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

Sale period: 2-5 October 2020

12 polishes

The October 2020 PPU shop is bringing us polishes inspired by animated media!

Bee’s Knees: I Want to be the Very Best

BKL was inspired by Pokemon. I Want to be the Very Best technically has a blue base, but it is overwhelmed with green/blue shifting shimmer, and it is finished with holographic microflakes. Ugh, I just love BKL’s shimmers. This shimmer’s shift to blue is absolutely stunning. If I got a chance to journey through Viridian City, I’d have to sport this shade. Flawless formula, as expected from BKL.

2 coats + top coat

Cupcake: Tale as Old as Time

Cupcake was inspired by Disney’s Beauty and the Beast. Tale as Old as Time is a yellow jelly base with red/gold shifting microflakes and shimmer as well as silver holo microflakes. Unfortunately, this yellow pulls green on my warm skin, so I think this color will suit cool tones much better.

3 coats + top coat

Dreamland: Oh, Francesca

Dreamland was inspired by Francesca from the movie Mad Monster Party. Oh, Francesca features a scarlet red base overlaid with red/gold shifting shimmer and accented with scattered holographic microflakes. This polish is incredibly difficult to photograph! The most amazing thing about this polish is that in the resting state, the red takes on a cooler, cherry-red tone. But at an angle to the light, as the shimmer shifts to gold, the polish overall takes on a warmer, more tomato-red tone. If you love intense reds, this one is a beauty.

The formula is flawless. It has excellent coverage in one coat and covers perfectly in two. It also doesn’t feel like a staining kind of formula, if you understand what I mean, which is always nice for a red.

2 coats + top coat

Ethereal: Here to Fight with Elegance

Ethereal was inspired by Sailor Neptune of Sailor Moon. Here to Fight with Elegance features a sea blue jelly base loaded with green/blue/indigo shifting iridescent flakes and holo microflakes. I’m so sad that I cannot capture just how beautiful this polish is in person. It dries down pretty flat, so the holo flakes create a linear holo effect interwoven throughout all the shifting flakies. This polish is gorgeous in both direct and indirect lighting, with the holo and flakies taking center stage respectively. It beautifully evokes the ever-elegant Sailor Neptune.

Like many other Ethereal polishes heavy on flakes, this polish came very thick, and the flakies kind of came out in clumps. I opted to add a generous amount of thinner to make it easier to work with. Once I was able to work with the thinner coats I prefer, it still only took two coats to reach opacity. My VNL seems to peek through a bit in these photos, but it definitely was not visible in real life.

2 coats + top coat

Femme Fatale: Crystal Citadel

Femme Fatale was inspired by Adventure Time. Crystal Citadel features a periwinkle purple base with a strong pink/gold shifting shimmer and holo microflakes. I’ve never seen this show, but I’ve seen a lot of fan art for it, and it’s always so fun, colorful, and whimsical. So this polish matches perfectly with that aesthetic. Super cute shade but not very girly, which I always appreciate.

3 coats + top coat

Flirtin’: Please be Mine

Flirtin’ was inspired by Fifi La Fume from Tiny Toons. Please be Mine features a murky, very greyed-out purple base with magenta/gold shifting shimmer and small blue sparks that might be microflakes? I’m not quite sure. The shimmer builds up nicely in three coats. There are some small black flecks within that I think are bits of pigment, but I didn’t get more than 4-5 in the entire three-coat mani.

3 coats + top coat

Glisten & Glow: Truly Outrageous

Glisten & Glow was inspired by Jem and the Holograms. Truly Outrageous features a sheer blurple jelly base packed with matte pink glitters in all different sizes as well as holo pink glitters in various sizes. This one is SO fun and gorgeous! My favorite thing is also what I couldn’t quite capture, which is just how beautifully the holo glitters sparkle under direct light. The blurple base really is sheer to let the glitters layer up and be visible throughout for a jelly sandwich look. I just love the final look of this one. It looks like the glitters are more concentrated at the bottom of the bottle, so I recommend turning it upside down for a bit before application to get more glitters onto your nails.

G&G is also bringing their top coat to IPU. I used two coats of it to smooth out this glitter-heavy polish for a glossy final look.

3 coats + 2 coats of Glisten & Glow Top Coat

Great Lakes: Curse You, Perry the Platypus

GLL was inspired by Perry the Platypus from Phineas and Ferb. Curse You, Perry the Platypus features a very blue-toned green crelly base packed with red/green shifting iridescent flakes and scattered holo. This shade of green is very unusual but very beautiful. I’ve never watched this show, but I think it nails Perry’s color. The scattered holo adds a nice sparkle to the overall look.

3 coats + top coat

Kathleen & Co.: I Don’t Say Blah Blah Blah

Kathleen & Co. was inspired by Hotel Transylvania. I Don’t Say Blah Blah Blah features an indigo-purple jelly base loaded with red-magenta/gold/green shifting shimmer. This one really glows in person! The deep base offsets the bright red shimmer beautifully. The contrast between base and shimmer is sharper than I could catch in-camera. The formula is a bit finnicky, so I recommend going in with thicker coats and working quickly.

3-4 coats + top coat

Lilypad: My Little Pony

Lilypad was inspired by the franchise of the same name. My Little Pony features a light aqua base with red/green shifting shimmer, pink and green iridescent flakes, and scattered holo. I’d say the base color leans a bit more blue than green, although on the nails and against my skin it definitely straddles the line between blue and green. It’s a pretty and delicate shade.

3 coats + top coat

MTK: The PoeT

MTK was inspired by Extraordinary Tales, an anthology film based on Edgar Allan Poe stories. The PoeT features a thermal jelly base that shifts from a sheer pinkish-lilac when warm to a smoky dark purple when cold, with pink/gold/green iridescent flakes and scattered holo packed within. This is such a great fall shade. I usually don’t like the warm state of this kind of thermal shift, but the warm state of this polish is purple-toned enough that I do like it! And in the cool state the flakies pop through like embers at twilight.

3 coats + top coat

Pahlish: Space Land

Pahlish was inspired by anime Cowboy Bebop. Space Land features a smoky purple base packed with platinum silver flakes and indigo/purple iridescent shifting flakes. These silver flakes that Pahlish has been using are so gorgeous. I just love their metallic shine. Oddly enough, the iridescent flakes don’t really look very flake-like in person. They kind of look more dispersed and more like shimmer peeking out behind the larger silver flakes. The overall effect is elegantly chic.

3 coats + top coat

The October 2020 PPU shop opens at 11am Eastern on October 2.

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

Polish Pickup UK shop: http://www.polishpickup.co.uk