ILNP Stopping Traffic

Stopping Traffic was released earlier this month by Nevada-based indie polish maker I Love Nail Polish (ILNP) as part of the Winter 2016 collection. Creator Barbra describes this as a fire engine red. To my eye it is slightly cooler than that, more along the lines of a crimson, medium-dark in tone but intense and vibrant. It bears, as Barbra says, "an array of holographic pigments" that vary in size from particles to tiny microflakes, giving the semi-translucent, jelly-ish formula a sparkly semi-metallic underlay a la Dorothy's ruby slippers, with a net of bright prismatic sparks at the surface. In the sun there's a scattered display of sparkle in all of the rainbow colors.

Application was most agreeable! The consistency of Stopping Traffic is fluid, smooth and jelly-like with a medium viscosity and a fluent, easy, self-leveling glide over the nail. Pigmentation is very good, delivering evenly opaque coverage and full, rich color in two coats. Cleanup is remarkably easy for a red of this intensity, with no pigment travel or trace staining to speak of, hooray! Stopping Traffic dries naturally in very good time to a smooth, slightly flat finish that wants a glossy topcoat to look its best. Topcoat does not interfere with the holographic properties in any way.

Photos show two coats of Stopping Traffic over basecoat with a topcoat of Seche Vite.

ILNP Stopping Traffic

ILNP Stopping Traffic

ILNP Stopping Traffic

ILNP Stopping Traffic

ILNP Stopping Traffic

ILNP Stopping Traffic

ILNP Stopping Traffic

ILNP Stopping Traffic

ILNP Stopping Traffic

ILNP Stopping Traffic

ILNP Stopping Traffic

ILNP Stopping Traffic

As Edina says in her review of the Winter 2016 collection on Lakkomlakkom, red is not common among ILNP's offerings so Stopping Traffic is especially welcome for ILNP's red-loving fans. Even though it has no glitter in it, the intensity of the color and the shimmery, sparkling semi-metallic underlay remind me of classic sparkly red polishes like China Glaze's Ruby Pumps and Ring in the Red, Butter London Chancer and Essie Leading Lady. With the addition of holographic sparkle, it's like a modern indie take on that particularly festive kind of red polish. Beautifully done!

love,
Liz