Lacquer Slacker Liz: 2018

Sunday, June 10, 2018

Girly Bits Slushie Lips & Tips

Slushie Lips & Tips was released in May this year by Canadian indie polish maker Girly Bits as one-half of the brand's serial Color of the Month Duo. Creator Pam describes it as a bright popsicle pink with an intense pink shimmer and a very reflective, almost chrome-like finish.

The base color is a brilliant, cool, medium-dark pink with a rosy aspect that's a good match for Mexican pink. Superabundant finely-milled metallic shimmers in magenta sharpen the color to more of a shocking pink appearance, giving it a glowing, semi-metallic quality on the nail with a bold, purplish-pink flash and loads of scintillating sparkle in the sun.

Application was wonderful. The consistency of Slushie Lips & Tips is fluid, light and smooth with a medium viscosity and an easy, fluent, self-leveling slip over the nail. Pigmentation is excellent -- evenly opaque in one medium coat although I used two for this manicure. Cleanup is straightforward. Slushie Lips & Tips dries naturally in amazingly fast time to a smooth shiny finish.

Photos show two coats of Slushie Lips & Tips over treatment and basecoat with a topcoat of Seche Vite.

Girly Bits Slushie Lips & Tips

Such a gorgeous, showy color, a power pink! Reminds me mostly of spring and petunias, but of course is awesome for summer and I think it has the oomph to hold its own amongst winter jewel-tones as well. The flashy, semi-metallic aspect gives it an almost ecstatic quality on the nail, but the native rosiness keeps it from being too shrill or flighty and imbues it with a certain affectionate, vivacious sensibility. Sweetness with substance!

love,
Liz

Saturday, June 9, 2018

Tonic Polish The Best is Yet to Come

The Best is Yet to Come was created by Lindsey of Iowa-based indie polish maker Tonic Polish for limited release by Hella Handmade Creations in March this year, with a later, unlimited pre-order in May. It's described as "a denim blue with glowing copper shimmer, iridescent particles of different sizes that shift yellow and green, and scattered holo."

This polish is one of what I've come to think of as Lindsey's "deliciously ambiguous wonders." The base color is indeed a medium-dark blue along the lines of liberty from the ISCC-NBS Dictionary of Color Names, a denimy, lapis-like shade that's quite translucent -- the better to show off the components, which combine with it to give the color a complex, dusky appearance on the nail. Numerous variously-sized, color-shifting flakies ranging from tiny to medium-large gleam in shades of flame, gold, green and even magenta from within the base as light travels over them, while finely-milled copper shimmers create a prominent coppery-pink glow along the axis of light. Abundant holographic pigment adds depth, luminosity and a delicately-grained visual texture in ambient light. As you turn your nails toward your light source, the polish glows golden-green, and in the sun there's a sparkling scattered prismatic display that frames a bold, shimmering lick of copper.

Application was great! The consistency of The Best is Yet to Come is fluid and light with a medium viscosity and a fluent glide over the nail. There's an occasional bit of flakie jostling, but by and large they settle into place without issue. Pigmentation is very good. I was happy with two medium coats on my shorties, but longer nails or thinner coats may need three. Those flakies like to stick to the nail during cleanup, but it's pretty straightforward otherwise. The Best is Yet to Come dries naturally in good time to a slightly flat finish with a bit of mostly visual texture from surface-lying flakies. Topcoat adds a becoming gloss and accentuates the presence and effects of the components.

Photos show two coats of The Best is Yet to Come over treatment and basecoat with a topcoat of Seche Vite.

Tonic Polish The Best is Yet to Come

This is a complex, moody puzzle of a polish full of magical components that offer surprise and delight with every flex of the fingers. My favorite part is the bold copper shimmer. It's positively luminous on the nail, tying in to the flame-colored flakies and contrasting beautifully with the stormy blue ambiguity of base. Outstanding visual texture and light play!

love,
Liz

Friday, June 8, 2018

Grace-full Nail Polish Angry Pixie

Angry Pixie was released towards the end of last month by Australian indie polish maker Grace-full Nail Polish as part of the Faraway collection, seven lacquers inspired by The Faraway Tree, a series of popular novels for children by British author Enid Blyton (1897-1968).

Officially described as a red jelly with red metallic microflakes, the base color is a brilliant, saturated, medium-dark crimson that's warmed by the red microflake shimmers to more of a glowy fire engine red appearance. Those microflakes also give it a bit of that reflective, semi-metallic quality in ambient light, and create a twinkling, raspberry-colored sparkle along the axis of light in the sun.

Application was wonderful. The consistency of Angry Pixie is fluid, light and smooth with a medium consistency and a fluent, silky, self-leveling slip over the nail, a gorgeous, user-friendly formula that is just what I've learned to expect from the brand. Pigmentation is very good to excellent for a jelly and delivers completely even, opaque coverage in two coats. Cleanup is fairly straightforward with a bit of pigment travel as you might expect from a well-saturated red, and the microflakes do like to stick to the nail. Angry Pixie dries naturally in very good time to a smooth, slightly satiny sort of finish. Topcoat adds a becoming gloss.

Photos show two coats of Angry Pixie over treatment and basecoat with a topcoat of Seche Vite.

Grace-full Nail Polish Angry Pixie

Nothing seems to elicit my exaggerated covet response more powerfully than bright red nail polish. Honestly, I'm like Pavlov's dog for it. The MOMENT I came across the first swatches of this polish on Facebook, I went right to Grace-full's international site and ordered. It just arrived yesterday and I couldn't wait to get it on my nails. I'm delighted to say that it is every bit as beautiful and intense as I hoped it would be, a fabulous, showy, bright red shimmer for all seasons and occasions (and perfect for the holidays -- never too early!). Love!

xo,
Liz

Thursday, June 7, 2018

Lollipop Posse Lacquer What a Million Filaments

What a Million Filaments was released last month by Ohio-based indie polish maker Lollipop Posse Lacquer as part of The Sylvia Plath Quad celebrating the brand's third anniversary. It's described as "an electric purple linear holographic polish that suspends green/blue/purple color shifting micro glitters and blue iridescent flakes."

The color is a slightly heathery, rich medium purple with strong red-violet overtones, kind of like a plummy take on a Munsell purple, a garnet-like shade that's difficult to describe but immediately recognizable as purple. One of the first things you notice about this polish in the bottle are copious blue microflakes interspersed with tiny green microglitters, which have have an almost psychedelic quality against the bold purple base color. Their appearance on the nail is more subtle and scattered but no less delightful, tiny gleaming bursts of blue and green as the light catches them. Abundant holographic pigment gives the purple base a finely-grained visual texture and a heathery quality, nuancing it with hues of red-violet, violet and plum in ambient light. In the sun, there's a slightly dispersed but super sparkly linear prismatic flare predominated by arcs of azure and bright red.

Application was fantastic. The consistency of What a Million Filaments is fluid and creamy with a medium viscosity and a plush, even, self-leveling glide over the nail that is easy to control. I experienced a tiny bit of tumbling on the part of the components, but no stacking or stickups. Pigmentation is very good to excellent -- I used two coats for these photos. Cleanup was surprisingly easy. What a Million Filaments dries naturally in good time to a shiny finish that is very slightly textured, easily smoothed with topcoat. Topcoat also accentuates the presence of the components.

Photos show two coats of What a Million Filaments over KBShimmer Love You Strong Time treatment and KBShimmer Fillin' Groovy basecoat with a topcoat of Seche Vite.

Lollipop Posse Lacquer What a Million Filaments

This is a beautifully-composed polish and very Sylvia Plath, I think. The name comes from a line in her great 1962 poem, "Lady Lazarus," and I feel that the boldly contrasting elements in the polish really do justice to the fierceness and electricity of that work. On the nail, it has a lush, plummy presence, richly colorful but not the least bit gaudy or overly flamboyant -- there's a certain confident, sophisticated sensibility to it that, to me, reflects very well upon the wearer. Love this!

xo,
Liz

Monday, June 4, 2018

Emily de Molly LE 95

LE (Limited Edition) 95 was released in April this year by Australian indie polish maker Emily de Molly, one of four LEs released that month. It's described as "a dark grey holo with subtle gold and copper shimmer and flakes." The color is indeed a silky dark grey with gentle blue and purple undertones, similar to gunmetal. It has the finely-grained visual texture that you see in holographic polishes, with a dimensional blue-violet heart in ambient light. Tiny gleaming microflake shimmers are clearly visible on close inspection -- their reflectivity gives them a silvery look against the dark grey and I think they impart a transparent silvery sheen to the look of the polish on the nail. In the sun, there's a gorgeous fully-linear prismatic display predominated by azure.

Application was lovely. The consistency of LE 95 is fluid, light and smooth with the thin-to-medium viscosity that I love and a buttery, self-leveling slip over the nail. Pigmentation is very good, delivering evenly opaque coverage in two coats. The shimmers like to stick to the nail, but cleanup is otherwise straightforward. LE 95 dries naturally in very good time to a smooth, shiny finish. Topcoat does not interfere with the holographic effects in any way.

Photos show two coats of LE 95 over treatment and basecoat with a topcoat of Seche Vite.

Emily de Molly LE 95

If you like dark greys, this is a beautiful one, elegant and sleek on the nail with a touch of indie flavor from the scattered gleaming microflake shimmers and the transparent silvery sheen they seem to generate.

As you can see, I'm back to shorties again following a bad break on my swatching hand at the end of last month. *sad star!* Seems as though I had, like, YEARS (not entirely true, but it feels like it in retrospect) of continuously long nails until last fall. Since then, every two or three months I'll get one of those below-the-nail-line breaks/tears on that left hand. For some reason, I find it more difficult to paint and photograph nail polish with shorties. Luckily, my polish enthusiasm does not diminish with the length of my nails.

Continued apologies for the sporadic posting. Fuzzy has been in rehab following her 15 May knee replacement surgery and will be coming home tomorrow. She's walking well with a walker but is not allowed to drive until the beginning of July. She'll need some extra support around the house and I'll be running all of her errands and ferrying her to physical therapy several times a week, so I anticipate that you still won't be seeing very much of me here during June. I miss posting -- my days feel a little discombobulated without it.

love,
Liz

Saturday, May 26, 2018

Girly Bits No Fawkes Given

As of April this year, Hella Handmade Creations (HHC), formerly Hella Holo Customs, has upped its game in a big way. There is now a dedicated Hella Handmade Creations online store, where artisanal offerings by indie polish makers will be available for pre-order for a week-long window each month. You no longer need to be a member of HHC to purchase, and there will be handmade products other than nail polish available. Featured makers sign up for a series of monthly offerings centered around a theme of their choosing. Find out more about scheduled online store openings, featured makers and what products will be offered by joining HHC on Facebook!

No Fawkes Given was created by Pam of Canadian Indie Polish maker Girly Bits exclusively for the April 2018 HHC online pop-up, which ran from 14-21 April. Pam chose Harry Potter as her HHC product theme, and this polish was inspired by Fawkes the phoenix, Albus Dumbledore's animal companion, proxy, messenger and defender. It is described as "a bright red scattered holo with a golden/copper shimmer, and a slight sprinkling of gold holo microglitter."

The base color is a medium-dark crimson that is warmed by the golden/copper shimmers to more of a dense, cedary vermilion or chili red appearance with aspects of copper, flame and persimmon. It is bold, complex and intensely fiery on the nail, where finely-milled holographic pigment nuances it with hues of crimson, rust and fire brick and creates a subtle sparkly flush of orange and gold in ambient light, complemented by twinkling red, orange and gold sparks from the microglitters. In the sun, the look is blanketed with brilliant scattered prismatic sparkle in every rainbow color.

Application was most agreeable! The consistency of No Fawkes Given is fluid and surprisingly light with a medium viscosity and a fluent, smooth, self-leveling glide over the nail, a wonderful, eminently-paintable formula that is a pleasure to work with. Pigmentation is very good, netting completely even, opaque coverage in two coats. Cleanup is straightforward with a skosh of pigment travel and a little bit of shimmer and glitter stickiness. No Fawkes Given dries naturally in very good time to a smooth, shiny finish.

Photos show two coats of No Fawkes Given over treatment and basecoat with a topcoat of Seche Vite.

Girly Bits No Fawkes Given

Cue the heart emoji! First, a round of applause for the name of this polish -- so clever and funny! If that alone isn't enough to generate heartfelt appreciation, the look does it with gusto -- an unconventional rusty red radiating all kinds of lively sparkle and shimmer, absolutely gorgeous! With its holographic effects, shimmers and microglitters, it's a complex, multifaceted extravaganza of fiery goodness. As perfect as it could possibly be!

love,
Liz