Lacquer Slacker Liz

Monday, October 27, 2014

Hare Polish 11th Dimension Interloper

11th Dimension Interloper was just released by indie polish maker Hare Polish as part of the Interstellar Invasion collection earlier this month. I often learn quite a bit about random stuff when I feature Nikole's polishes here, but a google of 11th dimension had me feeling the way you do when you go to take the last step down the stairs, only it isn't a step and you almost kind of fall. Superstring theory in particle physics... 11th dimension interloper, indeed! Gosh. I do love the name, though, even if I'm more of an 8th dimension, planet 10 kinda gal.

The polish itself is a classic Hare jelly glitter pastiche, with a medium very floral purple jelly base containing a kaleidoscope of glitters, shimmer flakes and microshimmer. Iridescent golden hex glitters and what I always think of as one of Nikole's signature components, beautiful iridescent blue squares share the magenta-leaning purple base with shimmering flakies in gold, blue and charcoal and tiny brilliant blue particle shimmers. The golden components read variously as pink, salmon and orange, and the iridescent electric blue squares pop from within the polish, as do the sparkling microshimmers. Charcoal flakies add a rich mottled tone and depth to the look. 11th Dimension Interloper is a feast of visual texture, with random dynamic gleams of color and sparkle that give it a fluid, organic grace.

I was expecting this polish to have a gel-like consistency but I was wrong. It's very fluid and smooth, but dense with components that like to tumble a bit as you apply and I did have a few glitter protrusions over the free edge. No stacking, though. The component payoff is excellent, with abundant glitters and flakies available in each brushful. As this is a jelly based polish, pigmentation is sheer and opacity must be built over multiple layers. I used three for this manicure and still had touches of sheerness in the coverage, especially along the free edge when backlit. But the base captures light beautifully and just glows with color when it does so, which is part of the magic of this polish. Cleanup was a breeze, even with all the potentially sticky glitters and flakes, and I actually had very little of it to do. 11th Dimension Interloper dries naturally in good time to a mostly smooth finish with slight texture from the components. I used one layer of Essie First Base followed by a topcoat of HK Girl to smooth out the surface and add gloss.

Photos show three coats of 11th Dimension Interloper over treatment and basecoat with a smoothing layer of Essie First Base and a topcoat of Glisten and Glow HK Girl.

Hare Polish 11th Dimension Interloper

I love the intricate mini-mosaic of random shapes as the glitters and flakies layer over themselves in the luminous layers of purple, giving the illusion of abutting and fitting into each other. There's so much depth here, and the brilliant color combinations have a magical pop floral zest to them. It's like a rich psychedelic primordial soup arranged in collages specially for each nail. Lord knows I'm not making any sense at all but you can see why, right?

I can't wait to explore the other polishes in this collection!

love,

Liz

Sunday, October 26, 2014

Pretty Jelly Velvet

Velvet was released last month by indie polish maker Pretty Jelly as part of the Rich Fabrics Trio, a set of lacquers inspired by luxurious and detailed fabrics. I saw all three swatched a couple of weeks ago by the incomparable Melissa of Lacquer Reverie, and, stunned by their rich, interesting colors quickly made my to Liz's etsy shop and ordered them. I thought I'd begin with Melissa's favorite of the three, Velvet. Sadly, my photos are not on par with hers (you can see her pics of this polish here), so I'll do my best to describe this beautiful creation.

Liz, the owner and creative force behind Pretty Jelly, describes Velvet as a "charcoal scattered linear holo with strong blue undertones... [and] strong copper shimmer, and copper,red, and purple sparkles," a perfect list of the components -- but this polish is more than the sum of its parts. It has a medium-dark dusty, plush charcoal base with midnight blue undertones that read variously as blue or green depending upon the type and circumstance of light. On me, these undertones had a deep sea green appearance except for around the edges of the polish, where you could see a lively shaving of midnight blue. The holographic display in this polish is also quite lively and direct sun produces a gorgeous perfectly delineated prismatic display. In indirect light, the shimmers come to the fore, especially the beautiful copper ones, which grace the polish with elegant warm flashes of coppery gold. The purple shimmers are also quite apparent, especially noticeable during application, and add a bit of light purple to the flash of copper, a combination that is rich and striking. The mix of components is beautiful with the charcoal base, giving it a sprinkling of colorful sparks in low light when they don't have the holo flair to contend with.

Application was great. The consistency of Velvet is fluid, creamy and dense with a silky, self-leveling flow over the nail. It is easy to manipulate with Pretty Jelly's flattened, flexible brush. Pigmentation is very good, with a wearable opacity achieved in two coats. I used three for the photos. Cleanup is remarkably easy for a dark polish with shimmers, practically trouble free with no sticky shimmers left on skin, cuticle or nail. Velvet dries in very good time to a silky smooth finish that loves a glossy topcoat to pop all of its components.

Photos show three coats of Velvet over Seche Rebuild treatment and Pretty Serious All Your Base basecoat with a topcoat of Seche Vite.

Pretty Jelly Velvet

Between the holo pigment and the copper, purple and red shimmers you can see a lot of color commingling going on in this chic slightly edgy lacquer. The shimmers add a touch of warmth to the base that you don't normally see in a dark grey polish, much less one with blue undertones. It's a bit of comfortable luxury that infuses the personality of Velvet with a soft, heathered vibe. All bets are off in the sun, however. The prismatic flair is superb, far better than my photos show.

This polish reminds me a little bit of Superchic Lacquer's Baker's Hunger for a Bun in the Oven in it's construction, but that polish doesn't have the drama that the deep charcoal base brings to Velvet. They share that sweet copper shimmer and it's warm glow, though. Outstanding polishes, both!

love,
Liz

Saturday, October 25, 2014

Darling Diva The Alchemist

The Alchemist was released by indie polish maker Darling Diva Polish as part of the WitchEE collection for fall 2014. It's the candy bright sister to The Arcanist from this collection, a medium-dark saturated crimson linear holographic polish with a sprinkling of tiny red microshimmers. This polish glows no matter what light its in, it's like wearing rubies on your fingertips. I'm besotted with this brilliant cherry red, it's total eye candy for me. The prismatic display is almost swallowed by the profoundly saturated color, but adds nice dimensionality to the polish and infuses the red with a beautiful violet flash in certain lights.

Application was lovely. The consistency of The Alchemist is fluid, smooth and dense, and glides over the nail like velvet. Self-leveling properties are excellent as is the pigmentation. Save for a touch of translucence on the free edge, The Alchemist is all but a one coater. I used two for completely even opaque color. Cleanup is a little tricky as it always is with a polish this pigmented. Acetone tends to draw pigment into the sidewalls and along the cuticle, so I found it easiest to wait until the polish has dried a little bit before starting in with the cleanup brush, which will draw tendrils of color onto the skin as well. I had a harder time removing the red from around the shoulders of my fingertips than anything else. The Alchemist dries naturally in good time to a smooth shiny finish. Topcoat does not diminish the holographic effects of this polish in any way.

Photos show two coats of The Alchemist over treatment and basecoat with a topcoat of Seche Vite. My apologies for the black fibers stuck in every conspicuous place on my fingers. Apparently it's still "fibers in your polish" week here....

Darling Diva The Alchemist

If you're not drawn to red polish then I'd recommend skipping this one as it is red like nobody's business! It even has a red metallic flash to it under dim incandescent lighting, where the prismatic flair shows up as a ghostly ring of scarlet sparkle around the deepening edges of the nail. My significant other declares The Alchemist "not dark enough" to be considered candy-apple. Fiddle-dee-dee, my swaggering honey-pot! It's as candy and apple as it can be!

I haven't worn a true crimson in so long it's gone right to my head. The violet bloom helps this color lean to the cooler side of the red spectrum, but doesn't interfere with it being a real red. Think cherry pops in the summer and shiny red wrapping paper!

love,
Liz