Work Appropriate: Serum No 5 Starlight

I've got another work appropriate color for you today, Serum No 5's Starlight. This glow in the dark polish holds a hidden surprise that's revealed once the lights go off!

I had been eying Starlight ever since I bought Highlight, which is another neutral polish from the same collection. (I just realized that I need to wear Highlight again because I need to blog about it - it's one of my fave work polishes!) I was really hoping that Starlight was the pink version of Highlight and was honestly kind of disappointed when I applied it.

The formula is nice, very thin, but that doesn't impact application any. I used two thin coats for this mani, but I'm rocking some serious nubs so the visible nail line isn't that noticeable. Being a glow in the dark, I was expecting some grittiness to it, but the texture on this one is extreme. My other GITDs aren't nearly as crunchy as this one. I love me some textured polishes, but there's something about this one that rubs me the wrong way - I think it might be because it's not quite textured enough to be a full-on textured polish or maybe because it just looks lumpy and unsmooth on the nail.

The color is lovely; it's a very pale ballerina pink that is dainty and girly and perfect for the office...if it weren't for that darned grittiness! It also has a very, very subtle silver shimmer to it, but that kind of gets lost in the lumpiness.

Now you might be thinking that this polish is a no-go based on my less than glowing review (pun intended, teehee); however, once you get this baby in the dark it's a whole other story! I was so absolutely "meh" about it in the light but all of those negative feelings went away as soon as I charged it up and saw it in the dark. It's like a glowing galaxy of awesome. Starlight has a pretty purple glow with vibrant white "stars" that glow across the nail. It's incredible how there's a glow within a glow.

Of course, the purple, starry glow doesn't last a long time, but it's wonderful while it does. It's kind of like the fleeting magic of a shooting star, which almost makes you appreciate its splendor that much more. The purple glow fades to a regular, yellow glow that does linger around for a few hours. Either my camera or my photography skills leave much to be desired because I cannot capture the beauty of this polish in the dark at all. So to make up for it, I drew you a picture of what Starlight looks when it glows in the dark.

Don't worry, I won't be quitting my day job to become an artist any time soon. But the bottom line with this polish is: if you can stand a mediocre daytime polish it definitely makes up for it at night!

-twp