La Isla del Encanto or Isle of Enchantment is a name commonly used to refer to the island of Puerto Rico. We are a small island, but fiercely proud of our people and our culture. I moved away in 2015 due to the economic crisis the island currently faces, in order to find better jobs and better education for my kids. But I miss the island everyday. I wanted to create a collection inspired by things and places that are important to me. I know most of you won't know what the names for each polish means, so I'm going to include some reference pictures and explain a bit of what was the source of inspiration, along with swatches and a description. Remember, this is not an unbiased review since I made them, I obviously think they work great.
All swatches are over a base of Moonflower Polish Dia and Noche, and 1 coat on the ring finger, topped with Out the Door. I used a variety of plates and the Bundle Monster XL Silicone stamper. These do work with clear stampers, I'll show you the pic of that at the end.
Flor de Maga (Maga Flower)
The Maga flower is known as the Puerto Rican Hibiscus. It is our national flower and not a hibiscus at all. It’s actually a completely different species. It's one of my favorite flowers.
The polish is a red metallic with gold/purple/pink color shifting shimmer and rose gold micro flakes. For the swatches I used Infinity Nails 104 from Dashica Beauty.
Atardecer en el Morro (Sunset at El Morro)
El Morro is the short name for the Castillo de San Felipe del Morro, which is a 16th century citadel right on the entrance to San Juan Harbor. It sits on a large hill overlooking the bay on one side, and the Atlantic Ocean on the other. It's one of my favorite spots on the island. You get an amazing view of the sun as it sets over the bay. When my husband and I were still dating, we loved getting there just in time to see the sunset and then go hit our usual hang out spots in Old San Juan. He proposed to me during one of those dates, right on the hill, at sunset. First pic is what the area looks like during the bay, 2nd pic is at sunset.
The polish is a metallic orange with pink/purple/orange color shifting shimmer and gold micro flakes. For the swatches I used the BM-XL212 plate from Bundle Monster.
One of our national treasures. It has 3 main mountain peaks, the most famous one also called El Yunque. It towers over the landscape and is visible from almost anywhere on the northeastern coast. You can even see it as your plane circles around to make a landing, a green mountain, it's top so high it's usually covered in clouds. It was considered a sacred place by our indigenous people, the Taino. The color was inspired by this picture I took on a trail near the top of one of the mountain peaks.
The polish is a dark metallic green with green-gold-purple-blue color shifting shimmer and green-gold micro flakes. For the swatches I used Bundle Monster plate BM-XL352.
Mar Caribe (Caribbean Sea)
The Caribbean Sea borders PR to the south. The southern beaches tend to have white sands and sparkling aqua water, different from the beaches to the north that face the Atlantic. For this color I was inspired specifically by a small beach that’s found right at the entrance of the Dry Forest in the town of Guanica on the southwest shore of the island. I don’t know what the official name for the beach is, but it has some of the clearest and warmest water I’ve ever seen. First pic is a really old pic I took more than a decade ago at that beach, pic is below is a different beach on the island but you can see the color accurately.
The polish is a metallic aqua with green-purple color shifting shimmer and gold-green-blue micro flakes. For the swatches I used Bundle Monster plate BM-XL352.
The Caribbean Sea borders PR to the south. The southern beaches tend to have white sands and sparkling aqua water, different from the beaches to the north that face the Atlantic. For this color I was inspired specifically by a small beach that’s found right at the entrance of the Dry Forest in the town of Guanica on the southwest shore of the island. I don’t know what the official name for the beach is, but it has some of the clearest and warmest water I’ve ever seen. First pic is a really old pic I took more than a decade ago at that beach, pic is below is a different beach on the island but you can see the color accurately.
The polish is a metallic aqua with green-purple color shifting shimmer and gold-green-blue micro flakes. For the swatches I used Bundle Monster plate BM-XL352.
While San Juan is the actual capital of PR, Old San Juan refers to the small island right on the bay (connected by a bridge to the mainland) where the Spanish built their 2nd settlement and eventually a city. (The 1st was farther inland, away from fresh water and in a swamp...not so great). The old colonial streets are covered in blue cobblestones that were originally brought in the Spanish ships as ballast. Time has aged and faded a lot of them, but some of them still retain their darker indigo color. Pic is a shot of the cobblestones at night.
The polish is a metallic indigo with purple shimmer and indigo/purple/red color shifting micro flakes. For the swatches I used Lina Nail Art Supplies License to be Sexy 01 plate.
Orchids are super common in PR, some are native and others have been brought over from places like Hawaii. This colors was specifically inspired by the orchids my mom has growing in her terrace or porch as they call them here in FL. Pic from my mom's FB photos.
The polish is a metallic violet with indigo/purple/red shimmer and purple-blue micro flakes. For the swatches I used Bundle Monster BM-XL356. Swatches show the color a bit more blue leaning than real life.
Hurricanes are a basic fact of life in the Caribbean. The word for hurricane comes from the Taino word Hurakán which was the name for the storm god. I don’t have a picture for this one, but the specific colors for this polish, the dark gray with purple and a slight greenish tone comes from an experience I had in 1998 during Hurricane Georges, which was one of the worst storms to strike the island. The storm as so massive, that it had a well defined eye a few miles across. It passed over my hometown during the day, and it was so obvious that we actually went outside for a few minutes. The winds completely died down and the sun shone through, and when we looked to the east we saw a massive wall of clouds, dark gray and ominous, with lightning flashes in green. Then the wind started to pick up and we hurried back inside. I'll never forget it.
The
polish is purple-y gray base with red/green/blue/purple color shifting
shimmer and dark violet micro flakes. For the swatches I used Lina Nail
Art Supplies License to be Sexy 01 plate.
Cavernas del Rio Camuy (Camuy River Caverns)
The Camuy River is a river on the north shore of the island, that has
our largest and most complex cavern system. It's a gorgeous place to
visit, with guided tours down into one of the most accessible caverns
and you can also go spelunking or diving for the most experienced
visitors. Pictures of this one are from a trip I took with the hubs back
when I was still in college, please enjoy my super blurry more than a
decade old digital pics.
The polish is a bronzy/brown with gold microflakes and gold shimmer. For
the swatches I used Lina Nail Art Supplies License to be Sexy 01.
Yeesh, I used that plate a lot I know. It's got super pretty lace images
on it though.
Personally, I think you get a better pick up with a soft silicone stamper but since I know a lot of you guys prefer clear stampers, well...they do work.
The Isla del Encanto Summer 2017 Collection will be available starting on Friday June 23rd at 9 am EST. Full size polishes are $70 for the set, $9 each. Minis are $38 for the set, $5 each. You can find these at www.moonflowerpolish.com. While you're there, please check out my other collections and I even moved my destash over there! Don't forget to follow me on social media to stay up to date with the latest
info regarding restocks and new releases! Find Moonflower Polish on IG @moonflowerpolish (and don't forget to use #moonflowerpolish so I can repost your pics). On FB: @moonflowerpolish and the fan group Painted Moonflowers. I even have a Pinterest account (which I keep forgetting to update).
These polishes are all beautiful and really fit their inspiration. Just lovely.
ReplyDeleteI'm amazed at how crisp this shimmers stamp!
ReplyDeleteI love that you've made a point to create stamping polish that looks great over light and dark colors. These all look like polishes I would enjoy using.
ReplyDeleteThis is an amazing collection! I hope Im able to pick up a few.
ReplyDelete