KBShimmer Claws and Effect

Claws and Effect was released by Indiana-based indie polish maker KBShimmer as part of the Winter 2015 collection at the beginning of November this year. Creator Christy describes it as "a dark purple-leaning navy holo polish with blue/pink shifting glass flakes." This is one of those polishes where all of the elements combine to create a unique color, in this case an utterly enchanting deep Spanish violet. The base color looks to my eye to be primarily a dark sapphire, and in sunlight I expect it would appear more blue than it does today under (once again) heavily overcast, rainy skies. The abundant blue/pink color shifting glass fleck shimmers may be subtle, but they have a significant impact on the base color with the pink aspect producing the rich violet lean and a soft pink flash in certain circumstances. The blue shift of the flecks is more readily visible as a freckling of bright blue flakes on the surface of the polish, especially at oblique angles, and gleams of bright blue from within. The holographic effects are fairly subdued in low light, but from the photos I've seen in other reviews they generate a lovely linear prismatic display in bright direct light. 

Application was wonderful. The consistency of Claws and Effect is fluid and light but very creamy, with an effortless, buttery glide over the nail and outstandingly self-leveling properties, the kind of formula that elicits a swell of gratitude from a polish enthusiast's heart. Pigmentation, a little sheer after the first coat, builds quickly to opacity with the second. I actually added a third to one nail to fix a smudged free edge and liked the look of it so much that I went on to add a third coat to all my nails. It deepened the color somewhat and seemed to enhance the beautiful soft dimensionality of the polish. Cleanup is straightforward with some pigment travel and a touch of residual staining to incipient hangnails particularly, of which I always seem to have at least three at any given time. Claws and Effect dries naturally in very good time to a smooth shiny finish. Topcoat intensifies the presence and effects of the glass flecks beautifully.

Photos show three coats of Claws and Effect over treatment and basecoat with a topcoat of Seche Vite. Please pardon the pinkage.

KBShimmer Claws and Effect

KBShimmer Claws and Effect

KBShimmer Claws and Effect

KBShimmer Claws and Effect

KBShimmer Claws and Effect

KBShimmer Claws and Effect

KBShimmer Claws and Effect

KBShimmer Claws and Effect

KBShimmer Claws and Effect

KBShimmer Claws and Effect

KBShimmer Claws and Effect

KBShimmer Claws and Effect

This deep violet reminds me of Elizabeth Taylor's eyes. Stunning! And there's an understated dimensional aspect to its presence that gives it a plush, full-bodied quality underpinned by a certain buoyancy, like a giant stack of silk velvet or a Temperpedic mattress... or a giant stack of silk velvet ON a Temperpedic mattress. You just want to sink into it and roll around. 

At least, I do.

ttyl,
Liz