Lacquer Slacker Liz

Sunday, December 27, 2015

Great Lakes Lacquer Silence

Silence was released earlier this month by Michigan-based indie polish maker Great Lakes Lacquer as part of the Winter 2015 Doctor's Orders collection. This series of polishes was inspired by quotes from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Dr. Seuss, and each polish gets its name from a specific quote.

In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends. -- Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Silence has a dark creamy slate blue base with subtle violet overtones bearing bronze flake shimmers as well as red violet/blue color-shifting shimmers. The bronze flake shimmers are nicely complementary to the blue-grey base, and speckle the finish with tiny gleaming flakes. The color-shifting shimmers appear mostly as flashes of bright blue from within the polish, with an occasional spark of red-violet. The slatey base gives this polish a sophisticated if somewhat melancholy presence with a distinct indie flavor provided by the shimmers.

Application was a little touch and go, only because I have no thin-coat finesse, which is what this polish requires. The consistency of Silence is fluid but on the thicker side (I added some polish thinner to my bottle), smooth and creamy with a gentle glide over the nail. This polish has a creme/jelly hybrid sort of formula that sets up almost immediately upon application, so thin coats are necessary for most even coverage. Creator Mariah recommends giving it a moment between coats to prevent dragging. Pigmentation is very good, with evenly opaque coverage in two coats. Cleanup is easy and straightforward, no pigment travel to speak of and only a few sticky shimmers. Silence dries naturally in average time to a semi-matte finish. A generous topcoat will give the polish a becoming gloss.

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

Great Lakes Lacquer Silence

I'm really enjoying this handsome polish, it has a certain urbane quality that I find quite soothing and easy to wear. Of course, I'm a big fan of dark blues generally for that very reason. The creative mix of shimmers adds visual interest as well as depth and dimensionality. It's a lovely composition in a eminently wearable color. Nice!

I have a new camera! A Sony RX100 M2 -- a huge step up from my little Canon A3000 and I only vaguely know what I'm doing at the moment. Hopefully that will change rapidly -- the sooner the better, for both our sakes!

love,
Liz

Friday, December 25, 2015

Nine Zero Lacquer Santa Suit

Santa Suit was released by Michigan-based indie polish maker Nine Zero Lacquer as part of the Holiday collection in mid-November this year. It's kind of like the red fraternal twin of Cat in the Christmas Tree from the same collection, with a medium-dark cerise jelly base packed with teensy golden holographic microglitters, which warm the cerise to a stunning, high-spirited Christmas crimson. I love that creator Jess took into account the warming properties of the gold microglitters when she composed the bases for these two polishes. It's a significant detail that portends good things for this new indie brand. Back to Santa Suit, this is the best polish impersonation of Dorothy's ruby slippers I have seen yet, mainstreams included, brilliant and twinkling with a million tiny bright red sparks. The other prismatic colors are also represented, but to a lesser extent than the red.

Application was a delight. The consistency of Santa Suit is fluid, light and smooth with an easy flow over the nail and very good self-leveling properties, just a pleasure to work with. Pigmentation is very good for a jelly, with wearable opacity in two medium coats. Add a third and you'll be rewarded with a richer, warmer and more vibrant red -- take my word for this, it's worth it and hardly any trouble at all given how user-friendly the formula is. Cleanup is easy and straightforward, although the microglitters do enjoy sticking to the nail. They aren't difficult to remove from skin or cuticle, however, and I experienced very little pigment travel and no residual staining. Santa Suit dries naturally in good time to a slightly textured, matte finish that requires a glossy topcoat to look its best.

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

Nine Zero Lacquer Santa Suit

These tiny sized microglitters, I believe they are called ultra micro, create such a plush, velvety visual texture! They are much smaller, for example, than the microglitters in Nine Zero's Cranberry Sauced, and the effect is radically different even though both polishes are reds bearing holographic gold microglitters. Don't ask me to choose a favorite between them -- I love them both!

wishing you and yours a safe and joyful day,
Liz

Thursday, December 24, 2015

KBShimmer Claws and Effect

Claws and Effect was released by Indiana-based indie polish maker KBShimmer as part of the Winter 2015 collection at the beginning of November this year. Creator Christy describes it as "a dark purple-leaning navy holo polish with blue/pink shifting glass flakes." This is one of those polishes where all of the elements combine to create a unique color, in this case an utterly enchanting deep Spanish violet. The base color looks to my eye to be primarily a dark sapphire, and in sunlight I expect it would appear more blue than it does today under (once again) heavily overcast, rainy skies. The abundant blue/pink color shifting glass fleck shimmers may be subtle, but they have a significant impact on the base color with the pink aspect producing the rich violet lean and a soft pink flash in certain circumstances. The blue shift of the flecks is more readily visible as a freckling of bright blue flakes on the surface of the polish, especially at oblique angles, and gleams of bright blue from within. The holographic effects are fairly subdued in low light, but from the photos I've seen in other reviews they generate a lovely linear prismatic display in bright direct light.

Application was wonderful. The consistency of Claws and Effect is fluid and light but very creamy, with an effortless, buttery glide over the nail and outstandingly self-leveling properties, the kind of formula that elicits a swell of gratitude from a polish enthusiast's heart. Pigmentation, a little sheer after the first coat, builds quickly to opacity with the second. I actually added a third to one nail to fix a smudged free edge and liked the look of it so much that I went on to add a third coat to all my nails. It deepened the color somewhat and seemed to enhance the beautiful soft dimensionality of the polish. Cleanup is straightforward with some pigment travel and a touch of residual staining to incipient hangnails particularly, of which I always seem to have at least three at any given time. Claws and Effect dries naturally in very good time to a smooth shiny finish. Topcoat intensifies the presence and effects of the glass flecks beautifully.

Photos show three coats of Claws and Effect over treatment and basecoat with a topcoat of Seche Vite. Please pardon the pinkage.

KBShimmer Claws and Effect

This deep violet reminds me of Elizabeth Taylor's eyes. Stunning! And there's an understated dimensional aspect to its presence that gives it a plush, full-bodied quality underpinned by a certain buoyancy, like a giant stack of silk velvet or a Temperpedic mattress... or a giant stack of silk velvet ON a Temperpedic mattress. You just want to sink into it and roll around.

At least, I do.

ttyl,
Liz