Ethereal Vanilla Chai Latte

 Let's start the new year fresh, alright?

indoor, CF lighting

Ethereal Lacquer keeps knocking me out with her ethereally shimmery polishes, but this one caught  my eye as not quite her usual MO.  When all is said & done, it works as a pearlescent version of mannequin hands for me.

outdoor, bright afternoon sunshine

Vanilla Chai Latte was part of a duo with a cuticle oil product, and while I'm way stocked up on moisturizers, the idea of a softly shimmery neutral color is always one that catches my eye.

indoor, bright CF lighting

Vanilla is exactly what it sounds like: a warm-leaning vanilla-tinted crelly base, absolutely filled with aurora shimmer that goes from red to bronze to green.  I adore that emerald spark over a more subtle shade just as much as I do when it's Clarins 230 pigment over a dramatically dark one - this is a totally different look, but just as right up my alley.

outdoor, bright direct sunlight

This color is absolutely appropriate for office wear in the most conservative of business environments... and yet has that extra little something that keeps it from heading anywhere near boring.  And that something is fiery shimmer (above) that goes green (below).

outdoor, bright direct sunlight

Typically, I find Ethereal's polishes to be quite sheer, with many of them giving that subtly sexy VNL look even at 3 coats.  Vanilla Chai, however, built up very nicely to total opacity by that 3rd coat.  It went on just thick enough I was a little concerned, and it did not like to be overworked, but thin coats self-leveled perfectly.

indoor, CF lighting

outdoor, bright direct sunlight

Rating:  a lovely 4 out of 5 stars.  Though 3-coaters usually end up thick enough that some tiny degree of chipping is inevitable, this wore like iron, with zero chips or tipwear for over a week.  Yes, it's a color close enough to my own skintone that wear would be minimally visible, but even in these macros, nope, color all the way to the edge.  It's just a scoch more warm/yellow than ideal for me, but very wearable all the same.  In a stash full of bright jewl tones, this joins the short list of polishes in my collection ideal for the most conservative of business trips/meetings/interviews without being blah in any way.  

Where to buy:  unfortunately, Ethereal tends to do one-and-done batches, so keep an eye out in destashes to grab a bottle of this pretty.

~Michelle