Enchanted Polish January 2014

This is going to be a rather odd post format, at least initially. Because Enchanted Polish January 2014 is a Mystery Color and there are folks out there who do not wish to have the surprise spoiled, I am going to have my pictures set up as imgur links so you can click through to them if you want but they won't pop up on any feeds to spoil the surprise for those wishing to remain in the dark. After everyone has received their polish I will edit the page to show the picture but for now, you are going to have to work for them! However, reader be warned - I am going to be discussing the polish in the body of the post so skedaddle if you don't want to know any more.


Here, have a photo of an adorable sleeping kitty to take up a little space…

January 2014 is part of the monthly series of polishes from Enchanted and was available as a preorder. Some people had trepidation about purchasing a polish sight-unseen but the advantage of being an Enchanted Addict is that I knew I would have to have it regardless of what it looked like. Fortunately, the color is lovely and most people seem to be very happy with it. I have seen it described as a blackened teal or a dark grey but to my eye it looks like a navy. Whatever you want to call it, it is dark and mysterious and somewhat dusty with a nice amount of holo.

The holo really pops in the sunshine as you can see here.

Indoors the color is muted but beautiful and note that there is no topcoat in the following photo. That brilliant shine is innate to the polish.

It seemed to me that Enchanted Polish To Die For would be perfect to go over January. Unfortunately, it seems to almost get lost amidst the holo. In low light however, To Die For lends a subtle sparkle to January.

January had the lovely formula I have come to expect from Enchanted Polish. These pictures show one coat of January on its own or topped with one coat of To Die For. Chelsea hinted that this will be the year of mystery polishes so it will be interesting to see how people react to that. So far both Mystery colors she has offered (Holiday and January 14) have been quite pretty but I can see how people who aren't avid collectors might be reluctant to take the chance on them. On the other hand, if she continues to offer her polishes as pre-orders it should make them considerably easier to obtain once the color is revealed since the supply issues won't be quite as bad as they have been with the limited amounts from the regular restocks.

Enchanted Polish can be purchased from the Big Cartel site. Sign up for the mailing list on that page to learn when the next restock will happen.

Elevation Polish Silversword

Elevation Polish recently released a collection called Heights of Hawaii and one of the polishes in that collection is Silversword. I knew as soon as I saw it that I had to have it! The silversword is a magnificent but endangered plant that gets its name from dagger shaped leaves covered in silky, silvery hairs. It is able to survive the harsh conditions of the high altitude environment in which it is found and yet it is delicate enough that footsteps on the cinders in which it is rooted can do it irreparable harm. 

I think Lulu captured the silversword very well. She describes the polish in the following manner: "Heavy Silver shimmer, holographic with slight hints of green shimmer. Holographic pigment is low/medium density. The holographic flair isn't strong. This polish softly glows in the dark." 

Application was effortless with this polish. Two coats were adequate and it went on smoothly with none of the balding that this type of polish can sometimes exhibit. Each coat dried quickly. I used my usual base coat of CND Stickey and 1 layer of HK Girl topcoat. 

indirect daylight

The holo is quite subtle on this polish although the lack of sunshine didn't give it much chance to shine. I do see some hints of color from time to time under bright light so I am curious to see how it might do with direct sunlight. Sadly, Indiana seems disinclined to help out in that regard anytime soon. However even without holo the polish is a beautiful silver with soft sparkle. It is subdued but very interesting and I am completely in love with it. 

Ottlight

The polish does indeed glow in the dark but I have yet to master that kind of photography so you will just have to test it out for yourselves. 

Elevation Polish is available from the Big Cartel site and as of this moment Silversword is in stock.

Elevation Polish Mount Cangyan

Today, February 4th, is World Cancer Day and purple is the color of cancer survival. To honor those who fight and have fought cancer many lacqueristas are choosing to wear purple today. I cannot imagine that there is anyone reading this who has not known someone affected by this cruel disease and so I hope you will consider joining me in wearing purple in support of the battle against it. 

I have chosen to wear Mount Cangyan by Elevation Polish. This is a beautiful polish with complex shimmer - oh shimmer, how I love thee so! Lulu describes it as "a Royal Purple shimmer polish that is highly complex in the light. Red shimmer in high concentration as well as copper & gold shimmer" And shimmer it does, especially when a high gloss top coat is used (such as my beloved HK Girl). 

Mount Cangyan applies beautifully, as is usual with Elevations. The first coat was somewhat sheer but the second was adequate for my personal taste. It dries down ever so slightly matte but the shimmer is still quite visible. 

no topcoat

But throw on a high gloss top coat and POW! Look at that glow. 

daylight

Ottlight

Because the purpose of this manicure was to promote awareness and support of the fight against cancer, I chose to add an accent nail. In this case, I added dots representing the ribbon colors associated with various forms of cancer. Each dot represents untold numbers of lives affected by this vicious disease. I can only hope that the day is soon approaching when medical science will find a way to free us from the terror and dread that comes with a cancer diagnosis. 

daylight

All pictures in this post show two coats of Mount Cangyan over a base coat of CND Stickey and topped with a coat of HK Girl topcoat unless noted otherwise. Elevation polishes are restocked on the 7th and 22nd of each month at the Elevation Big Cartel site but Mount Cangyan is currently in stock on the site.