Colors by Llarowe Dirty Diana

Dirty Diana was released in August 2013 by Colorado-based indie polish maker Colors by Llarowe as part of the Tribute to Michael Jackson collection. Described simply as "a magenta holo," the color is a deep purple-berry shade along the lines of dark magenta, with red-violet aspects. Powerfully holographic, it exhibits some sort of prismatic effect in almost all circumstances, and sports the delicious, delicately-grained visual texture common to holos. Rich hues of violet, plum and claret nuance the base in ambient light, with a gleaming, semi-metallic underlay of red violet. In direct light, there's a bold, sparkling linear holographic flare predominated by azure and bright red.

Application was fantastic. The consistency of Dirty Diana is fluid, dense and smooth with medium-to-slightly-thicker viscosity to which I added a touch of polish thinner at the outset. Thinned, it still retained a good bit of body, with a plush, velvety, self-leveling glide over the nail. Pigmentation is excellent. Had I not thinned it, I believe it would qualify as a one-coater for many -- I used two. Cleanup is straightforward. Dirty Diana dries naturally in very good time to a smooth, shiny finish that takes topcoat beautifully with no interference to the holographic effects.

Photos show two coats of Dirty Diana over treatment and basecoat with a topcoat of Seche Vite. It's heavily overcast and snowing here, so my pics aren't as sharp and clear as I would like them to be -- my apologies! But you guys know holos well enough to imagine the potential.

Colors by Llarowe Dirty Diana

Colors by Llarowe Dirty Diana

Colors by Llarowe Dirty Diana

Colors by Llarowe Dirty Diana

Colors by Llarowe Dirty Diana

Colors by Llarowe Dirty Diana

Colors by Llarowe Dirty Diana

Colors by Llarowe Dirty Diana

Gorgeous!

Back in the day when Dirty Diana was released, great holographic indie polishes like it, while no longer a rarity, were still new enough to provoke amazed delight from polish enthusiasts and bloggers compared to earlier days. Many reviews that I read noted happily the qualities that had been lacking not so very long before, stuff like opaque coverage, smooth application without balding or patching and topcoating without fear of dulling the holo effects. It reminded me of just how much innovation, improved quality and creativity indie polish makers have brought and continue to bring to the practice of nail adornment. I am so grateful! It's a great time to be painting your nails!

love,
Liz