Lacquer Slacker Liz: Lucky 13

Showing posts with label Lucky 13. Show all posts

Monday, November 23, 2015

Lucky 13 Oh, What A Lovely Day!

Oh What A Lovely Day was released by Washington state-based indie polish maker Lucky 13 Lacquer as part of the Fury Road collection, a series of polishes inspired by the May 2015 American/Australian dystopian action film Fury Road, the fourth installment of the Mad Max franchise. I saw the collection impeccably swatched by Amy McG of Polish Etc. (love her nails and swatches so much!) earlier this month and Oh What A Lovely Day immediately provoked my exaggerated covet response. Before you can say "Oh, snap!" I was checking out of creator Kyoti's webshop with it in my cart.

This polish is a full-coverage microflakie bomb, with a clear suspension base bearing boatloads of tiny metallic microflake shimmers in flame, orange and yellow. The overall look is of a bright coppery orange with a finely-grained gleaming metallic/foily finish that displays a scintillating sparkle as the light plays over it plus some striking flame-colored shading in lower light. I wanted to save this one for Thanksgiving day but all of those fiery metallic microflakies were singing their siren song and I just couldn't wait!

I was a bit trepidatious about working with this polish, mindful that cleanup (of which I generally need quite a bit) had the potential to result in microflakes scattered hither and yon across my nail environs. And as it turned out, I did have a few free-ranging microflakes, but the polish itself was fairly easy to work with. It has a slightly thick consistency and is densely packed with flakes. Once I added a bit of polish thinner, however, it became quite compliant with an easy, even spread over the nail and excellent self-leveling properties, as most polishes of this type do. Lucky 13's round, flexible brush can become a bit splayed by flakes, but closing up the bottle and giving it a quick shake will take care of that.

Coverage was fantastic! In the listing for Oh What A Lovely Day, Kyoti anticipated full coverage in three to four coats, but I found it to be evenly opaque after only two. Cleanup... well, you can imagine. Not difficult, but potentially tedious if you make a mess and is best done as you go along while the polish is still wet. Oh What A Lovely Day dries naturally in fairly good time to a smooth finish, but is quite tender and vulnerable to marring before it dries so get that quick-dry topcoat on there asap.

Photos show two coats of Oh What A Lovely Day over treatment and basecoat with a topcoat of Seche Vite.

Lucky 13 Lacquer Oh What A Lovely Day

My family doesn't always do turkey for Thanksgiving (sea bass and lobster are some past stand-ins), but when we do, as we will this Thursday, we have a traditional accompaniment called sweet potato baskets. Take some oranges, cut them in half and remove the flesh (in past years we have actually cut them onto little baskets complete with handles, but it's easier and more economical to half them). Then mix cooked and mashed sweet potatoes with some juice from the oranges, butter, seasoning and perhaps a glug of bourbon or rum if so inclined. Spoon the mixture into the empty orange halves, top with mini marshmallows and heat in the oven until the marshmallows are melty and lightly browned. Yummy!

Anyway, this lovely polish brings to mind those bright sweet potato baskets. I love both its color and the finish, which though metallic is kinder to irregular nail beds than a straight up metallic and much more interesting in my opinion.

Whether planning to host Thanksgiving or attend a celebratory gathering elsewhere, I hope you have a safe, happy, tasty and, if possible, peaceful day on Thursday. I have a lot to be thankful for, including YOU, my wonderful indulgent readers! I'm so grateful that you're out there, reading these posts and sharing my enthusiasm.

love,
Liz

Wednesday, March 11, 2015

Lucky 13 Live Long and Prosper

Live Long and Prosper from indie polish maker Lucky 13 is creator Jess's tribute to the life and career of Leonard Nimoy, who passed away on 27 February at age 83 due to end-stage chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Jess will donate $2 from the sale of each bottle of this lacquer to the COPD Foundation to prevent and cure COPD and to improve the lives of all people living with COPD.

Live Long and Prosper is available in two holo iterations: linear and scattered. I have the linear holo version to share with you today. It has a creamy light silvery azure blue base, the sort of sky blue you see looking off towards the horizon, sprinkled with tiny golden flake shimmers and absolutely packed with finely milled holographic pigment. In direct sun, the blue morphs into a brilliant sparkling turquoise and the prismatic display is absolute breathtaking, with beautiful, strongly delineated arcs of gold, pale pink and bright spring green surrounding a blaze of brighter blue in the center of the flair. My photos give only the mildest representation of this, which is unfortunate because it is truly stunning.

Application was lovely. The consistency of Live Long and Prosper is fluid and creamy with a deliciously silky flow over the nail and excellent self-leveling properties. It has an eminently paintable, user friendly formula that is not adverse to patching and touch-ups. Pigmentation is very good with completely even opacity achievable in two coats. Cleanup is easy and straight forward. Live Long and Prosper dries naturally in good time to a smooth, shiny finish. Topcoat does not diminish the holographic effects in any way.

Photos show two coats of Live Long and Prosper over Seche Rebuild treatment and Pretty Serious All Your Base basecoat with a topcoat of Seche Vite.

Lucky 13 Live Long and Prosper

My camera really washed out the direct sun shots of this polish and didn't do justice to the holographic flair, but perhaps there is enough color in one or two of them to give you an idea of how lovely Live Long and Prosper is when light hits it. This is a remarkable polish with an engaging, fresh character that I find quite befits its role as homage to an iconic, much beloved actor, artist and human being.

(source)

love,
Liz

Saturday, November 15, 2014

Lucky 13 Lacquer Elementary, Dear Data

Note: The name of this polish is Elementary, Dear Data, with comma, but for the purposes of easier writing and reading I'm going to omit that comma in the body of this review.

Like Dixon Hill Private Investigator, Elementary Dear Data was released by indie polish maker Lucky 13 Lacquer as part of the Star Trek: The Next Generation collection. This polish was inspired by the Star Trek TNG episode of the same name, memorable for Geordi's inadvertent creation of a holodeck version of the classic Holmes adversary, Moriarty, who plumbs the mysteries of holodeck simulation and is able to reach beyond its limits to briefly gain control of the Enterprise's computer. I loved this episode and still enjoy catching it every now and then on BBC America even after seeing it many, many times over the years. Something about the holodeck program creating a being sentient and aware enough to explore the limitations of personal reality really waxes my skis.

Elementary Dear Data, the polish, is a medium-dark rich slatey grey linear holographic polish. It reminds me of the color of the flannel bags that Geoffrey Beene Grey Flannel cologne comes in, but with a slightly warmer cast, as if it has some deep sable undertones to it. It's like Essie Smokin Hot, but with taupe undertones instead of purple, a warmish dark grey with a luxe, creamy appearance and feel on the nail. It's a perfectly gorgeous color for fall and winter. The holographic properties are somewhat subdued in this polish, but the holo pigment makes the color rich and dimensional. Direct sun, which sadly was in short supply today, elicits a muted linear prismatic display, which infuses the base color with a bloom predominated by gold and pale blue.

Application was luscious. As with the other two Lucky 13 holos I've featured recently, creator Jess has produced a superbly applying formula for Elementary Dear Data -- fluid but not runny, smooth and creamy with an easy self-leveling flow over the nail. It has a bit of bouncines to it almost like a jelly but it goes on with a creme's smoothness and body. Just fantastic! Pigmentation is buildable -- fairly sheer on the first coat with wearable coverage in two coats and rich, completely even and opaque color in three. I used three coats for this manicure and that's what I would recommend to get the most out of this color. Cleanup is easy and straightforward. Elementary Dear Data dries naturally in good time to a smooth shiny finish.

Photos show three coats of Elementary Dear Data over treatment and basecoat with a topcoat of Seche Vite. Another overcast day here prohibited any good pics of the holo display in this polish.


Lucky 13 Elementary, Dear Data

Lucky 13 Elementary, Dear Data


Lucky 13 Elementary, Dear Data

I'm thinking that Elementary Dear Data is what you would call a jelly holo. The formula has the bouncy squishiness of a jelly along with the sheer pigmentation, and the holo pigment takes full advantage of them to inform the appearance with depth-producing speckles that refract light within the polish even when the prismatic effects are not in play. Gives it a beautifully dimensional presence, I think.

Elementary My Dear Data is not a grey for holo lovers, it's a holo for grey lovers. If you enjoy deep, interesting grey polishes, this one is for YOU!

love,
Liz

Tuesday, November 11, 2014

Lucky 13 Lacquer Emerald City

Emerald City was released by indie polish maker Lucky 13 Lacquer as part of the eponymous Emerald City trio. It is the lone holo in this set; the other two polishes are creme/jelly hybrids with shimmer. As you would think, Emerald City is an emerald green linear holo, very plush and well-balanced with just the right touch of blue to it. Leafy and gentle, it's a perfect base for the kind of color nuancing that takes place in linear holos in indirect light -- which is a good thing, because today is overcast and spitting rain so I can't show you the full effects of the prismatic display. But when you see the dimensionality and richness that the holographic pigment produces in this color in indirect lighting, I'm sure you'll be able to imagine the splendor that direct sun would reveal.

Application was a delight. Jess, the owner and creative force behind Lucky 13, seems to have a knack for creating perfectly fluid, smooth, creamy formulas for her holos. Emerald City is just lovely, easily manipulated and amenable to thin or thicker coats, with a silky glide over the nail and excellent self-leveling properties. Pigmentation with this one is buildable. Overall it is more sheer than I expected, but the formula is such a pleasure to work with that an extra coat is no bother. I used three medium coats for this manicure and am happy with opacity and coverage they provided. Cleanup is easy and straightforward with no trace of staining. Emerald City dries naturally in good time to a smooth shiny finish. Topcoat does not appear to diminish the holographic properties of this polish in any way.

Photos show three coats of Emerald City over treatment and basecoat with a topcoat of Seche Vite.

Lucky 13 Emerald City

See what I mean about the holo's effect on the color? So lush! A bazillion little particles, each contributing its own shade of green, with subtle shading over the planes and curves of the nail bed and a gentle radiant bloom along the axis of light. I'm crazy about this particular aspect of linear holos, the way they look in bright indirect light. Of course I like a delineated prismatic display as much as anyone, but this is, if not as dazzling, at least as dimensional and interesting to the eye, don't you think? And so beautiful!

love,
Liz