Lacquer Slacker Liz: May 2017

Wednesday, May 31, 2017

Colors by Llarowe She Sells Sea Shells

She Sells Sea Shells was released at the beginning of May this year by Colorado-based indie polish maker Colors by Llarowe as part of the Spring/Summer 2017 collection. Described as a bright pink-leaning red linear holo with pink-to-lilac colorshifting shimmers, the color is a vibrant medium-toned variation of raspberry with aspects of crimson and cerise and aspirations to coral, a richly-hued, expansive shade that I find utterly delightful. Abundant holographic pigment nuances the color with a variety of reds and deep pinks in ambient light, and gives the polish that delicious, finely-grained holographic visual texture. Ultrafine colorshifting shimmers create a delicate powdery sheen of pink-lavender along the axis of light, an interesting contrast to the lushness of the base color that adds complexity and a certain dainty quality to the look.

Application was a pleasure. The consistency of She Sells Sea Shells is fluid and smooth with a medium viscosity and a plush, velvety, self-leveling glide over the nail, a lovely, user-friendly formula that went on most easily for me in medium coats from a well-loaded brush, although certainly amenable to thinner coats if that is how you roll. Pigmentation is outstanding. One medium coat will provide solidly opaque coverage, but two is better to maximize the holographic properties of the polish. Cleanup is surprisingly easy. She Sells Sea Shells dries naturally in very good time to a smooth, slightly flat finish. Topcoat adds a becoming gloss and accentuates the presence and effects of the colorshifting shimmers, but does not interfere with the holographic effects in any way.

Photos show two coats of She Sells Sea Shells over treatment and basecoat with a topcoat of Seche Vite.

Colors by Llarowe She Sells Sea Shells

Sorry, no sun shots today. It's white-sky overcast and very warm here. We are bathed in humidity. All the trees and shrubs around the property are intensely green and almost dangerously lush, continually extending themselves to new and greater parameters. It's like Andrew Marvell's "Garden" out there.

But gosh, the way the holo in this polish spells out that luscious mix of reds and deep pinks and imbues them with just the perfect amount of warmth is intoxicating, I cannot get enough of it! So buoyant and pretty and full of flirty, feminine energy -- it's divine! Love!

xo,
Liz

Tuesday, May 30, 2017

KBShimmer Let's Be Frank

Like Color Me Rad, Let's Be Frank was released this month by Indiana-based indie polish maker KBShimmer as part of the All The Bright Moves collection. This is the purple of the series and was inspired by Lisa Frank. I was already a troubled young adult in the 90s and everything I know about Lisa Frank I learned from other nail polish enthusiasts so clearly I am no expert. But judging by the enthusiasm with which this polish has been welcomed, it's right on target.

The color is a creamy, medium-toned, orchid-leaning purple that in low light very closely resembles the way Crayola's pearly purple looks on a computer screen. It brightens with the light in which it's viewed to what I want to call a primary purple, if there was such a thing. It's got the brightness of a Munsell purple with the creaminess and lilt of an orchid, with a graphic sensibility to it.

Application was ok. The consistency of Let's Be Frank is fluid, light and smooth with a medium-to-thinner viscosity and self-leveling slip over the nail that seemed to be particularly susceptible to my hand tremors, if my cuticle lines are any measure. The creme/jelly hybrid formula has a good amount of translucence to it. The first coat is somewhat uneven and very light in color, especially if you use thin coats. Two coats deepens the color considerably and will even it out to a wearable opacity if you use a thick enough coat. Since I tend to have an uneven hand, I added a third, which really didn't alter the look of the color but made me more confident that it would be evenly opaque in my photos. Cleanup is easy. Let's Be Frank dries naturally to a smooth, fairly shiny finish. Topcoat gives it a becoming gloss and a bit of that squishy look prized by jelly-loving enthusiasts.

Photos show three coats of Let's Be Frank over KBShimmer Love You Strong Time treatment and KBShimmer Fillin' Groovy basecoat with a topcoat of Seche Vite.

KBShimmer Let's Be Frank

Although this isn't a neon, it's certainly bright and bold enough to make a great summertime color. It reminds me a little bit of one of my Buxom lip glosses, a purplish one that I think is called Jennifer. Wearing it with white or lighter colors will make the most of its natural vibrancy.

love,
Liz

Monday, May 29, 2017

Different Dimension Kicking Multiple Scleros-ass

Kicking Multiple Scleros-ass was released earlier this month by Indiana-based indie polish maker Different Dimension as part of a trio of custom, limited edition lacquers created by Missi specially for Crystal's Charity Lacquers, with part of the proceeds going to benefit the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. It is the third and final polish of this set.

This one is officially described as "a hot coral pink linear holo with added shimmers." The color is delicious. It's a lighter, almost pastel blend of pink and orange to produce a warm, creamy coral or congo pink, which bears superabundant baby pink shimmers that give it cool pink highlights and a pale pink sheen along the axis of light. Finely-milled holographic pigment adds a delicately-grained, dimensional visual texture to the look. The shimmers cause the linear flare to be slightly dispersed but also give it extra sparkle, with a predominating, dimensional, sparkling arc of pale gold that travels up and down the nail as you bend your fingers in the light.

Application was excellent. The consistency of Kicking Multiple Scleros-ass is fluid and creamy with a medium viscosity and a plush, smooth, self-leveling glide over the nail. The formulas for this trio are all consistently wonderful and extremely satisfying to work with. Pigmentation is very good, with a few areas of sheerness on the first coat building easily to completely even opacity with the second. Cleanup is fairly easy. The shimmers don't disperse over the skin as much as yesterday's polish, dreaMS, but they do like to stick to the nail a bit. Kicking Multiple Scleros-ass dries naturally in very good time to a smooth, shiny finish. Topcoat accentuates the cool pink of the shimmers.

Photos show two coats of Kicking Multiple Scleros-ass over basecoat with a topcoat of Seche Vite.

Different Dimension Kicking Multiple Scleros-ass

After swatching the first polish of this trio, No MS'ing Around, I tentatively picked that one as my favorite. Well, it's been supplanted. Kicking Multiple Scleros-ass is my new favorite. My love for coral polishes usually confines itself to the brightest variations, but the soft, creamy color of this orange-tinged pink is just exquisite.

There's a certain suave, stylized feel to it as well that is also present in the other two polishes. It's almost a kind of nostalgic sensibility that's difficult to articulate but reminds me of the sunbathing ladies of my childhood, mothers of friends who would be all oiled up and laying out in the sun when I came over to play. Perhaps it is a little girl's fascination with the mystery and sophistication of women and their beauty rituals that is recalled, somehow, by the look of the polishes in this trio.

I don't know, it may be singular to my perception. But these are special lacquers, no doubt about it. If you managed to purchase them while they were available and haven't tried them yet, you're in for a treat!

love,
Liz

Sunday, May 28, 2017

Different Dimension dreaMS

Like No MS'ing Around, dreaMS was released earlier this month by Different Dimension as one of a trio of limited edition custom polishes for Crystal's Charity Lacquers, with a portion of the proceeds donated to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. This is the blue of the bunch, officially described as "a lightened teal blue linear holo with added shimmer," but it's not nearly as simple as it sounds. It is an extraordinarily shimmery shade, and the base color appears to me to be a silvery, slightly dusky pastel blue along the lines of light steel blue. Tiny gleaming microflake shimmers are a brighter, more cyanic blue, almost a turquoise, with some shifting pinkish/reddish interference that is largely unnoticeable on the nail, and give the polish an overall look that is more of a Columbia blue, a light azurey shade blanketed with shimmering electric blue sparks. The holographic effects lend a rich, finely-grained visual texture and create a slightly dispersed but very sparkly linear prismatic flare in the sun, where the overall color of the polish brightens considerably to a buoyant baby blue.

Application was most agreeable! The consistency of dreaMS is fluid and smooth with a medium viscosity and a full-bodied, self-leveling glide over the nail, not quite as creamy as No MS'ing Around but equally user-friendly. Pigmentation is very good to excellent, delivering evenly opaque coverage in two thin coats. Cleanup is straightforward but not necessarily easy, especially if you tend to have swipage issues like I do. The shimmers, freed by acetone, disperse and settle, glistening happily, over the nail environs and are the very soul of intractability to chase down. dreaMS dries naturally in very good time to a smooth, shiny finish. Topcoat doesn't appear to affect the holographic properties in any way.

Photos show two coats of dreaMS over basecoat with a topcoat of Seche Vite.

Different Dimension dreaMS

A perfect blue holo for the warmer months, shimmery and fresh.

love,
Liz

Saturday, May 27, 2017

Different Dimension No MS'ing Around

No MS'ing Around was released this month by Indiana-based indie polish maker Different Dimension as one of three limited edition custom polishes for Crystal's Charity Lacquers, a wonderful collaborative Facebook group that solicits specially created polishes from indie makers to benefit selected charities. Part of the proceeds from No MS'ing Around and its sister polishes is being donated to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. You can read more about Crystal's donation here.

Officially described as "a light mint green linear holo," the color of No MS'ing Around is a soft, sleek, slightly dusky pastel green with aspects of sage, sort of like a blue-leaning celadon or a greyed magic mint. It reminds me of the kind of color that you'd see featured in interior design, refined and sophisticated with a relaxing, serene sense to it and a certain stylized sylvan quality. It's remarkably intricate for a pastel shade, and tremendously flattering on the nail. Abundant finely-milled holographic pigment gives it a delicately-grained, dimensional appearance and nuances the color with a hint of pale cerulean and hues of aero blue and light sea green. In the sun, there's a bright, sparkling linear prismatic flare featuring all of the rainbow colors that frames a glistening lick of silvery spring green and shades to an intensely creamy celadon at the sidewalls of the nail.

Application was dreamy. The consistency of No MS'ing around is fluid, light and buttery with a medium viscosity and a deliciously silky, even, self-leveling slip over the nail -- an excellent, user-friendly formula that is a amenable to thin or thicker coats as preference dictates. Pigmentation is very good, offering evenly opaque coverage in two coats. Cleanup is easy. No MS'ing Around dries naturally in very good time to a beautiful glossy finish. Topcoat does not interfere with the holographic properties in any way.

Photos show two coats of No MS'ing Around over treatment and basecoat with a topcoat of Seche Vite.

Different Dimension No MS'ing Around

This is a beautiful polish. It's ethereal, but very present, if you know what I mean, and deliciously creamy and sleek. I bought both of its sister polishes as well, a coral pink and a light blue, and while I'm hesitant to call favorites when I haven't tried the others, this graceful green will be mighty tough to beat!

love,
Liz