Lacquer or Leave Her!: Review Shinespark Polish Falling Leaves Collection + glitter polishes

(Some polishes purchased by me, some press samples)

Hello!

Today we're going to take a look at something guaranteed to show you a silver lining in the end of summer--a gorgeous collection of fall holos, along with two bonus glitter polishes. I'm talking about Shinespark Polish's Falling Leaves collection, five holographic polishes that capture the magic of fall in both their colors and the way they play with light, along with two of Shinespark's fall glitters.

Let's jump right in with the lightest of the bunch, Shinespark Harvest, a soft mustard-yellow holo:

Shinespark Harvest

This is not a typical yellow--it's like gold and yellow had a beautiful baby, and it's perfect for fall. One of my traditions, before they closed it, was a visit to the local corn maze every year. This holo is the color of ears of corn and dried cornstalks. It's maize and hay. It's the smell of the dirt and the corn while you try to find your way out and the smile on the scarecrow that watches you go the wrong way. It whispers fall, and I adore it.

This is three coats; like many holos, the polishes in this collection dry fast, so I recommend three fast, thin coats rather than thicker coats. They dry to a wax-type finish; I'm wearing a coat of Seche Vite on all of them in these pictures.

Next up is Shinespark Pumpkin Spice, a muted pumpkin-butterscotch orange:

Shinespark Pumpkin Spice

This is pumpkin patches and pumpkin pies and most importantly of all, pumpkin-spice lattes. This is your jack-o-lantern and the bag you carry trick-or-treating. It's the tablecloth on your Thanksgiving table, and of course it's vibrant leaves falling from the trees. It's the season in a bottle with a sparkle of holo that plays with the changing fall light.

This is three coats, and I'd call this (and Harvest above) a medium linear holo with scattered holo effects, as well.

Next we have Shinespark Hot Cocoa, a light chocolate brown holo:

Shinespark Hot Cocoa

This is coming home from the pumpkin patch to a warm house. This is the candy you get, or give, on Halloween night. It's hugs from your family and cozy evenings watching an old movie together in front of a fire. This will function as a neutral for you, but with some shine and sparkle to give you those magic happy fingers.

This is two coats, and this also is what I'd call a medium linear holo, with plenty of scattered sparkles.

Next we have Shinespark Autumn Sky, a periwinkle blue holo:

Shinespark Autumn Sky

This is blue skies when the threat of rain is in the air, or as twilight sets in while you're waiting for your haunt to start. The dusty blue captures the way the light changes during the fall days, and the way the ocean shimmers differently on those cold days.

This is the strongest linear holo of the collection; I also found it to be a bit touchier to work with than the others; I had some patchiness on the first and second coats, but it evened up on the third. Definitely work with thin, fast coats.

And for the final holo, we have Shinespark Evergreen, a sage-meets-grass green holo:

Shinespark Evergreen

I didn't expect this to be my favorite of the collection, but the minute it hit my fingers, I fell in deep, deep love. Don't get me wrong, I love every polish in this collection--but this one is like a polish soulmate for me. I love that it's the perfect shade of green for fall--not the grass green of summer and not the emerald of winter, but a muted sage that has an earthy, soulful feel. It captures the magic of those last days before winter takes over, when there is still some green left waving goodbye. It's a flattering shade, subtle in exactly the way most greens aren't. And, the holo flash is a medium-strong linear with scattered lights, as well. Completely amazing.

As beautiful as holos are, polish fanatics cannot live by holos alone. To capture the more whimsical side of the season, check out Shinespark Jack O'Lantern, a super-squishy orange jelly with gold circle glitters and black holo hexes:

Shinespark Jack O'Lantern

This polish is just plain fun. I love the shade of orange she chose, more of a burnt tangerine than a super bright pumpkin, and I love how the two types of glitters work together to look like a deconstructed jack-o-lantern. Of course it goes without saying that this is the perfect polish for Halloween, and lends itself to fun and simple nail art.

This is something between two and three coats--let me explain why. Any polish that has large circle glitters is going to require some fishing. So what I like to do is fish out a circle glitter for each nail, then brush on the orange base and the little glitters. I do the same for the second coat, but I apply the base a little more thickly to get it nestled evenly around the glitters. I finish off with some topcoat, and voila!

Last but certainly not least, we have Shinespark Gilded Rose, a rose gold holographic glitter polish that can be used either by itself or as a topper; since she has pictures of the polish by itself on her site, I decided to show it to you as a topper:

Shinespark Gilded Rose over Jack O'Lantern

Seriously, just look at that sparkle!!

Shinespark Gilded Rose over Jack O'Lantern

This is one quick, easy coat of Gilded Rose of Jack O'Lantern--check out how much radiant sparkle it gives without changing or obscuring the polish below it. This is the rose gold equivalent of China Glaze's Fairy Dust, and I have no problem saying it's a must have for nail fanatics. I only have a mini bottle, but will be buying a full bottle with my next order, because I never want to run out. I couldn't keep my eyes off of my nails when I was wearing this, and I can't wait to slap it onto anything and everything this Christmas season especially.

This is my first experience with Shinespark, and I'm impressed. The colors in the holo collection are nothing short of fall magic, the glitter crelly is fun and happy, and the topper is stunning. It's not often I can say I love absolutely every polish I get for review or even order for myself, but you'll be prying each of these polishes out of my cold, dead hands!

You can find the Shinespark Polish shop here; you can also keep up with them on Facebook and on Twitter.

Happy polishing!
M.