Happy Monday, guys! I hope everyone is having a fabulous long weekend. I took advantage of the sales today and went shopping with my mother-in-law. My girls racked up and I only managed to get myself a shirt. I didn't even go into Ulta to look at polish since my good friend Blanca (IG @lacquermeup) and I are on a competitive no-buy at the moment. We've both nearly cracked, but I got this! I keep telling myself I have hundreds of untrieds to keep me occupied but it's just too tempting with all these sales. I tried explaning to a coworker recently why Blanca and I are constantly buying indie polishes, that most brands only make a certain amount and once they're gone, they're gone. Civilians just don't get it, though. ;)
The polishes I have on the blog today come from Novel Nail Polish. Creator Monica Cantu is a school librarian and bases her collections on the books she's read and comes across during her day job. I was lucky enough to get to swatch her Game of Thrones collection, ten gorgeous thermals. This was my first experience with thermals and I can now say I'm a huge fan! If you're wanting the look of a gradient without all the work, you should definitely try a thermal. It's pretty cool looking down at your hands throughout the day and seeing what transistion your nails might be in. I alternate being hot and cold in my office at work so it was fun seeing the changes.
First up is Eyes of Wight, inspired by the terrifyingly glowing blue eyes of the white walkers. This is the perfect shade of light blue when warm, and turns to a darker teal color when cold, and as you can see here it glows in the dark. This was also my first time with a GITD polish and it caught me off guard that night as I was going to bed! This dries with a slightly gritty texture but is stunning with topcoat, with gorgeous silver shimmer.
Next is Children of the Forest, a nude color when warm that changes to a taupe shade when cold. This is full of hex glitters in perfectly complimentary shades like gold, brown, and teal green colors. I needed two coats of polish which dried matte and topped this off with two coats of topcoat.
This is Daggers in the Dark, a pewter color when warm that changes to a lovely light plum color when cold. I absolutely fell in love with this polish. It dries to a brushed metallic finish and looks amazing with topcoat. I used two coats of the polish.
Next in line is Not Today, from one of my favorite lines of the series. I love the depth of this polish, which has a ton of tiny sparkle that I could not capture. A macro lens is definitely next in line for me! When warm, this is a very sheer shade that includes black glitters, and micro glitters in shades of brown, gray, and black. I love it most when it's cold and becomes a black color but you still get all the gorgeous glitters.
This next polish, Hands of Gold are Always Cold, is a perfect fall shade of...gold! When warm, it's a lovely gold metallic shade that becomes a darker broze color when cold. Two coats needed for full opacity and topcoat needed to smooth it out.
Winds of Winter is a light blue color when warm, that changes to a darker shade of blue, almost periwinkle. I did need two coats of topcoat to smooth down the larger glitters as these seemed to curl very slightly.
Summerhall's Shadow is a light blue/grey when warm that becomes lavender when cold. This is similar to Eyes of Wight, and dries with a shimmery finish. Two coats of polish and a coat of topcoat.
This one is my absolute favorite! This is Dark and Full of Terrors, a bright berry red when warm, that goes to a deep blood red, almost black when cold. This is a gorgeous jelly full of red and black glitters. This one has the most dramatic transition and I didn't want to take it off! I needed two coats of polish and two coats of topcoat to smooth it out.
I really liked the look of this one in both states. This is The North Remembers, a sheer shimmery nude when warm that becomes a pretty bright red when cold. Please excuse my stained nails, which you can really see here. I considered using an undie but I actually liked the affect the shimmer had on my nails. This is two coats of polish and one coat of topcoat.
For the grand finale, I have Dragons Trump Everything. This one is quite different from the rest of the collection, with the amount of glitters in all shapes and sizes. As you can see, the warm state is a very sheer light purple, made up of BEAUTIFUL irridescent shimmer that turns a bright red toned purple when cold. The glitters in this one include shades of purple, pink and silver in different shapes of hex, square, circles and stars. I did have to fish a little for the stars but they were easy enough to retrieve.
Overall, this is an amazing collection of thermals. The quality of these are amazing and I had no issues with application. I love the range of transistions, from subtle to dramatic. I enjoyed the GOT references and I'm so ready for the next season! Be sure to follow Novel Nail Polish on Instagram (@novelnailpolish) and visit her Etsy shop for pricing and availability.
