Lacquer Slacker Liz

Saturday, March 26, 2016

Great Lakes Lacquer Disappearing Daylight

Like Lavender Light, Disappearing Daylight was released by Michigan-based indie polish maker Great Lakes Lacquer as part of The Sunset Dissected collection earlier this month. Creator Mariah describes this as a "dusty periwinkle with gold and bronze shimmer," and I agree, although this color strikes me as a bit more sophisticated than a true periwinkle. It's one of those dusky blue-greys that almost looks like it has a bit of violet in it, like blue bell or a light steel blue, similar to the historically incorrect color popularly known as Williamsburg blue but without the chalky quality or hint of green, a soft but substantial medium-toned hue that is delightfully moody. Mariah has carefully loaded it with just the right ratio of variously-sized contrasting gold and bronze microflake shimmers to produce a pretty sparkle in the sun. Out of the sun, there's a delicate twinkling effect upon close inspection and the larger microflakes lend a subtle speckling to the finish of the polish, gleaming gently as light travels over them.

Application was lovely. The consistency of Disappearing Daylight is fluid, light and creamy with a medium viscosity and a velvety glide over the nail with just a bit of pull to it. It has a creme/jelly hybrid kind of formula with a bit of built-in translucence and builds to opacity over multiple coats. Two medium coats will net wearable coverage, but the most even opacity and richest color is better had with three thinner ones, which is what I used for this manicure. Cleanup is easy and straightforward, with a skosh of stickiness on the part of the bronze microflakes. Disappearing Daylight dries naturally in good time to a silky smooth, shiny finish. Topcoat enhances the presence of those delicious shimmers.

Photos show three coats of Disappearing Daylight over treatment and basecoat with a topcoat of Seche Vite.

Great Lakes Lacquer Disappearing Daylight

My camera didn't do a great job of rendering the true color of this polish -- in person, it seems a little greyer and richer than the photos show, with a drop of violet essence. More like this:

(source)

It's a lingering summer twilight kind of color, the color of the ambient light that's left on a summer evening just after the sun goes down, a gloaming in which light colors seem almost to fluoresce. The kind of light that you played kick-the-can in after dinner when you were a kid (I bet nobody plays kick-the-can these days, and that's a shame). As a tween, I used to love hanging out in someone's yard in this light, watching the fireflies, talking smack and thinking about boys. And horses. Horses and boys.

Mariah pretty much nailed the concept with this shade. As a nail color, it is elegant but not the least bit contrived -- there's a certain organic quality to the beauty of this lacquer that makes it eminently wearable.

ttfn,
Liz

Friday, March 25, 2016

Emily de Molly Modern Luster

Modern Luster was released by Australian indie polish maker Emily de Molly as a stand-alone polish in September 2015. Described as a watermelon pink jelly with copper and lime gold shimmers, the color is a bright medium-toned rosy cerise with a milky translucence reminiscent of strawberry-type hues. On me it leans very cool and pink, but I suspect that will vary the wearer's skintone as well as the circumstances in which it is viewed. The jelly formula allows plenty of light to permeate and light up the tiny shimmers, which sparkle like crazy in the sun and give the finish a trembling dewiness in low light and shade. It's a high-spirited, vivacious shade with a certain sense of fragility to it that is difficult to describe.

Application was a delight. The consistency of Modern Luster is fluid, light and creamy with a medium viscosity and a silky, self-leveling glide over the nail. This is an excellent, user-friendly formula that is easy to finesse with Emily de Molly's flattened, flexible brush, which I love. Unlike the typical relatively bushy flattened-style brushes used by many indie polish makers, this one is sleek and compact, fanning out beautifully to produce a nice clean line in close quarters, such as near the cuticle. Modern Luster has a relatively sheer, translucent formula that must be built to opacity over multiple coats. It may be possible to obtain wearable opacity in two medium to thicker coats, but three thinner ones are better for ensuring most even coverage. Cleanup is easy and straightforward with very little pigment travel and no residual staining to speak of. Modern Luster dries naturally in very good time to a smooth shiny finish. Topcoat enhances the presence of the shimmers.

Photos show three coats of Modern Luster over treatment and basecoat with a topcoat of Seche Vite.

Emily de Molly Modern Luster

Modern Luster's lovely rosy pink reminds me one of the many varieties of rose that Fuzzy has established here and there in the yard over the years. This particular rose is a newcomer of less than a year, donated unexpectedly by Fuzzy's landscaper, Jose. Its otherwise unknown provenance lead her to dub it Jose's Rose, and to her chagrin its blossoms turned out to be a bright reddish pink (Fuzzy is not keen on pink-flowering plants, or pink in general). Fuzzy's color preferences notwithstanding, it's a vigorous, healthy shrub rose with long-lasting expansive blooms. It is positioned amongst camellias and tree hydrangeas next to a brick walkway that leads to the old summer kitchen, which happens to be part of the path that Chi and I take to the pen first thing in the morning. When Jose's Rose is in bloom, it's like getting a good morning greeting from Gaea, to see it there, which is a very fine thing to start your day with.

Not unlike this polish!

love,
Liz

Thursday, March 24, 2016

Il Était Un Vernis We Want You for the NPA Army

We Want You for the NPA Army was released by France-based indie polish maker Il Était Un Vernis as part of the License to Polish collection in December 2014. This is a medium olive green holographic polish packed with golden microflake shimmers. The combination of the deep, rich olive base with the superabundant golden shimmers is stunning, a true olive that has a certain bronziness to it and a gleaming, semi-metallic finish with an opulent, shimmering visual texture. Sans shimmers, I have no doubt that this would produce a linear display in the sun. But the density of the shimmers breaks up the linear pattern into a fine mist of brilliant tiny prismatic sparks in spring colors over a bright semi-metallic spring green underlay. It's like a miniature field of flowers in bokeh on your nail!

Application was blissful. The consistency of We Want You for the NPA Army is fluid, smooth and dense with a medium viscosity and a velvety, self-leveling glide over the nail, a truly excellent formula. Pigmentation is very good and delivers completely even opaque coverage in two coats. Cleanup is easy and straightforward. We Want You for the NPA Army dries naturally in very good time to a smooth shiny finish.

Photos show two coats of We Want You for the NPA Army over Pretty Serious Rock On treatment and Pretty Serious All Your Base basecoat with a topcoat of Seche Vite.

Il Était Un Vernis We Want You for the NPA Army

Like other Il Était Un Vernis lacquers I've experienced, this is one of those polishes that bathes you with the certainty that every minute detail was approached with the utmost care. It's the profoundly satisfying feeling of meticulous quality, and it is SO GOOD! Among other things, it frees you up to absorb and enjoy the artistry of the composition and its look on the nail. And what an elegant, sophisticated, chic look it is! Olive is not traditionally a spring shade, but the gleam and sparkle of this polish give it a liveliness that feels perfectly in keeping with the bright leafy greens of spring.

Green lovers, take note!

ttyl,
Liz

ps NPA = Nail Polish Addict ;)