Lacquer Slacker Liz: June 2016

Thursday, June 30, 2016

Indigo Bananas Creme Bluelé

Today I have a sneak preview of one of the polishes from the upcoming summer 2016 edition of the Creme a la Mode box, to be released sometime in July. Creme a la Mode is a quarterly box featuring a creme polish each from four indie brands: Digital Nails, Indigo Bananas, Literary Lacquers and Octopus Party Nail Lacquer. Today's polish is Creme Bluelé, created by Andrea from Indigo Bananas.

The color is a medium-toned, highly-energized azure with apects of cornflower, a marvelous vault-of-heaven blue that is luminous to the point of Dodger blue in its intensity with an accompanying oomph reminiscent of a neon (if neon blues were actually a thing). There's a gently translucent aspect that makes it somewhat changeable depending upon the kind of light in which its viewed, but by and large it is lighter and milkier than my beloved Indigo Bananas Klein Trink Wasser while sharing a bit of that polish's intense nature. It is especially striking under incandescent light, where it takes on a lush, almost violet-tinged ultramarine look.

Application was a blissful affair. The consistency of Creme Bluelé is fluid, dense and ultra smooth with a medium viscosity and a luscious, creamy, self-leveling glide over the nail. It's a fast-drying polish but not so fast that you don't have the opportunity to finesse your application before it sets up, and went on most happily for me in medium coats from a bead-loaded brush. Pigmentation is excellent, with near one-coat coverage and completely even opacity in two coats. Cleanup is easy and straightforward with a skosh of pigment travel as you might expect but very little residual staining. Hooray! Creme Bluelé dries naturally in very good time to a rubbery/satin sort of finish that takes topcoat beautifully.

Photos show two coats of Creme Bluelé over treatment and basecoat with a topcoat of Seche Vite.

Indigo Bananas Creme Bluelé

Gorgeous, eh? Gazing at Creme Bluelé in the bottle did not prepare me for such a dazzlingly vibrant presence on the nail -- there's a wow factor at work here, for sure! I dare say that if you're looking for the right blue to rock with your favorite summer neons, this adorably-named lacquer is certainly up to that task.

Over the next three days I'll have sneak peaks of the other three polishes from this edition of the Creme a la Mode box for you to see. Follow Creme a la Mode or join its Fan Club on Facebook to keep up with the latest info about the impending release.

As in the past, contributors to the Creme a la Mode box will have the option to list the polishes they created for it on their respective sales platforms at a later date, so if you miss the pre-order window for the box, you may have the opportunity to purchase the polishes singly in the future.

love,
Liz

ps. This polish was provided for my honest review.

Wednesday, June 29, 2016

Cirque Carpe Diem and Nine Zero Kaleidoscope

I don't buy many glitter toppers these days but every now and then I find myself in the midst of a craving for the delight of layering glitter over another polish. A few months ago I came across Nine Zero Kaleidoscope and haven't been able to get it out of my mind.

Kaleidoscope was released at the beginning of April this year as part of the ROY G BIV collection, named with the acronym for the seven prismatic colors that make up the spectrum of the rainbow (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet). This is a multicolored glitter topper created with two sizes of translucent rainbow hex glitters in a transparent suspension base, like tiny pieces of stained glass for your nails.

To showcase the colorful glitters, I wanted to apply them over white -- a perfect opportunity to try out Cirque Carpe Diem, a white creme released in 2014 with the Back to Basics gift set. It's a bright white formulated with a tiny amount of pearly yellow shimmers that are only visible in the bottle. I'm guessing that the addition works to improve application and leveling properties, both notorious issues for white lacquers, because the shimmers are invisible on the nail.

Carpe Diem applies beautifully! It has a fluid, light, creamy consistency with a medium viscosity and a silky smooth slip over the nail, where it self-levels like a dream. So impressive! Pigmentation is very good, with evenly opaque coverage available in three thin or two thicker coats, and cleanup is a breeze. Carpe Diem dries naturally in very good time to a gorgeous glossy finish.

Photos show three coats of Carpe Diem over treatment and basecoat, no topcoat. Please excuse the battered-looking tips -- I didn't wait for the polish to dry to begin typing. My bad!

Cirque Carpe Diem

Now for the glitters! The consistency of Kaleidoscope is fluid and dense with a medium viscosity and perfect glitter payoff, not too much nor too little, that disperses randomly over the nail. I'm always a bit ansty about the glitter distribution, but this one just paints on like a champ with out any stacking, stickups or protrusions over the free edge. I used two light coats with a little dry time in between. Kaleidoscope dries naturally in fairly good time to a gently pebbled finish from the glitters, easily smoothed by a generous layer of Seche Vite.

Pics!

Nine Zero Kaleidoscope over Cirque Carpe Diem

So cheerful and fun! Reminds me of Wonder Bread, speaking of nostalgia, and makes a great pride manicure too!

ttyl,
Liz

Tuesday, June 28, 2016

Great Lakes Lacquer Holo-Maniacs Custom #3

Holo-Maniacs Custom #3 was recently released by Michigan-based indie polish maker Great Lakes Lacquer as a limited edition polish designed especially for the Holo-Maniacs Facebook group. Only Holo-Maniacs group members may purchase from the listing in creator Mariah's etsy shop, but it's an open group that's easy to join.

Mariah describes this as a cherry red linear holo with added holographic microflakes. The color is a medium-dark saturated cerise, a cool and fiercely feminine shade of red with aspects of crimson that come to the fore in certain viewing circumstances. Holographically-generated hues of ruby, cardinal, crimson and translucent violet shade and dimensionalize the polish in ambient light, creating a lush tableau for the microflakes, which glisten in shades from pink to pale violet to electric crimson. In the sun they glow like hot embers and inject boatloads of extra sparkle into a dazzling scattered prismatic display with a vestigial linear flare overlay.

Application was most impressive! The consistency of Holo-Maniacs Custom #3 is fluid, light and smooth with a thin-to-medium viscosity and a fluent, self-leveling flow over the nail that is just lovely and very easy to work with. Pigmentation is outstanding -- this is a one-coat wonder! I added a second coat to finesse some of my lines, but this is one holo that truly acquits itself well in a single coat. Cleanup takes a bit of extra attention due to the intensely-pigmented formula. Cuidado! Holo-Maniacs Custom #3 dries naturally in very good time to a mostly smooth, shiny finish with a bit of visual texture from the microflakes, not discernible to the touch. Topcoat does not affect the holographic properties of the polish in any way.

Photos show two coats of Holo-Maniacs Custom #3 over treatment and basecoat with a topcoat of Seche Vite.

Great Lakes Lacquer Holo-Maniacs Custom #3

Fabulous, and even better in person! Expect attention when you wear this. Friends, family and strangers everywhere are defenseless against the sparkling potency of its splendor!

This polish has a limited run and goes away on 1 July -- SOON! You've got two days to to lay claim to a bottle, so if you like what you see, get yourself over to the Holo-Maniacs Facebook group and offer up your allegiance before heading to the Great Lakes Lacquer etsy shop!

xo,
Liz

Monday, June 27, 2016

Colors by Llarowe Annie Get Your Gun

Annie Get Your Gun was released at the end of May this year by Colorado-based indie polish maker Colors by Llarowe (CbL) as part of the Summer 2016 collection. Creator Lee Anne has this to say about it:

This polish is incredibly hard to describe. A continuously changing color scheme that includes shades of blue, green, gunmetal grey, purple with an added pink to purple to lavender sheen. Tightly scattered glowing holographic with arcs of green, yellow, gold, turquoise and purple. Staring at your nails may cause hazardous conditions!

The base color is a well-pigmented, medium-dark steel blue with a strong denim aspect. Fine color-shifting particle shimmers and abundant holographic pigment give it a rich, complex appearance, most notably a remarkably dimensional, scintillating flush of yellow-green that travels over the nail with the light. Varying hues of azure and ultramarine further dimensionalize the base, over which floats a transparent violet sheen. The prismatic display in direct sun is absolutely stunning! A dazzling, semi-dispersed flare of mixed prismatic colors including bright green, azure, yellow and red surrounds a central lick of brilliant, gleaming semi-metallic purple before shading to a sparkling Atlantic blue at the edges of the nail. So gorgeous!

Application was a delight. The consistency of Annie Get Your Gun is fluid, creamy and dense with a medium viscosity and a velvety, self-leveling glide over the nail. Pigmentation is outstanding with opaque coverage in a single coat! I had nail collision issues that needed a second coat to fix, but I probably would have added a second coat anyway just to ensure that the holographic effects had plenty of fuel. Cleanup is easy and straightforward with a bit of pigment travel but little residual staining. Annie Get Your Gun dries naturally in very good time to a smooth shiny finish. Topcoat does not inhibit the holographic properties of the polish in any way.

Photos show two coats of Annie Get Your Gun over treatment and basecoat with a topcoat of Seche Vite.

Colors by Llarowe Annie Get Your Gun

Believe me when I tell you that the gradients of multiple shifting colors in this polish are far too dynamic to be captured in a still image -- it has to be one of the most unusual and lively holos that I've laid eyes upon in a long time! My photos don't even come close to the experience of this polish in person, trust me. Even John allowed some enthusiasm, calling it "car paint good." High praise! The caliber of the color shifts does indeed remind me of some of the high end specialty auto paint jobs that you see at shows such as SEMA and the like.

Under incandescent light, the effects are just as amazing, generating an incredible 3D lit-from-within cloud of turquoise, green and gold sparks overlaid by a brilliant transparent purple sheen that is somehow reminiscent of the eye of a peacock feather and shifts to align itself with the light source. Just... wow!

If you love complex holographic polishes, you do not want to pass this up. Get it! Get it now!

your friendly enabler,
Liz

Sunday, June 26, 2016

Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer Manna's Majestic Masterpiece

Manna's Majestic Masterpiece was created by Georgia-based indie polish maker Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer (BEGL) in collaboration with Manna's Manis for inclusion in the April 2016 edition of The Color Box, and is now available for purchase as a stand-alone in BEGL's online shop. Officially described as a lilac creme/jelly hybrid packed with purple/purple iridescent and silver holographic microglitters, the color is a delicate tint of purple with a blue lean, a pale lavender shade with a built-in translucence to it. Abundant infinitesimal iridescent and holographic microglitters float within, producing an exquisite twinkle of pale prismatic sparks in direct and ambient light.

Application was lovely. The consistency of Manna's Majestic Masterpiece is fluid, smooth and slightly fluffy with a medium viscosity and a gentle, fluent flow over the nail. Pigmentation is sheer, especially on the first coat, but builds steadily to mostly opaque coverage in three coats. Because of the inherent translucence of the creme/jelly formula, a certain sheerness to the coverage is intentional and should not be overly weighed upon as a benchmark of opacity. Cleanup frees up a few microglitters to decorate the nail environs, but is fairly straightforward otherwise. Manna's Majestic Masterpiece dries naturally in good time to a sandy-textured finish from the microglitters, completely smoothed by a single layer of topcoat.

Photos show three coats of Manna's Majestic Masterpiece over Pretty Serious Rock On treatment and Pretty Serious All Your Base basecoat with a topcoat of Seche Vite.

Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer Manna's Majestic Masterpiece

Creator Julie has a such a tender touch with pale tints like this, I consider it a signature of hers. Manna's Majestic Masterpiece is delicate with a very clean and unmuddied quality that, combined with a formula that is translucent rather than white-based, results in a charmingly lucid, unambiguous representation of the color on the nail. It has a singular freshness and depth that belies its pastel aspect and makes it a perfect couch for the tiny sparkling microglitters to do their thing.

Sweet polish!

love,
Liz