Lacquer Slacker Liz

Saturday, April 14, 2018

Cirque Palm Springs

Like Taos, Palm Springs was released earlier this month by NYC-based indie polish maker Cirque Colors as part of the Desert Bloom collection. Officially described as "a cyan blue nail polish with vibrant pink shimmer and delicate holographic sparkle," the color is a soft, medium-toned cyanic shade along the lines of French sky blue that can appear duskier or brighter depending upon viewing circumstances. Abundant finely-milled pink-to-gold particulate shimmers create a luminous pink mist along the axis of light, and scattered, minute holographic glitters emit twinkling sparks from within the base. The whole look brightens considerably in the sun -- the pink shimmers become quite vibrant and the blue brightens to more of a deep sky blue.

Application was great! The consistency of Palm Springs is fluid and smooth with a medium viscosity and a light, silky, self-leveling slip over the nail. Pigmentation is very good, delivering evenly opaque coverage in two coats, although I used three to ensure the non-appearance of my nail ridges. Cleanup is easy. Palm Springs dries naturally in very good time to a smooth, satiny finish.

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

Cirque Palm Springs

This beautiful blue is soft and somewhat demure in low light and shade but really comes out of its shell in the sun, taking on a much more vivid, almost pool blue sensibility. With the pretty pink shimmers and delicate twinkling sparkle, I couldn't help but think how sweet this polish would be as a "something blue" bridal nail color. Sleek and glossy on the nail.

love,
Liz

Friday, April 13, 2018

Picture Polish Cactus

Cactus was released last month by Australian boutique polish maker Picture Polish as part of the Spring Autumn 2018 collection, a series of five new polishes and one re-release. Cactus is a new Collaboration shade. It was designed by Ziata of the Russian blog de briz. You can see Ziata's post about her polish here.

Officially described as a "khaki green" jelly with holographic flakes, the color is a mellow, creamy, medium-toned variation of yellow-green with a kiss of grey to it, like something along the lines of turtle green. It reminds me very much of French green clay. It's filled with Picture Polish's signature holographic flakes, which give it a finely flecked visual texture and read in shades of gold and silver within the base with a subtle golden prismatic bloom in ambient light. Bright direct light elicits a luminous flush of gold, orange and aquamarine sparks.

Application was fantastic. The consistency of Cactus is fluid, light and silky with a thin-to-medium consistency and a fluent, smooth, self-leveling slip over the nail, a gorgeous formula that is a pleasure to manipulate with PP's flexible, flattened-style brush. Pigmentation is very good, delivering evenly opaque coverage and full bottle color in two medium coats. Cleanup is easy. Cactus dries naturally in very good time to a smooth, shiny finish.

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

Picture Polish Cactus

I love this creamy, cosmopolitan yellow-green! There's just enough oomph to it to echo the green mist of young spring leaves that you see in the landscape about now here in the temperate zones of the Northern Hemisphere, but the earthy quality of the color makes it excellent for fall as well. It has a clean, glossy, chic sophistication on the nail that's like a well-tailored jacket -- it has that special "signature" kind of sensibility.

love,
Liz

Tuesday, April 10, 2018

Glisten & Glow Kiss My Tulips

Kiss My Tulips was created by Jill of Connecticut-based indie polish maker Glisten & Glow for the April 2018 "Tulips" edition of The Holo Hookup. Described as "an eggplant linear holo with pink shimmers," the base color is a rich, medium-dark, slightly grape-leaning variation of purple along the lines of LSU purple. Abundant metallic pink microflake shimmers brighten and warm the look to more of an eminence purple appearance on the nail and give it a dimensionalizing pink glow along the axis of light with a prominent semi-metallic pink flash. Hints of a linear holographic display can be seen in ambient light, with a full prismatic linear flare in the sun.

Application was a messy affair through no fault of the polish (it was just one of those days), which has a fluid, full-bodied consistency with a medium viscosity and a smooth, even, self-leveling glide over the nail. Pigmentation is very good, delivering evenly opaque coverage and full bottle color in two medium coats. Luckily for me, clean up is relatively easy with a tiny bit of sticking on the part of the shimmers. Kiss My Tulips dries naturally in very good time to a smooth, shiny finish. Topcoat enhances the glowy effect of the shimmers.

Photos show two coats of Kiss My Tulips over treatment and basecoat with a topcoat of Seche Vite.

Glisten & Glow Kiss My Tulips

This is quite vibrant for a darker shade, and very clean. Sleek and flashy on the nail. Nice!

love,
Liz