It's indie maker spotlight time again! I asked Rachel, the mastermind behind Cinema Swatch Lacquers, to tell me about her line of film inspired indies and the current Hunger Games: Catching Fire collection!
How did you decide to start making polishes?
I needed something to do with my hands. I had just taken some time off from being a pastry chef, and working in food service for 10+ years doesn’t allow for polish of any kind. So I started playing with polish and doing nail art. That led me to the discovery of indie polish. I never knew before that it was possible to make your own polish, either from scratch or by mixing other colors. At the 200 bottle mark in my overall collection, I started saying to myself more and more: “I could make that.”
How did you come up with the name for your line?
The name for the line came at 3 am. I ran and got a notebook and just started scribbling things down on the paper. Luckily, it still made sense in the morning. I had made a Franken, and asked some friends to help me name it. Emerald City was thrown out, and the girl who said it is in love with the Wizard of Oz, book and movie, so I kind of channeled her obsession into a set of polishes. The idea of using my vast and kinda useless movie knowledge was exciting to me. After the name came, all the other ideas just poured out. Everything clicked. 3 am magic.
The Capital
Silver and holo micro glitters, hexes, and shards in a sheer, rosey pink. Ring finger is two coats on its own, all others are over a coat of Orly - Rage
What are your all-time favorite movies?
Top Five (in no order): The Money Pit, (the Care Bears were here!) Gone with the Wind, (I could watch it every week. Yes, all of it) Marie Antoinette, (Sophia Coppola extreme eye candy) National Lampoons Christmas Vacation, (where’s the Tylenol?) and The Court Jester (Danny Kaye, nuff said)
So far, both of the movie-inspired collections you've released were books first. Do you think it's important for people to read a book before seeing the movie?
I see the merits of reading books before/in place of seeing movies. It can be distressing when you love a book and its contents and don’t see that translated to the screen the way it played in your own mind. I try to keep my inspiration completely on the movies. Obviously with Catching Fire, I had the knowledge of the book, but have went with larger themes and things touched on specifically in the trailers and previews.
The second reason, and personal one, is because movies are a big part of my life. I started this line on August 10th, which would have been my dad’s 54th birthday. A lot of our rocky relationship centered around movies. My dad shared with me his feelings and loves through movies. He’d sit me down and say, you have to watch this. He had me watch Pink Floyd’s the Wall when I was 10. We then sat and talked about it for an hour afterward. He loved movies. Some of the best times were when we’d get to go to the video store with him and pick out movies from the new release wall, or something he really wanted us to see. The Toxic Avenger movies come to mind. Lol! No matter what awful thing was going on between us or what fight we got into, my dad and I could always sit down and watch a movie and appreciate it. I dedicated this business to his memory and hope to bring people a bit of joy with these little liquid nods to great films.
The Clock
A shifty, metallic blue with silver micro glitters. This is two coats on its own.
Another angle to show the shiftiness!!
What's your favorite thing about making polishes?
Translating all those quips and movie facts and still shots in my head into a medium. Its very fulfilling to look at a polish and say, that is it! That completely represents my head photos!
What is the hardest thing about making polishes?
Formulation. I don’t want to put out a polish that is goopy, runny, or makes you sad when you look at your hands. The ideas I jot down for pigments, glitters and such don’t always translate to a usable formula. This line was a bit challenging because color shift is a delicate thing. It won’t entertain a lot of other players. Always a learning experience!
What color polish would you design for Hunger
Games star Jennifer Lawrence?
I would go with a nude color. Something with a super fine shimmer to it. Pink and gold mix. Feminine, natural, a little blingy.
Revolution
A copper-toned metallic that shifts towards gold with red micro glitters! There's also some really pretty subtle scattered holo in this, but my camera failed at capturing it. Ring finger is three thin coats, all others are two coats over black.
This angle picks up the red tones better!
So far, one of your collections has been inspired by a classic movie, while the other is so new it's not even out yet! Do you see your collections being built around films from a variety of time periods, or do you have a particular focus in mind?
I can promise I will be all over the map. I see every era and genre as a creative pool to draw from. One thing I do try to be mindful of though, is if other indie makers have already tackled a particular movie. The last thing I want to do is try to do something someone else has already done. Expecto Patronum comes to mind. Yes, it’s only one polish from the Potter movies, but it’s a damn good one, and I have no interest in trying to outdo something like that. I always do a background check on my flicks before I confirm them so that to the best of my knowledge, I’m not redoing what another indie maker has done. Mainstreams are fair game, if you ask me. They can’t do what we do. Variety is the spice of life, and I hope to bring some well loved and even some somewhat unknown movie themes to the table.
Katniss - Feathers & Flames
Dreamy, iridescent micro glitters and hexes in a clear base. Shown over Essie - Marshmallow, (index) Essie - Blanc, (middle/ring) and Sinful Colors - Black on Black (ring/pinky)
If they were real, what would your Hunger Games strategy be?
I’d love to say I’d be the berzerker and just mow people down, but reality would be me hiding as well and as long as possible. I would only kill if provoked. I never saw the false security of the group tactic. Everyone knows there is only one winner. It seems foolish to entertain it. Time wasting, focus draining. I do not volunteer. LOL!
Are you team Peeta or team Gale?!
From a cinematic standpoint- I am Team Gale all the way. I mean come on, Peeta is kind of a wet noodle. I have a thing for the Hemsworth boys though. Bias.
PS - her packaging is so cute and detailed!
