Emerald and Ash Zetus Lapidus

Zetus Lapidus was released by indie polish maker Emerald and Ash as part of the Life in Color collection this past summer. Having no idea what Zetus Lapidus meant, I looked it up and I still couldn't tell you. It's reported to be a common interjection made by the character Zenon from the eponymous movie Disney movie Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century. Shazaam!

Zetus Lapidus, the polish, is described on the Emerald and Ash website as a lipstick pink shimmer with bright blue microflakies and a smattering of holo. I'd describe it as a medium cool-toned saturated bright pink, very floral and richly feminine. Either due to the electric blue flake shimmers or just the nature of the color, it has a ephemeral blue glow to it and a lovely lit-from-within look. The holo pigment sends bright sparks in a rainbow of colors rocketing to the surface of the polish in direct sun, but does not produce the typical prismatic display. In most any light you can see sparks of bright blue from the microflakies. It's a complementary combination of elements with a tropical air that keeps this polish light on the nail.

Application was great. The consistency of Zetus Lapidus is fluid and dense, with a creamy glide over the nail. It's a fast drying polish and responds best to quick application work in thinner coats with minimal brushstrokes. Pigmentation is good. I used two coats for this manicure, but perhaps three would have been best as there is a degree of translucence to the formula. Cleanup is easy and straightforward. Zetus Lapidus dries naturally in good time to a satiny, slightly flat finish that wants a good topcoat to look its best,

Photos show two coats of Zetus Lapidus over treatment and basecoat with a topcoat of Seche Vite.

Emerald and Ash Zetus Lapidus

Emerald and Ash Zetus Lapidus

Emerald and Ash Zetus Lapidus

Emerald and Ash Zetus Lapidus

Emerald and Ash Zetus Lapidus

Emerald and Ash Zetus Lapidus

Emerald and Ash Zetus Lapidus

Emerald and Ash Zetus Lapidus

Emerald and Ash Zetus Lapidus

Emerald and Ash Zetus Lapidus

Emerald and Ash Zetus Lapidus

I love rosy floral deep pinks like this, they're so flattering and feminine....

love,
Liz

Emerald and Ash Tomato, Tomato

Tomato, Tomato was released by indie polish maker Emerald and Ash as part of the Life in Color collection this past summer. It's medium-toned gentle tomato red shimmer polish with superabundant red and golden flake shimmers in a sheerish red jelly base. The flake shimmers produce an especially dimensional amount of visual interest in this warm summertime red, flickering in colors of red, gold, pink and orange through the translucent jelly base. This one really has a glass fleck appearance on the nail, with a reflective dimpled metallic shimmering finish that has a multi-toned speckled aspect to it in the shade and loads of scintilling sparkle in direct sun.

Application was great! The consistency of Tomato, Tomato is on the thicker side (but still paintably fluid), fluffy and dense with shimmer flakes. It has a certain bulkiness to it that reminds me a little of Superchic Lacquer's formulas, prefering application in medium to thicker coats with a light, even touch on the brush, then thinning on the nail as it dries down. For once I had no issues with a thicker formula, it was not a bit sticky and spread easily over the nail. The flakies are dense enough to cause some splaying of the brush, but lie down nice and flat on the nail with only a few protrusions over the free edge that are quickly taken care of with a tip-wrapping swipe. Pigmentation is surprisingly good for a polish with a jelly base, with opaque coverage achievable in two medium coats. I used three to see if it made a difference in the color and I think it did provide a richer hue that was closer to bottle color. I ended up with almost no cleanup necessary, highly unusual and speaks a lot for the maneuverability of this polish. Tomato, Tomato dries naturally in good time to a smooth, shimmering finish. Topcoat adds gloss and accentuates the activity of the flake shimmers.

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

Emerald and Ash Tomato, Tomato

Emerald and Ash Tomato, Tomato

Emerald and Ash Tomato, Tomato

Emerald and Ash Tomato, Tomato

Emerald and Ash Tomato, Tomato

Emerald and Ash Tomato, Tomato

Emerald and Ash Tomato, Tomato

Emerald and Ash Tomato, Tomato

Emerald and Ash Tomato, Tomato

Emerald and Ash Tomato, Tomato

Emerald and Ash Tomato, Tomato

Emerald and Ash Tomato, Tomato

Emerald and Ash Tomato, Tomato

Emerald and Ash Tomato, Tomato

Emerald and Ash Tomato, Tomato

Emerald and Ash Tomato, Tomato

You can see in the photos how it leans orange in some lights and pinkish in others. This chameleon aspect ties in perfectly with its name, a reference to George and Ira Gershwin's lighthearted ditty Let's Call the Whole Thing Off.

You like potato and I like potahto.
You like tomato and I like tomahto.
Potato, potahto, Tomato, tomahto --
Let's call the whole thing off!

Let me tell you, this is one photogenic polish. We have clear skies and full sun today for the first time in what seems like forever and I was shocked at how many of the numerous photos I took turned out beautifully. Although the finish on this polish gives it a certain vivid brilliance in the photos, I'm almost tempted to call it a medium-light red instead of a medium one. It's got the kind of lightness to it in person that is great for summer, but it still has hutzpah enough to be appropriate and at home during the Christmas season.

Sweet polish!

love,
Liz

Emerald and Ash Stubble Jumper

Note: the official appellation of this polish maker is Emerald ampersand Ash. However, I am not convinced that Blogger will properly translate an ampersand, so I am using the conjunction "and."

Stubble Jumper was created by indie polish maker Emerald and Ash in collaboration with Courtney of Swatcher, Polish-Ranger and Nail Newscast this past spring as a custom polish. With Courtney's permission, it has recently been released to the polish-buying masses as part of Emerald and Ash's Life in Color collection in July. In the North American prairie (Courtney is from Saskatchewan, Canada), the person or farmer who has to jump over the wheat stubble as he walks the fields is known as a "stubble jumper." This polish was envisioned by Courtney as a tribute to the wide-open prairie sky, trees and wheat fields.

Stubble Jumper is a serene medium-light aqua blue crelly with cerulean undertones, sort of like a mixture of robin's egg blue and teal, bearing abundant yellow and green/gold microflakes as well as sky blue shimmers. On the nail, the sweet flakies hover at the surface of the polish and below like a dusting of shimmery yellow pollen, giving the aqua a soft, washed look while the shimmers provide scintillating sparkle in direct sun. On close inspection in indirect light you can clearly see the all of the components and construction of this lovely, tranquil polish. The color of the base is in the same family as Butter London Slapper, but Stubble Jumper has a slightly dusky quality that is unusual for a medium-toned cyan.

Application was lovely. Emerald and Ash polishes come in gorgeous square, heavy bottles with architecturally stepped necks and a relative wide and well-bristled but flexible brush. The consistency of Stubble Jumper is fluid and a little sticky, but goes on easily with a well-behaved flow over the nail that doesn't pool or flood. This polish is translucent and multiple coats are required for opacity. I used three. Cleanup is easy and fairly straightforward. Sometimes with sheerish polishes it is hard to see minor swipes off the nail, but at the right angle the shimmers and flakies in this polish make them easy to spot. Stubble Jumper dries naturally in very good time to a satiny finish that loves a topcoat for gloss and to pop the colors of the components.

Photos show three coats of Stubble Jumper over Seche Rebuild treatment and Pretty Serious All Your Base basecoat with a topcoat of Seche Vite. As with Slapper, I found this color very difficult to capture accurately with my camera and had to adjust for more green as I edited the photos, thus the slightly green tinge to the surroundings.

Emerald and Ash Stubble Jumper

Emerald and Ash Stubble Jumper

Emerald and Ash Stubble Jumper

Emerald and Ash Stubble Jumper

Emerald and Ash Stubble Jumper

Emerald and Ash Stubble Jumper

Emerald and Ash Stubble Jumper

Emerald and Ash Stubble Jumper

Emerald and Ash Stubble Jumper

Emerald and Ash Stubble Jumper

Emerald and Ash Stubble Jumper

Stubble Jumper has the endearing characteristic of becoming easier and easier on the eye as you wear it. When the sun is low and long rays reach from the horizon, the cerulean tones in the polish grow, the color darkens and loses a bit of the teal green it has at midday and develops a soft golden flash where the light hits. After dark under artificial light it reads as a rich medium-dark turquoise with undertones of jade and fleeting golden sparks. Altogether charming!

love,
Liz