ILNP Clockwork

Clockwork was released by boutique polish maker I Love Nail Polish (ILNP) as part of the Fall 2015 collection at the beginning of this month. This is a warm version of First Class from the same collection, and is also part of ILNP's Precious Metals line up of polishes. Creator Barbra classifies Clockwork as a bronze, and describes it as an "assortment of metallic flakes coupled with a range of holographic particles, all dipped in a silky beige base."

I'm not a gold person. I don't wear gold jewelry and I avoid gold nail polish. But ILNP has a way of making gold very wearable for me, and Clockwork is a perfect example of this. I see it a pale gold, something along the lines of a foily metallic desert sand or champagne color. The metallic flakes have a silvery gold reflectivity, creating a scintillating foily finish. In bright indirect light, the holographic particles produce beautiful nuancing to the base color in shades of palest violet, ash grey and misty rose, and generate a fine linear prismatic display in direct sun that shades to a taupey nude around the edges of the nail. Clockwork has a stunning gleam under low and incandescent light, with minute shifting sparkles that travel over the nail according to the orientation of light. It's a look that reminds me of silk chiffon lame in a silvery champagne color, exquisitely glamorous with a delicate quality that's airy and graceful and elegant. 

Application was great! The consistency of Clockwork is fluid, light and smooth with a creamy kind of glide over the nail and very good self-leveling properties. As I've mentioned, all of the formulas from the Fall 2015 collection share the same beautifully-crafted, eminently paintable, user-friendly qualities. So impressive! I can't offer a single caveat to the application of any of them, Clockwork included. Pigmentation here is largely accomplished by the abundance and reflectivity of the metallic flakes, which yield completely even opaque coverage in two coats. Cleanup is similar to First Class, which is to say that you'll want to have as little of it to do as possible. I did my best to produce a clean manicure with Clockwork, but still ended up chasing down rogue metallic flakes that disperse around the nail at the touch of acetone. Clockwork dries naturally in very good time to a silky smooth, shiny finish. 

Photos show two coats of Clockwork over treatment and basecoat with a topcoat of Seche Vite.

ILNP Clockwork

ILNP Clockwork

ILNP Clockwork

ILNP Clockwork

ILNP Clockwork

ILNP Clockwork

ILNP Clockwork

ILNP Clockwork

ILNP Clockwork

ILNP Clockwork

ILNP Clockwork

ILNP Clockwork

ILNP Clockwork

ILNP Clockwork

ILNP Clockwork

ILNP Clockwork

I was blown away by this polish. After I applied it, I sat for several minutes simply admiring its beauty. It's one of those polishes where the look in the bottle in no way prepares you for the splendor that is revealed on the nail. Although semi-metallic, there's an inherent softness to its glow and a light-footed, fluent sparkle that is exceptionally graceful and feminine.

This is the last polish I have for you from my ILNP Fall 2015 pre-order. I hope that you've enjoyed seeing them here. If I overlooked one that you'd recommend, please feel free to leave a comment and tell me so!

love,
Liz