Elevation Polish Dark Territory

Dark Territory was released by Minnesota-based indie polish maker Elevation Polish as part of the Lost collection in March this year. This is a complex dark teal creme holo bearing abundant ultrafine duochromatic shimmers with a green/violet color shift. The color is a deep, foresty blue-green, a sprucey shade along the lines of ming from the Xona.com color list. Finely-milled holographic pigment is keenly light responsive, nuancing the teal base with deep hues of cerulean and pine green. A barely-perceptible milky translucent violet mist floats over the polish, producing a silvery violet sheen at certain angles. In the sun, there's an analogously-toned linear prismatic flare predominated by a central flame of intense Atlantic blue edged by thin sparkling ribbons of cerulean and bright kelly green with a delicate corona of orange sparks before shading to dark murky teal along the edges.

Application was a bit tetchy. The consistency of Dark Territory is fluid, creamy and dense with a thicker viscosity and a plush, self-leveling glide over the nail that has some pull to it. It's one of those polishes that sets up almost immediately upon application, and I added copious amounts of polish thinner to it to get a viscosity that I was more comfortable working with. It went on best for me in medium to thicker coats and does not appreciate being overworked. Pigmentation is very good. A bit of streakiness to the first coat built quickly to evenly opaque coverage with the second, although with a generous hand and the proper mojo I could see this as a one-coater. Cleanup was easier than I expected, with a skosh of pigment travel but almost no residual staining. Dark Territory dries naturally in very good time to a smooth shiny finish. Topcoat does not appear to affect the holographic properties of the polish in any way. 

Photos show two coats of Dark Territory over treatment and basecoat with a topcoat of Seche Vite.

Elevation Polish Dark Territory

Elevation Polish Dark Territory

Elevation Polish Dark Territory

Elevation Polish Dark Territory

Elevation Polish Dark Territory

Elevation Polish Dark Territory

Elevation Polish Dark Territory

Elevation Polish Dark Territory

Elevation Polish Dark Territory

Elevation Polish Dark Territory

Elevation Polish Dark Territory

Elevation Polish Dark Territory

Elevation Polish Dark Territory

Elevation Polish Dark Territory

Elevation Polish Dark Territory

I love dark murky creme holos so I find this a very satisfying shade despite the slightly challenging formula. The color shifting shimmers are easiest to see in indirect natural light. With your back to the light, you can see the violet. Angling your obliquely nails into the light, you can see the green. Although the effects of the shimmers in the overall composition are subtle, they add an interesting twist and work beautifully to intensify the sleek look of the polish on the nail. 

love,
Liz