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| LVX Summer 2014 |
Hi friends!! I don't pay a lot of attention to seasonal trends in nail polish (though since I have this blog, perhaps I should start) but it recently struck me that this summer is one of softer toned creme palettes in various themes-- Maybelline's Bleached Neons, Zoya's country garden-esque Tickled collection, and this lovely and surprising set of Cape Coddish lights (and one apt and striking bright) from LVX. Let's dive right in.
Lolli is a cotton candy pink, bright and saturated, just this side of pastel. I've found myself in love with pinks this year and Lolli is unique amongst even the spring shades because of its subtle brightness. Nice formula-- no patchiness or streakiness after three coats. Finished with one layer of topcoat.
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| LVX Lolli |
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| LVX Lolli |
Lemondrop is a zingy yet very pale yellow creme. It's refreshingly chic for summer, if you can pull off such a shade. Yellows tend to have difficult formulas but I've found that the lighter they are, the nicer they play. Lemondrop is quite well behaved as yellows go. Three coats topped with one layer of topcoat.
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| LVX Lemondrop |
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| LVX Lemondrop |
Viola.... This one elicited an audible gasp when I unwrapped it. It's a super vivid cobalt blue and while every other collection from the last two years has contained a darker shade of blue, Viola looked special right away. This is electric, no holds barred, no identity crisis present BLUE, kids-- not blurple, not indigo, not even royal. It's rather insane. It stains. And the formula? So strange. It's a brushstrokey creme, and for as bright as it is, it's watery and thin. I needed three coats for satisfactory opacity and as many as two layers of topcoat on some nails, so hard is this polish to level off. I've never experienced anything like it. But... DANG. There's not much more I can say about this one except that I understand the allure of a crazy gorgeous blue with a terrible formula. Take those two words and do with them what you will. Viola is crazy gorgeous. The second shot is the more color accurate of the two.
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| LVX Viola |
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| LVX Viola |
On the other end of the spectrum is Porcelaine, a cool and ultra chic eggshell white. For the past couple years, polish companies have been trying to make stark white a thing, to mild success. Whites are finicky and wear and apply best when there's a hint of something else in there, be it subtle shimmer or another color. Porcelaine contains the slightest touch of grey, giving it a delicately edgy appearance, removing all vestiges of a potential white-out look, and making the formula singularly spectacular amongst whites. I used two coats here and it is perfect. Finished with one layer of topcoat.
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| LVX Porcelaine |
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| LVX Porcelaine |
Aster is a warm and subtly smoky lilac, safe, yet surprising-- as in, I was surprised at how smoky it applied as opposed to its appearance in the bottle (though the difference isn't overly visible in my photos). It's a shy yet lovely color. Very easy application and great formula-- two coats with one layer of topcoat.
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| LVX Aster |
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| LVX Aster |
Rounding out the set of six is Laguna, a deep and cool sky blue with the same slight smoky touch shared by Aster. Bluer than Tiffany and robin's egg shades and darker than "baby" blue, Laguna is bold and statement making. Wear it like a neutral. Trust me on this. Again, easy application and perfect formula-- two coats, plus one layer of topcoat.
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| LVX Laguna |
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| LVX Laguna |
All in all, another impressive and ridiculously fashionable set from LVX. My picks are Porcelaine and Laguna (but I wouldn't blame you a bit for picking up Viola).
Thank you for reading and have a lovely day!! ♥♥
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Yes you're right, it does seem like this summer's shades are softer and fresher, almost like they could work for spring colors too. :) Laguna looks so gorgeous on you! Hope you're having a wonderful weekend, my dear! <3
ReplyDelete~ Yun
Definitely, and like they all draw inspiration from a very certain location, you know? And thank you ♥♥ My weekend was atypical (C had to work) so I played a lot of computer games, lolol.
DeleteThose are some great creme shades for summer. I like them.
ReplyDeleteSaweet!! They are super gorgeous :)
DeleteHi sis - I am floored - what an elegant collection!!! The Description of Viola reminds me of the famous RBL IKR12 or whatever the name is. I am surprised to read about the formula, I was sure by now the issue of creating applicable cobalts got mastered... Color Club did a great Job for example. My picks would would be also Porcelaine and Laguna - have a lovely Sunday xxx
ReplyDeleteLVX just does not disappoint! And they've come to be the collection C actually gets a little excited about, too :) That RBL is exactly what I thought of, too, like there's probably a certain blue pigment that just doesn't play nice. I hear Nails, Inc Baker Street is a good one, too, but I want to say it's lighter than Viola? It's worth a shot, anyway, and all's the better if it doesn't stain.
DeleteI am with Christine...very elegant collection. I would never have known from your flawless pics that Viola gave your trouble with the formula. It looks so shiny and perfect on your nails. My favorite on you is Aster. My pics are Aster and Lolli...I bet you're shocked. :P
ReplyDeleteSo I just perused your blue label because indeed, I am surprised, but I shouldn't be, lol. You appear to like your blues with a little something extra (well, all your polishes for that matter, as I very seldom see you sporting a creme, now that I think about it). Pink and purple are two of your bigger labels, too :) The things you learn from searching a tag cloud, I tell ya...
DeleteI've done the same thing! :P I have a whole drawer full of blues, believe it or not. It's just that I paint my nails to match my outfit for the next day, and I have no blue clothes. Blue is my favorite color too. :/
ReplyDeleteAnd I meant to "reply" to your comment. Ugh.
DeleteLolol, I've accidentally posted a brand new comment when I've meant to reply on here, myself... fortunately, as my very own admin I can indulge my retentive compulsions because certain things need to be JUST SO, lol. Not that it bothers me in the least when someone else does it. I might not have even noticed, lol. ANyhoo. I know blue's your favorite and it's funny how those things don't play out into certain aspects of our style. I love the color purple (here I sit in purple slippers and purple bathrobe, in fact) but I have a really hard time buying purple nail polish. As far as matching your outfit, it doesn't really have to match, just "go", if that makes any sense?
DeleteHoly cow! I love all of these! Great swatches girlie :)
ReplyDeleteThanks, sweets ♥♥ This brand really is fabulous :)
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