Lacquer Slacker Liz: Glisten & Glow

Showing posts with label Glisten & Glow. Show all posts

Tuesday, April 10, 2018

Glisten & Glow Kiss My Tulips

Kiss My Tulips was created by Jill of Connecticut-based indie polish maker Glisten & Glow for the April 2018 "Tulips" edition of The Holo Hookup. Described as "an eggplant linear holo with pink shimmers," the base color is a rich, medium-dark, slightly grape-leaning variation of purple along the lines of LSU purple. Abundant metallic pink microflake shimmers brighten and warm the look to more of an eminence purple appearance on the nail and give it a dimensionalizing pink glow along the axis of light with a prominent semi-metallic pink flash. Hints of a linear holographic display can be seen in ambient light, with a full prismatic linear flare in the sun.

Application was a messy affair through no fault of the polish (it was just one of those days), which has a fluid, full-bodied consistency with a medium viscosity and a smooth, even, self-leveling glide over the nail. Pigmentation is very good, delivering evenly opaque coverage and full bottle color in two medium coats. Luckily for me, clean up is relatively easy with a tiny bit of sticking on the part of the shimmers. Kiss My Tulips dries naturally in very good time to a smooth, shiny finish. Topcoat enhances the glowy effect of the shimmers.

Photos show two coats of Kiss My Tulips over treatment and basecoat with a topcoat of Seche Vite.

Glisten & Glow Kiss My Tulips

This is quite vibrant for a darker shade, and very clean. Sleek and flashy on the nail. Nice!

love,
Liz

Friday, August 25, 2017

Glisten & Glow Spirit of Chicago

Spirit of Chicago was created by Jill of Connecticut-based indie polish maker Glisten & Glow for Polish Con September 2017 and was released as part of the ongoing Road to Polish Con series on the Polish Con website at the end of last month.

Described as an indigo purple linear holo with violet and blue shimmers and silver microflakes, the color is a shimmery medium-light variation of indigo along the lines of pigment or web indigo, closer to violet than blue and subtly silvered courtesy of the holographic pigment and silver microflakes. It's packed with minute metallic microflake shimmers in blue and purple that combine with the silver flakies to give the polish a heathered, semi-metallic appearance that is almost foil-like. Sleek and reflective on the nail, it has a gleaming semi-metallic lavender pink underlay. The holographic effects are quite strong, especially in the sun, where there's a full linear prismatic flair.

Application was great! The consistency of Spirit of Chicago is fluid, light and slightly loamy with a medium viscosity and a fluent, even, self-leveling slip over the nail, and all of the tiny flakes go on smoothly, laying flat to the nail without stacking, stickups or protrusions over the free edge. Pigmentation is very good. A tiny bit of translucence on the first coat builds easily to evenly opaque coverage with the second. Cleanup is fairly straightforward except that the touch of acetone frees up all of those sparkly shimmers to roam about the nail environs and ensconce themselves in the sidewalls -- but most of them will disappear with a good handwashing. Spirit of Chicago dries naturally in very good time to a smooth, shiny finish. Topcoat accentuates the presence of the blue and purple shimmers especially, and does not in any way compromise the holographic effects.

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

Glisten & Glow Spirit of Chicago

I expected this polish to be a simple linear holo, and although it looks like a simple holo in photos there's more to it in person. Beautifully constructed and perfectly balanced, it has the abundant light play that you see in foily polishes seamlessly combined with the color and dimension-generating qualities of the holo, neither overshadows the other.

love,
Liz

Monday, June 26, 2017

Glisten & Glow Diving with Mermaids

Diving with Mermaids was released in February this year by Connecticut-based indie polish maker Glisten & Glow as a special collaboration shade with Tiffany of @stunnin.nails on Instagram. Officially described as an oceanic blue linear holo with green shimmers, silver and red holographic glitters and a touch of gold, this is one of those sensous, tapestried holo-based polishes that creator Jill does so very well. The color is a medium-toned variation of azure along the lines of Honolulu blue with aspects of sapphire and steel blue and a slightly washed feel, enriched and dimensionalized on the nail by abundant finely-milled holographic pigment that creates a luminous, on-tone holographic flare in ambient light, lighter in the center and shading to a deeper hue at the sidewalls. Tiny gleaming microflake shimmers in sea green and gold give it a sumptuous visual texture punctuated by bright prismatic sparks from silver and red holographic glitters, which read as blue and pink within the base.

Application was great! The consistency of Diving with Mermaids is fluid and dense with components, with a medium viscosity and a lush, self-leveling glide over the nail that has a skosh of component tumbling and a few attempted protrusions over the free edge by the microflake shimmers, easily guided back onto the nail with a tip-wrapping swipe of the brush. Pigmentation is excellent and will provide evenly opaque coverage in one medium to generous coat, although I used two for the photos. Cleanup was surprisingly easy for a polish filled with potentially sticky stuff, with just a little bit of sparkly component dispersal. Diving with Mermaids dries naturally in very good time to a shiny, gently textured finish that is mostly smoothed by a single layer of topcoat. Topcoat does not in any way inhibit the holographic properties of this polish.

Photos show two coats of Diving with Mermaids over KBShimmer Love You Strong Time treatment and KBShimmer Fillin' Groovy basecoat. I'm afraid my pics do not do justice to what I see in person.

Glisten & Glow Diving with Mermaids

This gorgeous blue polish reminds me very much of G&G's Beatboxing in the Bronx in style and structure, with the same lovely artisinal quality and sense of having been carefully composed. I keep coming back to the word "tapestried" to described the richness of these polishes -- they are like luxurious woven taspestries embellished with bits of ornamental shine and sparkle, lush, dimensional and gratifying to the eye in the way fine decorative hand-woven textiles are.

A pleasure to apply and to wear, I'd love to see one in orange or red!

xo,
Liz

Wednesday, May 17, 2017

Glisten & Glow NYC is my Jam

NYC is my Jam is one of two stand-alone polishes created by Jill of Connecticut-based indie polish maker Glisten & Glow exclusively for release at Polish Con NYC on 29 April this year. Jill describes it as "a berry colored linear holographic polish loaded with purple and blue holo microglitters and a dusting of silver holo microglitters and copper shimmer."

The purpley-pink berry color is a translucent, medium-toned mix of red-violet, magenta and fuchsia, producing a hue that generally reads as something along the lines of Pantone's fuchsia rose or smitten from the Resene Color List. Beaucoup colorful microglitters and coppery shimmers give the polish a sumptuous, tapestried look, with a gleaming, semi-metallic underlay punctuated by abundant twinkling prismatic sparks. The holographic effects are powerful and athletic, nuancing the base color with shifting hues of violet, telemagenta, mulberry, and misty steel pink in ambient light. It is absolutely dazzling in the sun, where all of the sparkle from those holographic microglitters teams up with a slightly dispersed but brilliant linear prismatic display predominated by arcs of azure and bright red.

Application was most agreeable! The consistency of NYC is my Jam is fluid and surprisingly light for a polish so laden with components, with a medium-to-thin viscosity and an easy, fluent slip over the nail. I recommend medium coats with this one to get the most out of the color. Pigmentation is sheerish, but the components aid in the coverage. Some translucence on the first coat builds to wearable opacity with the second, and a third coat adds a becoming lushness and density to the look that befits the polish's opulent nature. I did most of my cleanup as I went along because those microglitters sure do love to stick. NYC is my Jam dries naturally in very good time to a fairly shiny, textured finish. For a glossy, glitter-under-glass look I used my favorite glitter-smoothing topcoat combo of gel-effect followed by quick-dry.

Photos show three coats of NYC is my Jam over ÜNT Ready for Takeoff peel-off basecoat finished with a layer of Pretty Serious Plump Up the Volume gel-effect topcoat and a layer of Seche Vite.

Glisten & Glow NYC is my Jam

Fantastic, I love it! It's a powerhouse of dynamic light play, too, with boatloads of glamorous sparkle underlaid by that glistening, semi-metallic aspect, which has a certain warm, luxurious quality to it that I'm sure comes from the copper shimmers. While certainly ornate and dressy enough for a special occasion, to my mind this polish makes an absolutely fabulous everyday look if you're not constrained by professional obligations. It's very wearable!

A beautifully-crafted, artisanal polish that's sure to warm the indie-loving heart of any enthusiast!

xo,
Liz

Saturday, May 13, 2017

Glisten & Glow Beatboxing in The Bronx

Beatboxing in The Bronx was released at Polish Con NYC on 29 April this year by Connecticut-based indie polish maker Glisten & Glow as part of The 5 Boroughs collection. Creator Jill describes it as "an olive green linear holographic polish with added pink and blue shimmers and a dusting of gold flakies and gold holo microglitters." The color is indeed a medium-dark olive nuanced by holographically-generated hues of moss, artichoke, misty olivine and a touch of cerulean. The abundance and variety of components gives this polish a sumptuous, tapestried feel, with a pale pinkish gold sheen along the axis of light and scattered twinkling sparks from the tiny microglitters. In direct light, there's a linear prismatic flare, slightly dispersed by the components but extra sparkly because of them as well.

Application was wonderful. The consistency of Beatboxing in The Bronx is fluid and dense with components, with a medium viscosity and a plush, self-leveling spread over the nail. Pigmentation is excellent, almost a one-coater but I think two gives a slightly denser, richer look. Cleanup is remarkably easy given all the potentially sticky elements, hooray! Beatboxing in The Bronx dries naturally in good time to a shiny, ever-so-slightly textured finish that is easily smooth by topcoat. Topcoat accentuates the presence and effects of the shimmers, and does not interfere with the holographic properties in any way.

Photos show two coats of Beatboxing in The Bronx over basecoat with a topcoat of Seche Vite. It's heavily overcast here today and some of my photos are not as sharp as I like them to be. Apologies!

Glisten & Glow Beatboxing in The Bronx

This is a beautiful, ornate polish in an unconventional color with a particularly artisinal, crafted sense to it that makes it all the more special. It is easy to apply and easy as well to wear -- it just feels good!

I like it. I like it very much!

love,
Liz