Lacquer Slacker Liz

Tuesday, January 24, 2017

Different Dimension Fatigued

Like Rosette Nebula, Fatigued is another of the three January 2017 limited edition polishes created by Indiana-based indie polish maker Different Dimension for the Hella Holo Customs (HHC) Facebook group. Described as "an olive green linear holographic polish with gold flakies and gold holographic microglitters," the color here is indeed a rich, resonant medium olive. It is spangled with orange, spring green and gold sparks from the holographic microglitters and bright glints of golden-green from the flakies. Superabundant holographic pigment creates a shimmering, finely-grained visual texture and nuanced hues of asparagus, fern green and moss with hints of aqua and cerulean within the base in ambient light. In the sun, there's a brilliant linear prismatic display featuring slender arcs of azure, spring green and orange surrounding a glistening central lick of semi-metallic olive.

Application was a pleasure. The consistency of Fatigued is fluid, light and smooth with a medium viscosity and a silky, self-leveling slip over the nail -- another excellent, user-friendly formula that is easy to manipulate with DD's flattened-style brush. Pigmentation is also excellent -- it's nearly a one-coater with two coats delivering completely even opaque coverage. I had so little cleanup to do (!) that I can't really speak to how this polish cleans up, but I expect the golden flakes would be a little sticky. Fatigued dries naturally in very good time to a smooth, shiny finish. Topcoat does not affect the holographic properties in any way that I could tell.

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

Different Dimension Fatigued

Love!

xo,
Liz

Monday, January 23, 2017

Different Dimension Rosette Nebula

Rosette Nebula was released this month by Indiana-based indie polish maker Different Dimension as one of three custom, limited edition polishes for January 2017 created exclusively for members of the Hella Holo Customs (HHC) Facebook group. A light pink linear holo with sterling silver flakies and pink glass fleck shimmers, the color here is a cool, desaturated hue along the lines of pink lace, with a reflective, strong silvery aspect courtesy of superabundant silver flakies, which give it a delicate, almost icy character and gleam brightly as light travels over them. It's also powerfully holographic, displaying a pastel-hued prismatic flare even under today's overcast, rainy skies. I can only imagine the rainbows it would get up to in the sun -- I expect they would be spectacular!

Application was wonderful. The consistency of Rosette Nebula is fluid and slightly fluffy with a medium viscosity and an even, self-leveling glide over the nail, an eminently-paintable formula that goes exactly where you put it and stays there and is just generally a joy to work with. Pigmentation is very good, with evenly opaque coverage in two coats. Cleanup is a little tasky as those silver flakies LOVE to stick, but the formula is so easy to work with that a clean manicure is entirely within the realm of possibility -- even for shaky hands like mine. Rosette Nebula surface dries very quickly but remains tender underneath for a little while longer. Topcoat does not inhibit the holographic properties in any way.

Photos show two coats of Rosette Nebula over KBShimmer Love You Strong Time treatment and KBShimmer Fillin' Groovy basecoat with a topcoat of Seche Vite.

Different Dimension Rosette Nebula

I am always impressed with HHC creations, but this one really wows me! It is just so delicate and ethereal and icy, with a dynamic, dappled reflectivity, fantastic holographic effects and a fierce, gleaming presence on the nail. Artfully composed, this is no winsome, cuddly pale pink. It's a pale pink fit for a faerie queen -- a powerful, potentially dangerous faerie queen!

Rosette Nebula is available through 31 January from Different Dimension's big cartel shop, but you must be a member of HHC to purchase. Joining is easy -- just visit HHC's page on Facebook, click join and wait for approval, which is usually very quick. Even if you don't necessarily feel like participating in the group's activities, it's worth being a member simply to have unfettered access to wonderful HHC exclusives like this one.

love,
Liz

Sunday, January 22, 2017

Chaos & Crocodiles Essence of Nostalgia

Essence of Nostalgia was released in last month by Maryland-based indie polish maker Chaos & Crocodiles as part of the Snowbound collection. Creator Sarey details the components: "purple shimmer, two sizes of red/green shifting iridescent glitter, holographic microglitter, and holographic pigment in a purple base." The base color is clean and bold, a medium-dark French violet with a shimmering Munsell purple underlay and flash. It has a satiny, semi-metallic sheen on the nail, with the scattered sparkle of glitters and microglitters creating a starry twinkling effect from within while ultrafine holographic pigment particles light up in drifting prismatic clouds across the surface.

Application was fantastic. The consistency of Essence of Nostalgia is fluid, full-bodied and very smooth with a medium viscosity and a lush, buttery, self-leveling glide over the nail. Glitter components go on smoothly and randomly and lay flat without stacking, stickups or protrusions over the free edge. Pigmentation is very good to excellent, delivering evenly opaque coverage in two coats. Cleanup was remarkably easy for a darker polish with glitters in it. Other than a touch of pigment travel, I had no issues. Essence of Nostalgia dries naturally in very good time to a shiny finish with only the tiniest bit of texture from surface glitters, easily smoothed with a generous layer of topcoat.

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

Chaos & Crocodiles Essence of Nostalgia

Essence of Nostalgia is definitely a fantasy, galaxy-effect kind of polish, with those beautiful colorshifting iridescent glitters standing in for planets, the prismatic microglitters for farther stars, and the drifts of holo pigment for galaxies. I especially love the brilliant red of the colorshifting glitters (although they came out pink in the photos for some reason), so impactful against the violet and purple of the base. And no worries when it comes to removal -- despite the glitters, it's no more difficult to remove that a shimmer. Hooray!

love,
Liz