Pahlish Sullen Girl over A-England Dorian Gray

Like Train Underwater, Sullen Girl is an older creation by indie polish maker Pahlish, from back in the days of Shannon's etsy shop. I'm not sure when or in what context it was released, but I'm thinking it was after Train Underwater and before Shannon began releasing polishes in collections. This was another polish that I visited often in those etsy shop days and never purchased and then found at Llarowe after a recent restock. I actually loved it first for the name -- it's a perfect description of myself as a child -- and then for it's dark charcoal-tinted base packed with clouds of hex glitters in multi-sized holographic silvery grey and iridescent violet. This is a dark sparkler, with pops of rainbow colors from the holo glitters that spring forth dramatically from the deep charcoal base. 

Pahlish Sullen Girl, macro shot in the bottle

I've seen Sullen Girl layered over itself to opacity to great effect, but I decided to use a base polish to ensure opacity and chose Dorian Gray from British boutique polish maker A-England for this purpose. Dorian Gray is a well-pigmented charcoal grey with subtle ultra fine pale gold microshimmer that gives it a silky metallic look and infuses its flintiness with soft sepia undertones. The color is rich and drapes over the nail like a piece of luxurious silk velvet, deeply elegant in the way only understated beauty can be. It's my go-to dark grey polish and I love it.

Since I was going to be layering over Dorian Gray, I only applied one coat but in typical A-England fashion this was enough for complete opacity. I've included a couple of pics. Photos show just one coat of Dorian Gray over treatment and basecoat.

A-England Dorian Gray

A-England Dorian Gray

A-England Dorian Gray

Application of Sullen Girl was unexpectedly easy and satisfying. I was prepared for stickiness and glitter stacking, but this polish has a fluid, smooth consistency despite its considerable glitter load. Using my plosh and spread method, which is basically a combination of dabbing and painting, I applied two coats. Glitter payoff was excellent with a nice amount of glitters per brushful dispersing randomly over the nail without any stacking, dragging or even protrusions over the free edge. And get this, I didn't even have to do any cleanup. If you've read my whiny travails about applying glitter polishes, then you know this was a magical polish moment! Sullen Girl dries naturally in average time to a shiny finish with some texture from the components. I used a coat of Nail Pattern Boldness Glitter Food to even out the surface and followed with my usual topcoat of Seche Vite.

Photos show two coats of Sullen Girl over the Dorian Gray manicure above, with a smoothing layer of Nail Pattern Boldness Glitter Food followed by a topcoat of Seche Vite. Lots of bubbles in my topcoat today, luckily camouflaged for the casual eye by Sullen Girl's bounteous display of sparkle but of course the macro SEES ALL. Thus, so do you!

Pahlish Sullen Girl over A-England Dorian Gray

Pahlish Sullen Girl over A-England Dorian Gray

Pahlish Sullen Girl over A-England Dorian Gray

Pahlish Sullen Girl over A-England Dorian Gray

Pahlish Sullen Girl over A-England Dorian Gray

Pahlish Sullen Girl over A-England Dorian Gray

Pahlish Sullen Girl over A-England Dorian Gray

Pahlish Sullen Girl over A-England Dorian Gray

Pahlish Sullen Girl over A-England Dorian Gray

Pahlish Sullen Girl over A-England Dorian Gray

Pahlish Sullen Girl over A-England Dorian Gray

Perhaps I should have chosen a lighter gray as a base, but I love the way this manicure turned out. Like all dark sparklers, it's mysterious and dramatic, but it also has an ethereal air to it, as if a tribe of dark fairies has taken up residence on my tips. The fact that it applied so nicely has much to do with my affection for this particular rendition of Sullen Girl, but doesn't a pleasant, satisfying application always influence the cumulative attitude one has toward a particular polish? I know it does for me. 

love,
Liz