Lacquer Slacker Liz: copper

Showing posts with label copper. Show all posts

Wednesday, October 11, 2017

ILNP Cable Car

Like Sticks and Stones, Cable Car was released last month by Nevada-based indie polish maker ILNP as part of the Fall 2017 Ultra Holos collection. The Ultra Holos are "super intense holographic nail polishes; specifically formulated for maximum, in-your-face holographic sparkle," and this one is described as a "cedar brown."

Honestly, between the all-encompassing holographic effects and the silvering characteristic of the holographic pigment itself, the true nature of the base color is not all that easy to pin down. To my eye, it's a gentle, medium-toned, taupey brown along the lines of beaver or coyote, highly silvered by holographic pigment, which also gives it a semi-metallic underlay and flash that slip back and forth between silver and copper depending upon the kind of light in which it's viewed. The holographic display is linear and ubiquitous, dressing the polish in an expansive, shimmering prismatic flush predominated by misty blue in ambient light and a brilliant, gradated flame of bright rainbow colors in the sun.

Application was fantastic. The consistency of Cable Car is fluid, creamy and dense with a medium viscosity and a smooth, even, self-leveling glide over the nail. Excellent! Pigmentation is very good -- it's practically opaque in one coat but you'll definitely want two for richest color and holographic effects. Cleanup is easy. Cable Car dries naturally in very good time to a smooth, shiny finish. Topcoat does not affect the holographic properties of the polish in any way.

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

ILNP Cable Car

Base color and holo are inextricably bound in this polish. Together they create a unique look, a subtle, silvery grey-brown shimmering with a compendium of soft, prismatically-generated hues that has a transcendent, weathered sensibility. It's the kind of color a Tolkien elf would wear. At the same time, there's the semi-metallic aspect, the gleaming underlay that seems to rise through the diffuse rainbows to add a sleek, reflective quality to the finish. It's a gorgeous complex neutral at arm's length on a cloudy day, but it's also almost immeasurably holographic and the closer you get to it the more the magic is revealed.

love,
Liz

Sunday, August 27, 2017

Native War Paints Shift Change

Shift Change was released in June this year by Michigan-based indie polish maker Native War Paints as part of the Nifty Shifty collection, a series of six multichrome polishes with various combinations of glitters and flakies.

This polish is officially described as "a red/bronze/copper with chameleon iridescent glitter and gold holographic glitter in a red base." It's like a sparkling homage to fall leaf color! The base is basically sheer with a very light red tint in which is suspended the multichrome pigment along with copious tiny iridescent and holographic glitters. The shift spectrum runs a gamut of rich golden/bronzey brown through coppery russet with vermilion and flame highlights to orangey gold to chartreuse with a whisper of electric blue at the far end, with gradations along the way that make up a full fall arborescent range of color. The color you see most is a medium mahogany or sinopia, a smoldering reddish/coppery brown with aspects of rust and flame. The semi-metallic finish is studded with glitters, which throw out sparks in a rainbow of colors, most noticeably green, orange, red and gold.

Application was quite agreeable. The consistency of Shift Change is fluid and smooth with a thicker viscosity that I added polish thinner to at the outset. Thinned to more of a medium viscosity, it had a light, fluent, self-leveling spread over the nail with a bit of glitter tumbling and occasional stacking, but even dispersal, only one minor stickup and no protrusions over the free edge. Pigmentation is sheer, building to wearably opaque coverage in three coats for me. Medium coats are the way to go with this one, as even as you can make them and tip-wrapping with each one to avoid any undue sheerness there. Cleanup is easy. The glitters stick to skin, but can be dislodged with a little extra care. Shift Change dries naturally in good time to a pebbly-textured, shiny finish, mostly smoothed by topcoat.

Photos show three coats of Shift Change over basecoat with a topcoat of Seche Vite.

Native War Paints Shift Change

Eminently autumnal, no? It is especially dramatic in direct sun, where there's a brilliant mist of crimson particles along the axis of light and the base shades to a deep coffee color at the edges of the nail.

love,
Liz

Wednesday, May 10, 2017

KBShimmer The Girl is Tiki

The Girl is Tiki was released in March this year by Indiana-based indie polish maker KBShimmer as part of the Nauti by Nature collection. I didn't order this one initially, but the unusual color occupied my thoughts to the point where I had to go back and get it. I'm so glad I did!

Officially described as "an orangy pink leaning peach" holographic, the color is a medium coppery pink with a strong dusky quality and aspects of bittersweet and tea rose, kind of like a coppery tango pink. It's a somewhat paradoxical polish -- the color itself has a low-key, almost neutral sensibility, but abundant finely-milled holographic pigment creates a brightly-gleaming, semi-metallic finish, with a sleek swath of metallic coppery pink along the axis of light surrounded by a shimmering bloom of misty violet. Beyond that, the holographic effects are powerful and ubiquitous, illuminating the polish with a noticeable linear prismatic flare in almost any light. It is, in a word, delicious.

Application was equally delicious. The consistency of The Girl is Tiki is fluid, light and very smooth with a medium viscosity and fluent, silky, self-leveling slip over the nail, a gorgeous formula (just as you'd expect from this brand) that is a joy to manipulate with their slightly bushy, flattened-style brush. Pigmentation is excellent, almost a one-coater, but you'll want two to make the most of the holographic effects. I actually used three, mostly because I simply wasn't ready to stop studying the color but also to ensure the non-appearance of the ridges on a couple of nails, which tend to display a bit of a faceted appearance with semi-metallic finishes. Cleanup is easy. The Girl is Tiki dries naturally in very good time to a smooth, shiny finish. Topcoat does not affect the holographic properties of the polish in any way.

Photos show three coats of The Girl is Tiki over treatment and basecoat with a topcoat of Seche Vite. The holographic effects kind of hijacked the camera here. The look is more integrated in person.

KBShimmer The Girl is Tiki

I absolutely adore this! Something about the tension between the dusky, softened qualities of the unusual color and the brilliance of the holographic effects makes every tiny detail of the look stand out -- the sleek gleam of copper that graces the finish, the shimmering beauty of the rainbow colors in the flare, the exquisite contrast of the holographically-generated bloom of violet with the rusty/rosy/coppery base. It is super flattering on the nail, too, much more so than you would think from looking at it in the bottle or even swatching it on a palette. Just a gorgeous, graceful holographic creation!

Must have, people! If you love copper for your nails, you will love this polish. If you love linear holos, you will love this polish. If you love ambiguous, unusual colors, you will love this polish. It's like a little bottle of pure nail polish heaven!

xo,
Liz

Thursday, February 23, 2017

Grace-full Nail Polish 4am Latte

4am Latte was released towards the end of last month by Australian indie polish maker Grace-full Nail Polish as part of the Neutral Beauty collection. It is officially described as "a soft bone linear holo that glows," which I respectfully submit does not do this beauty proper justice. The base color is difficult to determine exactly due to the extensive holographic properties but I'd guess it to be a pale beige nude. It is packed with ultrafine coppery pink metallic shimmers that combine with the base to create a gentle, nacreous pale fawn shade with aspects of peach, pink and copper that is similar to unbleached silk. Powerful holographic effects nuance the base with exquisite hues of blush, lavender, gold and palest misty azure in ambient light and generate a bright linear prismatic flare in the sun. There's a prominent gleaming coppery pink underlay and flash, and the finish has a sleek, iridescent, semi-metallic quality.

Application was a delight. The consistency of 4am Latte is fluid, light and very smooth with a medium viscosity and an even, silky, self-leveling slip over the nail that is honestly as perfect as any formula I've ever experienced. It likes to go on in thin coats and is a joy to manipulate with Grace-full's compact, flattened-style brush. Pigmentation is very good, delivering evenly opaque coverage in two coats. I added a third to see whether it would make a difference but it really didn't. Cleanup is easy. 4am Latte dries naturally in very good time to a smooth, shiny finish. Topcoat does not interfere with the holographic effects in any way.

Photos show three coats of 4am Latte over treatment and basecoat with a topcoat of Seche Vite.

Grace-full Nail Polish 4am Latte

This is a delicate but breathtakingly lovely holo. The pale neutral base, embellished with prismatic and coppery effects, is eminently wearable. Seems like its prominent coppery-pink aspect will especially appeal to those with a predilection for rose-gold polishes -- it's like rose-gold's baby sister. So pretty!

love,
Liz

Sunday, October 23, 2016

Superchic Lacquer Rum-Billie

Rum-Billie was released for pre-order towards the end of September by California-based indie polish maker Superchic Lacquer as part of the Urban Dictionary collection, a series of eight superholo polishes specially formulated for fierce color depth with intense linear holographic effects and one-coat coverage. Names for these superholos come from that fabulous pop culture lexicon known as the Urban Dictionary, which defines Rum-Billie as "a Mr. Hyde like creature that comes out to play after the excessive consumption of rum." Sounds like my ex-husband. Just kidding, Al!

Creator Jennifer describes Rum-Billie as a "spiced rum." The color is an intense tawny shade, a rich melange of ochre, burnt orange, copper and caramel that strikes me as the epitome of autumnal chic. Powerful holographic effects give it a shimmering luminosity on the nail, with an analogously-hued flare of copper, misty bronze and russet in ambient light. In the sun, there's a brilliant, fully-linear prismatic display predominated by bright, sparkling arcs of spring green and orange that frame a glistening, semi-metallic burnt orange underlay and shade to deep chestnut at the edges of the nail.

Application was marvelous. The consistency of Rum-Billie is fluid, creamy and dense with a medium viscosity and a lush, buttery, self-leveling glide over the nail. Nice! Pigmentation is excellent. This is a true one-coat holo. I used two in an attempt to finesse some lines, but it's actually unnecessary in terms of color depth and holographic effects. Cleanup is straightforward with a skosh of pigment travel and trace staining as you might expect from a polish as profoundly pigmented as this. Rum-Billie dries naturally in very good time to a smooth, slightly flat finish. As with holos from Superchic's Dreamology collection of last fall, topcoat does alter the appearance of the holographic effects of this polish, giving them a smoother, more liquid and more cohesively luminous look.

Photos show two coats of Rum-Billie over treatment and basecoat with a topcoat of Seche Vite.

Superchic Lacquer Rum-Billie

This is a beautiful auburn polish, full of holographic goodness. It's a great after dark lacquer as well, with a brilliant coppery flash under incandescent light. So perfect for the season. If you love copper, you must have this one, no doubt about it. It will make you very happy!

love,
Liz