Lacquer Slacker Liz: Superficially Colorful

Showing posts with label Superficially Colorful. Show all posts

Sunday, February 14, 2016

Superficially Colorful Foolish Heart

Foolish Heart, inspired by Tegan and Sara's 2013 song "I Was a Fool," was released by Israel-based indie polish maker Superficially Colorful as part of the Troubled Love collection for Valentine's Day 2015. This is a thermalchromic polish that changes color with changes in temperature -- it is one color when cool and another when warm. Creator Jin is regularly referred to as the queen of thermals, so I knew I was good hands for my first thermal experience. If you're curious about how these polishes work, Lab Muffin did us all a solid with her blog post about the subject here.

In its cool state, Foolish Heart is a rich, dense burgundy shade. With an increase in temperature, it shifts to a rusty orange-red. Both colors are very creamy with a delicate silvery shimmer that has a pretty sparkle in the sun and adds dimension to the look of the polish on the nail. The shift isn't as dramatic as some that Jin has created, but it's substantial enough to produce a natural gradient on my nails with the rusty shade over the nail bed and the burgundy shade at the free edge. Very cool!

Application was par for Superficially Colorful, which is to say: awesome. The consistency of Foolish Heart is fluid, creamy and dense with a medium viscosity and a velvety, self-leveling glide over the nail. It was as easy to work with as the non-thermal polishes I've experienced from this brand, quite user friendly and amenable to thin or thicker coats. Pigmentation is excellent -- with a generous hand this could easily be a one coater. I used two to ensure most even opacity. Cleanup is fairly straightforward with a little bit pigment travel and trace staining. Foolish Heart dries naturally in good time to a smooth, semi-matte finish that wants a good topcoat to look its best. Topcoat does not appear to affect the thermalchromic properties of the polish in any way.

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

Superficially Colorful Foolish Heart

The color transitions very easily. Mostly it stays at rust over the nail bed, darkening steadily out to the free edge. I can see why people like thermals, they're a lot of fun!

xo,
Liz

Monday, February 8, 2016

Superficially Colorful Sweet Treat

Sweet Treat is the fourth and last polish from the excellent Halloween 2015 collection by Israel-based indie polish maker Superficially Colorful, released this past fall. Creator Jin describes this as "a red leaning orange holographic polish with a jelly-like finish." To my eye, it's a wonderful rich medium-toned, well-saturated tawny or burnt orange, a dark orange with a kiss of sepia that gives it a very earthy, organic quality. It reminds me of kim chee and young chili paste and Heinz 57 and all kinds of delectable spicy, saucy things. Yum! Finely-milled holographic pigment works subtly to give it dimension, depth and a certain glow that is most becoming on the nail.

Application was great! The consistency of Sweet Treat is fluid, creamy and dense with a medium viscosity and a velvety, self-leveling glide over the nail. Pigmentation is excellent with near-wearable coverage in one coat and completely even opacity in two. Cleanup is a little tricky due to pigment travel and trace staining, and I'd strongly advise going for as clean a manicure as possible at the outset to avoid having to deal with this. Sweet Treat dries naturally in very good time to a beautiful glossy finish.

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

Superficially Colorful Sweet Treat

Such a gorgeous bold, dense color and so chic for fall! Of course, it's working on spring now here -- we have daffodils and deciduous magnolia blooming in the yard -- but that doesn't stop me from appreciating this spicy number right now! It's overcast today, but Helena's review photos on Lacky Corner show that Sweet Treat morphs into a burnished, semi-metallic beauty in direct sun. Personally, I'm in love with the intensely creamy look it has here.

ttyl,
Liz

a red leaning orange holographic polish with a jelly-like finish - See more at: https://sclacquer.com/product/sweet-treat#sthash.Ng3vpXtB.dpuf

Friday, February 5, 2016

Superficially Colorful Witch You Were Here

Witch You Were Here was released by Israel-based indie polish maker Superficially Colorful as part of the Halloween 2015 collection. Creator Jin describes this one as a "deep dark purple holographic polish." The color looks to be something along the lines of a palatinate purple, deep and dusky with the luscious creamy quality and velvety depth that I think of as Jin's signature touches. Abundant ultrafine holographic pigment washes the base with overtones of ultramarine blue and hints of deep red and gives a spry red flash to the finish. The holographic effects are subtle but serve beautifully to dimensionalize and enrich the purple base.

Application was a delight, as I've learned to expect from this brand. The consistency of Witch You Were Here is fluid and very creamy with a medium viscosity and a buttery, self-leveling glide over the nail. Pigmentation is very good, with completely even opaque coverage in two coats. Cleanup is surprisingly easy for such a dark, well-pigmented shade, with a skosh of pigment travel but much less than I anticipated and almost no residual staining. I love that! Nothing is more frustrating and disappointing than cleaning up after a polish only to get tinted cuticles and sidewalls for your trouble. Witch You Were Here dries naturally in very good time to a slick glossy finish.

Photos show two coats of Witch You Were Here over treatment and basecoat with a topcoat of Seche Vite.

Superficially Colorful Witch You Were Here

I expect that the holographically-generated swath of ultramarine blue would be even more brilliant in direct sun, which sadly is in short supply again today. But it is impressive even under overcast skies, adding an intense, saturated aspect to the color that is characteristic of many creme holos -- one of the reasons why I love them so much -- and goes to show that holographic effects needn't be in your face to have a significant impact on the appearance of a polish.

ttfn,
Liz

Monday, February 1, 2016

Superficially Colorful Ghouls Night Out

Like I'm Just A Little Batty, Ghouls Night Out was released by Israel-based indie polish maker Superficially Colorful as part of the Halloween 2015 collection at the beginning of October this past fall. This is a bright verdant medium-toned green linear holographic polish bearing fine golden shimmers, which lean it ever-so-slightly toward the yellow end of the yellow/blue spectrum, somewhere between shamrock and kelly. Lush and vibrant with a hint of grassiness, it's really a perfect holiday sort of green, Christmas or St. Paddy's Day. Holographic effects render a jungly dimensionality on the nail, and in direct sun there's a splendid prismatic flare in various hues of green edged by a band of burnt orange surrounding a semi-metallic golden olive flash.

Application was most agreeable! The consistency of Ghouls Night Out is fluid and super creamy with a medium viscosity and a silky slip over the nail. Self-leveling properties are very good, as is pigmentation. There's a degree of translucence to the formula that is sheerish on the first coat but produces wearably opaque coverage in two coats. I added a third, which I thought increased the visual density and richness of the color. Cleanup is easy and straightforward with a little pigment travel but no trace staining to speak of. Ghouls Night Out dries naturally in very good time to a slick glossy finish.

Photos show three coats of Ghouls Night Out over treatment and basecoat with a topcoat of Seche Vite.

Superficially Colorful Ghouls Night Out

Holy cow, that's good! This wonderful green is dense and vibrant and luminous, with a certain enameled quality to its appearance that gives it a sense of something exquisitely crafted and precious. Such a rich, lively hue, it makes my eyes happy! I'm thrilled to learn that I can get away with such a powerful green on my nails because I surely couldn't wear it otherwise. But then, I can't imagine this polish looking any less than fantastic on anyone.

My new favorite green!

love,
Liz

Friday, January 29, 2016

Superficially Colorful I'm Just A Little Batty

I'm Just A Little Batty was released by Israel-based indie polish maker Superficially Colorful as part of the Halloween 2015 collection at the beginning of October 2015. It's been about a year since I fell in love with the bright colors that I ordered from the Life in Pandora collection and I've been waiting for an excuse to revisit this wonderful brand. When I saw the listing for the Halloween 2015 collection, on sale for $3 off the regular price (still a thing), I didn't think twice.

Jin, owner and creative force behind Superficially Colorful, makes a magical creme linear holo and I'm Just A Little Batty is just that, in black. This is a coal black shade with the plush dimensionality that for me has become her signature. There's nothing flat or harsh about this black, it is fathomless, with a velvety softness to its depth that belies its glossy finish. In direct sun, a faint linear holographic flare in crepuscular prismatic hues floats over a central lick of semi-metallic blackened silver with a diffuse smoky sheen to it. Delicious!

Application was equally delicious. I'm Just A Little Batty has the fantastic formula that I remember from Life in Pandora, with a fluid, creamy consistency and a medium viscosity that is perfectly balanced for painting, producing a blissfully buttery glide over the nail. Self-leveling properties are outstanding, as is pigmentation -- I was go to go after only one coat! This being a holo, though, I felt it best to add a second to make the most of the holographic goodness. Cleanup is straightforward albeit with some pigment travel and trace staining. I'm Just A Little Batty dries naturally in very good time to an unusually glossy finish. Topcoat makes the most of this gloss by amping it up a notch or two, and doesn't affect the holographic properties at all as far as I can tell.

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

Superficially Colorful I'm Just A Little Batty

It's overcast here today so the holographic effects are more muted than they would be otherwise, but I think you get the gist. They serve mostly to dimensionalize the appearance of the black base, key to its plush beauty. Isn't it magnificent?

love,
Liz