Indigo Bananas Volcanic Corruption

We're experiencing as much of the impact of hurricane Joaquin as we're gonna get as I type this, so two caveats are in order. First, the light sucks! Even in person I had to go down and flip on the halogens in the kitchen to get a good read on the color of this polish. Hopefully the sky will have brightened up some by the time I'm ready to take pictures. Second, the low barometric pressure that is part and parcel of such a storm works as a powerful mood lifter for me -- yay! -- and makes me somewhat yappy and euphoric. So if I start going on and on and on in this post, take it with a grain of salt.

Volcanic Corruption was released by California-based indie polish maker Indigo Bananas as part of the Fall 2015 Holos collection in August this year. Every polish I've tried from this collection has been fabulous but this one may well be my very favorite. It's a medium-dark persimmon-toned red linear holo -- a brilliant, rich, resplendent embodiment of red so profoundly and archetypically autumnal that I was rendered just about speechless as I viewed it under the bright halogens in the kitchen.

As with its stablemate Synonym Bun, the appearance of the color and holographic effects of this polish alter somewhat with the application of topcoat, but to a lesser degree. The holo in Volcanic Corruption is less outwardly prismatic and more internalized generally than the other Fall 2015 Holos I've tried, including Synonym Bun, and reads more as kind of a sparkling dimensionality than the typical prismatic response. But that doesn't make the polish any less spectacular or impactful! 

Application was nothing less than transporting, a nirvana-like bliss undoubtedly generated in concert by my hurricane-induced euphoria and the fantastic formula of the polish in equal measure. The consistency of Volcanic Corruption is quite fluid but not runny, light and silky smooth with an effortless, self-leveling slip over the nail. Such a lovely formulation, thinner than some but possessed of a wonderfully balanced viscosity for painting and completely obliging in every way, just a joy to work with. Pigmentation is very good with wearable coverage in two medium coats. As there is a touch of translucence to the formula, I used three coats to achieve the most even opacity and depth of color I could, and I found the color significantly fuller and richer at three coats. Given the intensity of the color I was a little apprehensive about cleanup but it went very well, really! Some pigment travel as you might expect but overall this cleans up without too much fuss. Volcanic Corruption dries naturally in very good time to a smooth, shiny finish. Topcoat seems only to enhance everything I love about this polish, so of course I think it's a good thing, but be aware that it does slightly transform the appearance of the color and the nature of the holographic properties.

Photos show three coats of Volcanic Corruption over treatment and basecoat with a topcoat of Seche Vite.

Indigo Bananas Volcanic Corruption

Indigo Bananas Volcanic Corruption

Indigo Bananas Volcanic Corruption

Indigo Bananas Volcanic Corruption

Indigo Bananas Volcanic Corruption

Indigo Bananas Volcanic Corruption

Indigo Bananas Volcanic Corruption

Indigo Bananas Volcanic Corruption

Indigo Bananas Volcanic Corruption

Indigo Bananas Volcanic Corruption

Indigo Bananas Volcanic Corruption

Indigo Bananas Volcanic Corruption

So my photos turned out ok, as you can see, but the color is slightly warmer and more substantial in person. It has powerful orange undertones that enrich the red tremendously, reminding me of the reds that you see in handwoven oriental carpets. There's plenty of bright pink to this shade as well, but it doesn't inform the coloring in the same robust way that the orange does. It's like, if you took all the brilliant reds, oranges and pinks, the flame colors of fall, if you took them in their most saturated variations and distilled them into one shade, it would be the color of Volcanic Corruption. The essence of autumnal imagery: foliage, spices, gourds, what-have-you. This is IT! It's the brightest, most vivid and intense red holo that I've yet experienced. 

Highly recommended!

love,
Liz