Picture Polish Coral Reef

Coral Reef was released in 2009 by Australian boutique polish maker Picture Polish. Described as a "coral pink creme," it's part of the brand's Classic line. I was surprised to realize when I looked that this is my first creme from Picture Polish -- the polishes I have in my collection are all Collaboration, Holographic and Opulence shades.

Coral Reef kind of sits in between two other corally PP cremes, Watermelon and Sunset. More orange than the former, more pink than the latter, it's a bright, medium-light coral pink, an amalgamation of pink and orange that looks pretty well-balanced between the two -- similar to salmon or Congo pink. Clean and creamy on the nail, it has that lush, tropical, floral/fruity vibe and the buoyant cheerfulness that I love so much about coral nail polish.

Application was every bit as fantastic as you'd expect from Picture Polish. The consistency of Coral Reef is fluid, light and creamy with a medium viscosity and a fluent, deliciously buttery, self-leveling slip over the nail that is a delight to manipulate with PP's flattened-style brush. Pigmentation is very good, delivering fully opaque coverage in two to three coats depending on how you paint. I thought that I could still detect a hint of darkness around the nail line after two so I added a third, but if I weren't taking photos I'd happily wear it at two. Cleanup is easy. Coral Reef dries naturally in very good time to a beautiful glossy finish.

Photos show three coats of Coral Reef over treatment and basecoat with a topcoat of Seche Vite.

Picture Polish Coral Reef

Picture Polish Coral Reef

Picture Polish Coral Reef

Picture Polish Coral Reef

Picture Polish Coral Reef

Picture Polish Coral Reef

Picture Polish Coral Reef

Picture Polish Coral Reef

Not sure there's much I can add to the photos -- it's just a beautiful, engaging, happy shade! Great for summer -- or dreaming about summer, as it may be, given that it's still February. We've been experiencing unusually warm temps here lately, and the deciduous magnolias, daffodils, honeysuckle bushes and spirea have enveloped the place in a fragrant cloud of the sweetest light lemony floral perfume you can imagine -- it's amazing! One of my favorite things about spring!

love,
Liz