Wednesday, November 2, 2011

Slayer SNEAK PEEK! (Finally!)

I apologize for keeping you in suspense for so long--I hope the wait was worth it!

Everyone (including me) it seems has at least one crackle polish in their collection. I personally have cream, shimmer and metallic crackles in my possession.

But crackle is taking a walk on the WILD SIDE!

Behold, LCN's latest innovation: CrocoFever!


From L-R: Ruby Forever, Rescue Red, Ruby Forever, (slightly botched) Rescue Red

I have the other 2 colors, Black Leather and Croco Eyes on order.

As you can see, the crackle effect looks like reptile skin! But I will tell you, there is a learning curve for this polish (thus the botched nail).

While there are official directions on LCN's website, here is my experience:

This is NOT a quick manicure. You may want to do this one nail at a time (you'll understand why in a minute).

First, apply a base coat of your choice (I was told that while you could use LCN you did not need to). For my swatches, I skipped the base and went for a light color so you could see the pattern easier (I used OPI's Stranger Tides)--however a contrasting color may enhance the croc effect better (I'm thinking of layering these two over brown, black, darker vampy red, for example).

After applying the base color do NOT let the polish dry completely--this is different from other crackle polishes. You want the polish to still be a bit tacky. LCN says 4 minutes. I say about 1, maximum. Then you want to immediately apply the croc polish in steady strokes (don't go over where you've already painted). A thinner coat will create smaller scales, thicker will create larger scales.

Then you wait. Don't panic--it doesn't crackle fast. However the polish "crocs" it works slower than crackle. 4-5 minutes and it's usually done. This is where I botched that sample--I wasn't sure why it wasn't doing anything, touched it--and it smeared.

Here's the part where I tell you that LCN has SUPER AWESOME customer service. I had a problem ordering and my rep called back to fix my order. When I called back about my croc troubles, another rep talked me thru everything. CLASS ACTS--I truly felt like a valued customer. Five sparkly gold stars!

When it is dry dry dry then you can apply a clear top coat to seal it (and I would--it did flake a bit when I rubbed the botched swatch).

I've seen some promo pix on their FB page of a woman with what I assume is Croco Eyes (brown) holding a croc purse. DEAD ON MATCH.

While I think crackles are fun (even if they've oversaturated the market), CrocoFever is tres chic and very stylish. And although I'm a stay at home mom, I think this would totally be work appropriate.

I hope to do a full mani of this soon--as I said, patience is definitely a virtue for this one!

You can get the CrocoFever polishes at LCN (link above) for $9.90 (these are not the standard .5 oz bottles, they are smaller, but still worth it!) LCN has a set that includes a base and top coat for just under $54.

So, what do you think? Is this the next trend in polish? LCN started the magnetic polish craze (I am waiting on my first bottle). Ready to do the CrocoFever Rock?

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