Lacquer Slacker Liz: Elevation Polish

Showing posts with label Elevation Polish. Show all posts

Friday, April 14, 2017

Elevation Polish Phra Nang Beach

Phra Nang Beach was released in November 2016 by Minnesota-based indie polish maker Elevation Polish as part of the Life is a Beach collection, a series of polishes inspired by -- of course -- beaches from around the world. Described as an aqua scattered holo with a mix of analogously-hued shimmers, the color is a lush, creamy, medium-toned variation of turquoise, a pool blue shade that is slightly more blue than robin's egg and brighter than Tiffany, sort of like a bright, saturated version of Crayola's sky blue. It bears abundant dainty shimmers in various shades of blue and blue-green, which glisten subtly as light travels over them, adding to the polish's tropical sea vibe. The color brightens noticeably in direct sun and scattered holographic pigment particles add a bit of prismatic sparkle to the look.

Application was great! The consistency of Phra Nang Beach is fluid, creamy and dense with a medium viscosity and a plush flow over the nail that sets up fairly quickly, appreciates a deft, even hand and doesn't like to be overworked. It went on best for me in medium coats from a generously-loaded brush. Self-leveling properties are very good as is pigmentation. Evenly opaque coverage can be had in two coats for some, I'm sure, but my ridgy nails and slightly uneven application needed three. Cleanup is easy. Phra Nang Beach dries naturally in fairly good time to a beautiful glossy finish.

Photos show three coats of Phra Nang Beach over treatment and basecoat with a topcoat of Seche Vite.

Elevation Polish Phra Nang Beach

Oh, pool blue! Such a fantastic summer color, it will take you there in an instant, even if there's snow on the ground. This one is a bright, resonant specimen with delicate shimmer effects that is radiant, glossy and sleek on the nail with that tropical, poolside chic that always feels so perfect for hot summer days beside your favorite body of water. I'm a big fan of these brilliant, cyanic shades -- they remind me of childhood summer days spent playing mermaids with my cousin in my grandmother's beautiful pool in Florida, and are as much a harbinger of the season for me as any neon.

The name of this polish comes from Thailand's Phra Nang Beach, a broad, remote beach that's flanked by two huge cliffs on the Railey Peninsula, reachable only by boat.

Phra Nang Beach, Krabi, Thailand (source)

love,
Liz

Friday, March 31, 2017

Elevation Polish Thousands of Pink Blooms

Thousands of Pink Blooms was released in February this year by Minnesota-based indie polish maker Elevation Polish as part of the Love from Japan collection, a series of five polishes inspired by Japanese gardens and parks. Officially described as a "medium saturated pink, medium to low density holographic," This color is a medium-dark, creamy, magenta-leaning pink with aspects of rose and red-violet. It's kind of like a mixture of red-violet, Pantone pink and telemagenta, and can lean towards any one of the three depending upon the light in which it is viewed. Holographic pigment gives the polish a delicately speckled look with luminous, on-tone dimensional shading and a very fine rosy sparkle in ambient light that develops into an understated prismatic display in the sun.

Application was great! The consistency of Thousands of Pink Blooms is fluid, dense and creamy with a medium viscosity and a plush, full-bodied, self-leveling glide over the nail that went on best for me in medium to generous coats from a well-loaded brush. Pigmentation is very good. A bit of patchiness on the first coat builds easily to evenly opaque coverage with the second. Cleanup is easy. Thousands of Pink Blooms dries naturally in good time to a smooth, shiny finish.

Photos show two coats of Thousands of Pink Blooms over basecoat with a topcoat of Seche Vite.

Elevation Polish Thousands of Pink Blooms

This polish reminds me of redbud blossoms, the darker, rosy-purpley ones, which have been blooming around here like mad for the past couple of weeks. I adore this color! It's a beautiful, rich shade with all the spirited, feminine qualities of red-violet that I love, and is especially complementary with lavenders, purples, blues and indigos.

love,
Liz

Wednesday, March 29, 2017

Elevation Polish Trollstigen

Trollstigen was released June 2016 by Minnesota-based indie polish maker Elevation Polish as part of the Road Less Traveled collection, a series of six polishes inspired by "roads so epic that they are adventures and destinations all by themselves."

This polish is officially described as a medium lilac scattered holo with sparse silver microshimmers, and the color appears to be smack dab at the heart of my perpetual confusion over the differences between lilac and lavender. Generally, I think of lilac as more purple, lavender more violet. In other words, there's more red to lilac, more blue to lavender. But Trollstigen appears to straddle the two. It is similar to the lilac from the ISCC-NBS color list, also known as pale lilac, which itself is almost indistinguishable from the lavender of that same list, also known as pale lavender.

Six of one, half-dozen of the other? Perhaps. Sources aside, I'm going to call it like I see it: a lightened, creamy variation of floral lavender with a gentle blue cast, more purple than a periwinkle, without a mauve bone in its body. The holographic pigment and silver microshimmers give it a soft, subtle finely-grained visual texture that keeps it airy and dimensional, with occasional tiny sparks of silver or pale azure or pink when light hits it just right and a scattered, minimalist prismatic display in direct sun.

Application inspired a plaintive bit of painting angst. The consistency of Trollstigen is fluid, dense and creamy with a medium viscosity and a smooth glide over the nail, but it had a certain balkiness in terms of going where I wanted it to, as though it would rather stay on the brush than flow onto my nail. Where I would usually would rely on gravity and physics, it turned out to be much more effective just to use the tip of the brush and push it where I wanted it go, especially on the first coat. Whatever! I got it on there! Self-leveling properties are very good and pigmentation, very good to excellent. The opacity at one medium coat is impressive, but two ultimately delivers most even coverage as well as full bottle color. Trollstigen dries naturally in very good time to a smooth, shiny finish. Topcoat does not appear to affect the holographic properties at all.

Photos show two coats of Trollstigen over basecoat with a topcoat of Seche Vite.

Elevation Polish Trollstigen

Another wonderful spring shade, elegant and soulful and not a pastel. Huzzah! Definitely worth the angsty application pique.

The name Trollstigen, Norwegian for "Troll's Path," comes from a narrow, serpentine section of Norway County Road 63 that winds up a steep mountainside via eleven hairpin turns and crosses the picturesque Stigfossen waterfall. Designated a National Tourist Route, with a museum and viewing platforms at its plateau.

hairpins on the Trollstigen road, Norway

love,
Liz

Monday, March 20, 2017

Elevation Polish Elbrus 2

Elbrus 2 was released in May 2014 by Minnesota-based indie polish maker Elevation Polish as part of the Summits Part 2 collection. Creator Lulu describes it as a "plum purple with shifting shimmer, silver/white shimmer." The base color here is a dark, somewhat muted variation of purple along the lines of Byzantium, a dense, dusky, sophisticated shade. It is enlivened by abundant infinitesimal microflake shimmers in red, blue, magenta and silver. The red, blue and magenta shimmers are visible as tiny sparks of color as light travels over them, while the silver shimmers have a more subtle effect, adding to the dusty quality of the color and giving the look a transparent, understated silvery sheen. The colorshifting effects of the shimmers becomes apparent under different viewing circumstances and kinds of light, ranging from a lively flash in bright red to a blue glow -- very cool!

Application was quite agreeable. The consistency of Elbrus 2 is fluid and dense with a medium-to-thicker viscosity to which I added a small amount of polish thinner. Thinned, it had a smooth glide over the nail with a little bit of pull it. Self-leveling properties are very good, as is pigmentation. Two medium coats will deliver wearable opacity, but there's a degree of translucence to the formula that requires an especially even hand to avoid sheer patches when viewed in direct light. Cleanup is easy. Elbrus 2 dries naturally in good time to a smooth, shiny finish. Topcoat accentuates the presence of the microflake shimmers.

Photos show two coats of Elbrus 2 over treatment and basecoat with a topcoat of Seche Vite.

Elevation Polish Elbrus 2

This polish is named for Mount Elbrus, a dormant, double-domed volcano located in the Caucasus Mountains in Southern Russa near the border with Georgia. It is the highest mountain in Russia and in Europe and the tenth most prominent peak in the world, with a permanent icecap that feeds 22 glaciers, which in turn give rise to three major Russian rivers.

Mount Elbrus, Russia, elevation 18,510ft/5642m

Elbrus 2 is a contemplative sort of polish that hides its light under a bushel a little bit, I think. If you're in the mood for its complexity and subtle sophistication, it will reveal itself as a graceful, elegant and flattering shade. I especially appreciate the twinkling shimmers that play up the nature of the color and add a stealthy bit of fun to the polish's somewhat reserved character.

love,
Liz

Friday, January 27, 2017

Elevation Polish Nusa Penida

Nusa Penida was released in August 2016 by Minnesota-based indie polish maker Elevation Polish as part of the Barely Bali collection. Creator Lulu describes it as a "saturated dark blue teal near linear holographic," and I agree, although I'd say that it's a true linear holo. The color is a dark, rich teal blue with aspects of cerulean, petrol and Atlantic blue. It is dimensionalized and considerably brightened by holographically-nuanced hues of ultramarine and deep azure with sparks of sea green in ambient light. In the sun, there's a brilliant linear holographic display predominated by vivid, sparkling arcs of azure and spring green edged by a corona of mixed prismatic sparks that shades to an inky teal blue around the sidewalls of the nail.

Application was great! The consistency of Nusa Penida is fluid, smooth and dense with a medium viscosity and a lush, full-bodied, self-leveling glide over the nail that has a bit of pull to it. It went on best for me in medium coats from a generously loaded brush. Pigmentation is excellent. With an even hand, one medium coat will do ya'. I do not have an even hand, so I used two to avoid any areas of sheerness. Cleanup provokes some pigment travel with a touch of trace staining to dry areas. Nusa Penida dries naturally in very good time to a smooth, shiny finish. Topcoat does not inhibit the holographic properties of the polish in any way.

Photos show two coats of Nusa Penida over treatment and basecoat with a topcoat of Seche Vite.

Elevation Polish Nusa Penida

Although relatively dark compared to many teal polishes, the color of this lacquer is wonderfully clean and unmuddied, a gorgeous inky, oceanic shade to ignite lust in the hearts of teal lovers everywhere. On top of that, the holographic effects are stunning -- brilliant, sparkling ribbons of blue and green that stand out beautifully from the deep base.

The name of this polish comes from the eponymous island of approximately 247 square kilometers located off the southeast coast of Bali, notable for its bird sanctuary, excellent dive sites and lack of tourist infrastructure.

Coastal cliffs at Pasih Uug, also known as Broken Beach, Nusa Penida (source)

love,
Liz