Lacquer Slacker Liz: Top Shelf Lacquer

Showing posts with label Top Shelf Lacquer. Show all posts

Saturday, November 4, 2017

Top Shelf Lacquer Kindred Spirits

I'm back! With much, much shorter nails, unfortunately. I cracked the ring finger nail about a third of the way across on my swatching hand at some point -- I think it was heaving lots of large pumpkins around that did it, I didn't even realized it was cracked until the next day when I went to change my polish. The break was slightly below the quick and I've nubbinized the rest of the nails as much as I could but the one is still noticeably shorter. Still, I'm going to give them a go today and see how things turn out.

Kindred Spirits was created by Amy of Ohio-base indie polish maker Top Shelf Lacquer especially for the "Fall Foliage and Fun" September 2017 edition of Polish Pickup. Described as a steel blue linear holographic polish with a golden shift, bronze flakies and subtle lavender shimmer, this is a beautifully put together lacquer. On the nail, the color is a medium blue-grey with a strong periwinkle aspect that's very close to blue bell, a favorite of mine. Copious tiny bronze flakes give the look a misty quality and gleam brightly as light travels over them, while abundant finely-milled holographic pigment creates a dimensionalizing prismatic flush in ambient light. In the sun, there's a bright linear holographic flare, slightly dispersed by the flakies, that frames a lick of silvery lavender and shades to a deeper blue-grey at the sidewalls.

Application was a snap! The consistency of Kindred Spirits is fluid, dense and smooth with a medium viscosity and an easy, self-leveling flow over the nail. Pigmentation is very good, delivering evenly opaque coverage and full bottle color in two coats. Cleanup is easy. Kindred Spirits dries naturally in 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 Kindred Spirits over treatment and basecoat with a topcoat of Seche Vite.

Top Shelf Lacquer Kindred Spirits

I don't know about this, guys. Some folks do amazing swatching with short nails, but I just don't think I'm one of them. I'm going to have to think about it.

I have a couple of pics of the Jack O'Lanterns we made for Halloween....

That's Cody the Golden Retriever in the doorway.

love,
Liz

Monday, October 16, 2017

Top Shelf Lacquer Befuddled

I'm actually getting close to the end of my Top Shelf Lacquer Drunken Fall Holos. There's only one left after today's polish, which is called Befuddled and described as "a medium teal creme holo." The color is a perfect creamy teal blue, greener than cerulean, bluer than ming, in what I would call a medium-dark tone. I used to have a microfiber trench that was just about this shade -- I loved that coat, I wonder what happened to it, hmm. The creaminess of the color gives the polish a tranquil, slightly weathered sensibility and holographic pigment stipples the finish with fine silvery motes, adding to that effect. Once again it's overcast here today but I expect direct sunlight would engender a field of delicate prismatic sparkle with a vestigial flare.

Application was fabulous. The consistency of Befuddled is fluid and creamy with a medium viscosity and a fluent, even, self-leveling slip over the nails -- the formula here feels ever-so-slightly more dense than the rest of the collection, which may be a trick of the mind as the distinction is very small. Still a superb formula! Pigmentation is very good to excellent, possibly a one-coater for some but I used two. Cleanup was surprisingly easy, with faint trace staining. Befuddled dries naturally in very good time to a smooth, shiny finish.

Photos show two coats of Befuddled over basecoat with a topcoat of Seche Vite.

Top Shelf Lacquer Befuddled

There's a smooth sort of serenity to this polish that's unusual for a teal, I think. It has the stylish comportment and nimble quality of a petrol blue, just softened, more easy-going. I love it, it's a beautiful, sleek, eminently-wearable autumnal shade -- makes me want to go find that trench so I can wear it again!

love,
Liz

Tuesday, October 10, 2017

Top Shelf Lacquer Liquored Up

Liquored Up was released toward the end of August this year by Ohio-based indie polish maker Top Shelf Lacquer as part of the Drunken Creme Fall Holos collection. This is the grey of the collection, which creator Amy describes as "a cool medium grey creme holo polish." It's a nicely-balanced, creamy battleship grey. There's a certain plush quality to the look of this polish on the nail that reminds me of grey minky or even real fur. Abundant holographic pigment creates a light blanket of effervescence in ambient light, giving the polish a subtle heathered sensibility. In direct sun, there's a beautiful scattered field of delicate rainbow sparkle with a mobile prismatic flush that seems slightly more pronounced here compared to the other Drunken Creme Fall Holos.

No surprises with application -- Liquored Up has the same fantastic, eminently-paintable formula as the rest of the collection: fluent and buttery smooth with a thin-to-medium viscosity and a biddable, even, self-leveling slip over the nail. Every time I sit down to work with one of these polishes I'm happy because I know it's going to be a good polish day, you know what I mean? Pigmentation is very good to excellent. I used two coats for completely even, opaque coverage. Cleanup is easy. Liquored Up dries naturally in very good time to a beautiful glossy finish.

Photos show two coats of Liquored Up over basecoat with a topcoat of Seche Vite.

Top Shelf Lacquer Liquored Up

This isn't a stormy kind of grey. To me, it has an elegance and a sense of quiet dignity that go well with the conservative aspects of the color and make for a manicure that feels tailored and purposeful. At the same time, the holographic effects add to that plush minky quality that I mentioned above, lending a sense of luxury -- a feminine touch -- as well as visual interest. Nice!

love,
Liz

Wednesday, October 4, 2017

Top Shelf Lacquer Plastered

Plastered is the dedicated purple in Top Shelf Lacquers' Drunken Fall Creme Holos collection, and I'm here to tell you: it is lovely! Described as a dusky plum, the color is a creamy mauvey purple with a smooth, subtle taupey aspect in low and incandescent light. It's similar to opera mauve or the way Crayola's pearly purple looks on a computer screen, a graceful, medium-toned, eminently-wearable hue that reminds me of blackberry ice cream. It's the sort of plummy color that I notice a lot in facial cosmetics, cool and self-assured with a certain expansive floral quality, like a plum-colored floral lavender, especially in the sun. Holographic pigment gives it a touch of golden effervescence in ambient light and a delicate scattered prismatic display in the sun with a mobile, vestigial flare.

Application was primo! Like all of the Drunken Fall Creme Holos, Plastered has a gorgeous formula that makes you really happy to be painting your nails. Fluent, buttery smooth and biddable, it glides effortlessly over the nail, goes exactly where you put it and stays there. In a word: perfect! Pigmentation is very good to excellent, almost a one-coater save for an occasional touch of sheerness on that first coat. Cleanup is easy. Plastered dries naturally in very good time to a smooth, shiny finish.

Top Shelf Lacquer Plastered

This is a superb plummy neutral for anytime of the year. It has a smooth, refined, urbane quality that I imagine would make it excellent for professional settings, but it's perfectly companionable as an everyday kind of look as well. If most purple polish feels a little too outré or psychedelic for you, try this one.

It occurs to me that this collection, either in whole or in part, would make a wonderful gift for anyone who loves to paint their nails. The colors are so rich and wearable and formulas so superior, a gifted trio or quartet of favorites would make someone happy for months. Think about it!

love,
Liz

Thursday, September 28, 2017

Top Shelf Lacquer Juiced

Today's Top Shelf Lacquer Drunken Creme Fall Holo is Juiced. This is the orange of the collection, described as a pumpkin orange but in my opinion it's actually more complex than that. It's creamier, earthier, more muted, with more red to it. I'd describe it as a medium burnt orange with aspects of terracotta and Indian red. It has a creamy, clay-like sensibility and a Southwestern vibe, with the holographic effects common to the polishes in this collection: a subtle dusting of golden effervescence in ambient light and scattered prismatic sparkle in the sun with a vestigial flare.

Application was excellent. Juiced has the same superlative formula as the other Drunken Creme Fall Holos: fluid, light and buttery smooth with a thin-to-medium viscosity and an effortless, silky, self-leveling slip over the nail. Such a pleasure! Pigmentation is very good, netting completely even, opaque coverage in two coats. Cleanup is easy. Juiced dries naturally in very good time to a smooth, shiny finish.

Photos show two coats of Juiced over KBShimmer Fillin' Groovy basecoat with a topcoat of Seche Vite.

Top Shelf Lacquer Juiced

This is such a great earthy color -- so canyon-esque! It's a perfect addition to a Southwestern palette -- if those are your colors you'll want to jump on this polish posthaste!

Antelope Canyon near Paige, Arizona (source)

Against my pasty pinkage Juiced is very soft and soothing with a slightly old-fashioned look, but I still love it. Like all of the polishes in this collection, it takes topcoat really nicely and looks sleek and glossy on the nail. Beautiful!

xo,
Liz