Lacquer Slacker Liz

Friday, February 24, 2017

Fair Maiden Polish Starry Night

Starry Night was released in November 2015 by Minnesota-based indie polish maker Fair Maiden Polish as part of the Winter at Dusk collection. It is a deep blue linear holo with golden microflake shimmers. The color is a dusky variation of midnight blue with a hint of grey to it, a deep smoky/denimy sort of hue that's similar to independence blue with aspects of rhythm from the Resene color list. Copious microflake shimmers read as pale gold and gleam brightly as light travels over them, giving the polish a flecked, heathery visual texture. Abundant finely-milled holographic pigment dimensionalizes the look in ambient light and displays a brilliant linear prismatic flare in direct sun.

Application was great! The consistency of Starry Night is fluid, full-bodied and a little sticky with a medium-to-thicker viscosity to which I added a bit of polish thinner at the outset. Thinned, it had a plush, self-leveling glide over the nail and went on best for me in medium coats from a well-loaded brush. Pigmentation is very good, delivering evenly opaque coverage and full bottle color in two coats. Cleanup is easy with no pigment travel or trace staining to speak of. Starry Night dries naturally in very good time to a smooth, shiny finish. Topcoat does not inhibit the holographic effects in any way.

Photos show two coats of Starry Night over treatment and basecoat with a topcoat of Seche Vite.

Fair Maiden Polish Starry Night

I am utterly smitten with this deep, tarnished blue and its scintillating metallic microflakes. The duskiness of the color really hits the sweet spot I have for unusual blues, and it has a soulful, artisanal quality that I find completely irresistible. Fantastic polish!

love,
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

Tuesday, February 21, 2017

Girly Bits On Toast!

Like Dead Man's Toe, On Toast was released in October 2016 by Canadian indie polish maker Girly Bits as part of the Hocus Pocus collection. Officially described as "a smoked out charcoal navy blue holo with violet flakes," the base color is an interesting, complex medium-dark cool grey or grey-blue with aspects of slate and shadow blue and a heathered look that reminds me of fine flannel suit cloth. Infinitesimal iridescent violet microflakes glint in shades of pink, pink-lavender and violet when the light hits them just right, and generate a subtle transparent violet sheen. Abundant finely-milled holographic pigment gives the polish a luminous, dimensional appearance on the nail in ambient light, and combines with the violet microflakes to nuance the base with shades of dusky violet-grey and silvery azure. The blue in the base becomes much more apparent in the sun, where there's a sparkling linear prismatic display, slightly dispersed by the microflakes but displaying a full contingent of rainbow colors before shading to charcoal at the sidewalls of the nail.

Application was most agreeable! The consistency of On Toast is fluid, light and creamy with a medium viscosity and a smooth, easy, self-leveling glide over the nail. Pigmentation is very good. Slight sheerness on the first coat builds easily to completely even opacity and full bottle color with the second. Cleanup is easy. On Toast dries naturally in very good time to a smooth, shiny finish. Topcoat does not interfere with the holographic properties in any way.

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

Girly Bits On Toast!

What a handsome polish! It possesses a sophisticated, tailored/haberdasher sense to it that I find immensely appealing, with the self-possessed good looks and dignity of a well-fitting charcoal grey suit and a sleek, dimensional appearance on the nail. Excellent!

love,
Liz