I'm back! A little later than I thought, I stayed an extra day. I had a great time with my sis and bro-in-law and nephew and niece, the original inspiration for this blog. She's so grown up now! At twelve she's definitely more of a teen than a tween and something of a maverick, the only female trumpet player in her school's jazz band and an advocate for social justice. She and I watched some movies together, including Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, about which she astutely noted that the only actor of color was the villain, and Whiplash, which she loved for the music and but hated for J.K. Simmons' powerful portrayal of an abusive music director. While I was there, my nephew completed (much to his parents' relief) his application to George Mason University, his top choice for college next year. I can't believe my little (now the tallest in our family at 6'2") Noodle will graduate high school in 2017! Sis and bro-in-law are dealing well with two alternately sassy and morose teenagers in the house, I must say. They have a beautiful and inspiring partnership.
But about the nail polish, because that's why you're here, right? I wore only two polishes during my visit and loved them both so I'll feature them here starting right now with ILNP Caesar. Caesar was recently released by Nevada-based indie polish maker I Love Nail Polish (ILNP) as part of the New Year's 2016 collection, a series of six new additions to the brand's Ultra Metallics line. It's a dark murky olive color, considerably brightened by a luxurious, foily finish that's dusted with fine holographic pigment for some extra prismatic sparkle. Not that it needs it -- sparkle is a hallmark of the Ultra Metallics, which are formulated with ultra thin metallic flakes, here in gold. The pairing of the subdued olive color with the Ultra Metallic formula is incredibly successful, producing a rich, sophisticated, glamorous look that is alive with light play at all times.
Application was dreamy. The consistency of Caesar is fluid, full-bodied and smooth with a medium viscosity and a lush, buttery, self-leveling glide over the nail, a wonderful user-friendly formula that goes right where you put it and stays there. Pigmentation is very good, delivering completely even opaque coverage in two coats. Cleanup is fraught with escapee metallic flakes, which happily ensconce themselves about the nail environs, but no issues other than that. Caesar dries naturally in very good time to a silky smooth, reflective finish.
Photos show two coats of Caesar over basecoat with a topcoat of Seche Vite. Please pardon any gnarliness, my cuticles and fingertips are thoroughly put out after being ignored for a week.
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Although the base color is dark, Caesar is bright and gleaming on the nail with the luxurious twinkling sparkle that all of ILNP's Ultra Metallics have. They are true foils, these polishes, with that glorious, mosaic-like visual texture created by the tiny metallic flakes abutting one another. Caesar's deep muted olive green swimming with golden flakes seems to me a superb brassy neutral polish, and the holographic sparks are a wonderful indie touch.
I had this on for the latter half of my trip and it paired fabulously with the rusty red silk shirt and navy linen pants I wore on Christmas Eve and did equally well with a voluminous purple rayon top patterned in tie-dyed yellow, sea green, mauve and pale blue ginkgo leaves on Christmas day. I reckon it would be awesome with any outfit, actually. It has the kind of panache and sophistication that really dresses up a look!
love,
Liz
Your family sounds awesome :)
ReplyDeleteI almost bought Caesar but didn't as I have to be in the right mood for dirty olive golds. Your photos are almost making me regret it - it looks great on you - but I think I'm happy with the ILNP polishes I got in the end (The Harpist, Industrial Park, Mon Amour, Clever Girl).
Happy festive season and have a great new year! xxx
Thank you, lasoti! 2017 can't come fast enough, I am so ready to kick 2016 to the curb.
DeleteI get how you feel about this color, and it's true for me too. I'd initially put on the red, Stopping Traffic, but surprisingly it didn't feel right and I took it off. I tried Caesar next and was genuinely suprised at how successful it was once I had it on. It is much more beautiful and wearable than I was expecting, the perfect festive but neutral dark polish for the holiday. Loads of sparkle! It wears beautifully, too.
I'll have Varsity Jacket up tomorrow, and will feature the others I got from the Winter and New Year's collections over the next few days: Fir Coat, Victoria and Stopping Traffic.
I loved Industrial Park, so elegant. And Clever Girl, which I initially thought wasn't good with my skin tone, really grew on me as I wore it. A unique look, that one.
Happy New Year to you!
I really want to get my grabby little hands on Fir Coat but it was sold out on Rainbow Connection, bah!
Deletexxx
So soon? Wow!
DeleteSounds like you had a terrific time with your relatives, so good! The little ones always grow up faster than you can imagine.
ReplyDeleteI feel ya on the Stopping Traffic. That color/finish really calls for you being in the mood for it - something you probably wouldn't be up to for the whole visit. Even though it is sparkly and all, this polish looks very accommodating for whichever way you felt like going. Isn't it weird that a dirty olive gold can be considered almost a neutral.
Lara! Hello to you!
DeleteI'm working on a Stopping Traffic post today and am glad to say that I'm getting along with it splendidly -- perhaps because I'm more comfortable here in my familiar old hidey hole. Plus while I was up in Charlottesville I spent some time with my father for the first time in about twenty-five years and red was a little too much with all the feels that were going on. It's so interesting how sensitive we are to color and the kind of impact it can have. That red told me that I was not nearly as brave and emotionally non-recursive as I expected!
Hahah, I am the same way! In general, when I am going to visit people I know, I wear more sedate colors. I usually just do not want the attention that a red brings. And if I will be away from my comfy station/home, I don't want to have to even think about changing colors. Having so many polishes already is a source of comment among my friends/family, except for my husband - his attitude is that his hobby is a lot more expensive! If requested, I will bring polishes I think they will like and they do like me to polish their nails, but I try to veer away from that! I actually do not like to polish others' nails, so awkward! I'm just too used to polish being a solitary endeavor. Reds, for me, are for letting loose with when at home or gallivanting to the grocery store. :)
DeleteReds are fabulous for jaunts around town! I am lucky that no one in my family says boo about my polish. But then, they don't see my collection either! While I agree that painting someone else's nails is awkward (I sweat buckets when I do it), I actually love to give manicures. It's about the only chance I get to share my enthusiasm!
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