Colors by Llarowe 'Shroom with a View

'Shroom with a View was released by Colorado-based indie polish maker Colors by Llarowe (CbL) as part of the Winter 2015 collection in November 2015. This is a true taupe creme holographic polish. The word taupe derives from the French noun "taupe," meaning mole (the critter). Originally referring to the average color of a French mole, taupe is now a somewhat vague term used to designate colors that reside in the spectrum between brown and grey, usually a brownish grey or a greyish brown. 

'Shroom with a View is definitely more of a greyish brown, with cool umber tones that are warmed by the particles of holographic pigment, which in low light read as a glowing gold within the base. The polish has that delicious Pointillist-like speckled appearance common to scattered holos, and in direct sun generates an exquisite prismatic flare that's something of a scattered/linear hybrid. There's an immediate explosion of pinpoint sparks in all of the rainbow colors mixed together, with an underlying linear display that you can see as you tilt your nail, shifting the orientation of the surface to the light source. In bright indirect light, the holographic effects give this sleek dark neutral a wonderfully dimensional glow of silvered greyish brown, a pale taupe if you will, accompanied by delicate shifting clouds of sparkle in in light blue, plum, red and gold, a bit of drama that only serves to enhance the beauty and native elegance of this polish.

Application was most agreeable. The consistency of 'Shroom with a View is on the thinner side (but not overly so... for my taste, it was perfect), light and smooth with a silky, self-leveling glide over the nail. It's quite user-friendly and easy to manipulate with CbL's flattened flexible brush without running or pooling. Pigmentation is very good, with even opaque coverage in two coats. An unfortunate incident required an extra coat for me, but I didn't notice that it deepened the color or otherwise altered the appearance. Cleanup is easy and straightforward with almost no pigment travel and no residual staining (despite what you may notice in the photos). 'Shroom with a View dries naturally in very good time to a smooth shiny finish. Topcoat does not appear to inhibit the holographic effects in any way.

Photos show three coats of 'Shroom with a View over treatment and basecoat with a topcoat of Seche Vite.

Colors by Llarowe 'Shroom with a View

Colors by Llarowe 'Shroom with a View

Colors by Llarowe 'Shroom with a View

Colors by Llarowe 'Shroom with a View

Colors by Llarowe 'Shroom with a View

Colors by Llarowe 'Shroom with a View

Colors by Llarowe 'Shroom with a View

Colors by Llarowe 'Shroom with a View

Colors by Llarowe 'Shroom with a View

Colors by Llarowe 'Shroom with a View

Colors by Llarowe 'Shroom with a View

Colors by Llarowe 'Shroom with a View

This is a perfect umber-based taupe and the holographic properties light it up so beautifully, softening the edgy quality of the color and creating that plush, velvety dimensionality that I love in a creme holo. Those tiny speckles of color just send me! The sun was out earlier today but a bank of clouds rolled in before I was able to take advantage of it. So I wasn't able to capture the fullest prismatic display, but the pyrotechnic multi-colored sparkle that shows up in direct sun is awesome. 

To me, the interaction between color and holo pigments that you get with a creme base produce the most interesting and beautiful of all holographic effects. I never tire of seeing them!


Although this is the only polish from CbL's Winter 2015 collection that I've purchased so far, I have a feeling that it isn't the last. CbL spree? Why, yes. Don't mind if I do.

ttyl,
Liz