The Awakening collection, a series of five limited edition polishes that were subsequently discontinued. Creator Annie has now brought it back and used it as inspiration for half of her new limited edition Speckled & Sparkled collection, four speckled polishes including Hatch plus six foil holos made with superfine sterling silver pigment just released last month. 

Described on Cirque's website as simply "a white with black speckles," Hatch is a soft, clean white, not necessarily snowy and not the least bit stark but still decidedly fresh, the way that new paint is fresh. Unmolested. It bears a carefully balanced proportion of variously-sized, irregularly-shaped black matte microflake shimmers, which read as charcoal through the creamy base and give the polish its distinctive delicately-speckled look. Reminds me of formica, very cool!

Cirque's polishes are such a pleasure to apply and this one no less so. The consistency of Hatch is fluid and super creamy with a medium viscosity and an utterly luxurious, buttery-smooth glide over the nail. This is an eminently user-friendly formula, especially for a white, amenable to thin or thicker coats and easily manipulated with Cirque's round flexible brush without any patching or undue streakiness. Every coat self-levels like a dream. Pigmentation is outstanding. I'd hazard a guess that with the proper mojo and a generously-loaded brush, you could render wearably opaque coverage in a single coat, although two thin to medium coats will wear better, being less likely to chip. I was extremely impressed that two coats completely camouflaged the yellow staining on my nails, even the tips. Huzzah! Cleanup is easy and straightforward. Hatch dries naturally in very good time to a beautiful glossy finish. 

Annie infuses her polishes with lavender and clary sage essential oils, which give them a delicate, naturally fresh scent that lingers after drying. I know that some folks are particularly sensitive to fragrances, but I have yet to hear of anyone who has had problems with the scent of Cirque's lacquers. Still, good to know.

Photos show two coats of Hatch over Pretty Serious Rock On treatment and Pretty Serious All Your Base basecoat with a topcoat of Seche Vite. Please excuse the random sparkles around my nails, leftovers from yesterday's manicure.

Cirque Hatch

Cirque Hatch

Cirque Hatch

Cirque Hatch

Cirque Hatch

Cirque Hatch

Cirque Hatch

Cirque Hatch

Cirque Hatch

Cirque Hatch

Cirque Hatch

Hatch received all kinds of love and accolades from polish bloggers and nail artists when it first appeared and quickly became the darling of The Awakening collection. I meant to purchase it last year but to my chagrin it was discontinued before I got around to doing so, and I wasn't even aware that it was coming back until informed by one of my lovely readers. Once I knew I was determined not to let it get away again.

It is once more a limited edition so if you want it, don't dally! 

love,
Liz