HARE Polish Bisbee 2.0 nail polish review

So, I have a confession. Last weekend, I painted my own nails for the first time in over a year. For a blog practically founded on a passion for all things polish, this was not ideal. However, if ever there was a polish that was going to get me out of my lacquer blues, it was going to be HARE Polish Bisbee 2.0!

For those not on-board the indie nail polish train yet – come join us on a trip to wondrous faraway lands of glittery, multi-coloured uniqueness! These mysterious places may occasionally be hard to find, but that just makes reaching them all the more sweet… and such is the case with Bisbee, which I had lusted after for about four years before finally getting a taste of its turquoise-and-golden goodness.

Anyway, linguistic trips of lacquer-land fancy aside, indie nail polishes are those made by independently-owned and operated brands – often one-woman-bands mixing and creating formulas in their own kitchens, and taking nail polish to creative, innovative and breath-taking new places. Indie polishes are usually a lot more complex and unique than those from mass-market brands, especially in producing multi-coloured, multi-dimensional, multi-everything-really glitter shades that make the shelves of your average nail salon pale in comparison.

HARE Polish is the creation of Nikole Hanson, whose varnishes are all hand-blended and “3-Free” – and Bisbee is one of her very first serial stunners, almost a cult in the nail polish world in itself. And now I’ve tried it, I’m not sure how many ways there are to say it but… love, love, LOVE!

Bisbee 2.0 is a bright turquoise jelly studded with glistening gold treasures – a gold shimmer that runs throughout, plus various sizes of both square and hexagonal glitter that peek through the teal and take on almost glowing properties as a result. This is actually a revamp of Nikole’s original Bisbee, which was one of her first ever polishes and came sans the general gold shimmer (and the base teal on 2.0 looks a bit brighter too)… proving that sometimes, a remake can be better!

Bisbee is the first HARE Polish I have tried and I was pretty impressed with the formula. The glitter is suspended nicely throughout, meaning you don’t have to dig for the good stuff, and you get a great scattering of it with each swipe of the brush. The turquoise builds easily to full opacity and spreads well on the nail without flooding it, whilst I loved how the polish just seemed to grow more beautiful and interesting with each coat; I then added a final top coat of Seche Vite to make it all the more glossy and gorgeous.

Like its strangely cool, euphonious name (i.e. sounds pretty out loud; it was actually named after the turquoise and gold mines in Bisbee, Arizona), Bisbee is unusual, arresting, exciting… and exactly the kind of colour destined to bring back my nail polish mojo!

Looks good with: Four years of Internet lust
Drying time: 5 minutes
Coats required: 2
Chips: 3-5 days

HARE Polish Bisbee 2.0, The First Collection, $79.62, available from HARE Polish’s Etsy store here