Monday 16 June 2014

Colors by Llarowe (CbL) Summer 2014 - The Shimmers

Hey guys!  Today I have for you The Shimmers of the Colors by Llarowe Summer 2014 Collection.  These were stocked for pre-order a couple weeks ago and should be available for restock soon.  While I love holos, my heart belongs to shimmer polishes as my overall favourite.  All photos are with one coat of HK Girl topcoat and number of coats is noted below.  Descriptions in italics are directly from the Llarowe site.

Swatch and Review Colors by Llarowe CbL Summer 2014 Shimmers Alternate Universe Holiday Road Connie's Nosy Neighbor HK Girl
Colors by Llarowe (CbL) - Alternate Universe
Swatch and Review Colors by Llarowe CbL Summer 2014 Shimmers Alternate Universe Holiday Road Connie's Nosy Neighbor HK Girl
Colors by Llarowe (CbL) - Alternate Universe
 
Alternate Universe is a turquiose crelly base with strong lime green shimmer. 

This is two coats of Alternate Universe.  The formula on this one is great, not too thick or thin and dry time was good.  One thing to note is that in different lighting I can see my visible nail line (VNL) with two coats.  Depending on how much this bothers you, you might want to go with three thin coats.  I only noticed it right under bright lighting so it didn't bother me.  This one definitely glows and has a foil finish.  Removal required a bit more scrubbing to remove, but not too much.

Swatch and Review Colors by Llarowe CbL Summer 2014 Shimmers Alternate Universe Holiday Road Connie's Nosy Neighbor HK Girl
Colors by Llarowe (CbL) Holiday Road

Swatch and Review Colors by Llarowe CbL Summer 2014 Shimmers Alternate Universe Holiday Road Connie's Nosy Neighbor HK Girl
Colors by Llarowe (CbL) Holiday Road
Holiday Road is a lime green neon jelly base with strong red to gold shimmer

This is three coats of Holiday Road.  The formula on this one is good, although very sheer.  It went on smoothly and there were no patches.  Normally I get impatient if I have to do more than three coats because a polish is streaky or patchy.  No such issues here, and dry time was excellent.  Even with the VNL this one is a stunner. Maybe one more coat was needed to get completely opaque, but I think this is more of a layering polish.  It would add a great shimmer and dimension to a creme polish.

Swatch and Review Colors by Llarowe CbL Summer 2014 Shimmers Alternate Universe Holiday Road Connie's Nosy Neighbor HK Girl
Colors by Llarowe (CbL) Connie's Nosy Neighbor
Swatch and Review Colors by Llarowe CbL Summer 2014 Shimmers Alternate Universe Holiday Road Connie's Nosy Neighbor HK Girl
Colors by Llarowe (CbL) Connie's Nosy Neighbor
Connie's Nosy Neighbor is a royal blue jelly base with pink shimmer

This is two thicker coats of Connie's Nosy Neighbor.  The formula on this one was a bit patchy on the first coat and I used a second generous coat as again there is a wee bit of VNL at certain angles.  Dry time on this was a little bit slower because of the thicker coats.  I think next time I would use three thinner coats.  I used only one coat of Duri Rejuvacote as my base and I'm happy to report no staining.  Please note my bottle shot picture is showing a little bit darker than what I see on my nails.

So there you have it!  The three shimmers from the CbL Summer 2014 Collection.  All three are gorgeous and the formula was great on Alternate Universe and Holiday Road.  While I had a bit of trouble with Connie's Nosy Neighbor, it definitely wasn't enough to dissuade me from wearing it again and I will try thinner coats next time.  I hope you enjoyed reading and I will be back again with more of the CbL Summer 2014 Collection soon!  Let me know in the comments below which one is your favourite and if you plan to or have already purchased any.

Colors by Llarowe can be purchased from Llarowe or Harlow & Co.  While the pre-order at Llarowe is over, they will be available again and they should be coming to Harlow & Co soon.  Keep an eye out on Llarowe's Facebook page and Harlow & Co's Facebook Page for restock information or subscribe to their newsletters.  Llarowe usually restock every 4 - 6 weeks.