Bluebird Lacquer Centaur of Attention 3.0

 As is the case with so many people, with the world in this state I'm really not feeling festive this holiday season, and haven't been inspired to do a lot of seasonal looks.  Then I saw another polisher showing off a look with Bluebird Lacquer Centaur of Attention, and BAM ready to go!

indoor, bright CF lighting

Bluebird Lacquer released Centaur of Attention several years ago for PPU, and reds not being my usual jam, I passed.  I skipped it again when it was up for PPU rewind month the next year.  This year, after so many devastating swatches and with the declaration this was the last run for the color, I caved, and YES.

outdoor, overcast/shady daylight

This is the 3.0 version of Centaur of Attention, and per some comparisons on facebook, each version got progressively just a step darker, richer, and more holo than the one before - seeing all 3 versions side by side made me beyond glad I'd passed until this round.  It's a true neutral red, neither leaning warm/brick nor cool/wine (though it absolutely looks warmer or cooler depending on the light), vamped up beautifully by being so saturated.  

outdoor, direct sunlight

Centaur is nearly a one-coater, and I'm showing 2 + TC here.  In shade or lower light, it has that subtle hammered metal shimmer characteristic of the signature finish for older aEngland polishes which becomes a subdued fire in bright light.  

indoor, bright CF lighting

For my accent nail, I've started with 2 coats of Girly Bits Patronus, a beautiful light silver scattered holo.  I stamped the closest floral image I had to a poinsettia from UC 1-02, using Lina Kalahari Sand, then filled it in with Centaur on the stamper head.  Kalahari Sand is a light, neutral champagne gold, but got tinted copper from all the red pigment in Centaur.  

outdoor, afternoon sunlight

indoor, CF lighting

Rating:  4 out of 5 stars, and absolutely one of the best reds in my collection.  This is the kind of dramatic, bold look that gets compliments from everyone when worn, and the not quite vampy depth of color means I think this would look great on a variety of skin tones.  The downside of something being a seriously saturated one-coater is of course the risk of staining, and Centaur is widely reported to be a stainer for most people.  My basecoat did its usual excellent job there (I rarely end up with stained nails), but if this stuff gets into your cuticles, it's every bit as challenging to thoroughly eliminate as you'd expect. 

Where to buy:  since this will not be coming back, haunt destashes & blog sales, but pay attention to the version number as each batch is not identical.

~Michelle