Review of ILNP's "Pebble Path"

 

ILNP (which stands for "I Love Nail Polish") was created by Barbra Salet in 2012, when it was only a shop on Etsy. Now, it's a huge company offering hundreds of polishes, featuring mostly specialty finishes. 

The slow shift from summer to fall (as long-winded as it may feel) always puts me in the mood to adopt new autumnal colors into my already large collection of nail polish, and ILNP conveniently released their new "Harvest" collection; what a coincidence!

Though I did purchase a few polishes from the new fall lineup, I also dared to dip my toes into the last few seasons' releases. I had been on a no-buy period, so I regretfully denied myself any new polish for a few months. Now that period is over!

This week's review is of "Pebble Path," an "antique brass" metallic foil polish with a healthy smattering of holographic glitter. It comes from ILNP's "Courtyard Collection," from early spring 2022 (one thing I love about ILNP is that they offer transitional collections for those times of year when the seasons haven't quite phased over). Though it is technically a spring polish, it was released in late February, so it still embodies some of the aspects about early spring that you could definitely apply to fall if you think hard enough: warm drinks, brisk morning air, cozy sweaters...

I will use a list of criteria to review "Pebble Path" so that I can offer a full scope of the polish: Color, Opacity, Ability to Self-Level, and Finish/Effect.

Color: The color of PP is pretty accurate to the "antique brass" described on ILNP's website--in indirect lighting, the individual particles and texture of the foil flakes are prominent, and it truly does look aged. However, in direct sunlight, this polish is anything but "antique." It is extremely sparkly and shiny, and is quite blinding. 

Opacity: PP has great opacity. With flake foil polishes such as this, you'll often need at least 3 coats to achieve a fully opaque look. However, that isn't the case with PP. I have long nails and I only needed 2. 

Ability to Self-Level: The self-leveling ability isn't as important to textured polishes as it is to crèmes, as most lumps and unevenness will be covered up by the polish's finish. That said, this polish is really self-leveling! This, in addition to its thin formula and user-friendly application, I had no lumps or bumps even before a glossy top coat. 

Finish/Effect: I have one tiny gripe with this polish. In direct sunlight, the holographic sparkle is almost too intense, to the point where it competes with the metallic shine of the foil. Personally, I don't like for there to be too much going on in my polishes, and prefer to have only one special effect at a time. I think this polish would be much better if there weren't any holographic sparkle at all. I know some people might see "too much holo" as a good thing, but in my eyes it's simply too much. 

My Overall Thoughts: thumbs up. Besides my tiny gripe about there being too much holo, this polish is the perfect sparkly, shiny foil. I think it's a great neutral for Autumn, as it isn't too bright in shaded lighting to be seen as "springy," but still maintains a moodiness with its antique vibe. As with most of my polishes, I attempt to wear them for around a week before giving my final thoughts, as the lasting power of a polish is also something to consider. As of today, I've worn Pebble Path for six days and I have little to no chipping. 

ILNP consistently blows it out of the water with their fall collections, but their spring releases are more hit-or-miss: I was happy to find that this spring polish is definitely a hit.