Nail mail : Colors by Llarowe Fall 2014

I just couldn't wait to swatch these before sharing :-) The colors by llarowe Fall collection is out now in the UK (@ rainbow connection) and I was so excited to grab three of the shades (although if I had the money I'd buy them all!). I picked (left to right) Burning Embers, Midnight in Montana and Obsession.  I can't wait to try these out!

Shown here are all the shades in natural and artificial light. My initial thoughts are that Midnight is the clear standout of the bunch. Obsession reminded me of A England Briarwood but a quick side by side comparison shows that Briarwood is much redder. I'll compare these properly when I post swatches.

Human Nature - Colors by Llarowe

Hello ladies! Today I have the third and final polish from my recent Colors By Llarowe purchase - this is a lovely nude holo called 'Human Nature' from the Tribute to MJ collection...

Human Nature - Colors by Llarowe - artificial light

Now you will be seeing this mani again, in an upcoming post on top coat comparisons.  In the meantime I apologise for the denting in this picture...what topcoat was responsible for this terrible crime?  You'll have to wait and see...but I assure you it was no fault of the CbL.

I used two easy coats, I felt it did need two although it was almost opaque in one.  Here I'm wearing it with NE base and a mystery topcoat :) The formula and application on this, like the other CbL's I've reviewed (Billy Jean, Connie You Saucy Minx) was superb.  Flawless quality through and through.  It also had the, quite frankly legendary, week long wear time with minimal tip wear.  Even rarer for a mani that lasts that long, I didn't get bored of it!

Human Nature - Colors by Llarowe - natural light

I'm terrible at describing these nude colours, but here is my best shot...This is a warm toned taupe with a strong pink and bronzed gold shimmer blush and an (almost linear) holo finish.  It's a very flattering shade, and like most nudes I've tried it was very flattering on my pale pasty Scottish complexion.

I bought my bottle for £8.80 from Rainbow Connection (link in the suppliers page).  I'd definitely recommend this one, and the CbL brand in general which at least with my purchases has been 3 for 3 on quality and wow factor.  I'll definitely be adding more CbL to my stash in the future.

Connie You Saucy Minx! - Colors by Llarowe

Hello ladies! Tonight I have another beauty from Colors by Llarowe to share with you - the intriguingly titled "Connie You Saucy Minx!"...I have no idea what meaning there might be behind that name, if it's a pop culture reference then it's lost on me...What I do know is that this is utterly fabulous!

Connie You Saucy Minx - Colors by Llarowe - artificial light

Connie..is an indigo jelly base with a rich mixture of magenta and gold shimmer particles.  The pink shimmer really comes through strongly on this, and against the indigo background its absolutely stunning.  I have a hunch that this shade might come out pretty close to Cirque's "Coronation" which I had a major lemming for (but sadly not the budget to match).  It does also remind me of Max Factor Fantasy Fire, although with FF it took about 8 coats to approach this level of opacity and it wasn't this pretty.

Connie You Saucy Minx - Colors by Llarowe - artificial light

I'm wearing a generous two coats here, and you can see from this swatch that the jelly base does leave it a little translucent around the tips, but no VNL.  I used my usual NE base, and topped it off with Essie Good to Go.  Formula and application were both excellent on this, and like all the CbL polishes I tried the wear time was a heroic 7 days before it chipped.  The finish is also naturally nice and glossy, but I used the Essie topcoat to extend the wear time.

Connie You Saucy Minx - Colors by Llarowe - artificial light

I'm so in love with this polish, it's one of the prettiest purples I own (and that's saying something because I have a LOT of purple in my stash).  This is all kinds of gorgeous, I highly recommend it :)

Under the halogen bulbs in my kitchen this shade is crazy gorgeous!

This polish is gorgeous in every light, but especially under artificial lighting conditions.  For some reason the bulbs in my kitchen really bring this polish to life...just look at that glow! Phwoar!

Connie You Saucy Minx - Colors by Llarowe - artificial light

I picked up my bottle of Connie...from Rainbow Connection for £8.80.

Billy Jean - Colors by Llarowe

Hello lovelies :)  For UK based nailista's I have some good news - Colors by Llarowe are finally available this side of the pond.  Rainbow Connection are now stocking CbL and I jumped at the chance to order three gorgeous polishes, the first of which is the lovely Billy Jean from the "Tribute to MJ" collection...

Billy Jean is a scrumptious claret red shimmer, with gold flecks that give this polish that 'fire from within' effect.  This shade is perfect for Autumn/Fall.  I'm a sucker for a good red, and this is a very good red indeed.

Billy Jean is apparently not his lover...and his tailor is not his friend...no wonder his voice was so high

Application was a bit tricksy with this polish, I found it to be quite streaky on the first coat and it took a generous second coat to even it out and achieve full opacity.  This is two good coats, atop NE base and beneath Essie Good to Go.  I love the magenta flare from this polish that you can see here, its a complex little red and a very flattering shade.

I was impressed by the quality and finish from the CbL polishes I bought and one factor deserves special mention - the wear time is redonkulous! I got a full 7 days out of all three polishes, with only the teensiest amount of tipwear on my pointer and middle finger of my writing hand.  These were some of the hardest wearing polishes I've ever tried. 

This is a lovely polish, and even though I have a ton of red shimmers I'm really glad I got this one too.  A girl can never have too many reds...I picked up my bottle for £8.80 from Rainbow Connection (link in the Suppliers page).  If you think this is good, just wait until you see the other two!