Swatch Post: Polished by KPT "Dichromate"

Hey, everyone!

Today I'll be sharing some swatches with you of the very first indie polish I ever owned! Keep reading to find out more!

For those of you who don't know, I'm a science nerd. I graduated this last Spring with a BS in Chemistry, I collect antique chemistry textbooks, and I love pretty much all things chemistry related. So when I came across the science-inspired polishes by Polished by KPT a little less than a year ago, I knew I just had to get this one! 

Dichromate is from Polished by KPT's "The Transition Elements Volume 1" collection. Transition metals are usually vivid in color, and the bright orange ion dichromate is honestly one of my favorites! Is it weird that I have a favorite ion? Oh well, I like it anyway!

Dichromate (the polish, that is) is as a bright green-leaning yellow when warm, and a beautiful coppery orange when cold. With the addition of some gold/yellow shimmer, this polish is one of my all-time favorites in my collection!

The formula of this polish is quite smooth, although a bit sheer. All of my pictures are with three thin coats plus top coat, and even in its warm state you can still see my nail line a bit. But honestly I don't care because this polish is just so gorgeous!

Okay, time for a quick science lesson! Thermochromic compounds, or "thermals" as referred to by many in the nail polish community, are super cool. The word "thermochromic" comes from the Greek words "thermo" (meaning "heat") and "chromic" ("color"). So literally, the word means that the color is affected by heat. I actually wrote a whole paper about thermochromic patents and such in my capstone chemistry class before I graduated! Essentially what happens is that when heat is applied to certain ions, their structure changes and they absorb different wavelengths of light, which causes them to appear to us as a different color. Stuff like that just fascinates me!!!

Here's some cool transition photos for you to enjoy as well! I love the natural gradient effect that thermochromic polishes can achieve! Also, because I've been playing with my black light flashlight more, I discovered that Dichromate is UV reactive! It's absolutely blinding in the black light!

If you're interested in buying a bottle of Dichromate, you can check out Polished by KPT's shop on Harlow & Co here. What do you guys think of this polish? Let me know below! Thanks for stopping by!