I haven't had the opportunity to review a thermal polish in a while, so I was super excited when Sherri of Paint it Pretty Polish (my first Canadian indie!) asked me to swatch for her! This collection is all color-changing. Cosmic Kisses and Reach For the Stars are thermals, while Blushing Sun is UV-reactive.
Cosmic Kisses
Cosmic Kisses is a lovely pink-purple. When it's warm, it's a bright, rosy pink with a shimmer that's almost golden, almost holo. My camera really couldn't capture how pretty the shimmer is.
In its cool state, Cosmic kisses is a shade of purple that I find hard to describe. Lavender-violet, I suppose? The shimmer really shows through in the purple state, adding a gorgeous pink undertone to the purple.
Three coats of Cosmic Kisses is needed for opacity. I actually have four coats on my middle finger and pinky, because I dinged both fingers while they were drying, but it was opaque at three coats. Really, two coats could cut it, but I wanted the additional layer of color just to make sure that the whites of my nails weren't deceiving my eyes during the polish's transition phase.
No review of a color changing nail polish would be complete without a video, so here you go!
Reach For the Stars
Okay, my blue bias is going to show through here: this color took my breath away! I think this is the most drastic color change in any of the thermal polishes that I own.
In its cool state, Reach For the Stars is blue with purple undertones from the shimmer. Like Cosmic Kisses, the shimmer is almost holo. I mostly noticed it looking holographic under my phone's flashlight, but not so much in natural light.
Except for when it's warm! Reach For the Stars turns almost-white in heat. It's absolutely GORGEOUS and I am so glad that I swatched this in the summer when my fingers are always warm! When it's warm, the shimmer in Reach For the Stars stands out much more holographic than when it's cool. At certain angles, the purple in the shimmer stands out really well, though my camera couldn't pick that up.
I couldn't help but think of Elsa with this color. The cold state reminds me of the bottom of her dress, while the warm state reminds me of her... uh... arm cloaks?
Blushing Sun
I'll start this one off by saying that the name is perfect for this polish. Indoors, Blushing Sun is a cheerful, sunny yellow with flakies that are just noticeable.
But take it out into the sunshine (or stick it under a UV lamp if you have one) and BAM! it becomes a bright, orange-y pink. The flakies stay yellow, so they really stand out in the sunlight!
I am obsessed with this color. It wasn't really possible to get a transition photo like I did with the thermals, because the UV rays change the color so quickly. You can tell how direct the sunlight is by the color the polish turns! In direct sunlight, it's very pink. On a cloudy day, it's more orangey, halfway between pink and yellow. It's also sort of in between if the sunlight is filtered through a window. I highly enjoyed making a fist to hide my nails, then opening it and watching the color change again.
I have three coats of Blushing Sun on my nails, and as you can see, it's still fairly sheer. I tested out a fourth coat on my thumb, but it didn't really make a difference. If you want solid coverage, I'd recommend layering it over a white base. Or maybe a pink or yellow base to be more playful!
I am so happy to have these magical polishes in my collection! A big thank you to Sherri for letting me swatch these for her. If you're a fan of thermals and/or UV-reactive polishes, you definitely need these in your collection!