Dance Legend Sword Of Mercy

 purchased by me 

There's a special kind of frustration when a breathtakingly gorgeous polish isn't as impressive in photos.  Sword Of Mercy is as frustrating as it is beautiful.  Chrome finish polishes are almost always more impressive in person because of the way they reflect what's around them.  You never know quite when they'll look their best.  I think that moment this time around was when I was about to get out of the car a couple of nights ago.  Sword Of Mercy caught the dome light and another light at the same time and spun them into this magic.  It's a bit grainy because of the low light, but that photo does more justice to the beauty of actually wearing this polish than any of the photos I took at home for this post.  It happens.  Keep in mind as you read this review that it's even better in person.

Sword Of Mercy is a gunmetal chrome.

The Steel collection came out last summer and I'd been eyeing Sword Of Mercy since then.  It found its way into my cart when I ordered several of the Aquarelle tints from Llarowe, along with NY NY.  I don't know why it took me so long to wear it.  Now that I have...well...I might need a second bottle.  I love it that much.  I don't ever want to run out or stop using it because the fill line is dropping.  Mini bottles like this make me extra nervous.  A gunmetal chrome is something I've wanted for years.  Chromes tend to be such bright, soft colors, which can be a little dismaying when you prefer darker stuff.  It's not as reflective as OPI Push And Shove or the Sally Hansen Color Foil shades, but it makes up for that in depth of color.  It's almost black at the edges.  There's also something else going on, subtly.  Every once in a while there's a tiny speck of red, green, blue, whatever.  It makes me wonder if there's a touch of holo pigment.  This is two coats, by the way.  No undies needed, and it doesn't need the coddling that more reflective chromes do.  It goes on like "normal" polish.  I did use slightly thicker coats to reduce brushstroking, but otherwise it was easy to apply.

I wore Sword Of Mercy for a couple of days and wanted to play with it a bit before taking it off.  Stamping's my go-to thing, but I seem to be in a slump lately.  I used Sally Hansen Platinum Star and the new-ish BM-706.  Kinda...meh...isn't it?  I should have used a bolder image.

Bottom line: I caught myself wishing that the Steel collection had come out this year so that I could include Sword Of Mercy in my Best of 2015 post in December....or that I'd bought it last year.  Instant favorite.  Good formula , high shine, and bold color.  Pure win.

...unfortunately it's out of stock on Llarowe right now and Dance Legend's site is on hiatus for at least another couple of weeks.  Sorry!  It's a must-have though.  You need it.

 all products in this post were purchased by me