Disclosure: The polishes in the following post were provided to me for review.
One of my buddies from NB asked me if I would swatch her new frankens which were created using those awesome colour-shifting pigments. Her line is called Lilacquer and this debut collection is called "Shapeshifter". If you're interested in any of these polishes, check out her
Etsy shop and grab them while you can! They are available in full size or mini-bottles.
My overall thoughts:
- Great smooth formulas, easy to work with and layer over other polishes. It doesn't dry weird like some topcoats, where you can see a "ridge" at the sides of the nails (KWIM?)
- The brushes are good (not crappy like some mini bottle brushes can be!)
- Suuuuper dense with those pricey colour-shifting pigments! Just 1 coat of each over the base colours (except Tengu, which is 3 coats on its own)
- I love how they are all named after "shifting" animals in various folklore! So cute! The descriptions are from Wikipedia.
- Since I find it pretty difficult to photograph these types of polishes, I tried to insert an additional picture using my desk lamp and no flash from my camera. Those pics look a bit yellower and less of the nails are in focus, but hopefully it gives you a better idea of the colour shift.
- Some of these have just 1 type of pigment, others have more than 1. Check out the descriptions, since it's hard to tell from pictures.
Enough talk, let's get on with the pics!
The lineup: Lycanthrope, Kitsune, Selkie, Tengu, Bakeneko, Puca, Leshy, Encantado
Close up bottle shots: Lycanthrope, Kitsune, Selkie
Close up bottle shots: Tengu, Bakeneko
Close up bottle shots: Puca, Leshy, Encantado
Encantado (over OPI Planks a Lot) - "Soft lilac base with delicate blue to green shimmers." This is my favourite of the bunch. This pigment is my favourite of the three colour shifting pigments available, and I love the light base. This combo reminds me a bit of that SH XW in Mystic Lilac (is that the right name?)
"Encantado is the Portugese words for "enchanted one", The Brazilian term is used for creatures who come from a paradisiac underwater realm called the Encante, and most often designates dolphins with the ability to turn into humans, and who are characterized by their superior musical ability, their seductiveness, and their attraction to parties. Despite the fact that Encante is supposed to be a utopia full of wealth and without pain or death, the encantados crave the pleasures and hardships of the human world."
Tengu (3 coats on its own) - "Rich red shimmery base with gold to green shimmers." I like how this one is opaque on its own. There are little green specks that you can see in low light, but were totally obliterated by my camera flash. Aghh!
"Tengu, meaning "heavenly dogs" are a class of supernatural creatures found in Japanese folklore, art, theater, and literature. Although they take their name from a dog-like Chinese demon (Tiangou), the tengu were originally thought to take the forms of birds of prey, and they are traditionally depicted with both human and avian characteristics."
Bakeneko (over Zoya Pinta) - "Deep purple base with heavy red undertones and copper to green shimmers with lots of gold flash." - It's GOOOOD.
"Bakeneko, meaning "monster cat" in Japanese folklore, refers to cat yokai (spiritual beings) with supernatural abilities akin to those of the kitsune or tanuki. They may use their shape-shifting powers to live a life as a human would normally, sometimes by taking the place of a member of the household after killing and consuming them in their sleep. Other stories tell about how a bakeneko may sometimes shape-shift into a beautiful girl, so that their owner would be able to marry them and have children."
Leshy (over Illamasqua Rampage - I should have done an extra coat of it!!!) - "Light green base with yellow undertones and a combination of gold to green and red to green shimmers."
"The Leshy is a male woodland spirit in Slavic mythology, Leshy is the protector of all animals and birds in the forest. He is said to have the ability to shapeshift into any form, animal or plant. When he is in human form, he looks like a common peasant, except that his eyes glow and his shoes are on backwards."
Púca (over Illamasqua Rampage) - "Dense dark green base with gold to green shimmers."
"According to Irish legend, the púca is a deft shapeshifter, capable of assuming a variety of terrifying or pleasing forms, and may appear as a horse, rabbit, goat, goblin, or dog. No matter what shape the púca takes, its fur is almost always dark. It most commonly takes the form of a sleek black horse with a flowing mane and luminescent golden eyes."
Selkie (over CND Midnight Sapphire) - "Clear based polish, very dense with shimmer, shifts from blue to green though the green is often hard to photograph!" - My favourite type of colour-shifting pigment :D
"Selkies are mythological creatures found in Faroese, Icelandic, Irish, and Scottish folklore. They are said to live as seals in the sea but shed their skin to become human on land. If a man steals a female selkie's skin she is in his power and is forced to become his wife. Female selkies are said to make excellent wives, but because their true home is the sea, they will often be seen gazing longingly at the ocean. If she finds her skin she will immediately return to her true home in the sea."
Kitsune (over AA Hassid) - "Clear based polish, very dense with shimmer, shifts from red to green, flashes a nice bright teal at the right angle!"
"Kitsune is the Japanese word for fox. Foxes are a common subject of Japanese folklore; in English, kitsune refers to them in this context. Stories depict them as intelligent beings and as possessing magical abilities that increase with their age and wisdom. Foremost among these is the ability to assume human form. While some folktales speak of kitsune employing this ability to trick others, other stories portray them as faithful guardians, friends, lovers, and wives."
Lycanthrope (over AA Hassid) - "Clear based polish, very dense with shimmer, shifts from gold to green."
"A werewolf, also known as a lycanthrope, is a mythological or folkloric human with the ability to shapeshift into a wolf, either purposely or after being placed under a curse and/or lycanthropic affliction via a bite or scratch from a werewolf. This transformation is often associated with the appearance of the full moon."
Hope you enjoyed that and have a great weekend (ok, it's only Thursday, but I am really needing the weekend, LOL).
