Splendor Lacquer: The Private Eyes Collection

Hi everyone! I have a new Canadian indie brand for you today that hails out of chilly Winnipeg, Manitoba. With so many new indies popping up everyday I am sometimes hesitant to review for new brands. However, Leslee, the maker won me over with her professionalism. I get a good sense from brands that are very organized and professional in their dealings with bloggers, because I know they will also treat customers that way too.

Splendor Lacquer - The Private Eyes Collection

About the Collection:

The Private Eyes Collection is inspired by the show Veronica Mars. To be honest, I've never watched the show, so I'm going to be relying on Leslee's descriptions to explain how the polishes relate. However, I do feel somewhat of a tie to the show - apparently a lot of the show was filmed in my hometown, Oceanside, California. And my high school alma matter, Oceanside High, was used as the setting of Neptune High - fun fact! Maybe I should watch the show then, eh?

The Polishes:

Side note: my apologies for the very different lighting on some of these. I did a rare morning swatch session and the sunlight really messed up my usual light setup.

Persnicketier:
Veronica Mars is a sassy teenager turned Private Investigator. The name for this polish comes from one of Veronica’s quips “Sometimes I’m even persnicketier.”

Persnicketier

This is a dusty rose jelly with a delicate scattered holo effect. This was actually one of my favourites in the collection, I really love how girly it is as well as the subtlety. The formula was excellent and it looks very sheer at first but it builds up nicely. I used 3 coats here.

Persnicketier

Mars:
Named for Veronica and her father Keith, and a bit of inspiration taken from their planetary family name.

Mars

This is a berry red creme with a subtle red shimmer. I really like the colour of this one. It has a jelly-like formula, so care is needed when applying because it can be prone to dragging. Otherwise the formula is good. I used 3 coats.

Mars

Neptune:
Neptune, California is the home of the Mars family. It’s color was inspired by the ocean the town is by and of course the blue planet itself.

Neptune

This is a blue jelly with microfine silver holo glitter, small silver holo hex glitter, and slightly larger navy holo glitter. Application was good, but there was still some visible nail line after 3 coats, so if that bothers you, I suggest layering it. This was 3 coats.

Neptune

090909:
The zip code of Neptune’s elite is 090909 and the rich kids at school are referred to as 09er’s.

090909

This is a very fine gold shimmer that can be layered or built up to full coverage. It's somewhat similar to OPIs Oy - Another Polish Joke! but less blingy, more subdued. I think this would look gorgeous layered over a blue or a mint colour, but I chose to wear it on its own. Formula was excellent and the consistency of the polish was perfect. I used 3 thin coats.

090909

Back-up:
Back-up is the name of Veronica’s pet pit bull. I can’t think of a better back-up to take but when it comes to polish if something isn’t working for me a glitter topper is always a great last minute back-up.

Back-up

This is a clear-based glitter topper with ultra fine silver holo glitter and small silver hexes. It's a pretty simple mix but I can see it being very versatile. Formula was excellent and just the right amount of glitter payoff. I used 1 coat over Mars.

Back-up

LoVe:
Named for the epic love saga of Logan and Veronica.

LoVe

This is a teal blue holo with a medium holo effect. This is another favourite for me, I love the colour and the formula is excellent. It went on so smooth and effortlessly. There is the possibility of staining with this one. I experienced some slight staining but after one shower, it was gone, so I would not be hesitant to wear this again. I used 3 coats.

LoVe

Pirate Points:
Neptune High is the home of the Pirates show your Pirate Pride with the school colors green, gold and black. Named for the school’s privilege program “Pirate Points” where extracurricular activities would earn you point to do things like getting food delivered at lunch.

Pirate Points

Another fun fact - my alma matter was also the pirates, so I'm sure they kept the mascot so they didn't have to remove the ginormous "Pirate" sign on the school building, lol! This is a green jelly with green shimmer. It has small black, gold and green glitter, with larger gold holo circle glitter. I'm as much of a fan of the larger glitter as they stick of the nail at times, but I like the colour. Formula wise, it was a bit tricky, prone to dragging and a bit sheer. I used 3 coats.

Pirate Points

Marshmallow:
When Veronica’s best friend Wallace first moves to Neptune he get’s to know her despite the harsh reputation she has gained around the school. Wallace fondly says “You’re a marshmallow Veronica Mars” and when the movie was released the tag line “She’s a marshmallow” accompanied a lot of advertising. Fans of the show are also affectionately referred to as Marshmallow’s by actress Kristen Bell.

Marshmallow

Marshmallow is a sheer white polish, with a silver shimmer and a rather sparse glitter mix of different white and iridescent glitter. The formula was good except I felt I had to do some fishing for the glitter. I applied 2 coats over China Glaze Sea Spray. 

Marshmallow

Final thoughts:

Overall, I think it's a nice collection for a brand new indie - there's a lot of variety and the polishes would be fun to fans of the show. My personal favourites are Persnicketier, LoVe, and Mars.

Availability:

This collection is available starting tomorrow, November 1st. The shop is not open now, but when it is, you can find it on Etsy Here. Right now the link goes to Leslee's profile. I recommend following Splendor on Facebook and Instagram.