Lemming Lacquer All My Failings Exposed

All My Failings Exposed was released at the end of January this year by Illinois-based indie polish maker Lemming Lacquer as part of The Music Collection Vol. 1. This series of seven polishes was inspired by popular music, with names taken from song lyrics. The inspiration for All My Failings Exposed was the song Love Will Tear Us Apart by British post-punk band Joy Division, released in June 1980 a month after the band's lead singer/lyricist Ian Curtis' death by suicide.

The polish is described by creator Cassie as a "deep-sea teal holographic polish." What a gloriously rich, strong, free-spirited color this is! It's a dark saturated green-blue, maybe not quite as green as Prussian blue but similarly deep and dense, a particularly crisp and vibrant variation of Atlantic blue. It reminds me of the blues in the famous woodblock print Under the Wave off Kanagawa by Japanese ukiyo-e artist Katsushika Hokusai (1760-1849). The abundant finely-milled holographic pigment gives the rich color a sumptuous dimensionality, generating a brilliant central blaze of co-mingled cerulean and ultramarine spangled with pinpoint sparks of bright sea green, which intensify in direct sun to jewel-toned peacock hues.

Application was a learning experience, a good one. The consistency of All My Failings Exposed is fluid, full-bodied and dense with a thicker viscosity and a plush glide over the nail that has some pull to it. As I've mentioned many times, thicker viscosities are not my forte. But I found a way to work more comfortably with this polish using a generously loaded brush and medium-to-thicker coats with a very deliberate hand, not so different from the technique I use to apply Seche Vite. Thankfully, All My Failings Exposed self-levels beautifully. It is superbly pigmented as well -- one generous coat will net wearably opaque coverage, but I always use at least two coats with a holographic polish. Cleanup was surprisingly easy. There's some pigment travel but very little residual staining. All My Failings Exposed dries naturally in good time to a smooth, shiny finish. Topcoat builds the shine to a becoming gloss and doesn't affect the holographic properties in any way that I could tell. 

Photos show two coats of All My Failings Exposed over treatment and basecoat with a topcoat of Seche Vite.

Lemming Lacquer All My Failings Exposed

Lemming Lacquer All My Failings Exposed

Lemming Lacquer All My Failings Exposed

Lemming Lacquer All My Failings Exposed

Lemming Lacquer All My Failings Exposed

Lemming Lacquer All My Failings Exposed

Lemming Lacquer All My Failings Exposed

Lemming Lacquer All My Failings Exposed

Lemming Lacquer All My Failings Exposed

Lemming Lacquer All My Failings Exposed

Lemming Lacquer All My Failings Exposed

There's a fathomless, powerful, oceanic sense to this polish that brings to mind transatlantic crossings pre-19th century and what it must be like to be boundlessly surrounded by those deep, unpredictable waters. On the nail, it is simply stunning, with an exceptionally bold, exhilarating presence and the sort of heartbreaking beauty that provokes a profound sense of longing. Utterly gorgeous!

love,
Liz