Lacquer Slacker Liz: October 2017

Friday, October 27, 2017

Different Dimension Boo Felicia

Like Basic Witch, Boo Felicia was released this month by Indiana-based indie polish maker Different Dimension as part of the Creepin' It Real Trio. This is the orange of the troika, described as a "linear holographic polish with added silver flakies and holographic microflakies." The color is a perfect gamboge, a medium-toned, amber-leaning shade with a slightly muted, darkened quality that nevertheless has a very natural, vibrant appearance on the nail. Abundant tiny silver and holographic flakes stipple the look, the silver gleaming in hues of gold, amber and orange as light travels over them. The finish has a flashy, reflective, almost metallic kind of quality that showcases the richness of the color beautifully. In the sun, there's a diffuse linear prismatic flare in spring green, orange and red with boatloads of sparkle from all of those flakies.

Application was wonderful! The consistency of Boo Felicia is fluid, light and smooth with a medium viscosity and an even, biddable, self-leveling glide over the nail, a beautiful formula that is easy to control and finesse with DD's somewhat bushy flattened-style brush. All flakes go on smoothly and lay flat. Pigmentation is very good to excellent -- very slight sheerness on the first coat is all that keeps this from being a one-coater, but you'll want a second for the added flakies anyway. Cleanup is straightforward. Boo Felicia dries naturally in very good time to a smooth, shiny finish.

Photos show two coats of Boo Felicia over basecoat with a topcoat of Seche Vite.

Different Dimension Boo Felicia

Wow, is this ever GORGEOUS! Bright and bold, this polish positively gleams on the nail. It's a very natural shade of orange, too, not over-amped, just full of its own beaming, enthusiastic energy -- a luminous, harvest moon orange with a highly decorative feel, flashy and sleek. So pretty! I love this!

With Boo Felicia on my nails, I will be driving up to Charlottesville VA today to watch the new Stranger Things and carve pumpkins with my sis, my dad and their families, staying through Halloween. I won't be posting while I'm away, but don't worry -- it's a sanctioned absence! I'll be back on 2 November. Happy Halloween!

xo,
Liz

Thursday, October 26, 2017

Painted Polish Mulberry Musings

Like Moss Mediation, Mocha Mantra and Mellow Mustard, Mulberry Musings was released in September this year by California-based indie polish maker Painted Polish as part of the Fall Into Zen collection. It is constructed similarly to the other three, with an ultra holographic base bearing silver holographic microglitters.

Officially described as a "raisin purple," the color is a medium-dark taupey variation of Tyrian purple along the lines of mauve taupe, but a little darker. Superabundant finely-milled holo pigment infuses it with misty hues of violet, azure and cordovan in ambient light and creates a shimmering, semi-metallic underlay of coppery brown, the whole densely sprinkled with bright, twinkling prismatic sparkle from the glitters. There's a brilliant, extra-sparkly linear holographic flare in the sun featuring slender arcs in all of the rainbow colors that frame a semi-metallic lick of pale coppery brown and shade to palatinate purple at the sidewalls of the nail.

Application was on par with the other Fall Into Zen polishes -- a real pleasure! Mulberry Musings has a fluid, full-bodied and smooth consistency with a medium viscosity and a fluent, even, self-leveling slip over the nail, an excellent, eminently-paintable, user-friendly formula. Pigmentation is very good. Two medium coats deliver completely opaque coverage and full bottle color. Cleanup is easy, even with the glitters. Mulberry Musings dries naturally in very good time to a smooth, shiny finish. Topcoat seems to accentuate the coppery brown underlay and does not interfere with the holographic properties of the polish at all.

Photos show two coats of Mulberry Musings over basecoat with a topcoat of Seche Vite.

Painted Polish Mulberry Musings

You know, this is the Fall Into Zen polish that I was least attracted to in the bottle and it's turning out to be my favorite of the four. The color is a rich amalgamation of purple, taupe, mauve, copper and rosy brown that is so perfect for fall, I can hardly stand it! There's dusty, understated quality to it that is deliciously offset by the lush holographic effects and glamorous, twinkling sparkle. That remarkable opulence co-exists with a modest, poised character on the nail for a sublimely elegant sensibility. It's substantive the way fine jewelry is -- the quality and beauty is never in doubt. Love!

Fall Into Zen is a wonderful little collection, you can't go wrong with any of these polishes. Well done, Alexa!

xo,
Liz

Wednesday, October 25, 2017

Nail Hoot Holo-Maniacs Custom #32

Holo-Maniacs Custom #32 was released this month by Missouri-based indie polish maker Nail Hoot as an October 2017 limited edition polish designed especially for members of the Holo-Maniacs Facebook group. Inspired by a night-time photograph of a beach pier under a round, golden moon, this polish is described as a blue linear holo with gold flakies.

The color is a medium-toned shade of azure with aspects of blue-grey and steel blue, very similar to Pantone's silver lake blue. It's absolutely packed with tiny golden flakes, which gleam brightly as light travels over them and give the polish a softly reflective, semi-metallic sort of look on the nail that has a silvery flash. The holographic effects are responsive and athletic, creating a gorgeous prismatic flush in ambient light that has that delicious, bronzy "toasted" effect. Once again it's overcast with aspirations to rain here today, but I expect the holographic flare in the sun will be of the "loose linear" or "tightly scattered" variety from all of those gold flakies, but extra sparkly because of them too.

Application was most agreeable! The consistency of Custom #32 is fluid, light and loamy with a medium viscosity and a plush, silky soft, self-leveling glide over the nail that's amenable to thin or thicker coats as preference dictates. Pigmentation is very good. Slight sheerness on the first coat builds easily to fully opaque coverage with the second. Cleanup is easy. Custom #32 dries naturally in very good time to a smooth, shiny finish. Topcoat accentuates the presence and effects of the flakies and does not alter the holographic effects in any way that I could tell.

Photos show two coats of Holo-Maniacs Custom #32 over basecoat with a topcoat of Seche Vite. Unfortunately, the holographic effects kind of commandeered the camera in these pics -- in person, it's quite clear that this is more than a simple, straightforward holo.

Nail Hoot Holo-Maniacs Custom #32

This is a beautiful polish. The blue has a lovely, soft, shadowy sensibility with an indeterminate semi-metallic nature that highlights neither gold nor silver but sort of a mixture of the two. The holographic properties create a silvery swath along the axis of light that deepens to a richer, sharper blue at the edges of the nail, dimensionalizing the look, which has a super-fine, all-over, glistening sparkle that's like light off water in the distance. Here's the inspiration pic that creator Brandie used to design this lacquer:

I think she did a wonderful job translating the dreaminess of that photo. Holo-Maniacs Custom #32 is available for purchase through the end of October on the Nail Hoot website.

love,
Liz

Tuesday, October 24, 2017

Different Dimension Basic Witch

Basic Witch was released at the beginning of this month by Indiana-based indie polish maker Different Dimension as part of the Creepin' It Real Trio for Halloween 2017. Officially described as a "black linear holographic polish with added silver flakies and holographic microflakies," the color on the nail is a rich, robust onyx that is only very slightly silvered by abundant finely-milled holographic pigment. It has the delicately-grained visual texture common to holographic polishes, here further speckled by tiny silvery holographic microflakes and small, scattered silver flakies that gleam as light travels over them. There's an understated, slightly dispersed, dimensionalizing bloom of subdued prismatic color in ambient light with a subtle bronze cast to it. We're overcast and raining here today, but in photos I've seen this polish displays a bright, sparkly linear prismatic flare in the sun.

Application was lovely. The consistency of Basic Witch is fluid, light and smooth with a medium viscosity and an even, creamy, self-leveling glide over the nail. All of the flakies go on smoothly and lay flat, no stickups or protrusions. Pigmentation is very good, delivering completely even opacity and full, rich color in two coats. Cleanup is straightforward. Basic Witch dries naturally in very good time to a smooth, shiny finish. Topcoat does not appear to inhibit the holographic properties in any way.

Photos show two coats of Basic Witch over basecoat with a topcoat of Seche Vite.

Different Dimension Basic Witch

A beautiful black linear holo with added visual interest and light play from the flakies, which also give it a bit of twinkling prismatic sparkle in certain circumstances. The color retains it's rich blackness in spite of the holo pigment, not off-black or charcoal, and the formula is first-rate, a total pleasure to work with. The quality is exactly what I've learned to expect from this venerable indie brand, and I can only appreciate it all the more for being so very consistent. Love!

xo,
Liz

Monday, October 23, 2017

Vapid Lacquer Apparition

Like Vampires Don't Sparkle, Apparition is a long-standing Halloween shade from Texas-based indie polish maker Vapid Lacquer, originally released in 2014.

Described as a light grey creme/jelly hybrid bearing three sizes of silver holographic glitters as well as colorshifting shimmers, the color is a smooth, semi-translucent Gainsboro grey with a very subtle pink-lavender glow that is blanketed with a net of delicate silver glitters that twinkle in pasteled prismatic hues in ambient light. They brighten to full-on rainbow sparkle in the sun, where the colorshifting shimmers reveal themselves as a mist of tiny, glistening lavender and pink microflakes along the axis of light.

Application was wonderful. The consistency of Apparition is fluid, light and creamy with a medium viscosity and an easy, biddable, self-leveling slip over the nail, a delightful formula that goes on incredibly fluently and evenly for a white-based shade. Pigmentation is very good, slightly sheer on the first coat but building easily to wearably opaque coverage with the second. Cleanup is straightforward with a bit of stickiness on the part of the glitters. Apparition dries naturally in very good time to a shiny finish with just the tiniest bit of discernible texture, easily smooth with topcoat.

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

Vapid Lacquer Apparition

I am biased to love this delicious little grey twinkler because of the formula, which is simply superb. How can you not love a polish that actually feels like it wants your manicure to be perfect? It's beautifully-constructed as well, all the elements are in perfect proportion. If you've missed this one in the past, make a mental note to pick it up next year -- it's the kind of polish that just makes you feel really happy and fortunate to be a polish enthusiast.

love,
Liz