Looking for Ultra Chrome Chameleons (UCCs)?

Eventually I'll have to update my duochrome/chameleon suppliers list(s) because a lot has changed in my absence but I have a few new things to add that are too much fun to wait. Like just about everyone else in the nail polish world I find myself captivated by all the color shifting flakes that are now available for purchase; if you want to go the easy route and buy the pre-made stuff, tons of great indie makers are happy to oblige you but if you're a bit like me and want to do it yourself, suppliers are more limited. I found all the current sellers during my research and I'm sharing them with you here.

First, my all time favorite for a host of reasons: Glitter Unique.
At Glitter Unique, you'll find the more normal color shifting pigments, the super-intense Ultra Chrome Chameleon pigments, Crystal Chameleon flakes and the Ultra Chrome Chameleon flakes that are in all those indie polishes. Prices are both competitive and reasonable. Most of the UCCs are sold by the gram which is fine for personal use but if you're into making larger batches, Glitter Unique can supply that too.

The next store would be Spectraflair4u. I remember having a few conversations with the owner via email back when she first opened the store but I've never bought anything from there so I can't share any personal experience, and surprisingly, Google doesn't retrieve many results for "Spectraflair4u" so many I can help bring more attention to the store with this.
At Spectraflair4u you can buy "normal" chameleon pigments, Chromaflair, Ultra Chameleon Chrome pigments, Ultra Chameleon Chrome flakes. Selection, prices and quantities are all very good.

Solar Color Dust sells similar products under a different name. I've not purchased any of these either but I have bought their other pigments and glitters (review and swatches on my blog) so I have all good things to say about the company. As I said, you can find the "normal" chameleon pigments- Two Color, Three Color, Four Color and the Ghost Series, "Super" Chameleon pigments (comparitive to the UCCs, I'd say) and "Super" Chameleon flakes (also looking like UCCs). Selection, prices and quantities are all very good.

Coming next is a store on etsy called ColorCraze2000. ColorCraze has a small selection of Chameleon pigments and some colors of Ultra Chrome Chameleon flakes. Also worth keeping an eye on.

The last store I have for you is Didspade. I haven't bought much from Didspade but I did recently pick up 1 gram samples of their "SuperShift" Pearls, a more concentrated color shifting pigment not unlike the UCCs. They also sell an assortment of other regular color shifting pigments, the C series, CX series, Epic, Space and Twisted series.

For those of you interested, most of these stores also sell SpectraFlair or an alternative to it.

I'm still working on my comparison list of prices/colors (there's really a lot to sort through) so stay tuned for that, I'll post it when I'm done -MK

Glitter Swatches

Oh, I know that everything on this blog is out of date and in some cases, I have dead links as stores and their inventory have changed. To be truthful, I haven't the inclination to spend the endless hours required to fix those things (or to even write entries for my other blog). I'm so out of the loop and the hobby, I have little idea what has been going on in the polish world; I haven't even bought a bottle of nail polish in quite a bit over a year. The exception is, I still come here regularly to check the Blog List for everyone else's interesting posts.

I am here now to share with you a few links to photo albums (swatches) I have posted on Facebook, the reason being that I've been on a glitter buying spree lately and wanted to share color photos for the glitters from Glitter Unique, TKB Trading, Glitter Hippo (sister company to Solar Color Dust), and The Crafts Outlet. I bought everything for crafts but all the glitters except those from The Crafts Outlet are supposed to be solvent resistant which makes them worth perusing. Album links below.

New (to me) Glitter Unique glitters
TKB Trading: Solvent Resistant Glitters
Glitter Hippo Glitters
The Crafts Outlet Glitters (currently on sale)

-MK

Glitter Unique- New Items, Solar Color Dust Sale

This entry will include a couple things but I'm going to start with the news that I am most excited about- a new item from one of my favorite stores, Glitter Unique.

For those of you that follow the Glitter Unique Facebook page, this is not news but since I didn't until yesterday, when I want to know what's new, I go directly to the Glitter Unique website and what did I find recently added to the already amazing inventory? Fantasy Series Effect Flakes and I can't wait to get my hands on some!

There are four flakes listed now- Rainbow, Blue, Pink and Green, all priced the same. A 1 teaspoon sample is $3.00, the 1/2 oz. is $9.50 and the 1 oz. is $17.

The description included on all for has this to say:
Fantasy Effect Flakes distinguish themselves by their extraordinary sparkling effects and glamorous look. Their performance is outstanding in respect to high transparency, maximum sparkle, color purity, exceptional clarity and outstanding luster.
Unlike our other glass flakes which have a frosty/shimmer look to them due to the wide range of particle sizes ranging from a powder to a visible 'flake', the Fantasy Effect Flakes have a particle range form 450-670 microns, creating clean, clear iridescent flakes.

I've never used these flakes but I've got a few of the other effect flakes including the Rainbow Pearl Flakes which are beautiful in color but diminished by their size and I can imagine the larger size of the Fantasy Series lets that color shine through.


Solar Color Dust, the store I purchased my last set of chameleon pigments from, is having a sale, as much as 50% off on selected items. A lot of already affordable glitters are marked down. For the record, not all of the chameleons are included.

-MK

Solar Color Dust Swatches Part 2

This is part 2 to my review of Solar Color Dust's Chameleon pigments I purchased in January. This will be another long post full of pictures covering the remaining 11- the pigments on paper, dry on finger tips ala TKB Trading, and finally, the polishes swatched on black nails and white nails, photographed many times to capture the color shift- the right lighting made a lot of difference for that.

The pigments you'll see today are: Gold/Blue Violet (603), Blue/Green (611), Red/Green (592), Red/Blue Green (606), Cyan/Blue/Purple/Red (599), Orange/Blue (609), Violet/Blue Green (612), Red/Blue Violet (610), Blue/Purple/Red/Orange (600), Orange Yellow/Violet Blue (601), Indigo/Purple/Red/Orange (596).

Here's your teaser pic again. Although you cannot see all those numbers, the nail sticks are in numerical order from right to left.

As a reminder, the numbers in parentheses correspond to that number polish in my franken book and are there because the pigment names are far too long to write on any label.

Two more shots:

The picture below is of the pigments on paper- captured on double-sided tape and sealed with another piece of transparent tape. Unlike just looking at pigment dry, this has the effect of smoothing the surface and bringing out interference colors. This set was photographed with a combination of Ottlite and daylight.

I like finger shots, its always interesting to see how different pigments look in dry form but the color play doesn't always display well this way. This time the pigments are not in number order but in a loose color order, as much of one as is possible anyway.

Gold/Kelly/Green/Blue (595) & Blue Violet/Olive (607) seen in Part 1... and Gold/Blue Violet (603) and Blue/Green (611) 

Red/Green (592), Red/Blue Green (606), Cyan/Blue/Purple/Red (599), Orange/Blue (609) 

Violet/Blue Green (612), Red/Blue Violet (610), Blue/Purple/Red/Orange (600), Orange Yellow/Violet Blue (601)

Indigo/Purple/Red/Orange (596)

The bottle shot of the last 11 pigments used in polish.

Here the polishes are done over a white (closer to a natural color, really). You can see these are quite pigmented and look different over white, particularly striking are the colored powders. Photographed under the Ottlite & partial daylight.

Red/Blue Violet (610), Violet/Blue Green (612), Orange/Blue (609), Cyan/Blue/Purple/Red (599), Red/Blue Green (606), Red/Green (592)

Blue/Green (611), Gold/Blue Violet (603), Indigo/Purple/Red/Orange (596), Orange Yellow/Violet Blue (601), Blue/Purple/Red/Orange (600)

Because the angle you view a duochrome changes the color, I also photographed them in pairs, a more direct perspective.

Gold/Blue Violet (603) & Blue/Green (611)

Red/Green (592) & Red/Blue Green (606)

Cyan/Blue/Purple/Red (599) & Orange/Blue (609). The bumps in 609 are a reflection of my painting and apparently, a not-quite-clean bottle... or I dropped it while wet, also entirely possible.

Violet/Blue Green (612) & Red/Blue Violet (610)

Blue/Purple/Red/Orange (600) & Orange Yellow/Violet Blue (601) 

Indigo/Purple/Red/Orange (596)

But of course, as is true with most duochromes, the real beauty comes out when they are layered over black. First I'll show you a side shot of each pigment and after, composition shots to show off the color transition. Individual pictures here photographed in daylight, pairs with a combination of Ottlite and daylight.

Gold/Blue Violet (603)

Blue/Green (611)

611 & 603 

Red/Green (592)

Red/Blue Green (606)

592 & 606

Cyan/Blue/Purple/Red (599)

Orange/Blue (609)

599 & 609

Violet/Blue Green (612)

Red/Blue Violet (610)

612 & 610

Blue/Purple/Red/Orange (600)

Orange Yellow/Violet Blue (601) 

600 & 601

Indigo/Purple/Red/Orange (596)

596, photographed alone again but under the same lighting as the other side-angle pairs above.

Just like Part 1, the composition photos are broken into 4 columns for each set of nails- there was enough color variation depending on the lighting used that I included them all; it wouldn't really be an accurate presentation without including them all. Each comp has 4 columns, each column is one type of lighting. I can't remember the exact lighting for the first column, I didn't leave myself a note but it was afternoon. Column 2 is a combination of Ottlite and daylight. Column 3 is afternoon daylight. Column 4 is night time and under the Ottlite.

Gold/Blue Violet (603) & Blue/Green (611)

Red/Green (592) & Red/Blue Green (606)

Cyan/Blue/Purple/Red (599) & Orange/Blue (609)

Violet/Blue Green (612) & Red/Blue Violet (610) 

Blue/Purple/Red/Orange (600) & Orange Yellow/Violet Blue (601) 

Indigo/Purple/Red/Orange (596)

I haven't yet tried to mix these pigments up with other colors so that they don't have to be layered over black and without diminishing the color transition but I assume it's possible.

If you haven't already, check out Solar Color Dust Chameleons: Part 1. -MK

Solar Color Dust Swatches Part 1

The store review for Solar Color Dust was posted without nail swatches so it wouldn't be loaded with pictures but with 21 pigments, I make no such promises for this entry, even with it split in half. I have for you today lots of pictures of 10 of the chameleons from Solar Color Dust-  the pigments on paper, dry on finger tips ala TKB Trading, and finally, the polishes swatched on black nails and white nails, photographed many times to capture the color shift- the right lighting made a lot of difference for that.

Call this your teaser picture. 21 different colors of duochrome, damn near every color in the rainbow and many in combinations I didn't have before. Although you cannot see all those numbers, the nail sticks are in numerical order from right to left.

For today, I'll be covering Olive/Red (Pearl) (594), Fantasy Chameleon (593), Olive/Violet (605), Mauve/Red/Orange/Yellow (598), Red/Orange/Yellow/Kelly (597), Olive/Red (608), Blue Green/Orange Yellow (602), Blue/Yellow (604), Gold/Kelly/Green/Blue (595) and Blue Violet/Olive (607). The numbers in parentheses correspond to that number polish in my franken book and are there because the pigment names are far too long to write on any label.

Two more shots:

The picture below is of the pigments on paper- captured on double-sided tape and sealed with another piece of transparent tape. Unlike just looking at pigment dry, this has the effect of smoothing the surface and bringing out interference colors. This set was photographed with a combination of Ottlite and daylight.

Like other times I have tried to photograph color shifting pigments dry on my fingers, the color shift doesn't play well, especially the white ones but that's ok here,  I just like to show pigments in all their forms. This time the pigments are not in number order but in a loose color order, as much of one as is possible anyway.

Olive/Red (Pearl) (594), Fantasy Chameleon (593), Olive/Violet (605), Mauve/Red/Orange/Yellow (598)

Red/Orange/Yellow/Kelly (597), Olive/Red (608), Blue Green/Orange Yellow (602), Blue/Yellow (604) 

Gold/Kelly/Green/Blue (595), Blue Violet/Olive (607)... and Gold/Blue Violet (603 and Blue/Green (611) which you'll see more of in the next post.

The requisite bottle shot.

I do the nails on both black and white (closer to a natural color, really) but because the colored powders are quite pigmented and look different over white, I have the over-white nails below. Photographed under the Ottlite & partial daylight.

All over white, photographed under the Ottlite & partial daylight.

All over white. Left to right: Olive/Red (608), Red/Orange/Yellow/Kelly (597), Mauve/Red/Orange/Yellow (598), Olive/Violet (605), Fantasy Chameleon red/green) (593), Olive/Red (Pearl) (594)

Blue Violet/Olive (607), Gold/Kelly/Green/Blue (595), Blue/Yellow (604), Blue Green/Orange Yellow (602)

Because the angle you view a duochrome changes the color, I also photographed them in pairs, a more direct perspective.

Olive/Red (Pearl) (594) and Fantasy Chameleon (red/green) (593)

Mauve/Red/Orange/Yellow (598) and Olive/Violet (605)

Red/Orange/Yellow/Kelly (597) and Olive/Red (608)

Blue Green/Orange Yellow (602) and Blue/Yellow (604)

Gold/Kelly/Green/Blue (595) and Blue Violet/Olive (607)

But of course, as is true with most duochromes, the real beauty comes out when they are layered over black. First I'll show you a side shot of each pigment and after, composition shots to show off the color transition. Individual pictures here photographed in daylight, pairs with a combination of Ottlite and daylight.

Fantasy (red/green) (593)

Olive/Red (Pearl) (594)

594 & 593

Olive/Violet (605)

Mauve/Red/Orange/Yellow (598)

605 & 598

Red/Orange/Yellow/Kelly (597)

Olive/Red (608)

597 & 608

Blue Green/Orange Yellow (602)

Blue/Yellow (604)

602 & 604

Gold/Kelly/Green/Blue (595)

Blue Violet/Olive (607)

595 & 607

The composition photos are ever so slightly more complicated- I found so much color variation depending on the lighting I used, I didn't feel this would be an accurate presentation without including them all. I have photographed them in pairs again to save some space in this post and each comp picture has 4 columns, each column is one type of lighting. Honestly, I don't recall the exact lighting for the first column, I didn't leave myself a note but it was afternoon. Column 2 is a combination of Ottlite and daylight. Column 3 is afternoon daylight. Column 4 is night time and under the Ottlite.

Olive/Red (Pearl) (594), Fantasy Chameleon (593)

Olive/Violet (605), Mauve/Red/Orange/Yellow (598)

Red/Orange/Yellow/Kelly (597), Olive/Red (608)

Blue Green/Orange Yellow (602), Blue/Yellow (604)

Gold/Kelly/Green/Blue (595) and Blue Violet/Olive (607)

Ok, so that's it for today. If you haven't already, check out Solar Color Dust Chameleons: Part 2 -MK