ILNP Chocolate Slate
Chocolate Slate was released a month ago by Nevada-based indie polish maker I Love Nail Polish (ILNP) as part of the Fall 2016 collection. It is officially described as a chocolate brown holo with hints of auburn and microflake shimmers in gold, yellow gold and copper. On the nail, those fine auburn/red shimmers tend to read as varying degrees of berry and purple within the base (with a shift to gold in certain lights), which is a walnutty, raw umbery sort of brown, kind of like the traditional Japanese kobicha or brown-nose, maybe a hair or two lighter. The tiny metallic microflake shimmers gleam brightly as light passes over them, a lovely touch, and with the color-shifting shimmers help to give this polish a coppery flash under incandescent light. In the sun, there's a slightly dispersed holographic flare with an arc of bright prismatic sparkle framing a lick of glistening, semi-metallic silvery purple.
Application was great! The consistency of Chocolate Slate is fluid, light and smooth with a thin-to-medium viscosity and a fluent, silky, self-leveling slip over the nail that is a pleasure to finesse with ILNP's compact flattened-style brush. Pigmentation is very good, a little sheer and streaky on the first coat but builds easily to wearably opaque coverage after two coats. I added a third for a slightly plumper look and to ensure most even opacity. Cleanup is easy. Chocolate Slate dries naturally in very good time to a smooth, shiny finish.
Photos show three coats of Chocolate Slate over KBShimmer Love You Strong Time treatment and Pretty Serious All Your Base basecoat with a topcoat of Seche Vite.
 |
| ILNP Chocolate Slate |
 |
| ILNP Chocolate Slate |
 |
| ILNP Chocolate Slate |
 |
| ILNP Chocolate Slate |
 |
| ILNP Chocolate Slate |
 |
| ILNP Chocolate Slate |
 |
| ILNP Chocolate Slate |
 |
| ILNP Chocolate Slate |
 |
| ILNP Chocolate Slate |
 |
| ILNP Chocolate Slate |
 |
| ILNP Chocolate Slate |
 |
| ILNP Chocolate Slate |
 |
| ILNP Chocolate Slate |
 |
| ILNP Chocolate Slate |
This polish surprised me. In the photos I've seen of it, mine included, the reddish shimmers really give it a purple look. In person, the appearance is more strongly brown, with glints and faint misty clouds of berried purple that float within the base and give it depth. It's quite sleek and luxurious on the nail, with tiny twinkles of light from those metallic microflake shimmers, almost a glistening effect. Nice!
xo,
Liz
Wow, what a beauty! It seems to have a lot of dimension and personality. Your photos of it are outstanding!
ReplyDeleteI like that you have included the name of your treatment and basecoat again. It was something I had gotten used to seeing and missed when not included. I don't use any treatment on my nails but I do like to see what people are using. I do use a basecoat, always, but, again, like to see what people are using. I also always use UNT peel off so I can easily remove/peel off a mani the next day.
Thanks, Lara!
DeleteI've got a bottle of that UNT peel off basecoat! But I haven't used it yet, I was waiting for the day when I do a post on Cirque XX -- with a regular basecoat, that size of glitter is impossible to remove without tinfoil. Does your manicure stay on with that UNT basecoat, like can you wash your hands and such? And how difficult is it to peel off? Inquiring minds!
Different people have different reactions to UNT. Some claim it doesn't help at all. Others say it pops off the polish within hours, if not minutes. So... I can only say how it acts on my body chemistry! I use it on ALL my manis anymore. Frankly, I don't understand why more bloggers don't use it - it would cut down on acetone use. I do a pass over my nails with acetone afterward just to clean up any laggards and clean up but feel I am not bathing in acetone anymore.
DeleteI try to put down a thin layer. I find a thicker layer on me will encourage popoffs - but usually not for hours. I find my two index nails are especially bad about this. I seem to use those fingers more than more, it seems. I then let it dry completely, going into the livingroom to watch TV or get on Internet. I then put on a base coat. And let dry as much as I can stand, time-wise!
I do occasionally have popoffs that evening. I don't think washing hands affects it so much, though. Since it will popoff my two fingers that get the most contact with things, it seems to be wear-related, for me. Occasionally, it will be the next day when a popoff will occur. Mostly, though, they stay until I am ready to release them from the nails. But I only like a polish on nails for one day. I very rarely like a polish enough to let it stay longer. (Not that I won't ever use it again, but a day is about all I can generate that 'Ooooo, pretty' reaction to a mani, and, with SO MANY polishes, I have the luxury of being able to change my mani look frequently!)
If I don't let it dry totally, I find that when I lift it off, there is a bit of a stringy / stretchy bit you can see. I don't think it dries fully if polish or base is put on top of it if you don't allow it to dry (which may be why more bloggers don't use it, time and scheduling being a thing for bloggers!) It sort of looks like a very much lighter without the sticky mess Rubber Cement. If dried, I don't see this.
To remove, I use an orange stick. I just nudge it under a corner to start the lift and run the stick under the polish. I have a couple of patches on a few nails at the free edge. I have to be more careful around them. The polish does come off but I go slower and am more deliberate.
DeleteSometimes, a small sliver of polish will remain on a nail or two. It is always around the edge. I think that those are places where I got too enthusiastic in the cleanup-with-acetone department. The acetone must either remove or disrupt the peel off factor. However, this never happens on the whole nail edge, just a small area. Or maybe I am missing those areas with the peel off? I don't think so, but, hey, who knows! Anyway, it is so VERY satisfying to lift off each sheet of polish from your nails in one piece! Sometimes, they will even pop off after I nudge the sides. LOL, I even hate throwing them away! I think I remember reading about someone who keeps her in a jar. Hahah!
I got UNT because I was tired of dealing with glitter removal- and aren't we all! As I was removing a crème mani, though, I decided to use it for all my manis - I really dislike the idea of all that acetone on my nails. I am totally satisfied with it - I wouldn't do a mani without it now. The only way I would is if I was going on a trip and wanted to be sure to keep a mani on for over a day or two. It fits my body chemistry wonderfully. I have read some comments from women who have had less pleasant experiences with it. Either it doesn't peel at all for them, or it only comes off in chips and small pieces. All I can say is that I feel fortunate that it works so nicely for me. I do get an occasional popoff in the same day but I don't get bent out of shape about it. If I am going out that night, I just apply a clear or topcoat and stick it back on - I treat it like a nail gem or ornament! And, frankly, we don't go out at night much. If I have a same day popoff, I already know I will be removing the polish the next day, so, again, no bending out of shape! In a more whimisical mood, I treat it as an accent nail. Hahah! But same day popoffs don't happen very much for me. They are more prone for the next day. And, again, I will removing polish anyway.
Hahah, I was at the grocery store after polishing and drying. At checkout, I was unloading my cart and eventually noticed a naked nail. The polish had popped off from all the dinging, lol. I have heard you mention going to the gym. Hmm, you might have a popoff!
Something I think I have noticed. If I have just a few thin layers of base, 2 thin coats of crème and topcoat, UNT is less likely to popoff. These are the sheets that are pliable and easily bend when removed. However, if you have a thick and rigid mani, like glitter or texture with layers of smoothing topcoat, UNT might popoff more readily. Might have to investigate that!
Since you have a bottle, use it - don't wait for glitternails! And when you do use the XX, you could experiment and put different coats - thick and thin - on to see if it makes any difference! I have you have a good experience - it has sure made my mani life more pleasant!
Thank you so much for all those careful details, Lara! These are exactly the kinds of things I had wondered about. The next time we have a cloudy day I will use the UNT for that Cirque XX manicure. Thanks again!
Delete