Lacquer Slacker Liz: teal

Showing posts with label teal. Show all posts

Sunday, April 8, 2018

Cirque Taos

Taos was released just this week by NYC-based indie polish maker Cirque Colors as part of the Desert Bloom collection for spring 2018, a series of nine polishes inspired by the colors of the desert. Creator Annie describes this one as "a teal nail polish with vibrant pink shimmer and delicate holographic sparkle." The base color is a translucent variation of blue-green similar to verdigris, which deepens to a medium-dark dusky teal or dark cyan when layered over itself on the nail. Abundant finely-milled pink-to-gold particulate shimmers give it a luminous, dimensionalizing mist of pink or gold along the axis of light depending upon orientation, and tiny, scattered, silvery holographic glitters emit delicate, twinkling sparks in hues of blue, blue-green and spring green in ambient light.

Application was most agreeable! The consistency of Taos is fluid and smooth with a medium viscosity and a fluent, self-leveling glide over the nail that has a tiny bit of pull to it. Pigmentation is sheerish on the first coat but will build to a uniform, wearable opacity in two if you have an even hand (which I don't), with fullest representation of bottle color in three. Cleanup is easy. Taos dries naturally in very good time to a smooth, shiny finish.

Photos show three coats of Taos over KBShimmer Love You Strong Time treatment and KBShimmer Fillin' Groovy basecoat with a topcoat of Seche Vite.

Cirque Taos

The dusky, muted quality of the color gives this polish a very earthy look on the nail that's surprising for a teal and heightened by the contrasting shimmers. To me, there's a certain somber aspect to it that feels more like a fall or winter polish, a kind of stylish soulfulness that's very chic. It reminds me of prickly pear cactus skin and the oxidized paint on the '63 MG my dad used to have when we were little. I suspect it would be particularly satisfying paired with other earthy colors. Love the dewy twinkle of those holographic bits -- a lovely touch that somewhat counterbalances the moodiness of the color.

love,
Liz

Monday, March 26, 2018

The Lady Varnishes Moon Blinked

Moon Blinked was created by Kirsten of Utah-based indie polish maker The Lady Varnishes exclusively for the March 2018 "Books" edition of Polish Pickup. This polish was inspired by The Guardians of Ga-Hoole fantasy book series by Kathryn Lasky, and is described as a "deep blue-leaning teal with sterling silver coated, holographic silver and white flakes and a hint of blue and gold sparkle."

The color is a medium-dark cerulean with aspects of ming and teal blue, a rich, dense, complex shade that seems to lean more to green or to blue depending upon viewing circumstances. Layered clouds of small luminous flakes are suspended within, giving the polish a dimensional, dappled visual texture and gleaming or glowing in varying hues of blue-green and sea green as light travels over them, interspersed with occasional tiny sparks of blue, blue-green and gold. The rich color brightens a bit in the sun, and a loose net of fine prismatic sparkle joins the mix.

Application was great! The consistency of Moon Blinked is fluid and dense with a medium consistency that thickens quickly with exposure to air, and I added a bit of polish thinner a couple of times during application to maintain the consistency with which I felt most comfortable. Thinned, it had a lush, smooth, self-leveling glide over the nail. The flakes dispersed evenly and laid flat to the nail without stickups. Pigmentation is very good to excellent, delivering evenly opaque coverage and full bottle color in two coats. Cleanup is straightforward. Moon Blinked dries naturally in very good time to a silky matte finish that loves a glossy topcoat to make the most of the color and the components.

Photos show two coats of Moon Blinked over treatment and basecoat with a topcoat of Seche Vite.

The Lady Varnishes Moon Blinked

This is a beautiful, complex, evocative polish with a ton of dimensionality and character on the nail. The color is absolutely gorgeous -- deep, rich and mysterious -- and the layers of gleaming, glowing flakes within give it a watery dapple that has a certain eerie, undersea quality. It reminds me of the kelp forest scenes from the "Greens Seas" episode of Blue Planet II. It definitely has that one-of-a-kind, artisanal sensibility that makes you feel like you've discovered a treasure -- which, of course, you have!

love,
Liz

Sunday, March 4, 2018

Fair Maiden Polish Cosmic Confection

Cosmic Confection was created by Sarah and Adrienne of Fair Maiden Polish especially for the February 2018 "Sugar Rush" edition of Polish Pickup. It's officially described as a "blue with a chromatic flame shifting from dark purple to teal, finished with various sizes of scattered holo pigment."

The shifts in this polish are so dynamic that there are almost always multiple colors visible at any given time. The primary impression it gives is of a lush, medium-dark teal blue with a bold, bright Munsell blue-green highlight along the axis of light and shadowy hints of darker violet-blue at the edges of the nail. From there it works it's way through all kinds of gradations of blue-green, cerulean, Byzantine blue, indigo and violet to a striking combination of dark cyan with a luminous, shimmering highlight of grape at the far end. Tiny holographic microglitters dot the look with brilliant, starry sparkle, mostly in blues and greens with occasional prismatic additions, and there's even a vestigial holographic flare in the sun, somewhat dispersed by the microglitters but extra sparkly because of them also.

Application was excellent. The consistency of Cosmic Confection is fluid and full-bodied with a medium viscosity and a plush, self-leveling glide over the nail that went on best for me in medium coats. Pigmentation is fairly sheer, and I think the polish is at its best in three coats. I did my cleanup as I went along and had no issues. Cosmic Confection dries naturally in very good time to a surprisingly smooth and shiny finish. Very slight discernible texture from the glitters is easily smoothed by topcoat.

Photos show three coats of Cosmic Confection over treatment and basecoat with a topcoat of Seche Vite.

Fair Maiden Polish Cosmic Confection

This polish was inspired by a Midnight Galaxy Cupcake photo from the amazing chef/designer/photographer Nick Makrides of The Scran Line.

The Midnight Galaxy Cupcake, inspiration for Cosmic Confection. Photo by Nick Makrides.

Perfect!

The scope of this beautiful shifter is much more far-ranging and dynamic than you would guess from my pics. It's pretty sensational in person -- glamorous, exciting and incredibly evocative. It's like the starry alternative universe of your imagination, or coral spawning in some fantastic tropical sea, or a lush, Avatar-esque rainforest replete with tiny, twinkling, floating spores. So much WOW in this little bottle-- you can't take your eyes off it!

love,
Liz

Thursday, February 22, 2018

Great Lakes Lacquer From Darkness Comes Light

From Darkness Comes Light was released last month by Michigan-based indie polish maker Great Lakes Lacquer as one of four custom, limited edition polishes for January 2018 created exclusively for members of the Hella Holo Customs Facebook group. Creator Mariah describes it as "a green leaning teal linear holographic with gold to bronze multichrome flake and shimmer that shifts from blue to purple."

The color is a semi-translucent, medium-dark variation of blue-green that is similar to ming from the Xona.com Color List, deep and mysterious. Holographic pigment creates lush nuances of ultramarine, cerulean and misty golden olive that dimensionalize the polish on the nail, over which the blue-to-purple color-shifting microflake shimmers cast a transparent blue-violet sheen. Small multichrome flakes glow in contrasting shades of bright yellow-green and bronze within the base as light travels over them, and combine with the luminous color-shifting microflake shimmers to give the look a rich, tapestried visual texture. In the sun, there's a glorious linear prismatic display, slightly dispersed from the components but extra sparkly because of them, with flame-shaped arcs of ultramarine, azure, yellow-green and reddish-orange.

Application was awesome! The consistency of From Darkness Comes Light is fluid, light and loamy with a medium-to-slightly-thicker viscosity and a fluent, self-leveling glide over the nail. Components go on smoothly and disperse beautifully without stacking or stickups. Pigmentation is very good, delivering fully opaque coverage in two to three coats depending on how you paint. I used three, and thought that it made the most of the polish's intrinsic richness. Cleanup was surprisingly easy, even with all of the tiny flakes. From Darkness Comes Light dries naturally in very good time to a smooth, shiny finish. Topcoat accentuates the presence and effects of the components and does not interfere with the holographic properties.

Photos show three coats of From Darkness Comes Light over treatment and basecoat with a topcoat of Seche Vite.

Great Lakes Lacquer From Darkness Comes Light

There's a lot going on in this polish and it all comes together splendidly for an especially luxurious look on the nail. I love how the multichrome flakes and microflake shimmers piece together like a minute, shimmering mosaic within the base to give the polish that rich visual texture -- they glisten like tiny, embedded gems and add an extra sense of opulence to the color, which is already pretty sumptuous. A gorgeous polish with a luxe, almost regal sensibility, it reminds me of Cleopatra. I think she would approve!

love,
Liz

Monday, January 1, 2018

A-England Catherine Howard

Happy New Year! I'm back from my travels with short nails because once again I broke a nail preparing for the trip. Who breaks a nail doing laundry? I do. Despite the shorties, I'm ready to continue exploring A-England's Tudoresque collection with today's polish, Catherine Howard.

Catherine Howard (c. 1523-1542) was Queen of England from 1540-41 as Henry VIII's fifth wife. Of noble English birth and cousin to Henry's second wife Anne Boleyn, Catherine was Henry's youngest wife, only 15 or 16 when they were married following his annulment from Anne of Cleves. Catherine was stripped of her of title as queen within 16 months, in November 1541, and beheaded three months later, on the grounds of treason for committing adultery while married to Henry.

Creator Adina describes this polish as a "vivid teal scatter holo with glints of gold." The color is a vibrant, mermaidian medium blue-green that's slightly brighter and more buoyant than the teal blue depicted on Wikipedia. Abundant holographic pigment creates dimensionality and gives the finish a delicious, finely-grained visual texture that reminds me of sandwashed silk, from which copious gold microflake shimmers gleam brightly as light travels over them, a sensual, luxurious touch.

Application was fraught with tiny fibers from God knows where -- it was just one of those unfortunate, painstaking, fiber-filled application sessions where I felt like I spent at least as much time wielding tweezers as a polish wand or cleanup brush. Nevertheless, this polish has a beautiful formula, with a fluid, light and creamy consistency, a medium viscosity and a buttery, self-leveling glide over the nail. Pigmentation is very good, delivering evenly opaque coverage in two coats. Cleanup was straightforward with some diffuse pigment travel and trace staining and a bit of stickiness on the part of the microflake shimmers. Catherine Howard dries naturally in very good time to a smooth, shiny finish.

Photos show two coats of Catherine Howard over treatment and basecoat with a topcoat of Seche Vite.

A-England Catherine Howard

This bright, modern teal feels especially suited to Henry's youngest wife, who was really only a child when they married. Despite having been repeated molested by her music teacher at age 13, she was reportedly vivacious and full of fun with a joyous, carefree naivete that seems perfectly represented by the liveliness and buoyancy of the color.

I am loving Adina's use of golden microflakes in this and other Tudoresque polishes, they add an elevated sense of opulence and luxury on the nail that is really quite regal.

xo,
Liz

Sunday, December 10, 2017

ILNP Party Favor

Party Favor was just released in November this year by Nevada-based indie polish maker ILNP as part of the Holiday 2017 collection.

This is a sparkly shimmer polish with colorshifting and holographic elements in a fantastic blue tourmaline colorway, primarily a bold, vivacious, medium-dark blue-green or indicolite color that slips effortlessly through royal blue to an intense ultramarine or paraiba shade at certain angles to the light, with corner-of-your-eye hints of mallard green and purple along the way. Super showy! It has a transparent blue-green base bearing multitudinous bright metallic blue and holographic flakies, which read in variations of green, blue-green and blue depending upon viewing circumstances and give this polish an almost glittery sparkle. We're under precipitating wintry skies here again today but I expect that direct sun would add a blanket of bright prismatic sparks to the mix.

Application was a pleasure. The consistency of Party Favor is fluid, light and smooth with a medium viscosity and a fluent, self-leveling slip over the nail that was easy to manipulate with ILNP's compact, flattened-style brush. Pigmentation is sheer on the first coat but will build to a wearable opacity in two. However, I think that the addition of a third adds substantially to the depth, density and richness of the color and that's what I recommend for this polish to look its very best. Cleanup was surprisingly easy. Party Favor dries naturally in very good time to a smooth, shiny finish. Topcoat seems to accentuate the duochrome-like color shift.

Photos show three coats of Party Favor over treatment and basecoat with a topcoat of Seche Vite. Between the sparkle and the low light, it was difficult for my camera to focus and some of these are not as clear I'd like.

ILNP Party Favor

So much wow! Party Favor is an excellent name for this remarkable jewel-tone -- it has a bold, flamboyant, celebratory feel that just screams New Year's Eve to me. Represent! There's a particularly unusual range of flake size in this polish, from tiny microflake-like bits to larger, more irregular, true flakies, and their metallic nature and reflectivity add a glistening foily aspect to the look that contributes to the ornate character. Party on, Wayne!

love,
Liz