Illyrian Polish Winter is Coming

Winter is Coming was released in January this year by Texas-based indie polish maker Illyrian Polish as the namesake polish for the Winter is Coming collection, inspired by Game of Thrones. The jelly base is a gorgeous deep smoky sapphire or dark blue-grey. It bears mass quantities of silver holographic microglitters and microflake shimmers and, most especially, iridescent electric blue microflake shimmers with a purple shift. These bright blue microflakes read in analogous shades ranging to cerulean and indigo, and give the base enough of a cerulean lean in natural light that it takes on the appearance of a midnight blue, while the holographic glitters and shimmers produce abundant prismatic sparkle across the nail.

Application was pretty good! The consistency of Winter is Coming is fluid and light, with a thin-to-medium viscosity and a fluent glide over the nail. This is a fast-drying polish that remains easily workable on the nail just about as long as it takes to cover it using the three stroke technique. After that it begins to set up and surface dry, so you don't get much time to finesse the application. Glitter payoff is very good, and the components go on smoothly until the polish begins to dry, when additional strokes of the brush will provoke some tumbling. Pigmentation is excellent for a jelly, with the components doing their bit to help provide wearable opacity in two medium coats. I added a third thin coat for the photos, and tip-wrapped once in between coats to prevent any sheerness there. Cleanup is fairly straightforward. I did mine as I went along since glitters and flakes remove easiest when the polish is still wet. Winter is Coming dries naturally in very good time to a gently textured finish -- not gritty, just kind of pebbly -- mostly smoothed with a generous layer of topcoat. 

Photos show three coats of Winter is Coming over Pretty Serious Rock On treatment and Pretty Serious All Your Base basecoat with a liberal topcoat of Seche Vite.

Illyrian Polish Winter is Coming

Illyrian Polish Winter is Coming

Illyrian Polish Winter is Coming

Illyrian Polish Winter is Coming

Illyrian Polish Winter is Coming

Illyrian Polish Winter is Coming

Illyrian Polish Winter is Coming

Illyrian Polish Winter is Coming

Illyrian Polish Winter is Coming

Illyrian Polish Winter is Coming

Illyrian Polish Winter is Coming

Illyrian Polish Winter is Coming

Despite its name and inspiration, this polish is not sinister. It's gorgeous, with an overt cerulean glow and loads of dynamic lightplay from the holographic bits that looks just like a night sky full of twinkling stars. But just so you don't go away without a little Game of Thrones spooky spectral smack, I found this dude to share....

I think he's from Season 2. If you notice, his eyes are almost the exact color of those iridescent electric blue microflakes. Think that's a coincidence? Me neither.

ttyl,
Liz