Emily de Molly Paper Universe

Paper Universe was released in mid-September this year by Australian indie polish maker Emily de Molly as one of seven new polishes for September 2017. Creator Hayley describes it as a dark royal blue jelly with bronze/gold/green shifting flakes, blue shimmers and silver and gold holographic microglitters. The base color is a dark, translucent shade of azure similar to lapis lazuli. It has a certain watercolor softness to it and is densely packed with a complex mixture of components that muddy the color to something closer to a midnight blue and create a kind of shadowy collage on the nail that's full of light play. Superabundant metallic colorshifting flakies sized from tiny to medium glisten and gleam in shades of bronze, coppery chestnut, blue-green and azure as light travels over them, dotted with twinkling prismatic sparkle from the holographic microglitters. Direct sun seems to pull more green hues from the flakies and highlights the blue shimmers.

Application was great! The consistency of Paper Universe is fluid and remarkably smooth for such a component-laden polish, with a medium viscosity and a fluent, easy, self-leveling glide over the nail that's just wonderful to work with. No component monkey business either, everything goes on smoothly and lays flat to the nail without tumbling, stickups or protrusions over the free edge. Pigmentation is somewhat sheerish but good, delivering wearable opacity in two coats. Be sure to wrap your tips carefully to avoid sheerness there. Cleanup was surprisingly easy. Paper Universe dries naturally in very good time to a shiny, gently textured finish that's largely smoothed by topcoat, which accentuates the presence of those beautiful metallic flakes.

Photos show two coats of Paper Universe over treatment and basecoat with a topcoat of Seche Vite.

Emily de Molly Paper Universe

Emily de Molly Paper Universe

Emily de Molly Paper Universe

Emily de Molly Paper Universe

Emily de Molly Paper Universe

Emily de Molly Paper Universe

Emily de Molly Paper Universe

Emily de Molly Paper Universe

Emily de Molly Paper Universe

The next time I wear this I think I'll go with three coats for a more uniform depth of color and finish with a dedicated surface-smoothing topcoat. It's a wonderfully murky, complex dark blue polish. The packed flakies give it a dappled visual texture with a shimmering, watery kind of reflectivity, glamorously punctuated by flashes of gleaming color and bright prismatic sparks -- a stylish facade beneath which lurks a mysterious, slightly foreboding sensibility.

love,
Liz