Top Shelf Lacquer I'm On Cloud Wine

Like Liquid Courage and I Don't Give a Sip, I'm On Cloud Wine was released in March this year by Ohio-based indie polish maker Top Shelf Lacquer as part of the Neon Lights (2017) collection, and is the representative blue of the series. With the possible exception of electric blue, the color blue does not translate to neon with the same sort of fluorescence as red, yellow, green, orange, pink, coral, etc. Apparently this is because it doesn't have the same capacity to absorb and refract ambient ultraviolet light, but whatever the reason, blues in neon collections always tend to be very bright and/or intense rather than truly fluorescent. If you ask me, fluorescence is the raison d'être of neon polish, and the blue (and often the purple as well) in a neon collection always seems like the odd man out. I usually pass on them, but the polish gods must have been smiling when I made my Neon Lights selections, because, well, here it is!

Creator Amy describes I'm On Cloud Wine as a "cobalt blue with subtle purple shimmer." This medium-toned blue is something of a chameleon, altering its appearance and intensity depending upon the light in which it's viewed. Under incandescent light, it is indeed a rich, creamy cobalt with aspects of tropical indigo, but in direct sun it reads as an intensely vivid, saturated variation of azure along the lines of Dodger blue. In ambient light, the color is slightly softer, with a certain translucent quality that is very cornflower-esque. The purple shimmers are only visible on close inspection, but I believe they are responsible for the tropical indigo aspects of the polish under incandescent light.

Application was dreamy. The consistency of I'm On Cloud Wine is fluid, light and very smooth with a medium consistency and a fluent, silky slip over the nail that is a pleasure to work with. Pigmentation is very good. A bit of sheerness to the first coat builds to evenly opaque coverage with the second. I added a third to see whether it would make a difference, but it really didn't. Cleanup is easy. There's a little bit of pigment travel and faint trace staining to skin, but Melissa of My Lacquer Cabinet notes in her review of this collection that this blue does not stain the nail. I'm On Cloud Wine dries naturally in good time to a smooth, flat finish that wants a glossy topcoat to look its best.

Photos show three coats of I'm On Cloud Wine over treatment and basecoat with a topcoat of Seche Vite.

Top Shelf Lacquer I'm On Cloud Wine

Top Shelf Lacquer I'm On Cloud Wine

Top Shelf Lacquer I'm On Cloud Wine

Top Shelf Lacquer I'm On Cloud Wine

Top Shelf Lacquer I'm On Cloud Wine

Top Shelf Lacquer I'm On Cloud Wine

Top Shelf Lacquer I'm On Cloud Wine

Top Shelf Lacquer I'm On Cloud Wine

Top Shelf Lacquer I'm On Cloud Wine

I'm glad I got this polish. It's a pleasingly rich, bold blue for summer and I'm very much digging the interesting protean qualities that give different looks. Keeps you on your toes! And speaking of toes, won't it make a great summer pedi shade!

love,
Liz