Lacquer Slacker Liz: September 2017

Saturday, September 30, 2017

Vapid Lacquer Vampires Don't Sparkle

Vampires Don't Sparkle is a venerable Halloween shade from Texas-based indie polish maker Vapid Lacquer, having been released originally in 2014 from what I can tell. When it returned for 2017 with Vapid's restock this month along with several spooky cohorts, I just had to pick them up.

Described as "a deep, dark blood red shimmer," Vampires Don't Sparkle has a vampy, blackened-style burgundy or deep crimson base along the lines of Oklahoma crimson. It's filled with finely-milled red particulate shimmers that create a satiny, garnet-colored sheen along the axis of light that shades to very dark burgundy at the sidewalls, giving the polish a gorgeous, plush dimensionality on the nail.

Application went very well. I always have to fight a feeling of intimidation with dark polishes because of my potential for making a mess, but Vampires Don't Sparkle has a very tractable formula. The consistency is fluid, full-bodied and smooth with a medium viscosity and an even, self-leveling glide over the nail that likes to go on in medium coats. Pigmentation is excellent. Although I used two coats for this manicure, the polish was evenly opaque and at full bottle color with the first. Cleanup was easier than I expected, with a touch of pigment travel but little to no residual staining, huzzah! Vampires Don't Sparkle dries naturally in very good time to a smooth, satiny finish. Topcoat adds a becoming gloss and accentuates the dimensionalizing effect of the shimmers.

Photos show two coats of Vampires Don't Sparkle over basecoat with a topcoat of Seche Vite.

Vapid Lacquer Vampires Don't Sparkle

My first thought upon applying this polish was just how classically beautiful it is. The color is luxuriously rich and the way the shimmers rise and brighten along the axis of light heightens that sense of opulence and gives the polish a sensuous velvety plushness on the nail that totally draws you in. Despite the blackened sensibility, it retains a burgundy glow in low light. Makes for a sexy, glamorous manicure with beaucoup wow factor, perfect for date night or a special occasion, excellent for the holidays.

love,
Liz

Friday, September 29, 2017

ILNP West Wing

West Wing was released at the beginning of this month by Nevada-based indie polish maker ILNP as part of the new Fall 2017 collection. Officially described as a dark plum holographic polish with scattered gold flakes and purple shimmer, the color is a very dark, almost blackened variation of violet along the lines of Russian violet. If there was such a thing as midnight violet, it would look like this. It's dusted with silvery holographic microflakes that light up in twinkling prismatic sparks in ambient light, as well as tiny golden microflakes that gleam as light travels over them. In the sun, the inky color couches a brilliant scattered prismatic display, and the rainbow colors are especially bright and sparkly in contrast.

Application was great! The consistency of West Wing is fluid and smooth with a thin-to-medium viscosity and a fluent, self-leveling slip over the nail, a lovely, mobile formula that is opaque in two coats. Cleanup is straightforward with a skosh of pigment travel as you might expect from such a dark shade, and some stickiness on the part of the microflake components. West Wing dries naturally in very good time to a smooth, shiny finish.

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

ILNP West Wing

One of my readers wondered how West Wing might compare to Picture Polish's Mythical, so I have side-by-side swatch palette comparison shots of the two:

Picture Polish Mythical (left) and ILNP West Wing (right)

Excellent comparison call! Mythical's violet is not as dark as West Wing's and consequently has a brighter, more accessible look and feel, and the color maintains it's violet-ness even in lower light. West Wing is a profoundly inky shade that looks black in low light and is much more inscrutable and arcane on the nail with a little bit of a gothic quality to it. Mythical's scattered holographic flakies are slightly larger overall than West Wing's, but both put on a sparkly prismatic show in the sun. If I had to pick only one of these two for myself, it would be Mythical -- but I tend to favor brighter, more accessible colors. If vamps are your thing, West Wing definitely wins out. ;)

love,
Liz

Thursday, September 28, 2017

Top Shelf Lacquer Juiced

Today's Top Shelf Lacquer Drunken Creme Fall Holo is Juiced. This is the orange of the collection, described as a pumpkin orange but in my opinion it's actually more complex than that. It's creamier, earthier, more muted, with more red to it. I'd describe it as a medium burnt orange with aspects of terracotta and Indian red. It has a creamy, clay-like sensibility and a Southwestern vibe, with the holographic effects common to the polishes in this collection: a subtle dusting of golden effervescence in ambient light and scattered prismatic sparkle in the sun with a vestigial flare.

Application was excellent. Juiced has the same superlative formula as the other Drunken Creme Fall Holos: fluid, light and buttery smooth with a thin-to-medium viscosity and an effortless, silky, self-leveling slip over the nail. Such a pleasure! Pigmentation is very good, netting completely even, opaque coverage in two coats. Cleanup is easy. Juiced dries naturally in very good time to a smooth, shiny finish.

Photos show two coats of Juiced over KBShimmer Fillin' Groovy basecoat with a topcoat of Seche Vite.

Top Shelf Lacquer Juiced

This is such a great earthy color -- so canyon-esque! It's a perfect addition to a Southwestern palette -- if those are your colors you'll want to jump on this polish posthaste!

Antelope Canyon near Paige, Arizona (source)

Against my pasty pinkage Juiced is very soft and soothing with a slightly old-fashioned look, but I still love it. Like all of the polishes in this collection, it takes topcoat really nicely and looks sleek and glossy on the nail. Beautiful!

xo,
Liz

Wednesday, September 27, 2017

Painted Polish Moss Meditation

Moss Meditation was released this month by California-based indie polish maker Painted Polish as part of the Fall Into Zen collection. Described by creator Lexi as "a lush moss green ultra holo with added silver holographic glitters," the color is indeed a dense, rich, dark moss green with aspects of golden olive and a deliciously boggy, vegetal vibe. Sumptuously holographic, there's a warm, mobile, dimensionalizing prismatic flush in ambient light that has a certain scorched bronziness to it that I like to think of as "toasted," and tiny holographic glitters add twinkling constellations of prismatic sparkle to the look, most notably in hues of green, gold and orange.

Application was fabulous. The consistency of Moss Meditation is fluid, full-bodied and smooth with a medium viscosity and a lush, creamy, self-leveling glide over the nail that is easy to work with and likes to go on in medium-to-generous coats from a bead-loaded brush. Pigmentation is very good to excellent, almost a one coater save for occasional thin spots so two coats is best for most even coverage and richest color and holographic effects. Cleanup is straightforward. Moss Meditation dries naturally in very good time to a smooth, shiny finish. Topcoat does not any way inhibit the holographic effects of this polish.

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

Painted Polish Moss Meditation

The sheer opulence of this gorgeous holographic yellow-green is almost overwhelming to me -- it's every bit as sensuous and resplendent as shimmering silk velvet. At the same time it's quite sleek on the nail, with a luxe golden sheen glamorously punctuated by the twinkling holographic glitters. Just the epitome of a luxuriously rich color and stylistically on trend with the propensity for army/camo greens that always seems to come around during this time of year. I think that it would make a fantastic, if slightly avant-garde, choice for holiday wear, too!

love,
Liz

Tuesday, September 26, 2017

Picture Polish Mythical

Like Riviera and Macaron, Mythical was released this month by Australian boutique polish maker Picture Polish as a Collaboration shade. Officially described as a "purple jelly scatter holographic with shifting blue glass flecks," it was designed by Roselynn of the blog Manicured and Marvelous and roselynn787 on Instagram. Read Rose's post about Mythical and view her photos here!

This polish is a rich dark purple along the lines of eminence with aspects of Spanish violet and (to a lesser degree) indigo, a cooler variation of the shade with a strong lean to violet in certain circumstances and a regal, mysterious air. It's filled with PP's signature silvery holographic flakies that give it a stippled finish and light up in a warm, golden prismatic flush edged with red sparks as light travels over them. Abundant bright azure blue glass fleck shimmers complement the cool purple base, adding boatloads of lively sparkle (to the point of being almost glittery), especially in the sun where they augment a blanket of colorful prismatic sparks.

Application was lovely. The consistency of Mythical is fluid, light and silky smooth with a thin-to-medium viscosity and a fluent, self-leveling slip over the nail that is a pleasure to finish with PP's compact flattened-style brush. Pigmentation is excellent for a jelly, with evenly opaque coverage available in two coats, although I used three for the photos to avoid any trace of sheerness. Cleanup is straightforward, with a tiny bit of pigment travel and a little stickiness on the part of the glass flecks. Mythical dries naturally in very good time to a smooth, shiny finish. Topcoat enhances the presence and sparkle of the glass flecks.

Photos show three coats of Mythical over basecoat with a topcoat of Seche Vite.

Picture Polish Mythical

I love the addition of blue glass fleck shimmers to PP's scattered holo formula here. Even though my photos don't show it very well, they really do sparkle, adding touches of magic and glamor that keep the deep violet-leaning purple from being too aloof. A great fall color, too -- you know how I love my violets for autumn! Win!

love,
Liz