Lucky 13 Kind of a Big Teal'c

 There's a super helpful comparisons group on fb that has on more than one occasion reminded me that something previously purchased is going to waste while sitting on Mount Untried...

indoor, CF lighting

Lucky 13's punnily named Kind of a Big Teal'c was from the space-themed PPU of exactly one year ago, and is quite obviously designed for me.  Flakie, somewhere between emerald and oceanic aqua, all yes.

outdoor, late afternoon sunlight

After days of wearing this polish, I still can't 100% settle on what the base color is.  "Teal" is probably the best descriptor, but the iridescent ocean-type flakies in there that shift from bright blue to aqua to purple make the overall look lean anywhere from turquoise to emerald in different lighting. 

outdoor, shady/overcast daylight

Some lighter aqua shades, especially those with warmer-toned pink or reddish shimmer, are particularly bad at the dreaded lobster hands.  Teal'c is saturated and dark enough, though, that this was never a problem for me, even in lighting that made my skin look its palest.  

indoor, bright CF lighting

In addition to being absolutely jam packed with flakies, there's also a light scattering of holo dust in here.  It's not enough to make this look rainbow-y even in very bright sunlight, but there are tiny metallic sparks here and there - it's a contributor to the whole look, but the holo is not the main show.

outdoor, afternoon sunlight

I'm showing 2 coats and topcoat here, which was all that was necessary for visual opacity.  The first coat went on a little sheer, but the 2nd brought my nails to the color saturation of the bottle.  The flakies are dense enough to produce a very subtle "hammered metal" texture even after topcoating, but certainly not enough to be rough, and there were no flakes dangling off the nail edge or otherwise misbehaving. 

outdoor, overcast/shady light + incandescent light

There's an otherworldly purple flash to some of the flakes that calls to mind jellyfish or a coral reef.  It's not always visible, but it's a really pretty complimentary color scheme when it does pop up.

indoor, CF lighting

Rating:  4 out of 5 stars, this color is gorgeous and looks good on me.  It wore just slightly more quickly than ideal, but to be fair I am wearing each polish longer than I used to these days.  This would be a perfect base for some ocean or mermaid-themed nail art!

Where to buy:  since PPU is typically one-and-done, cross your fingers this comes back at this summer's PPU rewind, or else hunt down a bottle in a destash.

~Michelle