Chaos & Crocodiles Stealth

Stealth was released in February this year by Maryland-based indie polish maker Chaos & Crocodiles as part of an update to the Secret Agent collection, originally released in June 2014. The new installment is divided into three parts or "types": New Recruits, Double Agents and Rogue Agents. Stealth is one of the Rogue Agents and is described as a "blue-purple with teal/purple shimmer and orange-red/green flakies."

The color is a clean, bold, medium-dark to dark blue with ultramarine aspects, similar to International Klein Blue. Teal/purple color-shifting microflake shimmers have a slightly more subtle overall effect on the nail than in the bottle, reading largely as bright azure/royal blue but also giving the color a certain chameleonic quality, leaning it more toward a darker royal blue or an indigo depending on viewing circumstances. Abundant flakies, sized from tiny to small-medium, glow in shades of flame, pink and lime green as light catches them, offering a striking contrast with the deep, intense blue of the base and giving the look a fetching, mosaic-like visual texture.

Application was wonderful. The consistency of Stealth is fluid and full-bodied with a medium consistency, dense with flakies but not at all unwieldy or difficult to work with. It has a fluent, self-leveling glide over the nail that went on best for me in generous coats from a moderately-loaded brush. The flakies go on flat to the nail without stacking or stickups and only an occasional attempt to protrude over the free edge. Pigmentation is very good. Two medium coats nets completely even opacity. I did my cleanup as I went along and experienced a little bit of flakie-sticking but no pigment travel to speak of. Stealth dries naturally in very good time to a mostly smooth finish with a slightly satiny look. Topcoat adds a becoming gloss and really pops those gorgeous flakie colors.

Photos show two coats of Stealth over treatment and basecoat with a topcoat of Girly Bits Glitter Glaze,

Chaos & Crocodiles Stealth

Chaos & Crocodiles Stealth

Chaos & Crocodiles Stealth

Chaos & Crocodiles Stealth

Chaos & Crocodiles Stealth

Chaos & Crocodiles Stealth

Chaos & Crocodiles Stealth

Chaos & Crocodiles Stealth

This is a beauty, livelier and more complex than you'd guess from my pics, and so much fun on the nail! The formula is excellent for a flakie-filled polish, totally paintable and a pleasure to work with, which endeared the polish to me from the get-go. I absolutely adore the colors of the flakies and their contrast with the base -- it is just delicious and makes my eyes happy. Boatloads of light play here, and tons of visual interest that never gets old. Awesome!

love,
Liz