Hi, everyone! Today I am very, very excited to be sharing the first half of the His Dark Materials collection by Daphine Polish with you! This collection of eight polishes is inspired by a trilogy by Philip Pullman that includes The Golden Compass, The Subtle Knife, and The Amber Spyglass. I think this collection has some really gorgeous polishes that will appeal to fans and strangers of the trilogy alike.
Admittedly, I am not familiar with this series, but I go absolutely nuts for literary-inspired collections, (anyone remember my "BUY ALL THE HUNGER GAMES POLISH" days?) and Joanne of Daphine Polish was kind enough to send me an amazingly detailed write up of the collection, inspiration for each polish, and quotes from the books to accompany them, so I will be borrowing heavily from her summary. I also watched the movie version of the first book, but won't even pretend that this makes me an expert on the series!
In the words of Joanne: "To quickly summarize these books, they tell the coming-of-age adventures of Lyra Belacqua, an ordinary orphan from Oxford who turns out to be the most important person in not just her universe, but in all universes. This collection mainly draws on The Golden Compass and The Subtle Knife for inspiration." For reference, I have denoted all text written by Joanne in underlined text.
Now, on to the swatches!
Polishes provided for review.
Sky Armor is a shimmering sky blue crelly polish with blue micro-flakies. These photos show two coats with topcoat. Application was even and smooth, and I was surprised to find that such a light color only required two coats for full opacity.
This polish is inspired by a character in the series named Iorek Byrnison, an armored bear. Lyra helps him recover his armor, which was taken from him by the people of the town. Iorek pledges himself to Lyra’s cause and becomes her champion, and Lyra’s wits help Iorek become king of the bears.
“‘My armor is made of sky iron, made for me. A bear’s armor is his soul, just as your dæmon is your soul. You might as well take him away’ — indicating Pantalaimon — ‘and replace him with a doll full of sawdust. That is the difference.”
The Golden Compass
Silvertongue is a silver-blue chrome polish with scattered holo microglitter. Photos show two coats with topcoat. The rainbow holo effect was much more evident in person! Formula for this one was great as well. As you can see, the result includes some visible brushstrokes, but no more than I ordinarily experience with chrome polishes.
This polish is inspired by Lyra Belacqua, who is called Lyra Silvertongue by Iorek Byrnison. As The Golden Compass opens we meet Lyra, a somewhat uncouth girl raised by scholars and servants, allowed to run wild in the streets and on the rooftops. She is brave and full of fight, willing to go off into the wild North to save her friend Roger from the Gobblers.
“‘You tricked Iofur Raknison?’
‘Yes. I made him agree that he’d fight you instead of just killing you straight off like an outcast, and the winner would be king of the bears. I had to do that because—’
‘Belacqua? No. You are Lyra Silvertongue,’ he said.”
The Golden Compass
Close up shots of this polish also captured more of the holo sparkle!!
Gyptian Longboat is a dusty purple crelly polish with gold and green micro-flakie shimmer inspired by sun and moss glistening in murky waters. This is my favorite polish from the collection! Photos show two coats plus top coat. Again, formula and application were flawless, and I was so pleased to see full opacity with just two coats.
This polish is inspired by Ma Costa, the leader of a gyptian family, who was Lyra’s nurse as an infant. She and other gypitans have been secretly watching out for Lyra on behalf of the king of the gyptians, John Faa. The gyptians are a nomadic people, living in longboats. They call the Fens of East Anglia home, but travel around Brytain through canals and rivers, making their livelihoods through trade.
“In the long narrow cabin, by the light of a lantern on a hook, she saw a stout powerful woman with gray hair, sitting at a table with a paper.”
The Golden Compass
Cittàgazze is a clear-based glitter topper with over 15 colors of small square, hex, circle, and micro glitters. These photos show one (one!!) dabbed coat over Gyptian Longboat. This is such a lovely and dynamic glitter topper! Each stroke grabbed a nice variety of glitters, no fishing required.
Loosely translated from Italian, Cittàgazze means “City of the Magpies.” This polish is inspired by the city of Cittàgazze and the colors of the Italian Mediterranean.
“...these were tall palms, and they were growing, like the trees in Oxford, in a row along the grass. But this was the center of a broad boulevard, and at the side of the boulevard was a line of cafes and small shops, all brightly lit, all open, and all utterly silent and empty beneath a sky thick with stars. The hot night was laden with the scent of flowers and with the salt smell of the sea.”
The Subtle Knife
Because I can't just leave a glitter topper alone, the next two photos show the same combination shown above topped with a single coat of Sally Hansen Big Matte Topcoat. I think this really highlights the microglitters in the base!
This collection will be available in the Daphine Polish Etsy shop next Friday, June 6th. Be sure to check out Daphine Polish at the links below for details and updates!
Check back later this week for the second half of the collection!
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