Lacquer Slacker Liz: yellow

Showing posts with label yellow. Show all posts

Tuesday, March 27, 2018

ILNP Short Circuit

More from ILNP! Short Circuit, also part of the Spring 2018 collection and also an Ultra Metallic "Bright," is described as a "mind-numbingly radiant" yellow with subtle green undertones. It's a blast! The color is a metallic chartreuse yellow or traditional chartreuse, a greenish yellow with lemon-lime aspects that's composed of superabundant, highly-reflective, flat metallic particles in a transparent base. Bold and beaming on the nail, this will be a crazy-good alternative to neon yellow come summertime. The metallic color is softly reflective in the way of foil polishes, with a finely-grained, piecey visual texture, loads of scintillating sparkle and a lively, gleaming flash. It absolutely glows, even in low light.

Application was great! The consistency of Short Circuit is fluid and smooth with a medium consistency and a silky, self-leveling slip over the nail that is a pleasure to manipulate with the brand's flexible, flattened-style brush. Coverage is provided by the metallic bits, which seem slightly more plentiful and dense here than they did in Hi-Fi, delivering a wearably opaque look in two medium coats. I added a third for the photos. As with Hi-Fi, cleanup looses a legion of shiny, sticky metallic bits to ensconce themselves about the nail environs, adhering to skin and nail like little limpets. I recommend going for as clean a manicure as possible from the outset and doing any necessary cleanup very carefully while the polish is still wet. Short Circuit dries naturally in very good time to a smooth, shiny finish.

Photos show three coats of Short Circuit over treatment and basecoat with a topcoat of Seche Vite.

ILNP Short Circuit

How about that?! The color can lean more to yellow or to a fresh, new-leaf green depending upon the kind of light in which it's viewed, and is brighter in person than it appears in the pics. It's definitely an in-your-face 24/7 sort of look, but I think that it's most striking in low light, where the burnished, show-stealing glow really ramps up the amperage.

love,
Liz

Wednesday, January 3, 2018

ILNP Sparks May Fly

Sparks May Fly was released in November by Nevada-based indie polish maker ILNP as part of the Holiday 2017 collection, and is described as a Dijon yellow holo with golden bronze shimmer. It's an unusual, complex dark goldenrod color, a brassy yellow-brown with aspects of curry, gingerbread, caramel and bronze, warm, rich and highly decorative. Superabundant golden microflake shimmers flood it with tons of bright yellow-gold sparkle and create a polished precious metal kind of vibe. In the sun, the gold sparkle is supplemented by a field of brilliant prismatic sparks. Dazzling!

Application was fabulous. The consistency of Sparks May Fly is fluid and full-bodied with a medium viscosity and a plush, self-leveling glide over the nail, an eminently-paintable formula that is a pleasure to manipulate with ILNP's flattened-style brush. Pigmentation is very good, delivering opaque coverage in two coats. Cleanup looses gold microflake shimmers to roam freely about the nail environs, but they aren't as sticky as some. Sparks May Fly dries naturally in very good time to a smooth, shiny finish.

Photos show two coats of Sparks May Fly over treatment and basecoat with a topcoat of Seche Vite.

ILNP Sparks May Fly

Some may be inclined to classify this as a "so ugly it's beautiful" kind of color. I beg to differ! It is unusual for nail polish, true, but so radiant, sumptuous and sparkly that it possesses an almost regal sensibility on the nail. I find it utterly stunning and profoundly glamorous, a gorgeous, unforgettable signature look! If you love chic, unusual colors, you simply must have this -- it will please you immensely!

love,
Liz

Sunday, October 8, 2017

Painted Polish Mellow Mustard

Like Moss Meditation and Mocha Mantra, Mellow Mustard was released in September this year by California-based indie polish maker Painted Polish as part of the Fall Into Zen collection. Creator Lexi describes it as "a mustard ultra holo with green and brown undertones and added silver holographic glitters." The color is a complex dark goldenrod hue with aspects of khaki, ochre and citrine and a certain liquid, translucent quality that really does remind me of honey mustard. Superabundant finely-milled holographic pigment gives it a delicate all-over sparkle and generates hues of burnt orange, antique gold and olive in ambient light, dotted with bright coordinating sparks from the holographic glitters. In the sun there's a linear prismatic display predominated by twin sparkling arcs in spring green and orange.

Application was wonderful. The consistency of Mellow Mustard is fluid, full-bodied and silky smooth with a medium viscosity and a fluent, buttery, self-leveling glide over the nail that's a pleasure to work with. Pigmentation is very good, delivering evenly opaque coverage in two coats. Cleanup is easy. Mellow Mustard dries naturally in very good time to a smooth, shiny finish. Topcoat does not in any way interfere with the polish's holographic properties.

Photos show two coats of Mellow Mustard over treatment and basecoat with a topcoat of Seche Vite.

Painted Polish Mellow Mustard

Definitely an unusual shade for nail polish and that's what makes it so chic! Part butterscotch, part fallow field, richly autumnal -- it really grows on you as you wear it. The complexity of the color, the omnipresent holographic effects and the twinkling sparkle of the holographic glitters give it an ornate, tapestried sensibility that I can't help but admire, as if it were woven with antique gold and studded with tiny citrines. A beautifully-constructed polish in what I've come to think of as Lexi's signature holographic style.

love,
Liz

Saturday, September 23, 2017

Top Shelf Lacquer Sloshed

It's another Top Shelf Lacquer Drunken Fall Creme Holo, this time in yellow. I am always fascinated by yellow polish even though my skin tone is not a complementary showcase for it. The unorthodoxy is what attracts me, I think, and I like the idea of yellow as an original, edgy, provocative color for nails -- done well it can be most impressive in that respect (Different Dimension Buttersweet Symphony anyone?).

This particular yellow from TSL is called Sloshed. Described as a mustard, on me it is more like a variation of arylide yellow, a dun-colored, earthy shade with a subtle grey-green tint along the lines of straw or flax. It reminds me of ocher and the color of the land in photos of the African savanna during dry season. Creamy and smooth, the holographic pigment is detectable as a hint of effervescence in ambient light, and direct sun engenders a field of delicate yellow sparks with a vestigial prismatic flare.

Application was excellent. Sloshed has the same fluent, buttery, insanely-paintable formula as the others in this collection, all the more outstanding considering that this is a yellow, notorious for NOT having great formulas (although the quality of indie yellows is making that less and less of a rule). Pigmentation is very good, delivering evenly opaque coverage in two coats. Cleanup is easy. Sloshed dries naturally in very good time to a smooth, shiny finish.

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

Top Shelf Lacquer Sloshed

As I suspected it might, my skin looks like death next to this quintessentially earthy shade but that doesn't stop me from admiring it. For those who wear earthy colors like this well, I think it's a goldmine. I've never been to a rocky desert or canyon country, but I imagine this would fit in perfectly with that kind of palette. It is low-key and effortlessly sophisticated on the nail, with the kind of "signature color" sensibility that I've found to be a hallmark of great yellow polishes. A superb lighter shade for autumn.

Savanna, Tarangire National Park in Tanzania, East Africa.

love,
Liz

Sunday, August 13, 2017

Girly Bits Jive Talkin'

So I thought I'd gone through all of my Girly Bits Sequins and Satin Pants polishes. Not true! I just discovered one more, a mislaid beauty hiding out on a shelf in my (very cluttered) office -- Jive Talkin'. This is, of course, named for the BeeGee's 1975 comeback hit "Jive Talkin'."

Described as a chartreuse jelly holo filled with holo microglitters, shimmers and holographic flakes, this polish happens to match the chartreuse linen pants I'm wearing. Must be fate! The color is inclined to the yellow end of chartreuse's yellow/green spectrum, a bright greenish-yellow hue with an edgy, modern vibe. Metallic shimmers read as golden green within the base, giving the polish a semi-metallic underlay irrepressibly spangled with sparks of turquoise, orange and gold from the microglitters, while abundant ultrafine holographic pigment dimensionalizes the base color with analogous hues of lemon and light olive. In the sun, it's a miniature prismatic glitterball on each nail. Perfect!

Application was fantastic. The consistency of Jive Talkin' is fluid and remarkably light and smooth for a component-laden polish, with a medium viscosity and a fluent, easy glide over the nail, a delightful formula that is super easy to control with Girly Bits' flexible flattened-style brush. Pigmentation is good. The base is sheer but the components help with the coverage. Still, I'd say three coats to be sure of most even opacity. I used two for this manicure, and there's a noticeable sheer patch on my middle finger nail. In person, it's not noticeable, but the camera picked it up clearly. Cleanup is best done as you go along, watch out for sticky glitters! Jive Talkin' dries naturally in very good time to a sandy-textured finish, reasonably smoothed by a gel-effect or dedicated glitter-smoothing topcoat.

Photos show two coats of Jive Talkin' over basecoat with a topcoat of Girly Bits Glitter Glaze.

Girly Bits Jive Talkin'

Like the other Sequins and Satin Pants polishes, Jive Talkin' is big fun and I love it. Such a wonderful, happy bunch of lacquers, mood-lifters, every one! If I didn't blog, I'd be wearing these all summer long.

love,
Liz

Saturday, July 1, 2017

Il Était Un Vernis Keep Calm & Follow the Dragon

Keep Calm & Follow the Dragon was released last month by French boutique polish maker Il Était Un Vernis as part of their latest collection, Mystical Fantasy Club. I've been itching to get this one on my nails from the minute I saw the first swatches on Vernis En Folie (Bé's blog) and De Tout Et De Rien (Stéphanie's blog)! Described as a chartreuse with a metallic heart and a velvety holographic effect, the color is indeed a consummate chartreuse yellow or traditional chartreuse, a greenish yellow that can lean more to pear or to lemon depending upon the skin tone of the wearer, viewing circumstances and the aesthetic and eye of the beholder. Superabundant moderately-sized holographic pigment particles glisten brightly within the base, giving the polish a luminous, subtly metallic shimmer. They also produce a traveling dimensional prismatic flush of orange and turquoise in ambient light that becomes more expansive and sparkly in the sun.

Application was fantastic. The consistency of Keep Calm & Follow the Dragon is fluid, light and very smooth with a medium viscosity and a silky, biddable, self-leveling slip over the nail, an eminently paintable formula that is a joy to finesse with IEUV's sleekly compact, flattened style brush. Pigmentation is very good. Slight sheerness on the first coat builds easily to wearably opaque coverage with the second. Cleanup is easy with little apparent pigment travel or trace staining. Keep Calm & Follow the Dragon dries naturally in very good time to a smooth, shiny finish. Topcoat does not affect the holographic properties in any way that I could tell.

Photos show two coats of Keep Calm & Follow the Dragon over KBShimmer Fillin' Groovy basecoat with a topcoat of Seche Vite. I am disappointed than many of these aren't as sharp as I would haved liked, because the particles that create the shimmery look of this polish are so suited to capturing in a still image. But the sky went all dark and poured rain as I went to take them so the light just wasn't the best.

Il Était Un Vernis Keep Calm & Follow the Dragon

I love this shimmery chartreuse polish! I choose to see the color more on the pear side of the green/yellow fence because it feels richer and cleaner to me that way, but it really can go either way. My pasty pinkage is not the best showcase, however. This would be just extraordinary on those with warmer, richer skin tones! It's certainly an awesome shade for summer, and I can see how it's edgy ambiguity would even lend itself to use as a striking accent color any time of the year. Excellent polish, well done!

xo,
Liz