Lacquer Slacker Liz: Painted Polish

Showing posts with label Painted Polish. Show all posts

Sunday, April 15, 2018

Painted Polish Blush Babe

Like Ruffles & Romance, Blush Babe was released earlier this month by California-based indie polish maker Painted Polish as part of the I Love Blush collection. Described as "a nude leaning blush ultra holo with added silver holographic glitters," this polish is like a sparkly, iridescent bronzer for your nails.

The color is a complex, toasty tan-leaning nude, say equal parts tan and unbleached silk with champagne pink highlights, but it's so holographic and flashy that you don't really see an exact color -- more like an impression of a color. There's a prominent prismatic flush in misty hues of lavender, pink and palest azure edged with gold and a whisper-thin thread of red in ambient light, and a gleaming, highly-reflective pale coppery-gold underlay with a brilliant flash, the whole dotted with bright, twinkling prismatic sparks from the holographic glitters. Direct sun elicits a textbook linear prismatic flare featuring the full retinue of rainbow colors.

Application was fabulous. The consistency of Blush Babe is fluid, light and smooth with a thinner-to-medium viscosity and a fluent, silky, self-leveling slip over the nail that goes on naturally in thin coats from a moderately loaded brush. Pigmentation is sheerish on the first coat but will build to a wearable opacity in two with a medium second coat. I added a third for the photos. Cleanup is easy, even with the glitters. Blue Babe 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.

Photos show three coats of Blush Babe over treatment and basecoat with a topcoat of Seche Vite.

Painted Polish Blush Babe

This is really rather stunning! My skin tone is not the best showcase considering the native warmth of the color, but I love it anyway. Like I said, it reminds me of bronzer but for your nails, with a glamorous, beachy, bain-de-soleil kind of vibe and that delicious "toasted" quality that frames the prismatic effects. The prominence of the holo and all the sparkle and flash makes it really showy and eye-catching on the nail. Glorious!

xo,
Liz

Monday, April 9, 2018

Painted Polish Ruffles & Romance

Ruffles & Romance was released just this past week by California-based indie polish maker Painted Polish as part of the I Love Blush collection, a series of five polishes in the blush/nude color genre, each with a different finish. Creator Lexi describes this one as "a creamy light blush subtle holo with silver holographic glitters and a reflective copper shimmer."

The color is indeed a deliciously creamy light blush nude, a shell pink blended with touches of grey and tan that fits nicely in the champagne pink/desert sand family. Holographic pigment gives it a delicately-grained, luminous quality on the nail and abundant finely-milled copper particulate shimmers gently warm the color, visible as a glistening, coppery-pink mist along the axis of light, while minute scattered holographic glitters emit dainty, twinkling sparks in the palest of prismatic shades. The component effects become more prominent in direct light, and there's even a shy hint of a linear flare.

Application was lovely. The consistency of Ruffles & Romance is fluid, light and smooth with a medium viscosity and a silky, self-leveling slip over the nail that goes on remarkably evenly for a white-based shade. Pigmentation is very good. A bit of sheerness on the first coat builds easily to wearable opacity with the second. I added a third for the photos, but would happily wear it at two otherwise. Cleanup is straightforward with some stickiness on the part of the glitters. Ruffles & Romance dries naturally in very good time to a smooth, shiny finish. Topcoat adds a becoming gloss and accentuates the presence and effects of the shimmers.

Photos show three coats of Ruffles & Romance over treatment and basecoat with a topcoat of Seche Vite.

Painted Polish Ruffles & Romance

Such a graceful polish, perfect for a bride! It has that smooth, clean, elegant character-shoe quality that I love that elongates the fingers and complements everything. The copper shimmers add a luxurious, cosmopolitan air that makes me think of the French riviera for some reason, and I adore the delicate sparkle. So pretty!

xo,
Liz

Wednesday, February 14, 2018

Painted Polish The Upside Down

How about some black and red for Valentine's Day?

The Upside Down was released in October 2016 by California-based indie polish maker Painted Polish as one-half of the Stranger Things Duo, two polishes inspired by the American science fiction/horror web television series Stranger Things. This is a black jelly filled with multi-sized bright red hex glitters. The base is well-pigmented for a jelly and pure licorice black. Bright red glitters have an eerie, ember-like glow within it, with an occasional red spark when the light hits a glitter just right.

Application was great! The consistency of The Upside Down is fluid and full-bodied with a thicker viscosity to which I added polish thinner at the outset. Thinned, it had a fluent, easily-controlled glide over the nail with some tumbling on the part of the glitters but no stacking or stickups. Glitter payoff is very good, as is pigmentation. Wearably opaque coverage can be had in two coats, although I added a third to ensure the non-appearance of my nail ridges. I did my cleanup as I went along and had no issues, but those glitters are sticky! The Upside Down dries naturally in very good time to a shiny, textured finish. I smoothed it out as best I could with a generous layer of glitter-smoothing topcoat followed by a layer of quick-dry.

Photos show three coats of The Upside Down over ÜNT Ready for Takeoff peelable basecoat with a topcoat of Girly Bits Glitter Glaze followed by a layer of Seche Vite.

Painted Polish The Upside Down

This could go either way, pro or con, you know? It works for those who like a little goth with their hearts and flowers, and it works, even better perhaps, for the cynical and romance-weary among us. I love Lexi's interpretation of the toxic, slimy, spore-filled atmosphere of the upside down in the show. Pitch black, with red sparks for danger!

love,
Liz

Monday, February 5, 2018

Painted Polish Haute Parisian Nights

Haute Parisian Nights was released in November 2016 by California-based indie polish maker Painted Polish as part of the Parisian Indie Shop Trio, three polishes created especially for the Indie Shop event that month in Torrance, CA.

One of the brand's Ultra Holo line, it's described as a bright pink with added silver holographic microglitters. The color is gorgeous -- medium-dark and cool but lush, similar to Mexican pink with aspects of raspberry and rose. Powerfully holographic, it is slightly silvered by the holo pigment, and possesses that delicious, finely-grained visual texture common to holos. A prismatic flare is visible to some degree at all times, with a semi-metallic raspberry underlay that adds a warm flash, the whole dotted with twinkling sparks from the holographic microglitters.

The consistency of Haute Parisian Nights is fluid, light and smooth with a medium viscosity and a fluent, self-leveling slip over the nail, a lovely formula that I did no justice to with my reckless and clumsy application. Shaky hands, fibers galore, swipeage and flooding, collisions of wet polished nails with random objects and each other -- it was just one of those days. Luckily for me, this is a user-friendly formula, amenable to repairs on the fly, and cleanup is a breeze! Pigmentation is very good and delivers completely even opacity in two coats. Haute Parisian Nights dries naturally in very good time to a smooth, shiny finish.

Photos show two coats of Haute Parisian Nights over treatment and basecoat with a topcoat of Girly Bits Glitter Glaze.

Painted Polish Haute Parisian Nights

A beauty!

love,
Liz

Friday, January 26, 2018

Painted Polish Orangeade Obsession

Orangeade Obsession was released in June 2017 by California-based indie polish maker Painted Polish as part of the Summer Citrus Trio, and is described as "orange ultra holo with added silver holographic glitter." The color is a bright, expansive medium-light orange peel hue that lies about halfway between amber and orange. Holographic pigment nuances it with shimmering shades of gold, amber and carrot in ambient light and gives the polish an effervescent, finely-grained visual texture as well as a flashy, semi-metallic underlay. The glitters emit tiny, twinkling sparks in gold, orange and spring green as light travels over them and blanket the look with prismatic sparkle in the sun, where there's a fully linear, gradated holographic flare in red, orange, gold and spring green that frames a lick of semi-metallic ambery-orange and shades to a deep carrot hue at the sidewalls of the nail.

Application was lovely. The silvery glitters had sunk in my bottle, but reintegrated beautifully after letting the bottle stand upside down for a little while and giving it a brisk shake. The consistency of Orangeade Obsession is fluid and creamy with a medium viscosity and an even, smooth, self-leveling glide over the nail, an excellent, eminently-paintable formula. Glitter payoff is excellent and evenly dispersed. Pigmentation is very good -- two coats delivers evenly opaque coverage and full bottle color. Cleanup is easy, even with the glitters. Orangeade Obsession 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.

Photos show two coats of Orangeade Obsession over treatment and basecoat with a topcoat of Seche Vite.

Painted Polish Orangeade Obsession

A wonderful amber-leaning orange! It's got such a sunny, confident, social disposition on the nail, extroverted in the manner of all oranges but not loud or overly flamboyant. Very wearable! I love it when Lexi adds those dainty, twinkling holographic glitters to her holos, it really ups the glamour and charisma of the look and adds that extra bit of panache.

xo,
Liz

Saturday, January 20, 2018

Painted Polish 2017

2017 was released a little over one year ago by California-based indie polish maker Painted Polish as one-half of the 2017 Duo. It's described as a brick red Ultra Holo, part of the brand's line of linear holographic polishes filled with silver holographic microglitters. The color is a complex medium-dark English red, a cool, slightly muted shade with aspects of fire brick and claret that is moderately silvered by holographic pigment, adding to the polish's soft, somewhat faded quality. The holographic effects nuance the base color with misty hues of red-violet and Indian red in ambient light and create a shimmering, semi-metallic underlay of fire brick, the whole dotted with twinkling prismatic sparks from the microglitters. In the sun, there's a bold, extra-sparkly linear holographic flare predominated by brilliant arcs of azure and bright red.

Application was great! The microglitters had sunk in my bottle, but reintegrated completely after a couple of sessions of brisk shaking. The consistency of the polish is fluid, creamy and dense with a medium viscosity and an even, full-bodied, self-leveling glide over the nail. Pigmentation is very good, delivering full opacity and bottle color in two coats. Cleanup is straightforward. 2017 dries naturally in very good time to a smooth, shiny finish.

Photos show two coats of 2017 over treatment and basecoat with a topcoat of Seche Vite.

Painted Polish 2017

I love Lexi's complex colors, and this is certainly one of them. It's an interesting composite kind of look for a red, with a softened, washed palette of Indian red, cranberry, deep rose, wine, kobe and carmine tones accompanied by extensive holographic effects, a flashy semi-metallic underlay of coppery fire brick and the glamorous, twinkling sparks of the microglitters. The gentle, feminine, earthy colors of the base are balanced by the lively effects of the components, giving the polish an unexpected tension and energy on the nail. Brilliant! And quite flattering too, with a pleasingly convivial, "go anywhere" sensibility that makes for an eminently-wearable manicure.

love,
Liz