One Enchanted Dragon

Can’t call these multichromatic spheres scales, although this combination of three dotted-on, colour-changing polishes certainly looks like dragon hide, does it not? Or at least what I’ve come to assume dragon skin might look like per the Disney Corporation.

Semantics aside, this simple, random dotticure is a great example of using what you’ve got, namely colour-shifting chromatic polishes that bend and flash with each flutter of your fingertips. Done in, say, creme polishes, this would be a cute manicure, although maybe nothing too special. But painted in a trio of purple-to-blue-to-green-leaning multichromes (Enchanted Polish’s blue Across the Universe, purple Octopus’s Garden and teal Magical Mystery Tour) that all share a bit of colour overlap, this mani morphs into something almost living, like the scales of a fantastical beast, or perhaps an elaborately-hued amphibian of some sort. I’m open to suggestions!

I’m Walking Into Spiderwebs

Holographic spiderwebs, no less.

This is not the first time I have attempted a spiderweb design, although this is absolutely the best it has ever turned out. Like stars and leaves and anything vaguely “real,” depictions of spiderwebs do not seem to be in my wheelhouse, which is a shame, because my actual house (well, apartment building in which I own a condo) is positively covered in them. Covered in the spiders that made those webs, too – something about the grooved stone cladding on the outside of my building makes for some very desirable arachnid accommodations. I apologize if you’re spider-phobic and feeling uncomfortable with this discussion. You’re going to like it even less when I note that these spiders are like extras from the Lord of the Rings crossed with Harry Potter.

So webs aplenty, and now they’re on my nails as well, in shimmering silver (Liquid Sky Lacquer’s Dream) on a bed of multichromatic blue (Enchanted Polish’s Across the Universe.)

Magical Mystery Polish

Hey, would you look at that – it’s Friday evening already. Huh, that kind of crept up on me! So in honour of the weekend that has appeared seemingly out of nowhere, let’s gaze upon this drop dead gorgeous polish I received today in a bit of pre-birthday nail mail, Enchanted Polish’s Magical Mystery Tour. This holographic multichrome stunner from Enchanted’s Beatles-themed collection is a polish I have passed by time and time again come the mythical “Enchanted hour” (those incredibly rare, unicorn sighting-like moments when you actually manage to snag one of these polishes in a restock; Magical Mystery indeed, the mystery being how to get your hands on one.) I’ve always found other uses for my Enchanted mad money (Octopus’s Garden and Across the Universe, two other polishes from the Beatles collection, are two of my favourite and most-used lacquers, so it’s not money ill spent.) But when Magical Mystery Tour recently appeared in a Nail Polish Canada restock, I thought it high time I finally snap up a bottle.

And I am so very glad I did, because it is sublime! What a gorgeous colour (or should I say colours, plural?) The shift in this multichrome is bonkers, bouncing all over the place from dark teal and turquoise to indigo and fuchsia, with the whole stunning rainbow tempered by a dainty dash of holo shimmer. It is so beyond pretty. I hope that’s a useful description for you, by the way – “beyond.” But Magical Mystery Tour really stands head and shoulders above even Octopus’s Garden and Across the Universe; it’s that lovely. So glad I finally added this beauty to my stash. Magical Mystery solved!

I Miss Ewe

These blank-eyed (actually, no-eyed) sheep remind me of a highly disturbing and counterproductive (more on that in a moment) painting my parents have hung in every house they’ve ever owned of two sheep standing in a mist-covered field. The unnerving stems from the fact that the sheep are completely dead-eyed and have been painted so they are standing in profile, but with their heads turned forward so they can level those thousand yard stares at you straight through the glass. Also, mist. And the counterproductive, of course, stems from the fact that for reasons unbeknownst to me, the demonic, mist-shrouded sheep have always resided in a bathroom, occasionally rendering necessary functions performed therein to be un-performed, because it’s really hard to pee when you’re being stared down by evil livestock. It just is.

It’s no mist, but I think these little lacquered lambs got the better end of the deal, perched as they are atop a bed of Enchanted Polish’s splendid holo multichrome, Across the Universe. Lucky sheep, which I think we can all agree is far preferable to demonic sheep.

Blue So Pretty

I’m fairly certain I’ve posted a “I command you to look at its pretty holographic prettiness!” post on this nail polish before, Enchanted Polish’s Across the Universe, but an abundance of life-sustaining and picture-enhancing sun on my balcony at this time of night has dictated a second show and tell.

For all that people go on about Enchanted Polish’s wares, you wouldn’t be mistaken in thinking that they’re actually made from unicorn tears harvested by moonlight on the second solstice of every third leap year by Snow White herself – and that’s despite the fact that their polishes are neither easy to obtain, nor inexpensive.  But they’re ever so gorgeous and their labelling is so pretty and it’s all rainbow holo colour-shifting goodness, and how could you not be a fan?  Here I’ve shown Across the Universe, a denim blue holographic stunner that throws rainbows with the best of them, at a multitude of colour-shifting angles, like this plummy purple one:

And this head-on, ultra vibrant blue one:

And finally, my favourite, in the shade, showing off all its subtle periwinkle shimmer:

Holo Hell

These nails, a stained glass design that I thought would look extra pretty done in a handful of megawatt holographic polishes, are the first nails I’ve ever done that have proven to be well nigh unphotographable. I took well over 100 photos of these nails in the sun, out of the sun, with a light source behind me, beside me, above me, indoors, outdoors and even out in the hall where I thought the bright overhead halogens would allow my camera to focus for two-tenths of a second. NO DICE.

So I regret to say that despite taking quite a while to complete and despite using some of my rarer, more expensive polishes and despite looking quite good in person, these nails, my photographic hokey pokey notwithstanding, don’t look like all that. Still, there’s something fun about a stained glass design that actually shifts colour depending on the light, so here I’ve highlighted two of the photos that actually did turn out so we can all bask in the pretty scattered holo of Enchanted Polish’s blue Across the Universe and purple Octopus’s Garden making nice with Polish Me Silly’s plummy Guilty Pleasure.

Twinkle, Twinkle

Oh, to actually see the stars! I live in a part of the world currently under siege by Mother Nature. In the past 36 hours we’ve seen snow, sleet, slush and every holiday traveller’s favourite, freezing rain. It’s like living in the world’s most tiresome, dangerous snow globe. Blue skies have been AWOL for days, as have the stars, and I’m beginning to feel a bit penned in.

But I can imagine a time in what I hope will be the very near future when it’s not crapping icy precipitation all over the city and when the clouds part long enough to let the stars sparkle and shine. Until then, I’ll have to settle for tiny depictions of same on my nails!

Who’s a Pretty Girl?

So it appears as though I *may* have become one of those people who stare at their painted nails in rapt wonder, shifting them from one light-catching angle to another and wondering aloud (to the slight consternation of those around them) about such vageries as linear holo and glitter payoff.

But it’s not an entirely bad headspace to be in, especially not when there’s lovelies to gawk at like this polish, Enchanted Polish’s Across the Universe. It’s gorgeous, one of those silly little things that’s given me greater joy than the sum of its parts, so if that means talking about its linear holo (which is stunning, by the way!) then sign. me. up.

Here I’ve shown Across the Universe indoors in the shade, and then from two different angles in the sun. Pretty any which way you slice it.

Disney Girl Challenge: Tinkerbell

Okay, I’ll be the first to admit these are only vaguely reminiscent of or inspired by Peter Pan’s fairy friend, Tinkerbell. They are tangentially Tink at best, an excuse to use some very ugly green polish (name withheld) and my second new Enchanted Polish polish, Across the Universe, at worst. I can’t help it! Fairies and pixies have never been my thing, and Tink is one of those creations that’s been around forever, but hasn’t seen mainstream success, if you will, until relatively recently. The number of little girls bombing around Disney parks in Tinkerbell’s iconic green dress (a much lovelier shade than depicted here) is testament to her popularity with the wee ones.

So yeah, basically just an excuse to try out Across the Universe, which is a gorgeous denim blue-grape purple holographic polish that I’m going to attempt to shoehorn into every manicure I do between now and Christmas, so in love with it am I.