Lacquer Slacker Liz: blue

Showing posts with label blue. Show all posts

Saturday, June 9, 2018

Tonic Polish The Best is Yet to Come

The Best is Yet to Come was created by Lindsey of Iowa-based indie polish maker Tonic Polish for limited release by Hella Handmade Creations in March this year, with a later, unlimited pre-order in May. It's described as "a denim blue with glowing copper shimmer, iridescent particles of different sizes that shift yellow and green, and scattered holo."

This polish is one of what I've come to think of as Lindsey's "deliciously ambiguous wonders." The base color is indeed a medium-dark blue along the lines of liberty from the ISCC-NBS Dictionary of Color Names, a denimy, lapis-like shade that's quite translucent -- the better to show off the components, which combine with it to give the color a complex, dusky appearance on the nail. Numerous variously-sized, color-shifting flakies ranging from tiny to medium-large gleam in shades of flame, gold, green and even magenta from within the base as light travels over them, while finely-milled copper shimmers create a prominent coppery-pink glow along the axis of light. Abundant holographic pigment adds depth, luminosity and a delicately-grained visual texture in ambient light. As you turn your nails toward your light source, the polish glows golden-green, and in the sun there's a sparkling scattered prismatic display that frames a bold, shimmering lick of copper.

Application was great! The consistency of The Best is Yet to Come is fluid and light with a medium viscosity and a fluent glide over the nail. There's an occasional bit of flakie jostling, but by and large they settle into place without issue. Pigmentation is very good. I was happy with two medium coats on my shorties, but longer nails or thinner coats may need three. Those flakies like to stick to the nail during cleanup, but it's pretty straightforward otherwise. The Best is Yet to Come dries naturally in good time to a slightly flat finish with a bit of mostly visual texture from surface-lying flakies. Topcoat adds a becoming gloss and accentuates the presence and effects of the components.

Photos show two coats of The Best is Yet to Come over treatment and basecoat with a topcoat of Seche Vite.

Tonic Polish The Best is Yet to Come

This is a complex, moody puzzle of a polish full of magical components that offer surprise and delight with every flex of the fingers. My favorite part is the bold copper shimmer. It's positively luminous on the nail, tying in to the flame-colored flakies and contrasting beautifully with the stormy blue ambiguity of base. Outstanding visual texture and light play!

love,
Liz

Tuesday, May 22, 2018

Chaos & Crocodiles Stealth

Stealth was released in February this year by Maryland-based indie polish maker Chaos & Crocodiles as part of an update to the Secret Agent collection, originally released in June 2014. The new installment is divided into three parts or "types": New Recruits, Double Agents and Rogue Agents. Stealth is one of the Rogue Agents and is described as a "blue-purple with teal/purple shimmer and orange-red/green flakies."

The color is a clean, bold, medium-dark to dark blue with ultramarine aspects, similar to International Klein Blue. Teal/purple color-shifting microflake shimmers have a slightly more subtle overall effect on the nail than in the bottle, reading largely as bright azure/royal blue but also giving the color a certain chameleonic quality, leaning it more toward a darker royal blue or an indigo depending on viewing circumstances. Abundant flakies, sized from tiny to small-medium, glow in shades of flame, pink and lime green as light catches them, offering a striking contrast with the deep, intense blue of the base and giving the look a fetching, mosaic-like visual texture.

Application was wonderful. The consistency of Stealth is fluid and full-bodied with a medium consistency, dense with flakies but not at all unwieldy or difficult to work with. It has a fluent, self-leveling glide over the nail that went on best for me in generous coats from a moderately-loaded brush. The flakies go on flat to the nail without stacking or stickups and only an occasional attempt to protrude over the free edge. Pigmentation is very good. Two medium coats nets completely even opacity. I did my cleanup as I went along and experienced a little bit of flakie-sticking but no pigment travel to speak of. Stealth dries naturally in very good time to a mostly smooth finish with a slightly satiny look. Topcoat adds a becoming gloss and really pops those gorgeous flakie colors.

Photos show two coats of Stealth over treatment and basecoat with a topcoat of Girly Bits Glitter Glaze,

Chaos & Crocodiles Stealth

This is a beauty, livelier and more complex than you'd guess from my pics, and so much fun on the nail! The formula is excellent for a flakie-filled polish, totally paintable and a pleasure to work with, which endeared the polish to me from the get-go. I absolutely adore the colors of the flakies and their contrast with the base -- it is just delicious and makes my eyes happy. Boatloads of light play here, and tons of visual interest that never gets old. Awesome!

love,
Liz

Sunday, May 20, 2018

A-England Puck A Fairy

Pardon my absence! Fuzzy's surgery went very well. The crippled, arthritic knee was replaced without complications and she has a good start on the road to recovery -- they had her up and walking with a walker the day after! She has a lot of pain, perhaps more than she expected, and she's a little cranky because of it but they're giving her meds to help. I'm proud of how determined she is! On Monday she'll be going to short-term rehab for two weeks.

Back to nail polish! Today I have yet another A-England from the Shakespeare's Fairies collection for you: Puck A Fairy, described by Adina as a vivid peacock blue-green with additional iridescent glimmer. The color is a strikingly bright, clean, medium-toned variation of blue-green along the lines of aqua cerulean, a little brighter/less dusky than a true cerulean with a lush, tropical vibe. It has the finely-grained visual texture common to holographic polishes, and a dimensional prismatic bloom of gold and azure with hints of indigo travels up and down the center of the nail in ambient light, shading to a deeper blue-green at the edges. In bright direct light, there's a sparkling scattered holographic display predominated by brilliant hues of azure, spring green and gold.

Application was fantastic. The consistency of Puck is fluid, light and smooth with a medium viscosity and an even, buttery, self-leveling slip over the nail, a gorgeous, eminently-paintable formula that is on par with the best from the brand. Pigmentation is very good, delivering evenly opaque coverage and full bottle color in two coats. Cleanup is surprisingly easy for this kind of color, with just a tiny bit of pigment travel but no trace staining to speak of. Puck dries naturally in very good time to a smooth, shiny finish. Topcoat seems only to enhance the holographically-generated dimensionality of the polish on the nail.

Photos show two coats of Puck A Fairy over treatment and basecoat with a topcoat of Seche Vite.

A-England Puck A Fairy

Fabulous! It's almost too intense and lush to be called a pool blue but it's definitely of that ilk, kind of like a "bionic pool blue" or a "pool blue to the nth" or something. This sort of bold, bright color is unsual to see from A-England, so all the more welcome by lovers of such shades (ahem!) when we do. Energetic and showy on the nail -- an excellent summer bright and gorgeous scattered holo as only Adina can do. Love!

xo,
Liz

Saturday, May 12, 2018

LynBDesigns Bluetiful Day

Bluetiful Day was released in August 2017 by Michigan-based indie polish maker LynBDesigns as part of the MK Ultra Holos collection. It is officially described as a cerulean holo -- "blue with the perfect hint of green to remind of the sky at dusk."

The color in bright ambient light is a creamy, medium-toned variation of azure similar to celestial blue that is ever-so-gently silvered by ultrafine holographic pigment, which reads as silvery champagne within the base and gives the color a subtle effervescence. In lower and direct light, the silvered quality goes away and the color comes together in a way that is bolder and brighter, more like a Honolulu blue. There's a vestigial linear prismatic display in the sun, with subtle arcs of bright azure and spring green edged by scattered sparks of sunset pink.

Application was a tiny bit on the tetchy side for me, but perhaps I am just not used to the formula. The consistency of Bluetiful Day is fluid and quite full-bodied with a slightly thicker viscosity than I am comfortable with typically so I added enough polish thinner to get more of a thin-to-medium viscosity. It sets up rapidly and doesn't appreciate being messed with after a certain point, so went on best for me in generous coats from a well-loaded brush using as few strokes as possible. Pigmentation is very good. Some streakiness on the first coat evens out to a nice, wearable opacity with the second. Cleanup is easy. Bluetiful Day dries naturally in good time to a smooth, shiny finish. Topcoat adds a becoming gloss and does not appear to affect the holographic properties in any way.

Photos show two coats of Bluetiful Day over treatment and basecoat with a topcoat of Seche Vite.

LynBDesigns Bluetiful Day

This is a beautiful, resonant medium blue with a summery feel to it, like the sky directly overhead on a warm, cloudless day, and I think it's bold enough to hold its own in the fall as well. I love the touch of holographic effervescence, it adds luminosity and a subtle dimensional effect to the look on the nail. Nice!

I picked up a couple of other polishes from this collection (which is chock-full of great colors btw) when I got this one, so if there's a learning curve to the application I reckon I'll have a chance to work through it as I review them. Other bloggers gave the formula top billing so it's definitely a personal issue here. If you happen to prefer a thicker-style formula, you will probably find this one most satisfactory.

love,
Liz

Saturday, April 28, 2018

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

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

Thursday, April 19, 2018

Cirque Dusky Skies

Like Taos and Palm Springs, Dusky Skies was released earlier this month by NYC-based indie polish maker Cirque Colors as part of the Desert Bloom collection. This polish shares the same vibrant pink shimmer and delicate holographic sparkle as the other two, here in what is described as a deep blue-violet base.

The color is a medium-dark to dark but vibrant modern royal blue, also known as web royal blue. It combines with the pink shimmers to produce a gorgeous, shifty blue-violet melange with aspects of ultramarine, color wheel violet, indigo, electric indigo and Munsell purple that vary in prominence and depth of hue according to viewing circumstances. Running along the axis of light is a broad, dimensional mist of visible shimmers that ranges in appearance from pink in direct light to a rich Munsell purple in low light and shade. Tiny, scattered holographic microglitters with a dainty, unobtrusive prismatic twinkle complete the look.

Application was wonderful. The consistency of Dusky Skies is fluid, light and smooth with a medium viscosity and a fluent, even, self-leveling glide over the nail. Pigmentation is very good. Some sheerness on the first coat builds quickly to a wearable opacity with the second if using medium coats. Thinner coats will require three. Cleanup is easy. Dusky Skies dries naturally in very good time to a smooth, satiny finish that wants a glossy topcoat to look its best.

Photos show three coats of Dusky Skies over treatment and basecoat with a topcoat of Seche Vite.

Cirque Dusky Skies

Beautiful! This my favorite of the three Desert Bloom polishes that I purchased.

My father is getting married on 21 April and I'll be driving up to Charlottesville, VA tomorrow to attend the wedding, staying for the weekend and into next week so I'm not sure exactly when I'll be posting again. Probably not for a week or so. Not to worry, I'll be back!

love,
Liz