Top Shelf Lacquer Alcohol You Later

I'm determined to get my pastel swatching game on, so today I have another polish from the Pastel Brights collection by Top Shelf Lacquer. It's Alcohol You Later, described by creator Amy as a "soft neon coral pastel crème." Compared to the dedicated pink in the collection, Stop and Smell the Rosé, it's warmer, a little more mellow/desaturated and not at all rosy. Although it looks very much like a pink in my photos, in person I can definitely see this shade as a coral that has been bleached by the sun. It's a warmer pink with a kiss of orange, kind of like a desaturated congo pink or a pinkish cantalope color, with a gorgeous neon-esque aspect that gives it plenty of pop and makes my digits look tan. :)

Application was most agreeable! The consistency of Alcohol You Later is fluid, full-bodied and very creamy with a medium viscosity and a fluent, buttery glide over the nail. Like yesterday's Take Life One Sip at a Time, it self-levels as it sets up. Pigmentation is very good, with a little streakiness on the first coat that evens out well with the second. I'm convinced that if my hands weren't so shaky and my application more even, I could have gotten it evenly opaque with two coats -- it was almost there! The streaks I had after two coats were minimal and mostly due to nail ridges, and all was well after a third coat. Cleanup is easy. Alcohol You Later dries naturally in very good time to a lovely glossy finish.

Photos show three coats of Alcohol You Later over treatment and basecoat with a topcoat of Seche Vite. As I mentioned, the color in the photos is slightly cooler than it is in person. The second photo down is the closest my camera was able to get to the real color.

Top Shelf Lacquer Alcohol You Later

Top Shelf Lacquer Alcohol You Later

Top Shelf Lacquer Alcohol You Later

Top Shelf Lacquer Alcohol You Later

Top Shelf Lacquer Alcohol You Later

Top Shelf Lacquer Alcohol You Later

Top Shelf Lacquer Alcohol You Later

Top Shelf Lacquer Alcohol You Later

Top Shelf Lacquer Alcohol You Later

If I wasn't convinced that Alcohol You Later had the oomph to produce the look of a neon coral pastel in the bottle (and I have to admit I wasn't), where it looks deceptively like a dainty, demure pink, two seconds on my nails proved me wrong. It's luminous, as Fuzzy said when she first saw it, with that eye-catching glow that neons have but in a soft, sun-bleached coral shade. I'm wearing an earthy, washed blue-grey linen top with equally earthy soft olive linen pants and this polish is a fantastic counterpoint -- it looks fabulous! Love it!

xo,
Liz