Swatch Spam: ILNP

Hi ladies! It's been a while since I posted some swatches, or even posted at all! I've really been unmotivated in the swatching/writing department lately, so when inspiration hits, or should I say motivation, I grab it by the horns. Since the sun is shining today, I thought I would share the new ILNP holo's I bought recently, along with some of their glitter toppers for good measure!

So let's talk formula and application; The holo's were amazing in both areas, they glided on without any issues of patching/smudging and dried fairly quick too. They're super pigmented and show the holo effect a bit more than seen in the photos. I thought I'd take photos of them both inside the light box and outside in the sunshine so you're able to see the full effect.

As for the glitters; I always seem to have a bit of trouble applying them. I find that the base is slightly thicker than some of the indies I've tried and because of this struggle to get the 'perfect' application. But a little perseverance and patience (and a thick coat of top coat) does make a difference.

Nevertheless, I'm in love with the ILNP brand, just the colour combinations Barbra, the creator behind the brand, comes up with are truly gorgeous. Not to mention the packaging, they're the cutest most high-end looking indie polishes I have ever come across and their customer service is second to none. All purchase information and social media links will be at the bottom of the post!

So for now, let's enjoy the swatches!

Swatch: I ♥ NP - Valentines Collection

Hi ladies! I have the Valentines Collection from indie brand I ♥ NP for you this afternoon. For those of you who are unaware of I ♥ NP let me tell you a bit about the brand;

I ♥ NP is created by a lovely lady named Barbra and is based out of Las Vegas, NV in the US. Barbra first opened shop in August 2012 and has since taken the Nail Community by storm. Housed in a sleek, branded box I ♥ NP displays traits usually found in high end brands such as Illamasqua, Chanel, Dior etc, with 12ml of product in a tall, slim bottle complete with a matte Black rubberised cap for easy grip and a wide brush for easy application. Everything about this brand screams high end and mass produced, when in reality it's just an indie brand of which is hand created by just one mind. All I ♥ NP polish are all created using a 3-free suspension base.

The only downside to this brand is the smell, which to me, smells like the Gloss you use to paint wood. So if you are sensitive to smell, this probably isn't the brand for you.

Formula wise I found them to vary slightly polish to polish, some I was able to apply easily with minimal effort where as others I found needed lot more manipulation and control for a smoother, more even coverage. 

Since this is a Valentines themed collection, I wanted to stick to softer shades for underwear, so without further ado let's see the swatches! Of course, this post is going to be picture heavy, so I have included a jump break.

ABC Challenge; I is for I Love NP

Hi ladies! For 'I', I have one of the most talked about indie brands at the moment, I Love NP, or I <3 NP. Taking indie polish to a whole new level, I Love NP presents itself in a sleek, branded box much like those you see from higher end brands such as Illamasqua, Chanel & Dior. I don't have the boxes to show you in this post, but I will have another post coming up soon featuring some more swatches of I Love NP with all the information you'll need to know about this brand.

For now, let's jump straight into the swatches.

Babes In Toyland is a clear base packed with Magenta, Green, Blue and Gold various shaped and sized glitters. The photos above are 2 coats of Babes In Toyland over Wet N Wild - Black Creme without a base and top coat.

Once Upon A Starry Night is a mixture of various sized Silver, Dark Blue, Black and Holographic glitters as well as Holographic star glitters in a clear base. I layered 2 coats of Once Upon A Starry Night over Sinful Colors - Rain Storm for the swatches above, without a Top coat. The stars weren't too much trouble to fish out and the best thing is that they're small enough to fit onto my nail without having various ends sticking up. BONUS.

There you have my entry for 'I', there weren't too many brands I could think of beginning with this letter, bar Illamasqua, of course. Which polish brand would have been your choice for the letter I?

I Love NP polishes are available for purchase on line via Etsy and retail for $10 each! Which I think is a complete bargain for the high end look they have going on.

As I mentioned earlier, I have a lot more I Love NP swatches to show you once this challenge is over, so look out for those. In the meantime, enjoy the rest of the challenge and J will be joining us shortly! To see all previous posts for the ABC challenge, just click here!