ILNP Ultra Chrome Flakies - My Picks

purchased by me

ILNP is a new-ish brand I've admired from afar for almost as long as it's existed. Owner Barbra's recent timing couldn't have been better. During PGS's first two xmas seasons, I was broke as a joke because of the flood of gorgeous holiday polish from drugstore brands. This year? ...not so much. Right in time to pick me up out of that let-down and spend the money that usually would have gone to CVS and Walgreens, Barbra announced thirteen Ultra Chrome Flakies. My head spun as I tried to figure out which to buy. I slapped this quick collage together and suddenly my order became completely obvious. This was my first polish preorder, but because of ILNP.com's terrific setup, it was a breeze! There was a little delay in shipping, but they arrived fairly quickly and in the usual cute packaging. I couldn't wait to swatch them and got right to it the moment I could...

All four that I've tried have identical formulas, so I'll touch on that here and mostly let the swatches speak for themselves after this. The base is thick enough to keep the flakes well suspended, but isn't sticky or gloppy. They go on very smoothly and evenly, with almost no dabbing needed to get the desired look. These aren't the iridescent mylar flakes that you're probably used to. Instead, they're metallic, like vanishingly thin foil bits. This makes them more like Lacquistry Amazeballz than Essie Shine Of The Times. The big surprise was the cleanup. I was expecting a hassle, but it was eerily easy. Any stray flakes disintegrate at the slightest contact with acetone. Removal was a breeze too. Now on with the swatches!

[All swatches are one thick coat of flakies over the base color.]

Supernova goes from teal, to blue, then fuchsia.

over Sally Hansen Wet Cement

Look at that shift! Just look at it! Of these four, Supernova has the second strongest shift. The fuchsia end of the shift is even stronger in person.

over Sally Hansen Wet Cement

Of course I had to see how it looked with matte top coat...

over Sally Hansen Wet Cement, with OPI Matte Top Coat

As usual, the individual pieces and the stages of the shift are both more obvious when it's matte. With this "ovalmond" shape and this combo, my nails look like the eggs of some magical creature.

over Sally Hansen Wet Cement, with OPI Matte Top Coat

Electric Carnival shifts from fuchsia, through yellow, to green.

over OPI The "It" Color

When I said Supernova had the second strongest shift, this was why. Hot damn! Again, the fuchsia is more intense in person. This may be the brightest, clashiest combo I've worn in ages. There's also a metallic luster and sparkle that photos can't quite show.

over OPI The "It" Color

Matte topcoat only turns it down a tiny bit.

over OPI The "It" Color, with OPI Matte Top Coat

Open Fields has hints of yellow, then strong warm and cool greens, and ends with teal.

over Misa Dirty Sexy Money

After the previous two firecrackers, Open Fields almost looks subdued. The shift is softer, but still very noticeable.

over Misa Dirty Sexy Money

Mattified, this combo is gloriously mermaidy.

over Misa Dirty Sexy Money, with OPI Matte Top Coat

Atlantis is mostly blue, with a red-violet edge and orange at the farthest extreme.

over OPI Suzi Says Feng Shui

I won't call Atlantis' shift weak, but it is decidedly soft when compared with the other three I bought.

over OPI Suzi Says Feng Shui

...until it's matte. That's when it comes alive.

over OPI Suzi Says Feng Shui, with OPI Matte Top Coat

When the orange extreme end of the shift comes out, it almost looks like a sunset. They're all so...magical!

over OPI Suzi Says Feng Shui, with OPI Matte Top Coat

To really highlight the differences I layered all four over black, side-by-side.

This is one coat each: