Colors by Llarowe The Mighty Red Baron

The Mighty Red Baron was released by indie polish maker Colors by Llarowe, aka Leah Ann Llarowe, purveyor of unique polishes from around the globe, as part of the Spring Frenzy 2014 collection this past March. It's officially described as a "deep vampy scattered red holo," and that it is but mere words do no justice to this voluptuous dimensional crimson beauty. It's like scarlet, crimson and vermilion all got into a transmogrifier and out came The Mighty Red Baron. Deep and saturated enough to swallow it's own prismatic capacity, this gorgeous polish reveals its holographic pigments mostly as nuancing to the rich red of the base, producing a sumptuous velvety dimensionality that defies description. Brightening in the center and along the axis of light and darkening to a deep blood-colored burgundy along the edges of the nail, this red has a chromatic geography that will knock your socks off.

Application was great. The consistency of The Mighty Red Baron is fluid, creamy and dense, with a luscious slip over the nail and excellent self-leveling properties. Pigmentation is fantastic. This polish is a one coater, but try to stop at one coat! It's so lovely to paint with that you can't help but do two. Plus you'll want that extra coat to be sure you're taking advantage of all the color and opulence this polish has to offer. Cleanup is fairly easy, just take care not to overload your cleanup brush with acetone or remover as flooding can leave trace staining at the cuticle and along the edges of the nail. The Mighty Red Baron dries naturally in good time to a smooth, slightly flat finish that loves a nice glossy topcoat to make the most of it's pigmentation and holographic qualities.

I took over 70 pics of this polish trying to capture images that would give a decent representation of how very delicious and decadent it is in person. The Mighty Red Baron shows itself most beautifully in very bright indirect light with as little shadow as possible, and my lightbox bathroom didn't make the best kind of scenario, even with direct sun pouring in through the skylight. Photos show two coats of The Mighty Red Baron over treatment and basecoat with a topcoat of Seche Vite (complete with bubbles, although the saturated color of this polish is such that they are less noticeable than usual).

Colors by Llarowe The Mighty Red Baron

Colors by Llarowe The Mighty Red Baron

Colors by Llarowe The Mighty Red Baron

Colors by Llarowe The Mighty Red Baron

Colors by Llarowe The Mighty Red Baron

Colors by Llarowe The Mighty Red Baron

Colors by Llarowe The Mighty Red Baron

Colors by Llarowe The Mighty Red Baron

Colors by Llarowe The Mighty Red Baron

Colors by Llarowe The Mighty Red Baron

Colors by Llarowe The Mighty Red Baron

Colors by Llarowe The Mighty Red Baron

Colors by Llarowe The Mighty Red Baron

I don't know if there's much more I can say other than this polish has won my heart and mind completely. It's undoubtedly the sexiest polish I own. If you're in the market for a truly remarkable red (and who isn't, really?), I'm not sure you could do better than to hie on over to Llarowe and grab a bottle of The Mighty Red Baron while it's still available. If any nail polish could be called a must have, this is one of them.

love,
Liz