Girly Bits Dead Man's Toe

Dead Man's Toe was released in October 2015 by Canadian indie polish maker Girly Bits as part of the Hocus Pocus collection, a series of polishes inspired by the 1993 American Halloween fantasy-comedy film of the same name. Creator Pam describes this one as "a muted army green crelly with subtle pink to gold fine shimmer." The color is a medium-toned greyed-out olive drab, a creamy artichoke shade that reminds me very much of French green clay. Finely-milled pink-to-gold particulate shimmers create a misty, translucent pink sheen in ambient light that appears to float over the base color and gives it a "soft focus" kind of look. In the sun, individual shimmer particles are visible as a swath of pink sparkle along the axis of light. 

Application was lovely. The consistency of Dead Man's Toe is fluid, full-bodied and creamy with a thicker viscosity to which I added a bit of polish thinner at the outset to make it more compatible with my skills. Once thinned, it delivered a smooth, even glide over the nail that self-leveled as it set up, which it does very quickly. Pigmentation is very good, showing a little bit of translucence on the first coat as befits a creme/jelly hybrid formula and building easily to completely opaque coverage with the second. Cleanup is easy. Dead Man's Toe dries naturally in very good time to a smooth, slightly flat finish that wants a glossy topcoat to look its best. Topcoat also enhances the presence and effects of the shimmers. 

Photos show two coats of Dead Man's Toe over KBShimmer Love You Strong Time treatment and KBShimmer Fillin' Groovy basecoat with a topcoat of Seche Vite. Apologies for cuticle gnarliness!

Girly Bits Dead Man's Toe

Girly Bits Dead Man's Toe

Girly Bits Dead Man's Toe

Girly Bits Dead Man's Toe

Girly Bits Dead Man's Toe

Girly Bits Dead Man's Toe

Girly Bits Dead Man's Toe

Girly Bits Dead Man's Toe

Girly Bits Dead Man's Toe

Girly Bits Dead Man's Toe

Girly Bits Dead Man's Toe

Girly Bits Dead Man's Toe

This muted greyish green has the interesting characteristic of being simultaneously soft and edgy, a versatility that could easily be capitalized upon by what it is worn with. Softer, more subdued colors to harmonize; brighter, bolder colors to contrast. The unexpected pink sheen and sparkles work beautifully with the green, adding a certain sophistication to the look that elevates it to something really special. 

love,
Liz