Lacquer Slacker Liz

Sunday, December 17, 2017

ILNP Downpour

Like Party Favor, Downpour was released last month by Nevada-based indie polish maker ILNP as part of the Holiday 2017 collection.

Described by creator Barbra as a "holographic nail polish with flecks of blue and purple shimmer against a backdrop of bold indigo blue," Downpour is constructed similarly to Party Favor, with a semi-transparent, jelly-like base bearing superabundant metallic microflake shimmers as well as copious holographic flakies. To my eye, the base color is a dark sapphire, which combines with the blue and purple of the shimmers to create aspects of Majorelle blue, ultramarine, amethyst and indigo. The shimmers also impart a reflective, semi-metallic quality to the finish of the polish. It's a medium to darker look overall, but intense, bold and flashy, like foil gift wrap, and the color reminds me of a stylized rendering of Elizabeth Taylor's eyes. It is densely flecked with silvery holographic flakies, which explode into a blanket of brilliant prismatic sparkle in direct light.

Application was super! The consistency of Downpour is fluid, light and smooth with a medium viscosity and a fluent, self-leveling glide over the nail. Pigmentation is sheer on the first coat but will build to a wearable opacity with the second if you paint in medium coats. However, I think that the addition of a third contributes to the density, vibrancy and energy of the look in a way that just seems to suit the nature of this polish better than two coats does. Just my take! Cleanup is straightforward. Downpour dries naturally in very good time to a smooth, shiny finish.

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

ILNP Downpour

This rich jewel-tone has just the kind of showy, extroverted sensibility on the nail to make another excellent holiday party polish! That the combination of a semi-transparent base with metallic microflake shimmers can produce such gloriously intense color -- and the ease with which the look comes together as you apply it -- is actually kind of amazing. You would never expect it from the first coat alone -- at least I didn't!

If you like your winter nail colors darker but also bright and bold, this collection definitely has some polishes with your name on them!

love,
Liz

Saturday, December 16, 2017

A-England Jane Seymour

Jane Seymour was released in November this year by British boutique polish maker A-England as part of the Tudoresque collection. Jane Seymour (c. 1508-37), as Henry VIII's third wife, was Queen of England from 1536-37. She gave birth to a son, the future King Edward VI, in October 1537 after a long and difficult labor, and died of post-natal complications twelve days later. She was the only one of Henry's wives to receive a queen's funeral, and the only consort to be buried beside him in St. George's Chapel in Windsor Castle.

Creator Adina describes this polish as a "dark olive green scatter holo revealing at times an inner vibrant green fire and subtle grey hue complemented with golden shimmer." The color is indeed a medium to darker foresty olive (which does not seem quite as dark in person as it looks in my photos) that may appear somewhat murky at first glance but the longer you study it, the richer and more dimensional it becomes. Finely-milled holographic pigment gives it a velvety, delicately-grained visual texture with a glowing "lit from within" quality, and it's filled with tiny golden microflake shimmers that read as golden olive within the base when the light hits them just right. They sparkle in the sun, where there's a gorgeous, shimmering, mobile prismatic flush that travels up and down the nail as you flex your fingers in the light.

Application was lovely. Like the other polishes that I've worked with from this collection, Jane Seymour has a superb formula, with a fluid, light, creamy consistency, a medium viscosity and a buttery, even, self-leveling slip over the nail, easily accomplished with the brand's new wide, flat, tapered brush -- which I am loving! Pigmentation is excellent and will deliver evenly opaque coverage in one coat. I added a second like I always do, but it didn't affect the look of the polish at all. Cleanup is straightforward. Jane Seymour dries naturally in very good time to a smooth, shiny finish. Topcoat does not appear to affect the holographic properties at all and accentuates the presence of the golden microflake shimmers.

Photos show two coats of Jane Seymour over treatment and basecoat with a topcoat of Seche Vite.

A-England Jane Seymour

This is a sumptuous and evocative deep yellow-green with holographically-generated hints of pale sky blue and misty laurel green that emerge and recede in ambient light, luxuriously punctuated with glimmering bits of golden olive from the microflake shimmers. The prismatic flush in direct sun is poignantly beautiful, gradated semi-transparent arcs of shimmering rainbow colors that will take your breath away. It's darker, duskier and more complex than Fotheringhay Castle -- more of a twilight olive to that polish's midday radiance -- with the hushed mystique of a dense, mossy forest and the lush visual texture of silk velvet. Stunning!

love,
Liz

Friday, December 15, 2017

Grace-full Nail Polish Santa Cutie

Like Midnight Clear, Santa Cutie was released in November this year by Australian indie polish maker Grace-full Nail Polish as part of the Vintage Christmas collection. Described as a red jelly packed with teeny super holographic gold microglitters, the base color is a soft, cool-toned medium red along the lines of amaranth with ruby aspects that is warmed by the gold holographic microglitters, adding body to the color and giving it a kind of Indian red quality. The microglitters have an dainty, twinkling prismatic sparkle in ambient light and are downright dazzling in the sun, where they blanket the polish with brilliant sparks in every color of the rainbow.

Application was a pleasure. The consistency of Santa Cutie is fluid and dense with microglitters, with a medium viscosity and a fluent, smooth, self-leveling glide over the nail, an eminently-paintable formula that is easy to manipulate with Grace-full's compact, flattened-style brush. Coverage is provided largely by the microglitters, which do a good enough job to deliver wearable opacity in one medium coat (!), although you'll want two for richest expression of color. I did my cleanup as I went along to avoid sticky microglitters and had no issues. Santa Cutie dries naturally in good time to a flat, sandy-textured finish that is mostly smoothed by a layer of glitter-smoothing or gel-effect topcoat. I added a final layer of Seche Vite for a glossy, glitter-under-glass look.

Photos show two coats of Santa Cutie over treatment and basecoat topped with a layer of Girly Bits Glitter Glaze and a layer of Seche Vite.

Grace-full Nail Polish Santa Cutie

I'm partial to microglitter bombs like this all year round but the irrepressible sparkle meshes especially joyfully with winter holiday preparations, I think. This polish, which my significant other persists in calling "Santa Cuticle," is just perfect for the season. The glitters are superfine, making for an easy application and a delicate but cheerful, mood-elevating twinkle, which I always appreciate.

xo,
Liz