Chaos & Crocodiles Inglenook

Inglenook was released for pre-order around the beginning of last month by Maryland-based indie polish maker Chaos & Crocodiles as part of the Snowbound collection. Creator Sarey describes it as "a strong silvery holo with blue/purple/red/copper shifting pigment." Between the powerful holographic effects and the color-shifting pigments, the coloring of the polish is in a constant state of flux, but the general impression it gives is of a dusky Chinese violet with a reflective semi-metallic swath of indigo-tinted azure along the axis of light that mixes with the violet to read as a lovely bright lavender blue or periwinkle, which can shift to copper or a silvery purple. Slender effervescent arcs of shimmering prismatic color are nearly always visible to some degree and the dusky violet base shifts to red-violet or plummy purple depending upon viewing circumstances. 

Application was a pleasure. The consistency of Inglenook is fluid, full-bodied and creamy with a medium viscosity and a plush, velvety, self-leveling glide over the nail that has a little bit of pull to it. Pigmentation is very good, delivering completely opaque coverage in two coats. Cleanup is easy. Inglenook dries naturally in very good time to a smooth, shiny finish. Topcoat does not affect the holographic properties in any way. 

Photos show two coats of Inglenook over treatment and basecoat with a topcoat of Seche Vite.

Chaos & Crocodiles Inglenook

Chaos & Crocodiles Inglenook

Chaos & Crocodiles Inglenook

Chaos & Crocodiles Inglenook

Chaos & Crocodiles Inglenook

Chaos & Crocodiles Inglenook

Chaos & Crocodiles Inglenook

Chaos & Crocodiles Inglenook

Chaos & Crocodiles Inglenook

Chaos & Crocodiles Inglenook

Chaos & Crocodiles Inglenook

Quite honestly, my photos don't do justice to this polish. They capture the holographic effects but not the subtler, more interesting dyamics of the color-shifting pigment. Those beautiful shifting colors -- lavenders, violets, purples and blues, with touches of spring green and copper -- have a kind of water color quality and remind me of an Impressionist painting, like the skies in my mother's Florida paintings or something by Claude Monet like Vetheuil in the Fog or parts of some of the Water Lilies paintings. The polish has a burnished, semi-metallic shine along the axis of light that gives it a sleek, flashy vibe on the nail, and I expect the prismatic display in the sun will be brilliant, sparkling and fully linear, but those color-shifting pigments make it special in any light.

love,
Liz