Colors by Llarowe Ben Affleck is Sheila's Homeboy

Ben Affleck is Sheila's Homeboy was released in February 2016 by Colorado-based indie polish maker Colors by Llarowe (CbL) as part of the Krispy Kreme Dreams collection, a series of six lacquers inspired by the dreams that creator Leah Ann had after eating donuts and bananas before bed. This polish is a bright red linear holo, a resplendent, medium-dark, super-saturated variation of crimson that just luxuriates in its own rich, creamy, provocative brilliance like the very kiss of Eros. The intensity and creaminess of the color are such that it almost swallows its holographic properties, visible in ambient light as a glowing violet flame and a voluptuous dimensionality on the nail, brighter and more luminous at the center of the nail and shading to deep red velvet at the edges. Direct light elicits further intensity on the part of the violet flame and trims it with an arc of bright red sparkle.

Application was fantastic. The consistency of Ben Affleck is Sheila's Homeboy is fluid, dense and silky smooth with a medium-to-slightly thicker viscosity that I added some polish thinner to at the outset. Thinned, it was a bit more fluent but still retained a full-bodied feel, with a deliciously creamy, self-leveling glide over the nail. Just... YUM! Pigmentation is outstanding -- an unequivocal one-coater. I used two like I always do but it didn't change the appearance of the color one bit, so if you have a steadier hand than me you don't even need to think about a second coat. Cleanup provokes some pigment travel as you might expect, with a skosh of trace staining. Ben Affleck is Sheila's Homeboy dries naturally in very good time to a slightly satiny finish that wants a glossy topcoat to maximize the dimensional aspects and intensity of the color.

Photos show two coats of Ben Affleck is Sheila's Homeboy over KBShimmer Love You Strong Time treatment and KBShimmer Fillin' Groovy basecoat with a topcoat of Seche Vite.

Colors by Llarowe Ben Affleck is Sheila's Homeboy

Colors by Llarowe Ben Affleck is Sheila's Homeboy

Colors by Llarowe Ben Affleck is Sheila's Homeboy

Colors by Llarowe Ben Affleck is Sheila's Homeboy

Colors by Llarowe Ben Affleck is Sheila's Homeboy

Colors by Llarowe Ben Affleck is Sheila's Homeboy

Colors by Llarowe Ben Affleck is Sheila's Homeboy

Colors by Llarowe Ben Affleck is Sheila's Homeboy

Utterly gorgeous. You gotta hand it to Leah Ann, she's, like, the red whisperer of the indie polish world! This beauty is hot on the heels of The Mighty Red Baron for my favorite CbL red ever. It has a sharper, slightly more modern feel than that venerable lacquer, with a lively, more youthful sort of character that's not quite as serious in some way. Hard to describe the difference, but it's there. Kind of like, The Mighty Red Baron will smile at your joke, but Ben Affleck is Sheila's Homeboy will laugh out loud.

Red lovers, dash on over to the CbL shop one last time and pick this puppy up! Leah Ann is closing the shop permanently at the end of the month. She will still be making polishes and the brand will carry on, but beginning March 1st all retail sales in the US will be handled by Color4Nails. CbL's international availability will not change (international stockist list here). If you have any languishing gift cards or rewards points, now's the time!

xo,
Liz