Tonic Polish Marilyn

Creator Lindsey of Tonic Polish originally developed Marilyn, also known as Promo F17-2, as a special giveaway polish for Polish Con 2017 in Chicago last September, but has now made it available to all in Tonic's online shop.

Described as a "neon magenta with orange shimmer," the base color is a translucent but vivid, medium-dark cool pink with hints of purple, similar to Hollywood cerise. Superabundant, finely-milled orange shimmers read as fiery red-orange within the base and give the polish a luminous, silky visual texture. The dueling intensities of the cool base color and warm shimmers create a near-fluorescent, maraschino-esque effect similar to what you see in pink and red neons, and combine to produce a bold, saturated, glowing electric crimson appearance with aspects of coquelicot or poppy. Stunning!

Application was wonderful. The consistency of Marilyn is fluid, dense and smooth with a medium viscosity and a deliciously creamy, even, self-leveling glide over the nail. Pigmentation is sheerish on the first coat but builds to a wearably opaque coverage with two, although I think that three makes the most of the brilliant color. Cleanup is easy. Marilyn dries naturally in good time to a smooth, ever-so-slightly flat finish. Topcoat adds a becoming gloss and has a sort of cohesive effect, smoothly incorporating the shimmers and accentuating the intensely vibrant, luminous appearance of the polish on the nail.

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

Tonic Polish Marilyn

Tonic Polish Marilyn

Tonic Polish Marilyn

Tonic Polish Marilyn

Tonic Polish Marilyn

Tonic Polish Marilyn

Tonic Polish Marilyn

Tonic Polish Marilyn

There's a silky "creme rinse" quality to the shimmer effects that gives them a touch of old school resonance, a certain subtle pearliness that is part of the polish's luminosity and hearkens to a vintage kind of vibe, yet the look has an artisanal freshness that is totally modern. I dunno, difficult to describe but I am so digging it. A resplendent creation!

love,
Liz