Quick Comparison: Smitten Polish Seasonal Lattes vs Bear Pawlish Close But No Cigar

I had an email this morning from reader Candy Lover who asked if I could compare Smitten Polish Seasonal Lattes with Bear Pawlish Close But No Cigar. Based on my past post photos, I thought these two would be quite close. Turns out I was wrong!

Smitten Polish Seasonal Lattes (l), Bear Pawlish Close But No Cigar (r), bottle shot

Both of these polishes have excellent creme/jelly hybrid type formulas with fluid, smooth, creamy consistencies that are easy to work with. Pigmentation is very good in both as well, with completely even opaque coverage in two medium coats. If using very thin coats, three may be necessary as both formulas have a little bit of translucence. Cleanup is easy and straightforward for both and both dry in good time to smooth, shiny finishes. Both brands utilize a flattened flexible brush.

Photos show two coats of polish over treatment and basecoat with a topcoat of Seche Vite. Seasonal Lattes is on my index and middle finger nails (on your left in the photos), Close But No Cigar is on my ring and pinky finger nails (on your right in the photos).

Smitten Polish Seasonal Lattes (l) vs Bear Pawlish Close But No Cigar (r)

Smitten Polish Seasonal Lattes (l) vs Bear Pawlish Close But No Cigar (r)

Smitten Polish Seasonal Lattes (l) vs Bear Pawlish Close But No Cigar (r)

Smitten Polish Seasonal Lattes (l) vs Bear Pawlish Close But No Cigar (r)

Smitten Polish Seasonal Lattes (l) vs Bear Pawlish Close But No Cigar (r)

Smitten Polish Seasonal Lattes (l) vs Bear Pawlish Close But No Cigar (r)

Smitten Polish Seasonal Lattes

Bear Pawlish Close But No Cigar

Smitten Polish Seasonal Lattes (l) vs Bear Pawlish Close But No Cigar (r)

Smitten Polish Seasonal Lattes (l) vs Bear Pawlish Close But No Cigar (r)

Smitten Polish Seasonal Lattes (l) vs Bear Pawlish Close But No Cigar (r)

Smitten Polish Seasonal Lattes (l) vs Bear Pawlish Close But No Cigar (r)

Smitten Polish Seasonal Lattes

Bear Pawlish Close But No Cigar

Smitten Polish Seasonal Lattes (l) vs Bear Pawlish Close But No Cigar (r)

As you can see, Seasonal Lattes is more of a golden brown with greenish hints (at least, to my eye) and Close But No Cigar is more of a reddish brown. Seasonal Lattes is perhaps a bit less translucent than Close But No Cigar, but it may be a trick of the back light and hand position in the photos that gives that impression. They are actually very close in terms of opacity in person. As far as holographic effects are concerned, they both contain finely milled holo pigment but Seasonal Lattes' formula has a greater degree of it than does the formula of Close But No Cigar. They are both linear holos, but the prismatic display is more athletic and overt in Seasonal Lattes and that polish has more of the subtle nuancing of the base color in bright indirect light that occurs in strong holos. Seasonal Lattes has a bronzey gold semi-metallic flash beneath the holographic flair in the sun, while Close But No Cigar has a reddish copper semi-metallic flash. In shade, silvery speckling from the holo pigment is more noticeable in Seasonal Lattes than it is in Close But No Cigar. 




Vive la différence! I hope this helps, Candy Lover, thanks for asking! It was an eye-opener for me that's for sure. 

love,
Liz

Bear Pawlish The Ponds

I can't remember exactly when I first saw The Ponds by indie polish maker Bear Pawlish in Tennessee's big cartel shop, but I think it was around the same time as Close But No Cigar or maybe a little earlier. The Ponds is a jelly-based linear holographic polish in a fantastic medium-light translucent emerald green bearing beaucoup cyan blue particle shimmers. This is quite possibly the closest thing to a real emerald, polish-wise, that I've ever laid eyes on. The blue shimmers add an iridescent-like sparkle to the polish and contribute to the blue lean of the green that makes it such a true emerald. It's a light-catching color with very dynamic holo action that nuances the base to various iterations of blue-green, and is super glowy on the nail.

This polish is quite translucent and requires multiple coats to build coverage. The consistency of the jelly base is fluid and smooth, but can become sticky if you linger over application. I stopped and gave the bottle a shake every now and then to keep it from pulling strings at the neck of the bottle. It has excellent self-leveling properties and is easily manipulated with Bear Pawlish's flexible flattened brush. I used four coats for this manicure and could still see light through my free edge when backlit, so opacity is relative and I suspect that if it were any more pigmented it'd be a stainer. There wasn't really wasn't much difference between three coats and four. On the nail, the reflectivity of the shimmers and the prismatic bloom of the holo pigment provide most of the coverage. Cleanup is easy and straightforward. The Ponds dries naturally in average time to a smooth shiny finish. I think that topcoat enhances the look of this polish and pops the shimmers especially.

Photos show four coats of The Ponds over treatment and basecoat with a topcoat of Seche Vite.

Bear Pawlish The Ponds

Bear Pawlish The Ponds

Bear Pawlish The Ponds

Bear Pawlish The Ponds

Bear Pawlish The Ponds

Bear Pawlish The Ponds

Bear Pawlish The Ponds

Bear Pawlish The Ponds

Bear Pawlish The Ponds

Bear Pawlish The Ponds

Bear Pawlish The Ponds

Bear Pawlish The Ponds

As you can see, even though I used four coats of The Ponds, the finished look isn't overly thick or blobby -- the polish's excellent self-leveling properties and propensity to go on in thin to medium coats account for that, I think. I'm not typically a thin-coat person but I do try and suss out whether a polish will take to thin coats and this one does. After the first coat, which was very sheer, I was like oh no, we'll never make it -- but it surprised me by developing this brilliant, vivid color. Given it's translucence, that's pretty amazing. 

The holo in this polish is also amazing. It's not a deep color but you can see the holo operating even in low light. Under incandescent lighting, the green deepens and the prismatic flair is strongly delineated, even more than it is in direct sun. For all the holographic drama, this color has a bright and cheerful presence on the nail for a jewel-tone, and is easy to wear.

love,
Liz

Bear Pawlish Close But No Cigar

Close But No Cigar was released by indie polish maker Bear Pawlish just recently -- I took one look at the gorgeous photos in Tennessee's big cartel shop listing and popped it into my cart so fast my mouse was smokin'. This is a wonderful tobacco brown linear holo, a rich golden chestnut with hints of russet that just makes me swoon. The prismatic display enriches the beautiful color with subtle nuancing and creates a gorgeous delineated flame-shaped flair in direct sun. I went overboard taking pics of this gem, but it was so photogenic that I just couldn't control myself!

Application was piece of cake wonderful. Tennessee has indeed perfected the art of formulating smooth, creamy holos that are a pleasure to apply. The consistency was fluid and smooth with the perfect balance of fluidity and viscosity for painting. Pigmentation was excellent with perfectly even opacity in two coats. I added an additional coat for the purposes of this manicure and it did deepen the color just a tad but not significantly enough for me to recommend the use of three coats generally. Cleanup was easy and straightforward with no trace of staining. Close But No Cigar dries naturally in very good time to a smooth shiny finish. I think topcoat really enhances the golden tobacco coloring of this polish. 

Photos show three coats of Close But No Cigar over treatment and basecoat with a topcoat of HK Girl. Only one bubble in the topcoat this time, but it's positioned prominently on the ring finger nail of my left hand so you get to see it showcased several times. Don't even try to hide your excitement.

Bear Pawlish Close But No Cigar

Bear Pawlish Close But No Cigar

Bear Pawlish Close But No Cigar

Bear Pawlish Close But No Cigar

Bear Pawlish Close But No Cigar

Bear Pawlish Close But No Cigar

Bear Pawlish Close But No Cigar

Bear Pawlish Close But No Cigar

Bear Pawlish Close But No Cigar

Bear Pawlish Close But No Cigar

Bear Pawlish Close But No Cigar

And I got a whole slew of direct sun shots too! 

Bear Pawlish Close But No Cigar

Bear Pawlish Close But No Cigar

Bear Pawlish Close But No Cigar

Bear Pawlish Close But No Cigar

Bear Pawlish Close But No Cigar

Bear Pawlish Close But No Cigar

Bear Pawlish Close But No Cigar

Bear Pawlish Close But No Cigar

Bear Pawlish Close But No Cigar

Just a beautiful brown polish!

love,
Liz

Bear Pawlish She's a Fish Killer

Tennessee, the owner and creative force behind California-based indie polish maker Bear Pawlish, has this to say about her amazing red linear holo, She's a Fish Killer: "... a garnet red full linear holo. There is almost a purple undertone and you can really see it in the flashes of holo. This is my favorite red I have made yet!" She has every reason to wax effusive about this polish, it's a stunner (and what a great name, eh?). 

The color is indeed a rich beautiful garnet red, the kind of red with purple undertones that give it a deep pinkish purple berry wine look. The prismatic display has a dynamic interaction with the base color, providing additional nuances of violet and red in indirect light. There's all kinds of dimensional colorplay in this polish, which has a semi-translucent jelly-ish base that really lets the light in. At times you can see an ambery metallic sheen that glows from the depths of the polish with ethereal clouds of translucent violet floating above it. Looking at She's a Fish Killer closely is a guaranteed distraction, there's a whole other world in there!

Application was really nice. The consistency is fluid and smooth with a velvety, self-leveling flow over the nail. There's a degree of translucence to this polish but it goes on so very evenly that you could wear it as a semi-sheer at one coat. Coverage is buildable. Two coats are quite sufficient for daily wear but I used three and was rewarded with even richer color. She's a Fish Killer is a fast-drying polish so lingering over application is not an option. Cleanup is easy and straightforward with no running of the red pigment or other traces of staining. She's a Fish Killer dries naturally in very good time to a beautiful glossy finish. Topcoat does not diminish the holographic effects in any way.

Photo show three coats of She's a Fish Killer over Seche Rebuild treatment and Pretty Serious All Your Base basecoat with a topcoat of Seche Vite. 

Bear Pawlish She's a Fish Killer

Bear Pawlish She's a Fish Killer

Bear Pawlish She's a Fish Killer

Bear Pawlish She's a Fish Killer

Bear Pawlish She's a Fish Killer

Bear Pawlish She's a Fish Killer

Bear Pawlish She's a Fish Killer, blurry but still pretty!

Bear Pawlish She's a Fish Killer

Bear Pawlish She's a Fish Killer

Bear Pawlish She's a Fish Killer

Bear Pawlish She's a Fish Killer

Bear Pawlish She's a Fish Killer

You can see how athletic the prismatic display is, even in indirect light! I wish I had some sun shots to share but the sky is inauspiciously overcast today with some gusty winds. Storms ahead! Ok by me as my mood elevates proportionately with the lowering barometer, but not good for photographing holos in action. But I think you can tell from the photos that She's a Fish Killer has serious potential to totally blow the mind with its prismatic flair in direct sun. 

Suffice to say that I love this polish and happily add it to my small collection of red holos. She's a Fish Killer is the third and last polish to go up on the blog from my small Bear Pawlish spree a ways back, and I was despondent enough over that fact to go to the Bear Pawlish big cartel shop and order two more... *lol* It picked me right up, I tell you! Both holos, so look for more of Tennessee's fabulous holographic colors to grace this page in the future.

love,
Liz