KBShimmer Keep Palm And Carry On

Keep Palm And Carry On was released in March 2017 by Indiana-based indie polish maker KBShimmer as part of the Nauti By Nature collection, a series of twelve polishes designed around the theme of spring break in the Caribbean. Officially described as a yellow-leaning, palm-inspired green, the color is a well-saturated, medium-dark forest green with aspects of Kelly and shamrock that is bold and energetic on the nail. Abundant finely-milled holographic pigment creates a subtle cerulean heart edged by nuances of fern, mantis and misty olive in ambient light. In the sun, there's a sparkling linear prismatic display predominated by azure and spring green with a trailing corona of orange and red sparks.

Application was most agreeable! The consistency of Keep Palm And Carry On is fluid and full-bodied with a medium-to-slightly-thicker viscosity and a lush, creamy, self-leveling glide over the nail, an excellent, user-friendly formula. Pigmentation is very good, netting completely even, opaque coverage in two coats. Cleanup is surprisingly easy for such a saturated shade, with little to no pigment travel or trace staining. Keep Palm And Carry On dries naturally in very good time to a smooth, slightly satiny shine. Topcoat does not interfere with the holographic properties in any way.

Photos show two coats of Keep Palm And Carry On over treatment and basecoat with a topcoat of Seche Vite.

KBShimmer Keep Palm And Carry On

KBShimmer Keep Palm And Carry On

KBShimmer Keep Palm And Carry On

KBShimmer Keep Palm And Carry On

KBShimmer Keep Palm And Carry On

KBShimmer Keep Palm And Carry On

KBShimmer Keep Palm And Carry On

KBShimmer Keep Palm And Carry On

KBShimmer Keep Palm And Carry On

KBShimmer Keep Palm And Carry On

KBShimmer Keep Palm And Carry On

Fabulous! This polish is intended to evoke the lush foliage of the islands and I'd say that it's pretty perfect in that respect. It's an intense, end-of-summer kind of green, like the collective greenery of trees, grass and flora after months of summer sun. The holographic effects are visible in some respect in almost every viewing circumstance, enriching and dimensionalizing the color on the nail and sparkling brightly in the sun.

love,
Liz

KBShimmer Come On Get App-y

Come On Get App-y was released last month by Indiana-based indie polish maker KBShimmer as part of the Holo-day collection and is described as a blue-leaning purple linear holographic polish. The color is a medium-toned true royal purple, the most blue-leaning of purples that's actually very close in appearance to grape but slightly less saturated. Lightly silvered by finely-milled holographic pigment that gives it the delicately-grained visual texture common to holos, it's still bold and vibrant, nuanced by holographically-generated hues of azure, ultramarine and indigo in ambient light. In the sun, there's sparkling linear prismatic flare predominated by twin arcs of azure and red that frame a semi-metallic lick of silvery violet and shade to a vivid color wheel violet at the sidewalls of the nail.

Application was fabulous. The consistency of Come On Get App-y is fluid, full-bodied and creamy with a medium viscosity and a plush, even, self-leveling glide over the nail, a gorgeous formula that is a pleasure to work with. Pigmentation is very good to excellent, almost a one coater but two delivers the richest color. Cleanup is easy. Come On Get App-y dries naturally in very good time to a smooth, slightly flat finish that wants a glossy topcoat to look its very best. Topcoat does not in any way inhibit the holographic effects.

Photos show two coats of Come On Get App-y over treatment and basecoat with a topcoat of Seche Vite.

KBShimmer Come On Get App-y

KBShimmer Come On Get App-y

KBShimmer Come On Get App-y

KBShimmer Come On Get App-y

KBShimmer Come On Get App-y

KBShimmer Come On Get App-y

KBShimmer Come On Get App-y

KBShimmer Come On Get App-y

KBShimmer Come On Get App-y

KBShimmer Come On Get App-y

You'd think that royal purple would be one of the more common variations of purple for holos but in my experience it's actually rather rare to see it, which makes this polish particularly desirable for purple polish lovers. The color has an expansive floral quality that reminds me of iris, and the holo effects are responsive and athletic. It's just beautiful on the nail, lively and graceful. Nice!

love,
Liz

KBShimmer Fir Sure

Like You're Brew-tiful and Deck The Claws, Fir Sure was released in December by Indiana-based indie polish maker KBShimmer as part of the winter 2017 Holo-day collection. Described simply as a "green linear holographic polish," the color appears to be a medium-toned, teal-leaning shade along the lines of pine or skobeloff, but the polish is so intensely holographic that most of the time it's almost impossible to discern the actual base color. To me, it almost has more of an oceanic or mermaidian vibe than coniferous, displaying rich, dimensionalizing hues of cerulean, blue-green, sea green, olive and golden-green in ambient light. In bright direct light there's a full linear prismatic flare predominated by azure and spring green that frames a lick of silvery pine green. Gorgeous!

Application was lovely. The consistency of Fir Sure is fluid and smooth with a medium-to-slightly-thicker viscosity and a plush, silky, self-leveling glide over the nail that has a tiny bit of pull to it. Pigmentation is very good, netting evenly opaque coverage and full, rich color in two medium coats. Cleanup is easy. Fir Sure dries naturally in very good time to a smooth, shiny finish. Topcoat does not interfere with the holographic properties of the polish in any way that I could tell.

Photos show two coats of Fir Sure over treatment and basecoat with a topcoat of Seche Vite.

KBShimmer Fir Sure

KBShimmer Fir Sure

KBShimmer Fir Sure

KBShimmer Fir Sure

KBShimmer Fir Sure

KBShimmer Fir Sure

KBShimmer Fir Sure

KBShimmer Fir Sure

Wow, I was totally caught off guard by the tremendous holographic goodness of this puppy -- the effects are 24/7 and the colorway of shimmering blues and greens in ambient light is just dreamy! Christy has such a prodigiously skilled and experienced hand with holo that I should have known, but for some reason I just wasn't feeling the enthusiasm until I got it on my nails. I really don't think still images do it proper justice, mine included. An excellent addition to your linear holo collection, prismatic-loving people, definitely worth the purchase! Makes the eyes happy!

love,
Liz

KBShimmer Deck The Claws

Like You're Brew-tiful, Deck The Claws was released at the beginning of the month by Indiana-based indie polish maker KBShimmer as part of the Holo-day collection. It is a red filled with holographic microglitter, part of KBShimmer's Mega Flame line of polishes. The color is a saturated medium-dark crimson of perfect depth and brilliance to make for a resonant, joyful holiday red. Superabundant silver holographic microglitters offer up a colorful "Christmas tree lights" kind of sparkle, predominated by bright red in ambient light and joined by all of the rainbow colors in force in the sun.

Application was awesome! The consistency of Deck The Claws is fluid and dense with microglitters, with a medium-to-slightly-thicker viscosity and a surprisingly fluent, even, self-leveling spread over the nails. I had no problems with it and you know how paranoid I am about thicker polishes. Pigmentation is excellent, almost a one-coater for me but you'll definitely want a second to ensure most uniform color in direct light and for the extra sparkles it brings. I did my cleanup as I went along in a not entirely successful attempt to avoid sticky microglitters. Watch out for pigment travel also, which can leave a skosh of trace staining. Deck The Claws dries naturally in good time to a flat, sandy-textured finish that wants a good, thick topcoat to look its best. A double layer of regular quick-dry topcoat or a single layer of gel-effect or glitter-smoothing topcoat will do the job admirably.

Photos show two coats of Deck The Claws over treatment and basecoat with a layer of Girly Bits Glitter Glaze and a final layer of Seche Vite for extra gloss.

KBShimmer Deck The Claws

KBShimmer Deck The Claws

KBShimmer Deck The Claws

KBShimmer Deck The Claws

KBShimmer Deck The Claws

KBShimmer Deck The Claws

KBShimmer Deck The Claws

KBShimmer Deck The Claws

Love, love, love the bold, exuberant red color and the twinkly, colorful sparkle! Great name too. I am totally torn now between this polish and Grace-full's Midnight Clear to wear for my trip up to Charlottesville on Christmas Eve and to my dad's Christmas party the next day. Do you have a special polish in mind for the 25th?

xo,
Liz

KBShimmer You're Brew-tiful

You're Brew-tiful was just released at the beginning of the month by Indiana-based indie polish maker KBShimmer as part of the Holo-day collection for winter 2017. Described as a lightened brown linear holographic polish, the color is a desaturated café au lait shade, a cool, creamy pale brown heavily silvered with holographic pigment, which gives it a taupey aspect. Powerfully holographic, it displays some kind of flare even in very low light, misty arcs of pasteled, pearly prismatic hues that frame a gleaming lick of pale gold and shade to café au lait at the sidewalls of the nail. In the sun, there's a brilliant linear display in full-strength rainbow colors.

Application was great! The consistency of You're Brew-tiful is fluid, light and creamy with a medium viscosity and an effortless, silky, self-leveling slip over the nail. Pigmentation is very good, with a little bit of sheerness on the first coat building easily to evenly opaque coverage with the second. Cleanup is easy. You're Brew-tiful dries naturally in very good time to a smooth, shiny finish. Topcoat does not in any way interfere with the holographic properties of the polish.

Photos show two coats of You're Brew-tiful over KBShimmer Love You Strong Time treatment and KBShimmer Fillin' Groovy basecoat with a topcoat of Seche Vite.

KBShimmer You're Brew-tiful

KBShimmer You're Brew-tiful

KBShimmer You're Brew-tiful

KBShimmer You're Brew-tiful

KBShimmer You're Brew-tiful

KBShimmer You're Brew-tiful

KBShimmer You're Brew-tiful

KBShimmer You're Brew-tiful

KBShimmer You're Brew-tiful

KBShimmer You're Brew-tiful

KBShimmer You're Brew-tiful

This has been a collection favorite with reviewers and I can see why! The pale, creamy brown combines with the silver holographic pigment to give the polish pale gold highlights and a neutral, almost nude quality. Adorned with its pasteled prismatic colors, it has a certain softness that you don't usually think of for linear holos, a sleek, ethereal look with a refined, sophisticated quality on the nail. Extremely flattering, it's a gentler, more organic alternative to pure silver or gold holos with an abundance of holographic magic that allows it to hold its own amid brighter holiday shades. Really lovely!

love,
Liz

KBShimmer Lady and The Vamp

Lady and The Vamp was released last month by Indiana-based indie polish maker KBShimmer as part of the Fall Blogger Collaboration collection, a series of fourteen polishes, twelve of which were designed from inspirational images submitted by KBShimmer bloggers. This particular polish was created with Lisa of Cosmetic Sanctuary and is described by Christy as "a deep vampy color burgundy red in our Mega Flame finish," a microglitter bomb featuring holographic microglitters in a colored base. You can read Lisa's post about Lady and The Vamp here.

The color here is a translucent dark wine with a strong purple aspect that gives it the look of a Tyrian purple on the nail. The darkness of the color is somewhat counterbalanced by superabundant silver holographic microglitters, which blanket the polish with a dense net of bright prismatic sparks in almost any light. It's downright dazzling in the sun, where the base color appears to brighten to a bold patriarch purple.

Application was great! The consistency of Lady and The Vamp is fluid and very smooth for a microglitter bomb, with a medium viscosity and a remarkably fluent and biddable glide over the nail that goes on naturally in thin-to-medium coats. Coverage is mostly provided by the microglitters, which are dense enough to provide wearable opacity in two coats. I used three for this manicure to avoid any bare-ish spots in the photos, but would happily wear it at two if I weren't taking pictures of it. I did my cleanup as I went along but experienced sticky glitters even so. My advice is to try for as clean a manicure as possible from the get go to minimize any necessary cleanup, and to do your cleanup as you go along while the polish is still wet. Lady and The Vamp dries naturally in very good time to a flat, textured finish that likes a double topcoat or a dedicated glitter-smoothing topcoat for a truly glossy, glitter-under-glass look.

Photos show three coats of Lady and The Vamp over ÜNT Ready for Takeoff peel off basecoat finished with a layer of Pretty Serious Plump Up The Volume plus a layer of Seche Vite to ensure drying of all the layers.

KBShimmer Lady and The Vamp

KBShimmer Lady and The Vamp

KBShimmer Lady and The Vamp

KBShimmer Lady and The Vamp

KBShimmer Lady and The Vamp

KBShimmer Lady and The Vamp

KBShimmer Lady and The Vamp

KBShimmer Lady and The Vamp

KBShimmer Lady and The Vamp

KBShimmer Lady and The Vamp

KBShimmer Lady and The Vamp

I love the glamorous, super-glittery sparkle of KBShimmer's Mega Flame polishes so there was no doubt that I'd love the look of this polish on my nails. I think the color and sparkle are especially becoming on my "Cinderella" right hand, which sports much shorter nails than my left. I try to remember the "jewels not tools" adage for both of my hands, but if I'm going to lapse it's inevitably with my right. Plus all of those right hand nails just seem to tear and crack more easily, so they're always relatively short. Anyway, if you've got shorties yourself, try a sparkly little vamp like this one on them and see if you don't love it!

xo,
Liz