PAINT POLISH

I Polish Up Real Nice

Inspired by the sparkly hooded cape Taylor wore in the music video Bejeweled from the Midnights album, “I Polish Up Real Nice” is a midnight blue glow-in-the-dark polish with subtle purple shimmer, loaded with holographic flakes and glitters of different shapes & sizes, and glows bright blue in the dark.

To get the best glow effect, activate the glow pigments (phosphorous) by “charging” with a bright light source (examples shown below) for a few minutes. These will glow its brightest the first 30 sec to few minutes then the glow will fade and needs to be re-charged again. You will still see some glow in a completely dark room.

Light sources and suggested charging time:
Natural sunlight - 5mins
Fluorescent light - 30mins
Incandescent light (40-60W, 1m distance) - 30mins to an hour
UV lamp (12W) - 5 to 30mins

Glow in the dark pigment is very heavy and will settle on the bottom of the bottle over time. To check, charge the pigment in the bottle by holding under a light for a few minutes and check in a dark room. If you see a strong glow at the bottom, but a dull glow at the top, the pigment needs to be redistributed by vigorous shaking or turning the bottle upside down for few minutes before use. Using a magnet to direct the mixing ball can help break up stubborn pigment areas.

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Swipe left to see the glow-in-the-dark effect

Taylor ushered in a new darker, ‘70s-inspired era with her latest album, “Midnights.”It explores her feelings of wistfulness, self-loathing, and loneliness that keep her up at night. The album art and “Anti-Hero” music video featured retro outfits in spaces with wood paneling and warm colors straight out of the 1970s, while the music video for “Bejeweled” adds a glitzy, celestial element to the era.

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First and second photo shows the glow-in-the-dark effect
Third (last photo) shows its regular non-glowing phase

MIDNIGHTS ERA

Taylor Swift became only artist in history to claim all top 10 entries on the Billboard Hot 100 in a single week when songs from “Midnights” filled all 10 spots. In November 2023, Midnights picked up a Grammy nomination for Album of the Year.

stronger than a 90’s trend

Inspired by Taylor’s plaid coat on the album cover of Evermore, “stronger than a 90’s trend” is a warm metallic burnt orange with black microflakes.

The black microfakes are a nod from the sister album, Folklore, which represents the trees in the album cover.

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A continuation of lockdown musings, the companion album’s aesthetics were very similar, with the most noticeable difference being that folklore was a summer album while evermore was a winterone.

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EVERMORE ERA

Less than five months after folklore, Taylor released evermore, sister record to the eighth album. Featuring many of the same collaborators as its predecessor, the Grammy-nominated evermore debuted at number one upon its December 11, 2020 release.

salt air

Inspired by the Folklore album cover, “salt air” is a solar color-changing polish that transitions from pale gray (indoors) to a soft beige (outdoor under UV rays of the sun) with subtle silver shimmer and black microflakes.

The transition to soft beige is a nod to the sister album, Evermore.

*The strength of transition depends on the strength of the light source. The stronger the UV rays, the stronger the transition to beige. Sunblock lotions and top coats that have UV-blocking effects may hinder the transition. Personal results may vary depending on the UV index in your area. For example, if your room/car window has UV tint, it won’t be activated inside the room/car, but will be activated if you opened the window*

Important note for color-changing polish:
Store your nail polish in a cool, dry place out of the sun. Exposure to direct sunlight or extreme temperature for a prolonged period of time will damage the color-changing pigment, causing it to lose it’s color-changing ability and get “stuck” at its last color state. Some separation of pigments may occur over time, simply resolved by shaking the bottle or rolling between palms to redistribute the pigments evenly.

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First photo: Indoor (gray)

Second photo: Upper right half of the nail is under direct sunlight (beige) while lower left half is shadowed (gray)

Third photo: Solar color-change fully activated under direct sunlight (beige)

Taylor left the sheen and vibrancy of “Lover” behind in favor of a more understated, woodsy style. She wore her natural curls in loose braids and buns, and her wardrobe consisted of cozy cardigans, plaid coats, and jewel-toned velvet.

Swipe left for the solar transition from gray (indoors) to beige (outdoors under direct sunlight)

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FOLKLORE ERA

Folklore was released in July 2020, and went straight to the top of the Billboard 200. Taylor won her third Grammy award for album of the year for “Folklore,” making her the first woman to win album of the year three times. It also became the best-selling album of 2020.

Fever Dream High

This polish is inspired by the album cover of Lover, which depicts the colorful celebration of love.

Packed with rainbow shimmer and flakies, “Fever Dream High” is a tri-thermal polish that transitions from purple (cold) to blue to pink (hot). Upon manicure application on our warm body in our tropical climate, the usual default color is pinkish lilac.

Thermal polish has a typical shelf life of 6 months and may begin to lose the ability to change color after that. Polishes will need to be stored in a cool/dark area to maximize shelf life. Personal results may vary depending on your own body and room temperature.

Store your nail polish in a cool, dry place out of the sun. Exposure to direct sunlight or extreme temperature for a lengthy period of time will damage the color-changing pigment, causing it to lose it’s color-changing ability and get “stuck” at its last color state. Some separation of pigments may occur over time, it’s best to give your polish a good shake or roll to redistribute the pigments evenly.

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First photo: Thermal effect in mid transition
Second photo: Thermal effect in hot temperature (pink)
Third photo: Thermal effect in body/room temperature of a warm tropic climate (lilac)
Fourth photo: Thermal effect in cold temperature (purple)

The short-lived “Lover” era had a bright pop aesthetic, full of rainbows, dreamy pastel colors, and political activism.

First photo by : Thermal effect upon dipping half of her nails in cold water

Second photo by : showing tri-thermal effect of pink (hot) - blue (subtle in this photo) - purple (cold)

Third photo by : Thermal effect upon dipping in cold then warm (pink) then cold water (purple)

Fourth to sixth photo - raw, unedited swatch by me (the maker, obviously not a swatcher): I really debated posting this because the swatch was hurried, careless and poorly done since I was in the middle of mixing/experimenting and the quick & dirty swatch were just for testing purposes. However, it was the most distinct tri-thermal photo effect. Unfortunately, I completely forgot how I was able to successfully bring out the blue part because it was a repetitive alternating hot and cold water nail-dipping session. I’ll update this caption once I tried it again!

LOVER ERA

Lover album received three Grammy nominations, won four MTV Video Music Awards, and won favorite pop/rock album at the American Music Awards. It was the world’s best-selling solo studio album of 2019, selling 3.2 million copies.

First photo: Thermal effect in mid transition
Second photo: Thermal effect in hot temperature (pink)
Third photo: Thermal effect in body/room temperature of a warm tropic climate (lilac)
Fourth photo: Thermal effect in cold temperature (purple)