*Disclosure: PR samples- I received these polishes free of charge in exchange for photography.*

Release: 7 August 2020

11 polishes

This month’s PPU is inspired by science, in all its glory and weirdness.

Bee’s Knees: Not Such a Fungi

BKL was inspired by the Chordyceps fungus, AKA the zombie fungus.  It’s prominently featured in video game The Last of Us, although it is a real fungus whose spores can take control over the host’s mind The polish features a warm peachy nude-ish creme base with red/green shimmer. For some reason the shimmer was just not photographing, so know that in real life the red shimmer stands out against the more orange-ish base very clearly. It’s a touch pink-leaning for my skintone.

3 coats + top coat

Cupcake: Sake Up Close

Cupcake was inspired by a photo of sake taken under a microscope. Sake Up Close features a red jelly base packed with iridescent flakes as well as these stunning gold flakes. This polish would be perfect for Chinese New Year, which traditionally heavily features red and gold colors! So sparkly and pretty.

Two coats covers, but adding a third makes the look even more lush and opulent.

3 coats + top coat

 

Ethereal: Prism

Ethereal describes this as the sparkliest polish she’s ever made, and it absolutely lives up to the description. Prism is packed with multiple types of holographic flakes and pigment. There is no glitter, so removal should not be difficult. Holo flakes have the most incredible sparkle. I took some photos in unusual poses under lower lights to try to showcase the holo flame more faithfully, as my usual multidirectional lighting tends to wash out holo.

The opacity is incredible–if you’re particularly daring and are careful, you may be able to get away with one coat! I opted for two thinner coats.

2 coats + top coat

Femme Fatale: Curtains of Fire

Femme Fatale was inspired by volcanic activity on Jupiter’s moon Io. Curtains of Fire features a dark green base with a red magnetic effect and holo and iridescent microglitters. The base green color is quite dark but is noticeably not black. This polish is beautiful magnetized or not, and I show it both ways (unmagnetized on my ring finger). The magnetic effect isn’t super strong, but it gives a hazy, mysterious look only Femme Fatale can pull off.

2 coats + 2 coats of top coat

Glisten & Glow: Zealandia

Glisten & Glow was inspired by the drowned continent of Zealandia. The polish features a blue base with pink/green iridescent flakes and holo microflakes. The overall feel does evoke a dreamy underwater setting.

The formula is great and applies evenly. If you prefer a brighter shade of blue two coats will be sufficient. Three coats gives a deeper blue color, which is my preference.

3 coats + top coat

It also looks very lovely matte:

Glisten & Glow: Cuticle Remover + Cuticle Oil pen duo

Glisten & Glow is also contributing a duo of pens containing their cuticle oil and cuticle remover scented in kumquat. To me it smells like something in-between lemons and fresh oranges. It’s delightful, speaking as someone who loves citrus scents and dislikes sweet bakery scents. Both work great, and I’ve been reminded how nice the pen applicator is!

Cuticle remover:

Cuticle oil:

Great Lakes: Can We Not Right Now?

GLL was inspired by ultralow velocity zones (ULVZ) found near the core of the Earth, and the polish name reflects her initial feeling after reading about them The polish features a red-violet base loaded with red/gold iridescent flakes and scattered holo sparkle. The flakie load in here is no joke!

The polish applies really evenly, so two coats gives a brighter color while three gives a deeper color as well as more flakes. So three coats it is for me You can decide your preference!

3 coats + top coat

Kathleen & Co.: Superionic

Kathleen & Co. is contributing Superionic, which features a sheer blurple base loaded with blue/purple shifting shimmer. In the resting state the polish is predominantly blue but you can see a bit of purple around the edges, and the shimmer shifts to a luminous purple at an angle to the light. Super glowy polish!

The formula dries pretty quickly, which combined with the typical streakiness of shimmer shades, means I suggest working with thicker coats and working quickly but deliberately.

3 coats + top coat

Lilypad: Storm in a Cup

Lilypad was inspired by an image of electric sparks in a cup. Storm in a Cup features a purple base with blue shimmer and various iridescent flakes. This kind of purple-ish, blue-ish polish never likes to photograph nicely and display consistently across different screens, so know that the base is purple and the shimmer is blue. It’s a little sheer on the first coat but builds up nicely by the third coat.

3 coats + top coat

Moo Moo’s Signatures: Bubbly Bunny

Bubbly Bunny features a green jelly base with iridescent flakes in predominantly green and pink, and is finished with scattered holo sparkle. The formula applies evenly and so it can be worn in two or three coats depending on how intense you like the green color to be.

3 coats + top coat

Pahlish: Synapse to Synapse

Pahlish was inspired by the mysteries of the human brain. Synapse to Synapse is an undersaturated aqua base with pink/gold shifting shimmer. Beautiful colors! It’s surprisingly opaque for a shimmer, so I was able to get it opaque in two coats, although three thinner coats would also work beautifully.

2 coats + top coat

Zombie Claw: Water Bear

Zombie Claw was inspired by the tardigrade, or water bear, an absolutely fascinating and nearly-deathproof creature. This polish features a faded violet base loaded with pink-magenta/green shifting shimmer. It photographed kind of purple, but the true resting color of the shimmer is something between pink and purple. Lovely soft shade to round out the PPU offerings I have to show this month.

The formula applies well, but it is on the sheerer side. At three coats I could still make out some VNL.

3 coats + top coat

The August 2020 PPU shop opens at 11am Eastern on August 7.

Polish Pickup: http://www.polishpickup.com

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