Nubar Gold Leaf

One of the best things about Fall is the changing colors of the leaves. It's like one big showcase of Mother Nature's fashion looks. One day she's sporting greens. Next you see her in oranges and reds. Then some earthy browns are thrown into the mix. With a gorgeous blue sky as the backdrop, this kaleidoscope of colors can be so much awe-inspiring.

A quick look outside reminded me that I had a polish in my stash that mimics Fall colors so well that I can't believe I haven't reached for it since the season officially started!

Isn't that just gorgeous?

The Quick Take

Brand/Name: Nubar Gold Leaf
Color: Warm toned bronze-y gold with red and brown duochrome
Formula: Color shifting from its base color of a burgundy/brown with warm toned gold shimmer.
Finish: Shimmer
Price: $7.49 USD for 15mL
Seen at: Fernanda's Beauty Supply, bynubar.com
Note(s): Nubar is a bit tricky to find in Canada. There are a bunch of online stores but the only mortar and brick store I know of is Fernanda's in Mississauga.


The Fun Facts

It looks much darker in the bottle. Or could just be the lighting.

Serial at the base.

Good sized brush that easily fans out for easy application.

Look at that gorgeousness! Notice how it's reddish around the edges.

 Without the flash, you see more of a reddish brown.
(Excuse that green part at the bottom. It's the reflection off of my shirt. @_@)

Nubar is best known for their multi/duochrome nail polish. At least, that's my personal experience. I first heard of the brand because of all the other bloggers raving about how amazing their duochromes are. As a sucker for multi-anything, I knew I had to get my hands on these.

Gold Leaf is one of those lesser known duochrome colors and I just don't understand why. It's a gorgeous warm toned gold, almost bronze, that shifts to reddish brown in different lights and angles. This is a really strong duochrome but the colors blend together seamlessly that it's a more subtle shift. Just move your hands a bit and you can clearly see that shift in color. Fair warning, you might find yourself unconsciously moving your hands about throughout the day while staring at that awesome color shift. That'll explain the odd looks.

The shimmer on this really makes this polish glow. It has that lit from within look that is intensified in the sun. The finish isn't as shiny though so it can definitely use some top coat lovin'.
***All nail swatches were done with Nail Tek II Foundation Base Coat and two coats of Nubar Gold Leaf unless stated.

Natural light/No top coat/No flash

Full on, it looks more bronze/gold.

Natural light/No top coat/Flash

See the darker edges showing more burgundy/brown?

Sunlight/No top coat/No flash

Glow-y!

The Nubar brush is one of my favorites. It's just so foolproof and easy to use. It's just the right length so it's not hard to maneuver and the handle's shape makes it ergonomic. The brush is also on the thicker side so that you get maximum coverage when you fan it out but not so much that it is still easy to get into corners and edges. The only way they could make it better is if they make the handle rubberized, really. The consistency is definitely Goldilocks approved. Not too watery and not too thick. It goes on streaky on the first coat but builds up nicely, leveling itself as it dries. I have to say that for a duochrome, which are notoriously sheer, this one is one of the more opaque of the bunch. Complete opacity is achieved in two coats so dry time is quick. I'd say 3 minutes and it was dry to the touch.

Natural light/Top coat/No flash

*swoon*

Natural light/Top coat/Flash

Hammie says: It looks like Fall leaves!

Sunlight/Top coat/No Flash

Hammie sings: "The autumn leaves drift by my window..."

With top coat, it just glows. The flash photos show the shift best with the darkened edges that look more maroon/burgundy brown.


The Lowdown

This is a unique color as I haven't seen anything that looks quite like it. Nubar Stardust has that gold to red shift too, but that's where all similarities end. Gold Leaf has a depth to it that Stardust lacks, as well as that lit from within quality.

Since I got my bottle with a great deal (buy 6 get 1 free!), the total price came out to $4.50 CDN for 15mL of polish. That's a really great deal considering that it's a duochrome at that! Availability might be an issue though, as you can only get this from certain beauty supply distributors or directly from the Nubar website so shipping might be expensive unless you can find an actual store close by. I do love how pretty and unique this polish is, so I think finding any means possible to own this beauty is very much justified. How can you not like how well it imitates autumn leaves and their changing colors from yellow to red to brown?

Hammie can't fault Gold Leaf for being a little hard to find. After all, the best things are usually worth the trouble to get them. The spot on opacity and duochrome nature of the polish definitely gets it two thumbs up! Hammie's official score?

10 Hammie Points!

Are you a fan of multi/duochromes? What's the best thing about Autumn? Can you look at falling leaves and appreciate their beauty without thinking about how you'll have to spend the weekend raking them?