The Lady Varnishes Moon Blinked

Moon Blinked was created by Kirsten of Utah-based indie polish maker The Lady Varnishes exclusively for the March 2018 "Books" edition of Polish Pickup. This polish was inspired by The Guardians of Ga-Hoole fantasy book series by Kathryn Lasky, and is described as a "deep blue-leaning teal with sterling silver coated, holographic silver and white flakes and a hint of blue and gold sparkle."

The color is a medium-dark cerulean with aspects of ming and teal blue, a rich, dense, complex shade that seems to lean more to green or to blue depending upon viewing circumstances. Layered clouds of small luminous flakes are suspended within, giving the polish a dimensional, dappled visual texture and gleaming or glowing in varying hues of blue-green and sea green as light travels over them, interspersed with occasional tiny sparks of blue, blue-green and gold. The rich color brightens a bit in the sun, and a loose net of fine prismatic sparkle joins the mix. 

Application was great! The consistency of Moon Blinked is fluid and dense with a medium consistency that thickens quickly with exposure to air, and I added a bit of polish thinner a couple of times during application to maintain the consistency with which I felt most comfortable. Thinned, it had a lush, smooth, self-leveling glide over the nail. The flakes dispersed evenly and laid flat to the nail without stickups. Pigmentation is very good to excellent, delivering evenly opaque coverage and full bottle color in two coats. Cleanup is straightforward. Moon Blinked dries naturally in very good time to a silky matte finish that loves a glossy topcoat to make the most of the color and the components.

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

The Lady Varnishes Moon Blinked

The Lady Varnishes Moon Blinked

The Lady Varnishes Moon Blinked

The Lady Varnishes Moon Blinked

The Lady Varnishes Moon Blinked

The Lady Varnishes Moon Blinked

The Lady Varnishes Moon Blinked

The Lady Varnishes Moon Blinked

The Lady Varnishes Moon Blinked

This is a beautiful, complex, evocative polish with a ton of dimensionality and character on the nail. The color is absolutely gorgeous -- deep, rich and mysterious -- and the layers of gleaming, glowing flakes within give it a watery dapple that has a certain eerie, undersea quality. It reminds me of the kelp forest scenes from the "Greens Seas" episode of Blue Planet II. It definitely has that one-of-a-kind, artisanal sensibility that makes you feel like you've discovered a treasure -- which, of course, you have!

love,
Liz

ILNP Hi-Fi

Hi-Fi was just released this month by Nevada-based indie polish maker ILNP as part of the Spring 2018 collection. This and six other colors make up the Ultra Metallic "Brights" subset of the collection, foily polishes "formulated with premium ingredients for truly superior metallic finishes and effortless removal."

Described simply as a purple, Hi-Fi is a true medium purple, a kind of amethyst-esque shade also known more officially as web medium purple. As a foil, it's composed of minute, flat, highly-reflective metallic pieces that give it a softly-reflective, finely-grained visual texture that always reminds me of tin foil that's been crumpled and smoothed out. I used to do just that obsessively with Wrigley's aluminum foil gum wrappers (which the company replaced with paper in 2010, btw, in order to make their packaging more cost effective) and a pencil during class in middle school because: a. I was bored, and b. I loved the piecey mirror of the smoothed out foil. But being obsessive about quirky stuff like this is pretty much the raison d'être of every middle school student, no? Maybe it was just me.

Anyway, the foily metallic finish of Hi-Fi is gloriously glowy and loaded with fine, scintillating sparkle, especially in the sun.

Application was quite agreeable. The consistency of Hi-Fi is fluid, light and smooth with a medium viscosity and a silky, self-leveling slip over the nail. Pigmentation is somewhat sheer, especially on the first coat. Two medium-to-thicker coats will net a wearable opacity, but I think the polish looks best in three thinner coats. Any visible brushstrokes that appear during application vanish as the polish dries. Cleanup scatters tiny purple bits far and wide. Hi-Fi dries naturally in very good time to a smooth, shiny finish.

Photos show three coats of Hi-Fi over treatment and basecoat with a topcoat of Seche Vite. Any magenta-ish spots you see are my shirt reflected in the polish.

ILNP Hi-Fi

ILNP Hi-Fi

ILNP Hi-Fi

ILNP Hi-Fi

ILNP Hi-Fi

ILNP Hi-Fi

ILNP Hi-Fi

ILNP Hi-Fi

ILNP Hi-Fi

I don't seem to gravitate as much toward foils these days as I used to, but wearing this one reminds me of how much I love that special foily radiance and sparkle, and the way the tiny metallic pieces fit together on the nail like a mini mosaic -- at least, that's how I like to think of it. It's a totally different look from the super smooth, chrome-like reflectivity of straight metallics, and foils are much more forgiving to apply and do not show nailbed imperfections like straight metallics do either. I also have Short Circuit (yellow) and Love Me Not (red) from this line to show you, and I'm thinking that I may just have to go back for Blueprint and possibly Sugar Coated (rose) as well.

What about you? Do you like to wear foils? Did you pick up any of ILNP's new Ultra Metallic "Brights"?

love,
Liz

Zoya Tawny

Tawny was released in mid-October this past fall by Zoya as part of the Party Girls collection for winter/holiday 2018. It's officially described as "a deep, coppery rose sparkling metallic," which I think is quite accurate except that I would add "shimmer" after "metallic." The base is a translucent, medium-dark, rich, rosy Indian red kind of color, a little brighter, pinker and not quite as heavy as rust although it does have a rusty aspect. Superabundant, highly-reflective metallic microflake shimmers read in shades of gold, flame and pink from within the base, giving the polish a finely-grained visual texture with a radiant semi-metallic quality that has a fine, piecey sparkle.

Application was most satisfactory once I'd clipped a few wonky bristles from my brush. The consistency of Tawny is fluid, light and smooth with a medium consistency and a plush, self-leveling glide over the nail. Pigmentation is a little sheer and streaky on the first coat but will build to wearable opacity with the second if you're using medium to thicker coats. I added a third to ensure the absence of any sheer spots in my photos, and the color seems richer and more fiery that way. Cleanup is easy. Tawny dries naturally in fairly good time to a smooth, shiny finish. 

Photos show three coats of Tawny over treatment and basecoat with a topcoat of Seche Vite. The polish is darker and more red in my pics than it appears in person.

Zoya Tawny

Zoya Tawny

Zoya Tawny

Zoya Tawny

Zoya Tawny

Zoya Tawny

Zoya Tawny

Zoya Tawny

Zoya Tawny

I think this is gorgeous! The color is uncommon, a fiery mix of red, rose, and flame with a dash of magenta for good measure. It's especially brilliant in the sun where it's alive with fine, twinkling sparkle and a bright swath of coppery pink along the axis of light.

love,
Liz