SV by Sparkly Vernis E. huxleyi Bloom

E. huxleyi Bloom was released by indie polish maker SV by Sparkly Vernis as part of the Palm Trees at Night collection for spring 2015 in April this year. Like Pink Starfish, this polish takes its inspiration from coastal sights in the Pacific northwest, in this case Emiliania huxleyi, one of thousands of different photosynthetic plankton that freely drift in the euphotic, or sunlit zone of the ocean, forming the basis of virtually all marine food webs. It is studied for the extensive blooms it forms in nutrient-depleted waters after the reformation of the summer thermocline, the invisible blanket which separates the upper mixed layer of the ocean from the calm deep water below. The blooms can be identified through satellite imagery because of the large amount of light back-scattered from the water column, and appear as a bright blue-green in such photos.

As you would expect, E. huxleyi Bloom is a medium rich blue-green linear holographic polish with nuances of cyan and teal. It has a particularly creamy quality to it that gives it a soft, serene vibe on the nail. In direct sun there is a beautiful linear display with a flame-shaped flair of muted cerulean surrounded by a thin band of sparkling prismatic hues with a central flash of semi-metallic pale sea green. In indirect light, the holographic pigment generates cyanic hues of cerulean, teal and dusty aquamarine that shade the base color and give the polish dimensionality and depth. It's tranquil oceanic polish, manifesting the wonderful colors of serene tropical waters.

Application was very nice. The consistency of E. huxleyi Bloom is fluid, creamy and dense with a nicely-balanced viscosity for painting and a smooth, self-leveling glide over the nail. It's a user-friendly polish that is easily manipulated with Sparkly Vernis' flattened flexible brush. Pigmentation is outstanding. For practical purposes, it's a one-coater, but two coats are best for full, rich color. I used two coats for this manicure with the exception of two nails that I managed to mar after the second coat. A little pat to the defect and immediate area and a dab of polish over it and it disappeared as if never there, the new polish melting into the old leaving no trace behind. Don't you love it when a polish can do that? Cleanup took more time than I expected, but then I flooded a few cuticles and there was some pigment travel there that I never did completely remove. My bad! E. huxleyi Bloom dries naturally in very good time to a smooth shiny finish. Topcoat does not diminish the holo effects in any way. 

Photos show two coats of E. huxleyi Bloom over treatment and basecoat with a topcoat of Seche Vite.

SV by Sparkly Vernis E. huxleyi Bloom

SV by Sparkly Vernis E. huxleyi Bloom

SV by Sparkly Vernis E. huxleyi Bloom

SV by Sparkly Vernis E. huxleyi Bloom

SV by Sparkly Vernis E. huxleyi Bloom

SV by Sparkly Vernis E. huxleyi Bloom

SV by Sparkly Vernis E. huxleyi Bloom

SV by Sparkly Vernis E. huxleyi Bloom

SV by Sparkly Vernis E. huxleyi Bloom

SV by Sparkly Vernis E. huxleyi Bloom

SV by Sparkly Vernis E. huxleyi Bloom

SV by Sparkly Vernis E. huxleyi Bloom

SV by Sparkly Vernis E. huxleyi Bloom

SV by Sparkly Vernis E. huxleyi Bloom

SV by Sparkly Vernis E. huxleyi Bloom

Against my pinkage, this pulls a little greener than it does in other photos I've seen, such as Amanda's on Amandalish and Ann's on Nailpolean, but the holo-generated cerulean tones and the sparkling aquatic blue of the prismatic display keep it in oceanic territory. Small wonder this is the creator's favorite of the Palm Trees at Night collection. In her post about the collection, she says this is "the best creamy holo" she owns.

An E. huxleyi bloom in the Berents Sea, a marginal sea of the Arctic Ocean located off the northern coasts of Norway and Russia. You can really see the inspiration for today's polish in the colors captured by this photo.

From what I understand, E. huxleyi Bloom is completely non-staining upon removal. If I experience otherwise, I'll leave a postscript. 

love,
Liz

SV by Sparkly Vernis Pink Starfish

Pink Starfish was released by indie polish maker SV by Sparkly Vernis as part of the Palm Trees at Night collection for spring 2015 in April this year. I've followed the Sparkly Vernis blog for several years and knew that she frankened her own polishes, so I was delighted to see her establish her own brand in December 2014. 

The Palm Trees at Night collection of linear holographic polishes was inspired by springtime vacations at the beach in the Pacific northwest and Pink Starfish gets its name from the Giant Pink Sea Star Piaster brevispinus, a species indigenous to the northeast Pacific. Described as a "cool-toned, medium pink holographic with purple shimmer," this is not a simple pink. It has all kinds of rich magenta, rose and orchid tones to it -- I'll tentatively call it a dimensional steel pink. Its holographic effects are nothing short of phenomenal and contribute to the complexity of the color with beautiful analogous tonal shading in almost any light. In direct sun a perfectly delineated blazing prismatic flair floats over a central semi-metallic flash of warm golden pink that shades to a deeper purple-toned magenta at the edges of the nail. 

Application was outstanding. The consistency of Pink Starfish is fluid and creamy with a beautifully-balanced viscosity for painting and a buttery, self-leveling glide over the nail, an eminently user-friendly polish that is easy to manipulate with Sparkly Vernis' flattened flexible brush. Pigmentation is fabulous with complete, even opacity achievable in only one coat. I did find, though, that the colors become richer with the addition of a second coat and that's what I recommend. Cleanup was surprisingly easy for a polish this well-pigmented, with no pigment travel at all. Pink Starfish dries naturally in good time to a silky smooth shiny finish. Topcoat adds depth-enhancing gloss and seems to actually intensify the hues of this amazing holo. 

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

Sparkly Vernis Pink Starfish

Sparkly Vernis Pink Starfish

Sparkly Vernis Pink Starfish

Sparkly Vernis Pink Starfish

Sparkly Vernis Pink Starfish

Sparkly Vernis Pink Starfish

Sparkly Vernis Pink Starfish

Sparkly Vernis Pink Starfish

Sparkly Vernis Pink Starfish

Sparkly Vernis Pink Starfish

Sparkly Vernis Pink Starfish

Sparkly Vernis Pink Starfish

Sparkly Vernis Pink Starfish

Sparkly Vernis Pink Starfish

Sparkly Vernis Pink Starfish

Sparkly Vernis Pink Starfish

Sparkly Vernis Pink Starfish

The liveliness of the prismatic display and holo effects and the depth, sparkle and dimensionality they produce are simply breathtaking. I don't usually fall in love with linear holos but this one has my heart! Despite the holographic athleticism, it doesn't eclipse the gorgeous color. Instead it makes the most of it, parsing it into an abundance of shimmering analogous tones. It's just a beautifully-balanced holographic composition, with the color pigment, particulate shimmers and holo pigment in perfect ratio to each other to permit the contributions of each to be maximized.

The Giant Pink Sea Star Piaster brevispinus can reach a diameter of two feet while weighing up to two pounds! (source)

Pink Starfish manages to be an exceptional tribute to its namesake as well. Gosh, and this polish isn't even its creator's favorite from the collection! According to the Sparkly Vernis blog post about the Palm Trees at Night collection, here, that honor belongs to a creamy blue-green holo called E. huxleyi Bloom, which I am going to purchase the minute I finish this post so look for it to feature here in about a week or so!

love,
Liz