Dreamland Eep Opp Ork Ah Ah

Eep Opp Ork Ah Ah was created by Noelie of Missouri-based indie polish maker Dreamland Artisan Nail Lacquer especially for the April 2018 "Across the Universe: Planets and Galaxies" edition of Polish Pickup. It was inspired by Noelie's favorite "Win a Date with a Jet Screamer" episode of the venerable animated sitcom The Jetsons, and you can see the clip that gave it its name here.

Officially described as an "indigo jelly base with sparkly holo glitter and blue/purple shifty shimmer," the color is a deep zaffre shade, a dark but bright stained glass kind of blue that's like a mix of cobalt and ultramarine, very potent. Superabundant holographic glitters blanket the polish with twinkling azure sparks and create a bright semi-metallic azure reflect, giving the polish strong aspects of modern royal blue in ambient light. The shimmers add to the richness of the blue, which shifts through indigo to a glowing royal purple as you turn your nails into your light source as well as under incandescent light. But this polish really comes into its own in the sun, where the zaffre hue takes on an incredibly rich, bold, fathomless quality and the holographic glitters burst into a dense, starry field of bright prismatic sparkle.

Application was a little tetchy for me. The consistency of Eep Opp Ork Ah Ah is fluid, dense with glitters and somewhat fluffy with a medium-to-thicker viscosity to which I added a bit of polish thinner to at several points to keep a viscosity I was comfortable with. It has a full-bodied flow over the nail that sets up quickly and went on most easily for me in generous coats. Pigmentation is excellent for a jelly -- it's nearly opaque in one coat. I used two for this manicure. I did my cleanup as I went along and experienced some glitter scattering but little to no pigment travel or trace staining. Eep Opp Ork Ah Ah dries naturally in good time to a gently textured, matte-ish finish that wants a nice, thick glossy topcoat to look its best.

Photos show two coats of Eep Opp Ork Ah Ah over treatment and basecoat with a topcoat of Girly Bits Glitter Glaze.

Dreamland Eep Opp Ork Ah Ah

Dreamland Eep Opp Ork Ah Ah

Dreamland Eep Opp Ork Ah Ah

Dreamland Eep Opp Ork Ah Ah

Dreamland Eep Opp Ork Ah Ah

Dreamland Eep Opp Ork Ah Ah

Dreamland Eep Opp Ork Ah Ah

Dreamland Eep Opp Ork Ah Ah

Dreamland Eep Opp Ork Ah Ah

Bold and full of sparkle, just as you'd want for a cosmic, intergalactic kind of look! The extravagant depth and vibrancy it takes on in the sun is extraordinary, and the color-shifting shimmers cast hints of indigo and purple along the contours of the nail in various viewing circumstances, adding that bit of complexity that lets you know that this is not just another glittery dark blue. Fantastic!

love,
Liz

Pahlish The Land of Tears

The Land of Tears was created by Shannon of Tennessee-based indie polish maker Pahlish exclusively for the March 2018 "Books" edition of Polish Pickup. It was inspired by the 1943 novella The Little Prince by French aristocrat, writer, poet, and pioneering aviator Antoine de Saint-Exupéry.

I did not know what to say to him. I felt awkward and blundering. I did not know how I could reach him, where I could overtake him and go on hand in hand with him once more.

It is such a secret place, the land of tears.

This polish is described as a violet jelly with holographic pigments and flakes and olive-to-blue multichrome shimmer. The base color is a darker variation of violet that's brighter and more purple-leaning in the neck of the bottle than it is on the nail, where it assumes a duskier, somewhat indigo-esque appearance that's similar to Pantone's 2018 Color of the Year, ultra violet. The multichrome shimmers are quite conspicuous, reading as a broad, luminous mist of yellow-green along the axis of light. Abundant silvery holographic flakes stipple the finish, blanketing the look with prismatic sparkle in bright direct light.

Application was great! The consistency of The Land of Tears is fluid, full-bodied and smooth with a medium-to-slightly-thicker viscosity and a plush, even, self-leveling glide over the nail that likes to go on in medium to thicker coats. Pigmentation is very good, delivering evenly opaque coverage in two coats. Cleanup is easy. The Land of Tears dries naturally in very good time to a smooth, slightly flat finish. Topcoat seems to bring out the rich violet of the base.

Photos show two coats of The Land of Tears over treatment and basecoat with a topcoat of Seche Vite.

Pahlish The Land of Tears

Pahlish The Land of Tears

Pahlish The Land of Tears

Pahlish The Land of Tears

Pahlish The Land of Tears

Pahlish The Land of Tears

Pahlish The Land of Tears

Pahlish The Land of Tears

Pahlish The Land of Tears

Pahlish The Land of Tears

Pahlish The Land of Tears

Between the dusky violet base color, the holographic flakes and the prominent contrasting multichrome shimmers, this polish has an intruiging, cosmic quality on the nail that is a beautiful fit with its inspiration. Slightly subdued and inscrutable in ambient light, it brightens considerably and becomes more accessible in the sun. There's an elegant, poetic sensibility to the look that makes it more charismatic and fun to wear than I expected. Cool!

love,
Liz

The Lady Varnishes Moon Blinked

Moon Blinked was created by Kirsten of Utah-based indie polish maker The Lady Varnishes exclusively for the March 2018 "Books" edition of Polish Pickup. This polish was inspired by The Guardians of Ga-Hoole fantasy book series by Kathryn Lasky, and is described as a "deep blue-leaning teal with sterling silver coated, holographic silver and white flakes and a hint of blue and gold sparkle."

The color is a medium-dark cerulean with aspects of ming and teal blue, a rich, dense, complex shade that seems to lean more to green or to blue depending upon viewing circumstances. Layered clouds of small luminous flakes are suspended within, giving the polish a dimensional, dappled visual texture and gleaming or glowing in varying hues of blue-green and sea green as light travels over them, interspersed with occasional tiny sparks of blue, blue-green and gold. The rich color brightens a bit in the sun, and a loose net of fine prismatic sparkle joins the mix. 

Application was great! The consistency of Moon Blinked is fluid and dense with a medium consistency that thickens quickly with exposure to air, and I added a bit of polish thinner a couple of times during application to maintain the consistency with which I felt most comfortable. Thinned, it had a lush, smooth, self-leveling glide over the nail. The flakes dispersed evenly and laid flat to the nail without stickups. Pigmentation is very good to excellent, delivering evenly opaque coverage and full bottle color in two coats. Cleanup is straightforward. Moon Blinked dries naturally in very good time to a silky matte finish that loves a glossy topcoat to make the most of the color and the components.

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

The Lady Varnishes Moon Blinked

The Lady Varnishes Moon Blinked

The Lady Varnishes Moon Blinked

The Lady Varnishes Moon Blinked

The Lady Varnishes Moon Blinked

The Lady Varnishes Moon Blinked

The Lady Varnishes Moon Blinked

The Lady Varnishes Moon Blinked

The Lady Varnishes Moon Blinked

This is a beautiful, complex, evocative polish with a ton of dimensionality and character on the nail. The color is absolutely gorgeous -- deep, rich and mysterious -- and the layers of gleaming, glowing flakes within give it a watery dapple that has a certain eerie, undersea quality. It reminds me of the kelp forest scenes from the "Greens Seas" episode of Blue Planet II. It definitely has that one-of-a-kind, artisanal sensibility that makes you feel like you've discovered a treasure -- which, of course, you have!

love,
Liz

Pretty Jelly Sweet Trip to Honeydukes

Sweet Trip to Honeydukes was created by Liz of Illinois-based indie polish maker Pretty Jelly especially for the February 2018 "Sugar Rush" edition of Polish Pickup. This polish was inspired by the legendary wizarding sweets shop from the Harry Potter film series, and is described as "a deep mint green holographic with peach shimmer and hot pink sparkle."

The base color is a cool, translucent, medium-toned shade of Paris green. The degree of translucence creates luminosity and allows the color to be easily influenced by its components, giving it a certain malleable complexity on the nail. Holographic properties nuance the base with aspects of blue-green in ambient light. Abundant fine pink-to-gold color-shifting shimmers combine with it to give it a dusky quality, and create a swath of golden peachy-pink along the axis of light. Tiny, reflective bright pink microflakes emit a stealthy sparkle as light travels over them.

Application was buenísimo! The consistency of Sweet Trip to Honeydukes is fluid and full-bodied with a medium-to-slightly-thicker viscosity that I added a bit of polish thinner to at the outset. Thinned, it had a fluent, even, self-leveling slip over the nail that was a pleasure to finesse with the brand's flattened-style brush. Pigmentation is sheerish. Three coats delivers full opacity and bottle color. Cleanup is easy. Sweet Trip to Honeydukes dries naturally in very good time to a smooth, shiny finish. Topcoat accentuates the presence and effects of the components.

Photos show three coats of Sweet Trip to Honeydukes over treatment and basecoat with a topcoat of Seche Vite. It was heavily overcast and raining today when I took these and they are not as sharp as I would have liked them to be, my apologies. On the plus side, though, you can more easily traces of the sparkly pink microflakes when they're blurred.

Pretty Jelly Sweet Trip to Honeydukes

Pretty Jelly Sweet Trip to Honeydukes

Pretty Jelly Sweet Trip to Honeydukes

Pretty Jelly Sweet Trip to Honeydukes

Pretty Jelly Sweet Trip to Honeydukes

Pretty Jelly Sweet Trip to Honeydukes

Pretty Jelly Sweet Trip to Honeydukes

Pretty Jelly Sweet Trip to Honeydukes

Everything about this polish speaks to the diversity, creativity and uniqueness of indie polish making -- it's literally a perfect example of what I love most about indie polish makers and their offerings. The resonant inspiration of Honeydukes is creatively rendered in the color and components, which combine to create a unique look that is beautiful in its own right, complex, unconventional and, above all, eminently wearable.

Image of Honeydukes  that served as the inspiration for this polish.

Polishes like this are what makes Polish Pickup such a wonderful, exciting showcase for indie polish makers and enthusiasts!

love,
Liz

Ellagee Truly Scrumptious

Truly Scrumptious was created by Laura of Ellagee Polish especially for the February 2018 "Sugar Rush" edition of Polish Pickup. Described as "a scattered rosy pink holo with pink and iridescent flakes," the color is a light, delicate blend of pink and grey along the lines of queen pink or boto pink, with aspects of dusky mauve and a neutral, your-nails-but-better sensibility. Abundant holographic pigment gives it a silky, lustrous, finely-grained visual texture, nuances the base color with hints of champagne and silver pink and creates an exquisite prismatic bloom in pale, shimmering hues of azure, pink and gold in ambient light. My camera didn't really capture this, but across the surface of the polish, tiny scattered flakes glisten in nacreous shades of pale blue, lavender, baby pink and silver as light travels over them, adding a certain dewy quality to the look.

Application was wonderful. The consistency of Truly Scrumptious is fluid, light and smooth with a medium viscosity and a fluent, silky, self-leveling slip over the nail. Pigmentation is very good, delivering evenly opaque coverage in two coats. Cleanup is easy. Truly Scrumptious dries naturally in very good time to a smooth, shiny finish. Topcoat accentuates the presence of those gleaming little flakes and does not in any way interfere with the holographic properties of the polish.

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

Ellagee Truly Scrumptious

Ellagee Truly Scrumptious

Ellagee Truly Scrumptious

Ellagee Truly Scrumptious

Ellagee Truly Scrumptious

Ellagee Truly Scrumptious

Ellagee Truly Scrumptious

Ellagee Truly Scrumptious

Ellagee Truly Scrumptious

I love this. The luminous, washed, sea-shell color is soft and sleek on the nail with a clean, soothing kind of vibe that makes for a particularly elegant neutral look. I guess you could call it a palette cleanser -- it makes me feel like I've been to the day spa. Really lovely!

xo,
Liz

Emily de Molly Sugar Coated Memories

Sugar Coated Memories was created by Hayley of Australian indie polish maker Emily de Molly especially for the "Sugar Rush" February 2017 edition of Polish Pickup. It is described as a bright red jelly filled with metallic silver flakes and silver holographic micro glitter. The color is a brilliant, intensely saturated, medium-toned variation of scarlet, similar to red-orange. Abundant, highly-reflective silver flakes read in bright hues of red, pink and orange from within the base and give the polish a foily, semi-metallic sensibility with a dappled visual texture that has tremendous light play -- gleam, glow, flash and sparkle -- interspersed with pinpoint prismatic sparks from the holographic microglitters. Fabulous!

Application was great! The consistency of Sugar Coated Memories is fluid and full-bodied with a medium consistency and a very even, self-leveling flow over the nail. Pigmentation is excellent -- it goes on so evenly and opaquely that you could easily wear it at one medium coat. Two deepens the color to match the bottle. Between pigment travel and sticky silver flakes, cleanup can get messy real fast -- ask me how I know! Best to go for as clean an application as possible and allow the polish a bit of dry-time before going in with the acetone-dampened cleanup brush. Sugar Coated Memories dries naturally in very good time to a slightly flat finish with a skosh of discernible texture from the components, easily smoothed by topcoat.

Photos show two coats of Sugar Coated Memories over KBShimmer Love You Strong Time treatment and KBShimmer Fillin' Groovy basecoat with a topcoat of Seche Vite.

Emily de Molly Sugar Coated Memories

Emily de Molly Sugar Coated Memories

Emily de Molly Sugar Coated Memories

Emily de Molly Sugar Coated Memories

Emily de Molly Sugar Coated Memories

Emily de Molly Sugar Coated Memories

Emily de Molly Sugar Coated Memories

Emily de Molly Sugar Coated Memories

If you're after a high-energy, uber splashy look, here you go -- the very definition of eye-catching! The brilliant, saturated color and dynamic light play of the components make for a jazzy, flamboyant presence on the nail, like a glitzy stage costume -- sensational!

love,
Liz