Colors by Llarowe Love, Actually

Love Actually was released exactly two years ago by Colorado-based indie polish maker Colors by Llarowe as part of the Valentine's Day Trio for 2015. Creator Leah Ann describes it as a "blackened blood red scattered holo," and the color really does resemble venous blood. It's a very dark, dense oxblood hue with purple undertones. The holographic effects are quite subtle in ambient light, creating a delicate red sparkle mostly visible on close scrutiny. In the sun, there's a scattered display of bright prismatic sparks.

Application was top notch. The consistency of Love Actually is fluid, creamy and dense with a medium viscosity and a smooth, self-leveling glide over the nail with a touch of pull to it. It goes right were you put it and stays there and is easy to manipulate with CbL's flattened, flexible brush. Pigmentation is very good, netting completely even, opaque coverage and full bottle color in two medium coats. Cleanup is best accomplished with an eye to the polish's potential for pigment travel and trace staining, but is otherwise straightforward. Love Actually dries naturally in very good time to a smooth finish that appreciates the accompanying gloss of a layer of topcoat. Topcoat does not affect the holographic properties at all.

Photos show two coats of Love Actually over treatment and basecoat with a topcoat of Seche Vite.

Colors by Llarowe Love, Actually

Colors by Llarowe Love, Actually

Colors by Llarowe Love, Actually

Colors by Llarowe Love, Actually

Colors by Llarowe Love, Actually

Colors by Llarowe Love, Actually

Colors by Llarowe Love, Actually

Colors by Llarowe Love, Actually

Colors by Llarowe Love, Actually

Colors by Llarowe Love, Actually

Colors by Llarowe Love, Actually

Colors by Llarowe Love, Actually

Colors by Llarowe Love, Actually

Colors by Llarowe Love, Actually

So, this turns out to be much more dense and opaque than I expected after looking at other reviews. Lots of folks mentioned that the holographic effects reminded them of CbL's The Mighty Red Baron, one of my all time favorite red holos, but I don't see it that way. Love Actually is a true scattered holo. The Mighty Red Baron's coloring is so saturated that it actually swallows the prismatic display, but it had enough holographic material in it to dimensionally illuminate the look, a vastly different effect. 

In any case, Love Actually is dramatic enough on the nail to catch Fuzzy's eye: "What's that you've got on your nails?" She's seen enough of my manicures over the past four years to let all but the most striking lacquers fly under her radar, so that should tell you something. Vampy and rich, it definitely makes an impact!

love,
Liz