Lacquer Slacker Liz

Saturday, July 4, 2015

Hare Polish I'm Your National Anthem

I'm Your National Anthem was released by indie polish maker Hare Polish as part of the limited edition Lana Del Rey duo at the end of May this year. For those (like me) who aren't familiar with her, Lana Del Rey (b. 1985) is an American singer-songwriter. Her music has been primarily linked to various forms of rock, indie and baroque pop as well as hip hop and trip hop, and is noted for its cinematic sound and references to pop culture. This polish is named for a line from the song National Anthem (official video) off of her 2012 Born to Die cd.

Wasn't the Cult Nails' collection A Day at the Races also inspired by Lana Del Rey? Maybe I'm making that up.

Creator Nikole describes I'm Your National Anthem as a "retro cherry red jelly with blue/purple ultrachrome flakies, gold flakies and holographic shimmer." This is a medium-dark brilliant translucent crimson jelly with a deliciously squishy look bearing ultrachrome flakies that read mostly as bright blue, golden flake shimmers that read as gold and tones of bright red depending on their depth and the unusual addition (for Hare) of a minimal dusting of holographic particle shimmers. The effect of the holo is quite subtle and mostly visible at close scrutiny and in the sun, where the particles send out tiny sparks in rainbow colors. The flake shimmers are bright and shiny and gleam from within the polish in blue, gold and tones of red as the light hits them. It's a gorgeous dimensional effect. For me, the star of this show is the divine base color. So spirited and exuberantly rich, I defy you to find a juicier, more passionate red!

Because it's also fairly translucent, I applied two coats of Deborah Lippmann All About That Base Correct and Conceal basecoat over my usual nail treatment to prevent my polish stained nails and their himalayan ridges from interfering with the tone and evenness of the color. With the basecoat taken care of, application of I'm Your National Anthem was a blast. The color is just so bright and fabulous, it made my eyes happy to work with it. The consistency of the polish is quite fluid but not runny, and light and smooth with a silky slip over the nail and excellent self-leveling properties. There is absolutely none of the stickiness that often accompanies jelly polishes -- this is an eminently paintable jelly. Pigmentation is buildable. You're never going to reach bottle color with this polish, but I found three coats to provide even coverage of bright, rich color. You'll see in the photos that there's a corona of pinkish red around the cuticle edges of the polish where I didn't align my coats precisely, but this is not noticeable in person. Cleanup took some care. This polish is quite pigmented despite the translucence and I experienced some pigment travel and a tiny bit of residual staining to skin, mostly in the sidewall areas. I'm Your National Anthem dries naturally in good time to a shade that is much lighter than bottle color and a glossy finish with a skosh of visual texture where flakies touch the surface, fairly well smoothed by a generous layer of topcoat. Topcoat also enhances the colors of the flakies.

Photos show three coats of I'm Your National Anthem over two coats of Deborah Lippmann All About That Base Correct and Conceal basecoat over Pretty Serious Rock On treatment, with a topcoat of Seche Vite.

Hare Polish I'm Your National Anthem

This is such an awesome polish! Nikole has a way of connecting her polish with music that is uncanny. Red strikes me as the perfect color for the song National Anthem, which deals (in part) with the discomforting ambiguities of devotion. Red is the color of sexual passion and is associated with our most physical needs and will to survive. It's also associated with power, danger, war and destruction. I'm Your National Anthem is a particularly dynamic crimson shade, mirroring both the ambition/strength of will and the accompanying disillusionment/loss of self that are touched on (among many other things) in the song.

Up at the gym today. I'm Your National Anthem was absolutely stunning under those lights. The ultrachrome flakies were gleaming in the brightest blue through that cherry red base, and the golden flakes lit up like embers in the fire do when you blow on them. The air conditioning was still out and it was thick as all get out in there but this polish looked like dynamite! My trainer said it reminded her of Rosie the Riveter. I can definitely see that!

Anyway, awesome polish and a true Hare, full of unexpected twists and wonderful surprises. Nikole, I salute you! Happy Independence day to Americans at home and abroad, and the happiest of bright red polish vibes to all!

love,
Liz

Friday, July 3, 2015

Ever After Polish Rhinestone Cowboy

Like Policeman's Helmet and Tarzan's Vine, Rhinestone Cowboy was released by indie polish maker Ever After Polish as part of the I've Got the Music in Me collection last month. This is a medium bruised fuchsia linear holographic polish, sort of an antique fuchsia or plummy pink color, that also features an abundance of bright blue and pink flake shimmers. It's a tricky shade to categorize, looking more purple in some circumstances and more pink in others. In any case, it's got a gorgeous finely speckled visual texture from the flake shimmers, just the sort of complexity a holo needs to stand out in the crowd. Under low and incandescent light it displays some subtle scintillating golden sparkle and a pinkish golden sheen, so it may be that there are golden particulate shimmers in there as well. Direct sun produces a nicely-delineated prismatic display, but I was unable to capture it as the sun had already gone down by the time I was able to photograph Rhinestone Cowboy. On the plus side, the low light made for some great shots of the shimmers and silvery holo pigment in this polish.

Application was great! The consistency of Rhinestone Cowboy is fluid, creamy and dense, with a silky self-leveling flow over the nail. The copious flake shimmers go on as smooth as you please and lay flat to the nail. Pigmentation is very good. I achieved even, opaque coverage after two coats, including complete camouflage of my nail ridges, hurray! Cleanup is mostly a matter of chasing down rogue flakes, which like to stick but dislodge after a few targeted strokes of the cleanup brush. Rhinestone Cowboy dries naturally in very good time to a smooth, slightly flat finish. Topcoat adds shine and enhances the presence and effect of the flake shimmers.

Photos show two coats of Rhinestone Cowboy over treatment and basecoat with a somewhat bubbly topcoat of Seche Vite. As I mentioned, these were taken after sundown with the last remaining light in the sky, so there are beaucoup reflections. My apologies!

Ever After Polish Rhinestone Cowboy

Such a beautiful pink-leaning rendition of radiant orchid, Pantone's color of the year for 2014. You can really see those blue and pink flakes combining forces to create a unique shade. I love it when that happens! If you want to see what kind of holographic jinx Rhinestone Cowboy gets up to in direct light, check out Kirby's photos in the Mercurial Magpie review of this collection, here.

xo,
Liz

Wednesday, July 1, 2015

Ever After Polish Tarzan's Vine

Like Policeman's Helmet, Tarzan's Vine was released by indie polish maker Ever After Polish as part of the I've Got the Magic in Me collection last month. This is a light-medium lush viridian green linear holo swimming with golden flake shimmers. Such an interesting green, it has a smoky quality with creeping turquoise overtones and a silky semi-metallic olivine glow from the shimmers that shades to deeper viridian along the edges of the nail. In indirect light and shade, the tiny flake shimmers are clearly visible, giving the polish a grainy, tarnished visual texture with holo-effect nuancing to the base color in soft dusky hues of pine, teal and turquoise. The flakes make for an especially sparkly presentation in the sun, where the beautifully delineated prismatic flare frames a gleaming central golden-green flash. There's a certain serpentine quality to this shade that reminds me of dragons and other magical reptilian creatures of myth and legend like the Gorgons and Medusa.

Application was lovely. The consistency of Tarzan's Vine is fluid, creamy and dense, with a velvety glide over the nail. Pigmentation is very good with wearable opacity in two coats, although I needed an additional coat to completely eliminate faceting from my nail ridges. Cleanup was fairly straightforward. The golden flake shimmers do tend to disperse a bit around the nail environs at the touch of acetone. Tarzan's Vine dries naturally in very good time to a silky smooth finish. Topcoat seems to enhance the presence and effects of the flake shimmers.

Photos show three coats of Tarzan's Vine over treatment and basecoat with a topcoat of Glisten and Glow HK Girl.

Ever After Polish Tarzan's Vine

So photogenic, I don't think this polish knows how to take a bad picture! And it's every bit as gorgeous on the nail. I love the way the holographic effects create rich shadings of aqua and turquoise amidst the green. This sort of nuancing to the base color is my favorite characteristic of holographic polishes, I love it even more than the sparkling prismatic display that occurs in direct sun, and I dearly love a prism. Any other holo lovers have crystals hanging in windows all over the house?

xo,
Liz