Lacquer Slacker Liz

Sunday, January 10, 2016

Octopus Party Nail Lacquer Crown of Queen Elizabeth

This lacquer has driven me to excessive wordiness. Feel free to scroll on down for the photos.

Crown of Queen Elizabeth was released by Connecticut-based indie polish maker Octopus Party Nail Lacquer (OPNL) twice in recent months. First as a limited edition for Black Friday in November, and then later for the Winter 2015 collection pre-order in December. Dave, owner and creative force behind OPNL, tells us this about Crown of Queen Elizabeth:

Crown of Queen Elizabeth is a pure silver holographic lacquer. A royal treat for your nails, this color exudes the timeless charm of platinum.

What I think is that Dave is into matter transportation and has a cool set of telepods a la the 1986 scifi horror film The Fly. He puts a bottle of clear polish base, a little pile of Spectraflair, a scrap of platinum and some fine white freshwater pearls into the sending pod and instantaneously transports them to the receiving pod, ZAP! Out comes a bottle of Crown of Queen Elizabeth.

This polish may well be a pure silver holo. I am not a silver holo connoisseur -- and believe me, there are folks out there rocking a silver holo aesthetic as finely tuned as Yo-Yo Ma's cello, you know who you are! -- but I think many polish enthusiasts would agree that there's something about this particular lacquer that makes it special in comparison with other silver holos, a certain pearly radiance that transcends the self-assertive high reflectivity of silver.

In shade, Crown of Queen Elizabeth reads as a luminous, semi-metallic tint of grey-ish white, a platinum. Give it the slightest bit of ambient light and it displays holographic effects that are just as athletic and responsive and linear as you would expect, but with the gently muted prismatic palette common to light-colored holos. Central to the prismatic display is a stunning blaze of dazzling pearly white, looking for all the world like the luster on a fine white pearl. That nacreous quality imparts a particularly delicate, ethereal aspect to the beauty of this polish, a pristine grace and regal glamour that is nearly bridal in its sensibilities.

Application was dreamy. Crown of Queen Elizabeth has a fluid, buttery smooth consistency that is a joy to work with, gliding almost effortlessly over the nail and self-leveling like nobody's business. The formula is easy to work with, with a preference for thin coats and no patchiness or streaks whatsoever. Pigmentation is evenly sheer and buildable. Today's is actually my third manicure using Crown of Queen Elizabeth. For the two prior, fearful that my nail ridges would show through the polish, I used a double layer of ridge-filling basecoat topped with three coats of polish for an opacity that I was happy with. This last time, well-acquainted by now with the polish's own excellent self-leveling properties, I used only one layer of basecoat, but hints of sheerness to the look of the polish at three coats prompted me to add a fourth. This is no hardship with a lacquer this user-friendly and fast-drying, and the fact that it goes on so thinly circumvents any pretension to bulkiness.

But my nails are significantly polish-stained and I believe that three coats would probably suffice for nails of more natural coloring -- maybe even two for shorties. The holographic effects have a camouflaging impact in most circumstances that counteracts the sheerness. You could actually wear this lacquer quite naturally as a dedicated sheer in one or two coats if you wanted, and from what I understand it will function as a topper also. Cleanup is easy and straightforward. Crown of Queen Elizabeth dries naturally in very good time to a smooth, shiny, glowing finish. Topcoat alters neither the holographic properties nor indeed the overall appearance of the polish at all.

Photos show four coats of Crown of Queen Elizabeth over treatment and basecoat with a topcoat of Seche Vite.

OPNL Crown of Queen Elizabeth

Ok, so maybe Dave mixed up this shimmering prismatic beauty the old fashioned way. Maybe it's a trick of my overstimulated visual cortex that sees it as platinum and not silver. And maybe all silver holos possess the lustrous mother-of-pearl demeanor that this polish displays so gracefully. After all, I haven't even seen it in direct sun -- it's been overcast each time I've worn it. What's really important is that it is exceptionally glamorous and beautiful, a prima ballerina of ~~platinum~~ silver holos.

But just so you know, the actual current Imperial State Crown of the United Kingdom, Crown Jewel and symbol of the sovereignty of the monarch, was crafted for Elizabeth Angela Marguerite Bowes-Lyon, aka wife of King George IV, aka The Queen Mother, in 1937 out of platinum.

hasta,
Liz

ps If you'd like to see a whole bunch of other silver holos on swatch sticks so you can judge for yourself how special Crown of Queen Elizabeth is, take a look at one of the silver holo comparison posts on More Nail Polish. Now there's a connoisseur!

Friday, January 8, 2016

Great Lakes Lacquer The Soul Sister

The Soul Sister was released by Michigan-based indie polish maker Great Lakes Lacquer as part of the brand's debut Friends Collection Part 1 during the second week of July 2015. Described by creator Mariah as a "pinkish red with a vibrant violet sheen and a bit of holographic goodness," this is a fabulous medium-dark rosy cerise shade bearing micronised particulate shimmers in violet as well as a judicious measure of finely-milled of holographic pigment. The shimmers produce a transparent violet glow that appears to float over the saturated pinkish-red base, imparting a wonderful depth to the look of the polish as well as a radiant fuchsia-toned bloom. The subtle holographic effects work to further chromatically dimensionalize the color and give it an exquisite twinkling aspect in direct light.

Application was great! The consistency of Soul Sister is on the thicker side, intensely creamy and dense, and I added a bit of polish thinner to my bottle at the outset for a fluidity more accommodating to my application skills. The creaminess of the formula is immediately apparent, with a plush, velvety glide over the nail. This polish is quick to set up and surface dry, so thin to medium coats applied as evenly and deftly as possible will make for the best application experience. I also periodically closed the bottle and gave it a quick shake to refresh the brush and circumvent any polish build up. Pigmentation is outstanding, with completely opaque coverage in one coat, although I used two to even up some edges and make the most of the holographic effects. Soul Sister dries naturally in good time to a smooth, slightly flat finish. Topcoat adds a becoming gloss that amplifies the effect of the shimmers.

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

Great Lakes Lacquer The Soul Sister

The Soul Sister was one of several consistent favorites from this collection in the reviews I've read of it. You can see why! The rich, flattering, supremely feminine color with that dimensionalizing glow is almost too intensely gorgeous for words. It's like looking at love. I've had a Sam Cooke/Art Garfunkel earworm ever since I began working with it, you know the song. This will make a fantastic Valentine's Day polish, as a contributory element in nail art or just as it is.

All of the polishes in Mariah's Friends Collection Part 1 and the following Part 2 were inspired by real life friendships. What a profound tribute to those women, can you imagine? Kind of makes me a little verklempt just to think about it! All but two polishes from Part 2 are part of the brand's core line and as such are available now and for the foreseeable future in the Great Lakes Lacquer etsy shop. Get thee hence and check it out!

ttyl,
Liz

Thursday, January 7, 2016

Colors by Llarowe 'Shroom with a View

'Shroom with a View was released by Colorado-based indie polish maker Colors by Llarowe (CbL) as part of the Winter 2015 collection in November 2015. This is a true taupe creme holographic polish. The word taupe derives from the French noun "taupe," meaning mole (the critter). Originally referring to the average color of a French mole, taupe is now a somewhat vague term used to designate colors that reside in the spectrum between brown and grey, usually a brownish grey or a greyish brown.

'Shroom with a View is definitely more of a greyish brown, with cool umber tones that are warmed by the particles of holographic pigment, which in low light read as a glowing gold within the base. The polish has that delicious Pointillist-like speckled appearance common to scattered holos, and in direct sun generates an exquisite prismatic flare that's something of a scattered/linear hybrid. There's an immediate explosion of pinpoint sparks in all of the rainbow colors mixed together, with an underlying linear display that you can see as you tilt your nail, shifting the orientation of the surface to the light source. In bright indirect light, the holographic effects give this sleek dark neutral a wonderfully dimensional glow of silvered greyish brown, a pale taupe if you will, accompanied by delicate shifting clouds of sparkle in in light blue, plum, red and gold, a bit of drama that only serves to enhance the beauty and native elegance of this polish.

Application was most agreeable. The consistency of 'Shroom with a View is on the thinner side (but not overly so... for my taste, it was perfect), light and smooth with a silky, self-leveling glide over the nail. It's quite user-friendly and easy to manipulate with CbL's flattened flexible brush without running or pooling. Pigmentation is very good, with even opaque coverage in two coats. An unfortunate incident required an extra coat for me, but I didn't notice that it deepened the color or otherwise altered the appearance. Cleanup is easy and straightforward with almost no pigment travel and no residual staining (despite what you may notice in the photos). 'Shroom with a View dries naturally in very good time to a smooth shiny finish. Topcoat does not appear to inhibit the holographic effects in any way.

Photos show three coats of 'Shroom with a View over treatment and basecoat with a topcoat of Seche Vite.

Colors by Llarowe 'Shroom with a View

This is a perfect umber-based taupe and the holographic properties light it up so beautifully, softening the edgy quality of the color and creating that plush, velvety dimensionality that I love in a creme holo. Those tiny speckles of color just send me! The sun was out earlier today but a bank of clouds rolled in before I was able to take advantage of it. So I wasn't able to capture the fullest prismatic display, but the pyrotechnic multi-colored sparkle that shows up in direct sun is awesome.

To me, the interaction between color and holo pigments that you get with a creme base produce the most interesting and beautiful of all holographic effects. I never tire of seeing them!

Although this is the only polish from CbL's Winter 2015 collection that I've purchased so far, I have a feeling that it isn't the last. CbL spree? Why, yes. Don't mind if I do.

ttyl,
Liz