Hello, Twinklings!! The Rainbow Honey store is open again, and with it comes a new Mystery Bag!! As you know, I just love my mysteries, (ironically, I am obsessively re-watching Sherlock as I edit these photos) and must apologize for the lack of one last month... the February mystery bag was fabulous! (The fragrance Carnival Candy is my new love.) Alas, time was not on my side :/ But we are back on track this month, and oh, what a great one it is shaping up to be!
>> Crystal Sword <<
"A jelly pink base packed with holographic glitters and timid butterflies in a sea of glittering gold, crystals, and holos." - Rainbow Honey Lab
"Crystal Sword" is a gerbera pink jelly blossoming with gads of girly glitters: light pink holo butterflies, bright pink holo stars, matte white hexes, and tiny silver holo squares, hexes, and tinsel. Rainbow Honey's signature microflakie shimmer, in a glistening iridescent gold, drifts dreamily through the delightful debris. And most intriguingly of all: a murky papaya orange glow lurks at the edges of the pink jelly in direct lighting, and envelopes the pink in a warm luminance, almost backlighting, in certain indirect conditions.
I'm not sure which 'crystal sword' this giggly polish references, though the name seemed so incongruous with the feminine mien that I was immediately curious. As a Wheel of Time nut (relatively recently converted by the BF's love for the story), I immediately think of the crystal sword Callandor, the sword which is not a sword, and is about as dissimilar as can be from the girlish glee of this charming polish. On the other hand, some Fionna/Adventure Time individual keeps popping up in searches in connection with a luminous pink sword, if that means something to anyone...?
As ever, I always want to layer jelly glitters over undies because I never have confidence that they will ever be opaque... and as ever, they are always best just left to their own devices. Three coats was perfectly adequate for me to shield the nail line (the camera disagrees, and in truth four might have been better for opacity but then, the more layers, the shorter the time before the thick glitter suspension wants to peel up in my experience, so three it is). As it is suspending glitter, and large glitter at that, the base is quite thick and gelatinous, and very, very good at catching butterflies. Most large glitter must be fished out, but these butterflies were practically falling over themselves to get onto the nail! For reference I've layered "Crystal Sword" over "Lemon Honey" to demonstrate its layering attributes, and while it does go on quite evenly for a jelly there will always be some slight patchiness, so (as ever) I recommend layering it over a similar pink to the base for better results.
I'm not sure which 'crystal sword' this giggly polish references, though the name seemed so incongruous with the feminine mien that I was immediately curious. As a Wheel of Time nut (relatively recently converted by the BF's love for the story), I immediately think of the crystal sword Callandor, the sword which is not a sword, and is about as dissimilar as can be from the girlish glee of this charming polish. On the other hand, some Fionna/Adventure Time individual keeps popping up in searches in connection with a luminous pink sword, if that means something to anyone...?
As ever, I always want to layer jelly glitters over undies because I never have confidence that they will ever be opaque... and as ever, they are always best just left to their own devices. Three coats was perfectly adequate for me to shield the nail line (the camera disagrees, and in truth four might have been better for opacity but then, the more layers, the shorter the time before the thick glitter suspension wants to peel up in my experience, so three it is). As it is suspending glitter, and large glitter at that, the base is quite thick and gelatinous, and very, very good at catching butterflies. Most large glitter must be fished out, but these butterflies were practically falling over themselves to get onto the nail! For reference I've layered "Crystal Sword" over "Lemon Honey" to demonstrate its layering attributes, and while it does go on quite evenly for a jelly there will always be some slight patchiness, so (as ever) I recommend layering it over a similar pink to the base for better results.
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| two coats of "Crystal Sword" over "Lemon Honey" |
>> Kozmic Blues <<
"A sneak peek of the upcoming Galaxy Nails Set part II, is Kozmic Blues.... a deep kozmic blue packed with holo hex and precious metal pigments!" - Rainbow Honey Lab
"Kozmic Blues" is a bright Prussian blue jelly sparkling with bronze and rainbow iridescent (with dominant magenta flash) microflakies, and studded with tiny round-square silver holographic glitters, very much like the swirling stars of a galaxy. Layered to opacity appears to be a balanced royal blue, but in fact it has peacock green (Prussian) undertones that make one sheer coat appear teal-inclined. My boyfriend declared this to be his favorite of this month's mystery (hardly a surprise, I suppose), and he couldn't even see the flakies over Skype! Just look at them sing!
"Kozmic Blues" has a rather thick, gelatinous formula that sets very quickly and does not care to be over-manipulated; you may wish to thin this one or otherwise work very quickly! I found that too many brushstrokes made for an odd puddling and then "peeling" at the tip of the nail, as the setting polish bunched at the end of the stroke would begin to stick to the brush (I'm sure that makes loads of sense- I'm not sure I even understand what I just tried to write-but moral of the story is, load up your brush liberally, and then paint it quickly and efficiently as possible to avoid tip weirdness). Anyways, I used three coats for full opacity, and allowed the coats an extra minute to dry in between, as these thick rapid-setting formulas need sometimes to avoid tragic denting later on.
>> Lemon Honey <<
"A beautiful and sunny lemon yellow lacquer with a touch of honey, gently packed with micro gold flakes. Perfect to spring you forward!" - Rainbow Honey Lab
"Lemon Honey" is a sunflower buttercream yellow glimmering with microflakie shimmer in rainbow iridescent and baroque gold hues. They are indeed golden, though when dry on the nail amidst the opaque buttery cream, the gold flakies take on a faint sienna dullness, almost like speckles in a sweet honey dijon. A cheerful, cozy hue, "Lemon Honey" has a quaint charm that would be perfectly at home in a beekeeper's cottage, preferably surrounded by echinacea and daisies from the English garden out back, and with sweet herbal tea at hand. For that matter, it would be quite in concert with the homespun vibe of my grandmother's Minnesotan farmhouse... it just has that has that good, honest, contented feel to it.
"Lemon Honey" applies pleasantly opaque and even for a white-based yellow, and if you are careful with your application, this polish is reliably opaque in two coats. I have some downslopes that the base of my nail which tended miss some degrees of opacity with this lacquer and so I used three-four coats, depending upon the stubbornness of the bald patch (and mostly for picture purposes, as the naked eye could hardly discern the unevenness). "Lemon Honey" sets quickly to touch but is sticky-grippy (impressionable and not fully dry) for several minutes afterwards, so as with most creams with shimmer suspension, give this one time between coats for best results.
[EDIT: Ooopsie, forgot to mention- the flakies in this polish are most visible without topcoat, or at least, without a melty topcoat. I tried several different topcoats over "Lemon Honey" (the only ones I have here in Portland): Rainbow Honey, Ellagee Glass, & Sally Hansen Double Duty, and all slightly "melted" the cream base, picking up the pigment slightly and blurring it over the flakies so that they read less prominently than before. Great for a diffused look, but if you love the sharp speckled appearance you might want to take care to use a topcoat you know does not muck up nail art and such (i.e. NOT Seche Vite). Incidentally, anyone have a topcoat of this nature, that reliably does NOT "melt" the polish beneath? I always forget which of my topcoat artillery do and do not... blargh.]
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| no topcoat = middle nail (+ topcoat = left & right nails) |
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| + topcoat |
>> Petit Four <<
"Petit Four is an elegant mini cake perfume, made of sweet buttercream and layered with tender confectionery coconut flakes with hints of spring! Parlez-vous, yummy?!!" - Rainbow Honey Lab
"Petit Four" is a charming tea-time fragrance, and a deliciously complex one, at least to my untrained sense of scent. I cannot actually identify individual notes, though if I were to describe what I imagine when I smell it, I would first say that the RH Lab description is quite accurate: a cute little cake with kisses of coconut and buttercream, though then with a dabble of guava gelée, a light musky hint of Earl Grey glaze, and a lovely floral garnish of honeysuckle. Regardless, there is definitely something scrumptious and baked accented with somethings sweet, fruity, floral, and herbal, somehow. It is very unique indeed, I don't think I have ever smelled anything quite like it! I should mention that it starts out more roundly syrupy in the bottle, but the drier notes mature more strongly on my skin, for just a light sweet freshness... but it will, of course, be different on everyone! <3
>> Tea Biscuit <<
"Tea Biscuit will remind you of fresh baked tea cake loaves from the busy patisseries of Rue Cler. Tea will be served at high noon!" - Rainbow Honey Lab
"Tea Biscuit" is one of my most favorite Rainbow Honey scents... not the most intricate by any means, but purely and beautifully delicious. When I first experienced it I was like, oh wow, I wants to eat this now so badly, and the instinctual part of my brain really felt like I should be able to... which I largely attribute to the fact (realized a time after my initial struggle of restraint) that "Tea Biscuit" smells EXACTLY, and I mean really truly just like how Trader Joe's Toasted Coconut Cookie Thins taste. And I love those little coconut thins more than anything, so "Tea Biscuit" is so heavenly to me.
Rainbow Honey's scented top coats, which have become a major mainstay for me, have variable drying time- most of the newest scents (since August, that is) are very very fast indeed, while the older ones are a bit slower, and "Tea Biscuit" I would put in the moderately fast range. Not a full-on quick-dry topcoat, but not a lazy one, either... and well worth the extra seconds, as it smells so damn good. Nom nom?
>> Rose Macaron <<
"Our Rose Macaron is a soft rose colored pastry shell fragrance filled with ganache made of coconuts, almonds, and blended rose nectars!" - Rainbow Honey Lab
"Rose Macaron" is... well actually, I don't think I could describe it any better than the Lab just did! That is exactly what I am smelling: true honeyed rose nectar, deepened and warmed by cuddly baking scents of creamy coconut, sweet almond, and lovely lush honey cake, maybe. As with the Keep Believing fragrance collection, it is not a dry powdery rose note... it is the actual sweet essence you smell with a real rose, and it makes for a superlatively romantic scent. This is a Beauty and the Beast fragrance if there ever was one.
I'm really enjoying this solid perfume balm scheme; I've always just had the little tins of solid perfume if anything, and idk, I just like this big fat balm stick. I don't mind smearing my fingers around in cosmetic pots, per se, but it never exactly feels supremely sanitary, does it? Anyways, you get a TON of product in the full-size solid perfume (0.5 oz in balm applicator vs. 0.15 oz in mini-size tin). As you might imagine, the solid perfume has a slight waxy balm-like feel on the skin in the first minute after application, which quite quickly sinks in like an extra intense moisturizer until all that is left is the faintest resistance to gliding fingers across the skin.
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The Rainbow Honey March Mystery Bag is now available for $10/mini or $25/large. We have been looking at the large mystery bag, and as always really it is a fabulous deal: 3 x $10 nail lacquers + $8 scented topcoat + $10 solid perfume + $12 rollerball perfume = $60 value! And don't you just love the festive labeling??
I should mention, all three scents featured in this mystery bag will be the three fragrances rendered in "an array of new body care products" as part of the upcoming and much-anticipated La Pâtisserie collection!! What a lovely surprise, to be afforded such a comprehensive preview! I just love the romantic label design on these products; I think it really establishes a cohesive tone for the collection, and I cannot WAIT to see the TEN new lacquers that are slated to be released with La Pâtisserie. TEN!!
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| La Pâtisserie |
Goodness, I'm all worked up and excited now. La Pâtisserie, St. Patrick's Day festivities, spring break in three short days... there are just so many beautiful, wonderful things on the horizon!! What are you looking forward to as spring is bursting into bloom, Twinkling?
XOXO
Marisa + Sprinklepuff
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