So quite a few months back I was talking to the lovely Laura of ellagee, and she mentioned wanting to do a Hawaii collection. I can not begin to express how much that excited me. I had been living there for over seven years and we had just gotten notice that in a matter of two months we were leaving. It was my husband's and my first (and second house), the first place I went after leaving my moms house. Both of our kids were born there... It was our home. I got lost in sending pictures and talking about the places and things I loved. The sights that for over seven years, no matter if I saw them every day or not, I was in awe of. It is really a stunning place.
Fast forward a few months and she asked if I would do a review for her. I don't think I could spit out yes fast enough. I was, and still am, very, very honored that she thought enough of me to ask me to do a review. Not to mention the colors are amazing, the little flower rings are amazingly cute and the collection holds a very special place in my heart. It will be a bit long and picture heavy, but one picture simply could not do each polish justice. Everything, but the glitter topper, was done with three coats and a base and top coat. Two would have sufficed, but I am partial to three for some reason.
First up is Leilani, which was almost my daughter's name. This is three coats with nothing under it. It is a gorgeous white base with blue and purple glitters of various sizes and shapes. It went on very easily and smoothly and is packed with glitters so no fishing necessary. Taking it off was a bit difficult, but that seems to be every glitter polish for me.
Now we have Pua Melia, which means Plumeria. They can be seen everywhere. In jewelry, fake flowers on hair clips or ties and the trees. We had one in our yard for the last 5 years. There is just something amazing about pulling a fresh Plumeria out of the tree and putting it in your hair. Three coats with nothing underneath. Application and formula is the same as Leilani except with pink and yellow glitters. Very smooth and even and packed with glitter.
This one is Aloha Oe. I love this purple. It is gorgeous and bright and highly pigmented with a subtle sparkle to it. It is seriously the perfect purple. I used three coats.
This pink beauty is Haleakala Sunrise. Haleakale is a dormant volcano on Maui standing over 10,000 feet above sea level. Even though it was cold, rainy and wet and we could hardly breathe at the top when we went, it is still a stunning thing to see. I used 3 coats and the formula is great. There is just something to be said about polishes that go on so smoothly. The shimmer and subtle shift to slightly orange definitely make this very different than any other pink I have and I have quite a few.
Nai'a is a glitter topper with super cute dolphins and different colored and sized glitters. Hawaiian spinner dolphins are known as Nai'a in Hawaiian. I actually used only 2 coats with this one over Sinful Colors black and white. No fishing for glitters necessary, but I did place them a bit. This polish makes me think of dolphins playing in the clear turquoise waters with the pinks, purples and oranges of the sunset reflecting off of the ocean.
One of my very few regrets is that we never climbed the Stairway to Heaven, also known as the Haiku stairs. 2,120 feet and 3,922 vertical steps to the top of the mountain range. Partially because it terrifies me and partially because even though you can see people climbing it all the time, it is not quite legal. It has technically been closed to the public since 1987. Stairway to Heaven, the polish, is a beautiful sparkly green with hints of silver and lighter green depending on how you look at it. A perfect representation of the lush green landscape of Hawaii. This one is very very pigmented, so it is slightly thicker, but nothing that I found unworkable.
Typically I am not a huge fan of yellows and oranges. They don't get along with my skin tone at all. Golden Sands Of Waikiki blows that out of the water. It is the perfect yellow, with a subtle sparkle to it and went on so easily.
Now for my favorite and the one that has the most meaning to me. Lanikai Beach. My absolute favorite beach. Crystal clear and calm waters, sea turtles that randomly swim up, beautiful views. It is often rated one of the worlds nicest beaches. The color is perfect. Laura got it absolutely perfect with this one. With all of them, but especially Lanikai Beach. The sparkle of the sun reflecting off of the water, the shifts in the blue depending on which way you look at it, she hit the nail right on the head.
