Il Était Un Vernis To the Rainbow and Back

To the Rainbow and Back was released in June this year by French boutique polish maker Il Était Un Vernis as part of the Mystical Fantasy Club collection. Described by co-creator Il Était Un Vernis as a sky blue holographic polish, the base color is indeed a dreamy, sophisticated variation of sky blue that's difficult to pin down precisely. Delicately balanced between azure and cyan, there's the lightest kiss of blue-grey to it that puts it between the web color powder blue and Crayola's sky blue in terms of brightness. A creme-type holo, it has the kind of luminosity that is simultaneously milky and lucid, a certain softness that you feel you could just fall into. Ultrafine holographic pigment particles read as pale gold within the base in ambient light and generate a dainty, pastel-hued prismatic flush in the sun. 

Application was fantastic. The consistency of To the Rainbow and Back is fluid, light and silky with a thin-to-medium viscosity and a buttery, even, self-leveling slip over the nail, a gorgeous, eminently-paintable formula that is a delight to work with. Pigmentation is very, very good, especially for such a light color, building easily to completely opaque coverage in two thin coats. Cleanup is easy. To the Rainbow and Back dries naturally in very good time to a smooth, shiny finish. Topcoat accentuates the presence and delicate sparkle of the holographic pigment.

Photos show two coats of To the Rainbow and Back over treatment and basecoat with a topcoat of Seche Vite. As usual with sky blues, the polish color skews a tiny bit to azure in the ambient light pics. In person, it's closest to the way it looks in the direct sun images.

Il Était Un Vernis To the Rainbow and Back

Il Était Un Vernis To the Rainbow and Back

Il Était Un Vernis To the Rainbow and Back

Il Était Un Vernis To the Rainbow and Back

Il Était Un Vernis To the Rainbow and Back

Il Était Un Vernis To the Rainbow and Back

Il Était Un Vernis To the Rainbow and Back

Il Était Un Vernis To the Rainbow and Back

Il Était Un Vernis To the Rainbow and Back

Il Était Un Vernis To the Rainbow and Back

Il Était Un Vernis To the Rainbow and Back

Il Était Un Vernis To the Rainbow and Back

 I showed this polish to Fuzzy. "Is that French?" she asked. No lie!

This color is sunny enough for summer but possesses the kind of understated, pan-seasonal sophistication and elegance that I've learned to expect from Il Était Un Vernis. On the nail it is smooth, creamy and sleek, with a delicate, porcelain-like luminosity that flatters the fingers and hands. It's the kind of color you see porch ceilings painted in the south to give the illusion of sky overhead, and a more wearable, refined alternative to Carolina blue for you UNC fans out there.

love,
Liz