Contrary Polish Feel The Spark

Feel The Spark was created by Carrie of Missouri-based indie polish maker Contrary Polish exclusively for the science-themed, May 2017 edition of Polish Pickup. Inspired by an amazing photo of a live mini Tesla coil, it is described as "a deep magenta base with strong purple shimmer and holo micro flakes." The color is a dark, rich variation of red-violet along the lines of Crayola's jazzberry jam. Holographic microflakes give it a speckled appearance, and superabundant finely-milled purple particulate shimmers create a fabulous translucent purple sheen, adding a certain plummy quality to the look. In the sun, the shimmers evolve into a delicate, glistening mist of purple that floats over the red-violet base, which the sparkling holographic microflakes illuminate with a lovely dimensional prismatic flush.

Application was great! The consistency of Feel The Spark is fluid, full-bodied and smooth with a medium viscosity and a lush, even, self-leveling slip over the nail. Pigmentation is excellent for a jelly. The first coat is evenly opaque but light. A second coat deepens it to full bottle color. I added a third thin coat for no particular reason, but it didn't really alter the look. Cleanup is easy, with a tiny bit of pigment travel but little to no residual staining. Feel The Spark dries naturally in good time to a smooth, slightly flat finish that loves a glossy topcoat to look its very best.

Photos show three coats of Feel The Spark over treatment and basecoat with a topcoat of Seche Vite.

Contrary Polish Feel The Spark

Contrary Polish Feel The Spark

Contrary Polish Feel The Spark

Contrary Polish Feel The Spark

Contrary Polish Feel The Spark

Contrary Polish Feel The Spark

Contrary Polish Feel The Spark

Contrary Polish Feel The Spark

Contrary Polish Feel The Spark

Contrary Polish Feel The Spark

Contrary Polish Feel The Spark

Contrary Polish Feel The Spark

Contrary Polish Feel The Spark

As I've said many times, I love red-violet shades on my nails. The depth of color in this one makes it particularly dramatic, and that delicious purple sheen adds a slightly gothic quality that is well in keeping with historic Tesla coil imagery. I love the flecked look of the holographic microflakes, especially in the sun where they blanket the polish with tiny prismatic sparks and create a little of that dimensional holographic magic within the base. Carrie did a spectacular job of translating the inspiration photo to polish -- it is beautifully constructed and gorgeous on the nail. Excellent formula, too!

love,
Liz