Anything "Duochrome" or "Chameleon" can also be found using the tag "Color Shifting"

Updates & Notices

Warning: This blog and some info within is out of date. The date of any updates are usually noted at the top of each page/entry. As of 1/08/20, all pages have had dead links removed/repaired as well as 2010 entries and 2011 Jan-July.

Sunday, June 26, 2016

Blog Updates 6/26-7/1/16

This was actually created on June 26, 2016 but since this stands as my most recent post, I'll amend it to include updates through today, July 1, 2016

I've tried to be a busy gal around here and get some things done. The following pages have been updated with current inventory, prices and categories, dead links removed and in some cases, new stores added.
Pigment Suppliers
Glitter Suppliers
Franken Polish Supply Stores
Matte Glitter Suppliers -Updated as of 6/27/16
SpectraFlair or Something Like It - Updated as of 6/29/16

Suspension Base Suppliers has been updated- prices and selections current, new sources for international customers and dead links removed.

Automotive Suppliers has also been updated somewhat. The stores are left as well as what type of item they sell but the prices have been removed since there are usually better, lower priced products from the cosmetic suppliers.

The entry, Chameleon Pigment Suppliers, has been reformatted, put in a table for neatness and a few new pigments added to the stores that have them, then turned into a page and had some more new inventory added from SpectraFlair4u and ColorCraze2000 as of 7/1/16

For those of you that access them, I hope they are helpful and lead you to something new and inspiring. Thanks for taking the time to visit and stay tuned for further updates. -MK

Wednesday, June 1, 2016

Didspade SuperShift Pearls & Store Review


Didspade [Custom Paint Additives] sells all the things you’d expect from a company geared towards the automotive industry- metal flakes, pearl pigments, candy concentrates and of course color shifting pigments which is what earned them a spot on my resource list(s) but as with a lot of the companies I add, I’d never purchased anything so I had no personal experiences or products to share with you before now. While I’ll be showing you some of the Super Shift pearls specifically, below is a general review of the available products:
·        Metal Flake -ranging in size from .004” up to .025”
·        SuperShift™ Pearls
·        ColorShift Pearls particle sizes from 10-60um up to 100-250um
·        Pearls
·        Candy Concentrate
·        Halo EFX Gallons
·        Sprayers
·        Sample Packs
·        Liquid Wrap Products
·        Gear and Stickers

I’m stubborn so I try to avoid buying pigments that are so expensive, you buy them by the gram rather than by the ounce or half ounce- but I can only resist so long; most of the good ones are sold per gram so if you want to expand your collection of color shifting pretties, you’re just going to pay more (but just because you have to pay a little more doesn't mean you can't still pay the least possible). Providing I counted right, Didspade sells a whopping 38 different color shifting pigments, from the fine particle size C Series to the more sparkly, larger sized Epic Series, there’s bound to be something to suit just about every preference. Reasonably priced, you can get 5 grams (or more if you so choose) which is plenty, enough to make a simple pigment+base bottle of nail polish, or two, and still have some left to experiment with. I only own a single one of these, C4, so I can’t say how they’d compare to colors from other stores.

All the ColorShift Pearls are priced the same, 25 grams for $28.99 or "5 gram samples" for $5.80- only $1.16 per gram.

C1                Yellow/Blue/Purple/Green
C2                Greenish-Yellow/Blue/Purple
C3                Purple/Orange/Yellow/Blue
C4 *             Copper/Yellow/Gold/Green/Blue
C5                Red/Green/Blue/Purple
C6                Purple/Blue/Green
C7                Green/Gold/Purple/Blue
C8                Red/Orange/Green/Purple
C9                Red/Orange/Green/Pink
C10              Orange/Red/Gold/Green
C11              Lavender/Blue/Purple/Orange
C12              Red/Bluish-Green
C13              Yellow/Green/Purple/Blue
C14              Red/Green/Purple
                   
CX Series     30-120um      
CX 30                    Blue-Green
CX 31                    Gold-Green-Blue
CX 32                    Purple-Violet-Reddish Gold
CX 33                    Reddish Purple-Yellow Gold
CX 34                    Royal Blue-Purple
CX 35                    Aqua-Green-Gold
CX 36                    Purple-Navy Blue-Green
CX 37                    Red-Purple-Blue
CX 38                    Rose-Golden Orange
CX 39                    Orange-Gold-Rose
CX 40                    Gold-Green
CX Kingpin           Gold-Orange-Red
CX Superstition     Maroon-Plum-Blue-Orange-Gold
                   
Epic Series 100-250um  
Paris            Blues-Purples-Reds
Dynasty       Blues-Purples-Greens
Atlantis        Aquas-Greens-Golds
Sparta          Golds-Reds
                   
Twisted Series 15-45um  
Delta            Purple-Blue-Red
Immortal      Maroon-Plum-Blue-Orange-Gold
Riddler         Green-Purple-Blue         
                   
Space Series 10-60um     
Ecliptic                  Green-Blue-Gold-Purple
Flare                      Red-Pink-Purple-Orange-Gold
Gravity                  Burgundy-Teal-Purple-Blue
Ion                         Red Purple-Violet-Blue-Orange
                   
This brings us to the real purpose of the review, Didspade’s line of SuperShift Pearls. These are pricier than the other color shifters that Didspade offers, 5 gram sample for $34.75 ($6.95/g) versus $1.16 per gram for the above, but I believe they are worth the price. The description reads: "Ultra high grade, intensely vivid color-shifting pearls- Top-of-the-line most dynamic shifts & richest colors available." and that has proven to be true for me.

Didspade didn’t release these all at one time so I acquired Nitron, Elixir, Invictus, Solis and Zionic at the beginning of April and the last 4- Dorado, Wildfire, Vibe and Lithium- about a week ago so some photos are in two sets and under different lighting. I did find these to be impressive regardless of whether they were layered over black, might even prefer them not layered, because it doesn’t take an extreme change in angle or lighting to display the color shift (and a few even remind me of the old Sally Hansen Nail Prisms). I'm sorry, no manicured nail pics here, anyone that knows me knows I rarely paint my nails but I will get nail stick photos posted soon. Didspade themselves provided plenty of better photographs on their website for individual colors so please consider mine secondary, added input. No trick photography here, just them doing the wonderful thing they do.

Nitron          
Elixer               
Invictus            
Solis                 

As soon as you open the package, still in their little bags, you can tell these are not your standard color shifters because not a single one is a white, orange or pink colored powder. I was perfectly content to stare at them in my hand and watch the color change initially.





In pairs:










Side bottle shots



Front view:


And individual bottle shots side by side with their bags.

Dorado



Elixir



Invictus



Lithium



Nitron



Solis



Vibe



Wildfire



Zionic



After letting my pictures speak for themselves, here's my conclusion:

It was a pleasant shopping experience and I had no reservations placing a second and third order- each one was nicely packed in a bubble mailer and shipped in a reasonable time frame from Arizona to Kentucky and I’ve been happy with what I’ve received. The shipping price however is worth noting- on my 1st order of 5 grams total, I paid $8.99 for shipping whereas on my 2nd and 3rd orders, both of which were 4 grams total, I was charged $3.49 to ship each. I don’t know what the reasoning for the price difference is and I haven’t asked but that means you can order 4 grams twice and still pay less in shipping than for one 5 gram shipment. Also, if you do order 5 grams or more, you may have to sign for your package when it arrives, not an issue as long as someone is at home.

Didspade gets a A for customer service as well as their products. I've only contacted them once on an unrelated matter but they responded pretty quick, quick enough to satisfy me and I have relatively little patience sometimes. Ok, most the time.

Based on the color intensity,  I might compare the SuperShift Pearls to the better known Ultra Chrome Chameleon (or Ultra Chameleon Chrome or UCCs), also highly concentrated color shifting pigment(s) that is sold by Glitter Unique and SpectraFlair4u- or the “Super Chameleon” pigments sold by Solar Color Dust. I don't own any of those either, for the record. 

Price per gram, Didspade's SuperShift Pearls are a slightly more affordable and satisfying alternative and you really should give them a chance. -MK