Too Fancy Lacquer Sweet Kisses

Sweet Kisses was released by Hong Kong-based indie polish maker Too Fancy Lacquer exclusively for polish etailer Nail Whisperer, located in Singapore. I'm not sure how I came across this polish, but the swatch was so ethereal and unlike any of the other Too Fancy colors in my burgeoning collection that I had to have it. I wish I could tell you that it turned out exactly like the swatch on me and worth the extra $ in shipping I paid, but some things with dubiously-reasoned beginnings just stay dubious to the end.

Officially described as a "light pink holo with gold and violet micro shimmers," Sweet Kisses is a pale pink lavender creme linear holo bearing abundant iridescent golden flake shimmers as well as what I believe to be particulate shimmers in iridescent violet. Against my pinkage, alas, this lovely creation turns out to be very nearly a mannequin hands kind of shade. It's a close match for my natural nail bed color, which I haven't seen for lo these several years thanks to the polish staining I've accumulated but I remember how it looks and it looks like this polish minus the holo and shimmery bits. The flake shimmers are medium to medium-large in size and glisten in pale shades of gold, electric violet and baby pink as the light hits them, while the particulate shimmers are more secretive, reading as a subtle violet glow. In direct sun, the finely-milled holographic pigment in Sweet Kisses  generates a barely-there linear prismatic flair in pale hues.

Application was on par with Too Fancy's dependably high quality formulations, which is to say: great! The consistency of Sweet Kisses is fluid, creamy and dense with a noticeable texture from the flake shimmers, which nevertheless go on without tumbling, stickups or free-edge protrusions and lie flat to the nail. The polish has a nicely balanced viscosity for painting, perhaps a tad thicker than I usually experience with Too Fancy but still quite user-friendly and very easy to work with, especially for a pastel shade. Self-leveling properties are very good as is pigmentation with completely even, opaque coverage in two coats. Unfortunately, my coats were a bit too generous and the flakes tended to sink a bit, leaving tiny divots in the finish. Cleanup is fairly straightforward with some stickiness on the part of the flake shimmers. Sweet Kisses dries naturally in very good time to a smooth, shiny finish with some of that divot texture from the flakes -- you can't really feel it but you can see it, even after topcoat.

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

Too Fancy Sweet Kisses

Too Fancy Sweet Kisses

Too Fancy Sweet Kisses

Too Fancy Sweet Kisses

Too Fancy Sweet Kisses

Too Fancy Sweet Kisses

Too Fancy Sweet Kisses

Too Fancy Sweet Kisses

Too Fancy Sweet Kisses

Too Fancy Sweet Kisses

Too Fancy Sweet Kisses

Too Fancy Sweet Kisses

Too Fancy Sweet Kisses

Too Fancy Sweet Kisses

I just happen to have the sort of complexion that washes out and muddies pale delicate shades like this. If I had been looking for a nude holo in the first place, perhaps I wouldn't be so disappointed. But I wasn't so I am. At least I'll not likely forget what a pale pink lavender looks like on me, which should help me avoid unfortunate purchases in the future. Especially purchases from Singapore!

love,
Liz

Too Fancy Lacquer Positively Pink

Based on online reviews of this polish, I believe that Positively Pink was released by Hong Kong-based indie polish maker Too Fancy Lacquer as a stand alone polish sometime around early summer 2014 at the latest. It's a medium-toned vibrant orchid pink linear holographic polish, along the lines of a steel pink with purple undertones and some peripheral rosiness. As I’ve come to expect from Too Fancy’s linear holos, the holographic pigment is ultrafine with extremely responsive and athletic effects. Direct sunlight generates a brilliant tightly-formed prismatic linear flare of narrow twinkling bands in every rainbow color: violet, indigo, blue, green, yellow, orange and red. The flare surrounds a lick of gleaming semi-metallic pink and shades to a saturated magenta at the edges of the nail. The linear effects are perceptible even in indirect light, where a central blaze of misty lavender is trimmed with a shifting ribbon of prismatic sparkle.

Application was on par with Too Fancy’s consistently high quality formulas, which is to say: wonderful! The consistency of Positively Pink is fluid, creamy and dense with a plush velvety glide over the nail that has a slight pull to it. Self leveling properties are very good and pigmentation is outstanding. Given smooth nail beds and a generous hand, one coat will provide evenly opaque coverage. As I do not have smooth nail beds, I used two generous coats to fully camouflage my ridges. Cleanup is easy and straightforward. Positively Pink dries naturally in very good time to a smooth shiny finish. Topcoat does not diminish the holographic effects of the polish in any way.

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

Too Fancy Lacquer Positively Pink

Too Fancy Lacquer Positively Pink

Too Fancy Lacquer Positively Pink

Too Fancy Lacquer Positively Pink

Too Fancy Lacquer Positively Pink

Too Fancy Lacquer Positively Pink

Too Fancy Lacquer Positively Pink

Too Fancy Lacquer Positively Pink

Too Fancy Lacquer Positively Pink

Too Fancy Lacquer Positively Pink

Too Fancy Lacquer Positively Pink

Too Fancy Lacquer Positively Pink

Too Fancy Lacquer Positively Pink

Too Fancy Lacquer Positively Pink

Too Fancy Lacquer Positively Pink

Too Fancy Lacquer Positively Pink

Too Fancy Lacquer Positively Pink

Too Fancy Lacquer Positively Pink

Positively Pink is in the same color family as Too Fancy's Magnifique, and just as dynamic and radiant. It's what I think of as a fierce pink, much more focused and energetic than your typical Easter egg variety of purpley pink. At first I wasn't sure how I felt about it. I tend to gravitate towards deeper, warmer, more watermelony pinks, and this is a totally different animal. It stretched a little beyond my pink comfort zone, which was much more limited in scope than I realized. Ah, chagrin! Once again we cross paths!

My initial uneasy apprehension lasted about five hours, to be replaced almost suddenly by genuine admiration, if not affection. It didn't hurt that I resolved an immensely frustrating network connectivity issue with my mac at right about the same time. Ha!

love,
Liz

Too Fancy Lacquer Come to the Dark Side

Shifting gears now after that run of neons from my KBShimmer spree, I have for you today another holographic polish from indie polish maker Too Fancy Lacquer. Seems like whenever I'm about to run out of new holos to swatch, I find myself on the Too Fancy page at Color4Nails or Llarowe working on another purchase. Yes, I have a little problem. I blame owner and holo creator extraordinaire, Charlene. Her offerings have become easily one of my favorite indie sources for holos. If you've tried them then you know what I'm talking about.

Come to the Dark Side is a black linear holographic polish bearing, in addition to the holo pigment, the unusual appurtenance of stealthy pink-to-gold colorshifting microflake shimmers. Apparently there are two versions of Come to the Dark Side; this is the second. The first, from what I've seen, had less holo pigment and a more jet black appearance. This one, like many black holos, carries a silvery sheen over the black that softens the color a bit. In direct sun there is a sparkling prismatic flair with full rainbow colors riding in a flame-shaped bend over the base, from which emerges a shrouded golden pink sheen with a beautiful gothic quality to it. In a unexpected twist, I find Come to the Dark Side to be quite the palate cleanser after so many bright lacquers. There's a serenity to it, a quiet dignity that is soothing in its silvered, shimmering darkness.

Application was fantastic. In typical Too Fancy fashion, the consistency of Come to the Side is fluid, creamy and dense with a perfectly balanced viscosity for user-friendly painting, a velvety glide over the nail and excellent self-leveling properties. Pigmentation is also excellent, with opaque coverage in one coat, although you'll definitely want to add a second for richest color and to make the most of the pink microflakes. Cleanup is easy, with a tiny bit of pigment travel and the occasional sticky microflake. Come to the Dark Side dries naturally in very good time to a flat finish with a slightly grainy texture from the microflake shimmers. Topcoat adds shine and enhances the presence of the microflakes without diminishing the holographic effects in any way. 

Photos show two coats of Come to the Dark Side over Pretty Serious Rock On treatment and Pretty Serious All Your Base basecoat with a topcoat of Seche Vite.

Too Fancy Lacquer Come to the Dark Side

Too Fancy Lacquer Come to the Dark Side

Too Fancy Lacquer Come to the Dark Side

Too Fancy Lacquer Come to the Dark Side

Too Fancy Lacquer Come to the Dark Side

Too Fancy Lacquer Come to the Dark Side

Too Fancy Lacquer Come to the Dark Side

Too Fancy Lacquer Come to the Dark Side

Too Fancy Lacquer Come to the Dark Side

Too Fancy Lacquer Come to the Dark Side

Too Fancy Lacquer Come to the Dark Side

Too Fancy Lacquer Come to the Dark Side

Too Fancy Lacquer Come to the Dark Side

Too Fancy Lacquer Come to the Dark Side

Too Fancy Lacquer Come to the Dark Side

Too Fancy Lacquer Come to the Dark Side

Too Fancy Lacquer Come to the Dark Side, bottle shot showing pink microflake shimmers

The addition of the gold/pink colorshifting microflakes gives Come to the Dark Side a unique twist. It's not an in-your-face shimmer, not enough to classify it as a "shimmolo" (tip of the hat to Pam of Girly Bits, who coined that term), but it adds dimension and a unique gleam to the prismatic display plus the delicious grainy texture to the finish of the polish even when the holo and the flakes are in stealth mode. It's a subtle boost to the polish's complexity that sets it apart and makes it special. 

I like it. I like it very much.

love,
Liz

Too Fancy Lacquer Magnifique

Magnifique was released by Hong Kong-based indie polish maker Too Fancy Lacquer as one of the brand's debut polishes in the summer of 2013. This is a deep magenta linear holographic polish. In typical Too Fancy form, the color and the holo have equal footing here, each informing the other to produce a beautiful melange of shifting analogous hues that enhance and complement the magenta base. The holo effects are athletic and responsive in almost all circumstances, with nuances of berry, violet, purple, orchid, fuchsia and cerise dimensionally shading the base color and floating over a gleaming semi-metallic flash of rosy golden pink. In direct sun there is a brilliant prismatic display with a central flair of almost fluorescent blue-violet edged by a sparkling band of rainbow colors that shades to a plummy red-violet around the edges of the nail. The colors visible in this polish remind me of lampworked borosilicate glass beads and the ethereal drifting wisps and clouds of color that are rendered by the flame. No matter how many times you see them, they never cease to leave you openmouthed with delight.

Application was exactly as one would expect from this brand -- in a word, wonderful! The consistency of Magnifique is fluid, smooth and creamy with a silky, self-leveling glide over the nail and a beautifully-balanced viscosity for painting. So pleasant and satisfying to work with! The user-friendly formula is amenable to thin or thicker coats, as preference and skill dictate, without running, pooling or bubbling. Pigmentation is excellent with near-opacity in one coat, but you'll want two for fullest depth color. Cleanup is easy and straightforward. Magnifique dries naturally in very good time to a smooth shiny finish. Topcoat does not diminish the holographic effects in any way. In fact, I find it actually enhances the colors. 

Photos show two coats of Magnifique over treatment and basecoat with a topcoat of Seche Vite, a little less bubbly than yesterday but still sporting a bubble here and there. 

Too Fancy Lacquer Magnifique

Too Fancy Lacquer Magnifique

Too Fancy Lacquer Magnifique

Too Fancy Lacquer Magnifique

Too Fancy Lacquer Magnifique

Too Fancy Lacquer Magnifique

Too Fancy Lacquer Magnifique

Too Fancy Lacquer Magnifique

Too Fancy Lacquer Magnifique

Too Fancy Lacquer Magnifique

Too Fancy Lacquer Magnifique

Too Fancy Lacquer Magnifique

Too Fancy Lacquer Magnifique

Too Fancy Lacquer Magnifique

Too Fancy Lacquer Magnifique

Another deliciously radiant holo from Too Fancy Lacquer! The magenta base color in Magnifique is only a breath of reddish pink away from yesterday's deep fuchsia creme, Essie Flowerista -- the holo makes a world of difference! Magenta and fuchsia are often used interchangeably, but in my mind magenta leans more pink while fuchsia leans more purple. Shades of both are ubiquitous in the nail polish world, though if acuity of visual discernment leads you to pursue the finer points of color differentiation, you know they each possess their own individual charms.

I'm humbled to remember how I once disliked magenta, considering it heavy, muddy and trite. Oh, the aesthetics of the ignorant! Nail polish has been and continues to be a source of enlightenment for me -- I learn something new almost every time I write about it.

love,
Liz