If you read my last Fiendish Fancies post, you might remember that Lara is a horror/occult lover and especially loves Guillermo del Toro. His television series, The Strain, was begging for a collection and who better than Lara to be inspired by his work. Thirst is her creative take on this series. It contains four classic horror colour schemed polishes.
Occido Lumen
Occido Lumen is described as a liquid metallic silver with chrome flakes and a hint of silver holo. This is going to be one of those polishes that are right up people's alley or not. There won't be many fence sitters for this one, in my opinion. While the foil finish isn't my favourite type of finish, I will say that this polish stamps beautifully over a dark colour. I won't embarrass myself with my swatching samples of stamps, so I hope you'll take my word for it. It's also a great polish for an occasion when you want your nails to be noticed.
I used two coats of Occido Lumen for the coverage you see in these swatches. One great thing about a foil finish is that they cover like a dream and are often opaque in a coat or two and they dry super quickly. This was exactly the case here.
Rat Catcher
Rat Catcher is describes as a rich black packed with bronze and copper sparkly shimmer and a slight hint of holo. On me, the polish leaned slightly brown with the copper and bronze shimmer and I love that. I am not the hugest fan of black polish but can easily be swayed when there are hidden goodies to be discovered floating under that dark polish.
I used three thin coats for the coverage you see here, though two would have been more than sufficient. I like the third coat for the added depth of shimmer. Lovely formula.
The White
The White is described as a creamy pure white with white shimmer and a hint of silver holo sparkle. This polish is so perfectly delicate. I'm often leary of white polishes because they can take on that chalky, liquid paper look. This one more reminded me of puffy marshmallows or freshly fallen snow. It's a really pretty polish and would be amazing as a french manicure.
I won't lie to you. The formula of The White can be tricky. I don't think that is specific to this polish, per se, but maybe more due to the fact that it is a white crelly. Whites can be hard to get opaque and with two coats, I was still getting some patches. The third coat started to cause me some dragging issues because crellies, generally speaking, are a little thicker and take more dry time. With a little trial and error, I figured out that a super thin first coat and left to dry fully, followed by a slightly thicker second coat (also let dry), and a third coat and topped with a quick dry top coat worked. I love how the polish looks so squishy and plump. It did take some additional time and effort, though. Is it worth it? For me, it was. I love the finished look. You would have to decide if it is for you.
Crimson Worm
Crimson Worm is described as a bright juicy red with red sparkly shimmer and a slight holo flare. Unnnnnnnnnnnnf. This polish is so perfectly perfect that I just can't contain myself. It retains that wet look even when dried and is just jelly-ish enough that the details can be seen under the base of the polish without being a full on jelly. This is the winner of the collection for me.
I used two coats of Crimson Worm to get the coverage you see in these photos. I was worried that my strong nail line would be visible, but it wasn't. Amazing formula. Exactly what I have come to expect from Fiendish Fancies.
So there you have it. The Thirst collection, inspired by The Strain. Overall, there are some clear winners in this collection and a couple that will appeal to some and not all. And that's okay. I have long said that not every polish is going to be for every person. What I will say (and have said since the start) is that Lara's strength as a brand is creating polishes SHE loves and that fit perfectly within her chosen niche. In a sea of people who pump out similar polishes, it's refreshing to see a brand that sticks with its convictions regardless of what is on trend right now. And The Thirst is definitely a testament to exactly just how well Fiendish Fancies does that.
The Thirst is available now at www.fiendishfancies.com. You can buy the full set for $45 CAD or separately for $13 each.
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