Iceland.
It is my favorite country that I have yet visited, not only for its mystical beauty, but for the ethereal, otherworldly energy which pervades each fiber of its culture, history, language, and landscape. The Land of Fire and Ice is, indeed, one of fantastical contrasts, but none so evocative in my opinion as the fascinating synergy between modern and ancient Iceland; how one thousand years of history is so tangibly present, even as Iceland surges forth as one of the most socially and technologically progressive countries on earth.
There is so much to be said for the small island country, the northernmost capital in the world with its frigid Atlantic moat. (Someday, I will have to tell you about Icelandic elves.) But that will have to wait for another time, because I have other news: MACRO HAS LANDED. Not in time to capture these polishes in action, unfortunately, but hopefully these bottle shots will help make sense of the shimmering spectacles I have herethereto attempted in futility to illustrate for you in wholly insufficient words.
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| "Fallen Snow" & "Icelandia", macro style!! |
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| "Icelandia" over "Fallen Snow" |
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| mountains across the fjord: Eyjafjör∂ur |
While sifting through memories, this moment en route to the horse stables just outside of Akureyri, Iceland felt eminently resonant with the crystalline triangles and shimmering aquatic quality of this pair.
❄ * ♥ * ❄ * ♥ * ❄
>> Fallen Snow <<
As to be expected from shimmery near-white polishes, "Fallen Snow" was quite sheer, and streaky on the first coat. I used four coats for full opacity, though I spaced them out to allow ample drying time. The first coat dried quite rapidly, though the subsequent layers took more time. One shouldn't take too long, however, because I found the finish to be vulnerable to scratches without topcoat. And that's another thing; "Fallen Snow" the polish is in love with its scented topcoat mate, "Fallen Snow". It could just eat it up... and it does. The is two topcoat layers, and for some reason I still had small ripples in the surface, as you might be able to see. I didn't go for the third because I figured "Icelandia" would sleek things over, and oh my... it did.
Now if there is anything that I saw during my summer holiday in Iceland (nearly five years ago, now!), it would be the Blue Lagoon: a natural mineral hot springs just outside of Reykjavík that is perhaps one of Iceland's best known attractions... and with good reason. The soothing warm waters are the most beautiful opalescent blue, and though lava fields frame the pool, their rough edges have been glazed over by a while marble-like mineral finish. Constituents of this smooth surface pad the lagoon's bottom in the form of white mineral mud, which you may scoop up and smear all over your skin for beautifying benefits. Like many things in Iceland, it is positively surreal.
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| The Blue Lagoon Geothermal Spa: Grindavík, Iceland |
>> Fallen Snow <<
fragrance & other friends
I almost forgot: the limited edition set, should you purchase it in its entirety, also includes a "Fallen Snow" perfume rollerball and mini (half-size) scented topcoat, plus a mini All Your Base basecoat! "Fallen Snow" the fragrance can be best described (by me) as fresh powder on the mountain, fittingly enough. Fresh, powder, high, cold; that's all I can think when I wear this. And yet, for all its powdery-ness, the clean, barely-citrus sheen on top makes this a refreshing scent that I think could be worn equally well by women, men, and everyone in between.
I was very happy about the additional All Your Base mini, seeing as how I'm halfway through my bottle from the October mystery bag. I never blaze through base coats like this, because usually I don't give a fig which base coat I'm using, and yet, I have been caught by this one. At first I thought that it was a slow drier, but in fact you simply need less of a coat than I was slathering on; the thick, honey gel consistency glides on beautifully even in thin layers. Since I began using this I just haven't stopped... and my nails have felt stronger, the residual stains growing out and disappearing. I have a terrible habit and fascination with peeling away my polish when it flakes, terrible because it can pull up keratin layers and so weaken your nail, but All Your Base tends to not peel up, instead leaving a patchy, sticky film behind that effectively protects the nail from destruction. It is the best.
>> Icelandia <<
"Icelandia" is, quite simply, arctic siren magic: sparkling with silver holographic, metallic aquamarine, and iridescent film hex glitters, iridescent golden microflakie shimmers with gorgeous celadon and violet tilts, and, gloriously, holographic silver triangle glitters, punctuating the shimmering glitter sea like mountains of ice. This was so intensely scintillating in all lights, I can't even begin. I mean truly, not all glitters are created equal because this one is a queen. I used only one coat over "Fallen Snow", and didn't need any patch-ups, so densely packed is she. I feel like I should have so much more to say, considering that this is easily one of my favorite glitter toppers of all time, perhaps even *the* favorite, but I think "Icelandia" actually speaks for herself:
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| triangle glitters |
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| silver HOLOGRAPHIC triangle glitters!! |
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| golden microflakie shimmer |
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| violet interference shift of golden shimmer, at the perimeter of the direct light flame (ohlala!) |
And that is the story of Icelandia, as told from Portlandia :) The Rainbow Honey shop reopens tomorrow with new February treats, and (hopefully!...usually) some lingering January gems.
❄ * ♥ * ❄ * ♥ * ❄
It is tempting to make this post into an endless mire of Iceland imagery, but I decided to try and be reasonable, and so here is your final glimpse for now: my Icelandic horse adventure, from the aforementioned stable! Fat, squat, fluffy, and yet not to be confused with ponies, Icelandic horses are a very special and therefore ardently protected species on the island; indeed, the only breed of horse in Iceland. No horse is permitted to be brought into Iceland for fear of foreign diseases, which after 1000 years of geopolitical isolation might just wipe out the population; and in fact, this includes Icelandic horses that leave the island to participate in international competitions (for Icelandic horses are renowned for certain qualities such as their rapid, virtually bounceless gait known the tölt). Anyways, they are extra adorable, and I just loved the horse that I rode: Tvistniartné (sp.?) was her name, or at least, that is how it sounded. Our stable was awesome; in the tourist-heavy areas of the southeast, near Reykjavík, they tend to make people wear orange ("disease-proof") jumpsuits and ride in slow, sedate lines, like an unenthused pony parade of traveling inmates, but in Akureyri, my mom and I just got to ride along the fjord with a nice Swiss lady for like four hours, no jumpsuit. It can be tricky to get the horse's head back far enough to coax them into the tölt, but I did it for like ten seconds, and it was awesome.
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| Tvistniartné |
I'm in a storytelling mood now :) Anyone have any good ones about Iceland, horses, snow, or just polished fabulousness?? Are you anywhere near as excited as I that we can FINALLY see shimmehhh??!!
XOXO
Marisa + Sprinklepuff
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