Il Était Un Vernis Let's Be Mermaids

Let's Be Mermaids was released in June this year by French boutique polish maker Il Était Un Vernis as part of the Mystical Fantasy Club collection. Let me start off by saying that this not your typical mermaid polish. Co-creator Stéphanie uses the idea of siren song to describe it in her post about the collection on De Tout Et De Rien -- I believe the name is intended to evoke the irresistible attraction of femininity in a magical, mythological sense. In any case, to stave off cognitive dissonance, I encourage you to set aside any expectations elicited by the name.

Described as a pinkish plum with a fuchsia metallic shift, Let's Be Mermaids is a vampy shimmer polish. The color is a dark, opaque variation of red-violet similar to vivid burgundy that seems to lean more to red or purple depending upon the kind of light in which it's viewed -- it has a distinctly purple aspect under incandescent light, for example. Ultrafine metallic particulate shimmers in fuchsia are more overt in the bottle than on the nail, but create a subtle, luminous mist of plum that floats over the base in ambient light and a stealthy lit-from-within glow in more direct light. A sprinkling of holographic pigment adds a touch of effervescence to the look.

Application was luscious. The consistency of Let's Be Mermaid is fluid, dense and very smooth with a medium viscosity and a lush, velvety, self-leveling glide over the nail that is amenable to thin or thicker coats as preference dictates and is easy to control with the brand's compact, flattened style brush. Pigmentation is very good. You get close to full bottle color on the first coat and evenly opaque coverage to the eye with two. Cleanup is straightforward with a skosh of pigment travel but surprisingly little residual staining. Let's Be Mermaids dries naturally in very good time to a beautiful glossy finish. Topcoat brings out the plummy mist effect of the shimmers.

Photos show two coats of Let's Be Mermaids over basecoat with a topcoat of Seche Vite.

Il Était Un Vernis Let's Be Mermaids

Il Était Un Vernis Let's Be Mermaids

Il Était Un Vernis Let's Be Mermaids

Il Était Un Vernis Let's Be Mermaids

Il Était Un Vernis Let's Be Mermaids

Il Était Un Vernis Let's Be Mermaids

Il Était Un Vernis Let's Be Mermaids

Il Était Un Vernis Let's Be Mermaids

Il Était Un Vernis Let's Be Mermaids

This is what I personally call a "Kathye" polish, after one of my college friends whose predilection for deep, rich, vampy nail colors I used to marvel at back in the day and whose polish aesthetic left a lasting impression on me. 

I'm noting that there seems to be a little more translucence to the look in the photos compared to how it appeared in person. It almost seems as if it could possibly have used a third coat -- or a more even hand during application.  Such a rich, sensuous color!

love,
Liz