Hi everyone! Today's post is really special to me because I've been keeping it a secret since last summer! Last year, I was chosen by piCture pOlish to be part of their blogger collaboration project. You may have already seen some of these shades. In fact, mine was supposed to launch together with The PolishAholic, Samarium's Swatches, Pointless Cafe, and Sahrish Adeel back in January. Unfortunately, my shade took some time to perfect, but we finally did it!
How Paradise Came To Be
Back in August, when piCture pOlish approached me for a collaboration, I was truly flattered. I spent over a week mulling over what my color should be. I knew I wanted my color to be something teal-blue related, so I scanned through pictures of birds to gather inspiration from their plumage. That's when I came across this picture of the Superb Bird of Paradise. I immediately knew I wanted a polish that would resemble the duochrome in its feathers: blue to green shift with hints of pink and purple.
The Delay
There's a saying that the third time's the charm and that was true for Paradise. The first sample that came to my house literally made my heart skip a beat. It was more beautiful than I could have ever imagined. It was almost perfect, but I knew the finish could be better as it was a little gritty. It was so close, but I really wanted this to be perfect for you guys. x) We tried swapping out the pink glitter, but decided it wasn't anywhere near as beautiful or unique as the first sample. What you see now is the third try - the original ingredients with some change in formula. piCture pOlish has truly done an amazing job. Paradise now has a beautiful smooth finish that allows all the glitters to come through. I can honestly and proudly say that it is perfect now. :)
Paradise, 3 coats: blue-green jelly base with blue-teal-green shifting pigments, very fine purple glitter, and small hot pink holographic glitter. I would classify Paradise as a duochrome, but it's one of those that changes depending on the angle and the lighting. It looks both gorgeous indoors and outdoors - leaning towards green indoors and blue-teal outdoors. And when you tilt your fingers, you'll see the most beautiful shades of teal and sapphire. The fine purple glitter acts more like shimmer the way its twinkles amidst the blue and green. And I adore the way the pink glitter pops out.
I found application good, but it is a little slow to dry. I would recommend applying this in 2 thin coats and 1 medium coat, then topping it off with fast-dry top coat. Although the finish is smooth, adding top coat also gives it a lovely glassy look.
Check out the pictures below! I took pictures in both sunlight and in my light box with daylight lamps. I think the sunlight pictures show off this polish better though. :)
Did you notice how in some pictures it looks more green, in others teal, and in the light box blue? :) Haha, I'll stop gushing now.
Many thanks to piCture pOlish for this collaboration opportunity and for really working through this shade with me! It was such an honor. :)
Availability
If you'd like to purchase Paradise, you can find it on piCture pOlish's website (here). If you're not located in Australia, visit their Network page to find a shop in your country. If you're in the US, you can buy it from Llarowe (here) for $14.50.
----
edit on 3/4/13 - Read my updated post here: (special announcement / new macro shots)
You can also find Paradise at all of the following shops!
USA: Llarowe
Canada: Harlow & Co. / NailPolishCanada.com
France: Pshiiit Boutique (available throughout Europe)
The Netherlands & Belgium: Pretty Polish (available throughout Europe)
United Kingdom: Sally Magpies
Scandinavia Region: Norway Nails
New Zealand: Gracie Lou
Phillippines: Polish Please!
♥ Liz
This polish was sent to me for my honest review.
Please view my disclosure policy for more info.
Ummm GORGEOUS!!!! Want this so bad!! :D
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely beautiful color combination!
ReplyDeleteWow, how awesome to get to create your own shade!! It's gorgeous! I love teal and jellies so I am really digging this!
ReplyDelete