We are finally through all of the ILNP 2016 Summer Shimmers! (Except for the hot pink shade in the collection, I didn’t buy that one and got That Other Girl instead. That sounds so salacious!).
From the ILNP website:
Valentina is a uniquely delicate shimmer with a lovely twist! This ultra sheer beauty radiates stunning red to gold traveling shimmers from a deliciously milky-teal base and showcases herself magnificently under all types of lighting conditions! While Valentina is gorgeous on it’s own it’s also absolutely amazing over your favorite base colors! The semi-translucent, jelly-leaning formula of our shimmer polishes allows for maximum balance, depth, and effect payoff. Great on their own or paired with your favorite base colors, the versatility of our shimmers is sure to keep you busy discovering new and beautiful finishes! Please keep in mind that due to the intentional sheerness of this formula, even after 3 to 4 coats there will still be a visible nail line.
I mostly agree with the website description with one exception. I in no way would actually call this a jelly formula. It is a sheer formula. But not a jelly. You can see in the photos that I tested the “jelly sandwich” method on my ring finger and it’s not really a jelly sandwich at all. More like a sparkle fog sandwich (totally my band name if I ever form a band. “I doubt your commitment to Sparkle Fog Sandwich!”)
This polish really looks lovely outdoors:
It reminds me a bit of Cinderella’s ball gown.
Because the website mentioned that this is a polish that works great as a topper for other shades, I of course tried it out. For science!
The right hand swatches are over kind of unusual polishes. Bite Me doesn’t even change with Valentina over it. Amazed By You made a pretty burgundy shade but not anything I was going crazy over. I like the murky foggy effect when Valentina was layered over the army green OPI shade, but again, nothing amazing.
The blue and black combo were pretty. The only combo that I actually thought I need to try immediately is the “Glowstick” combo. It turned that bright highlighter yellow into a multi dimensional highlighter green and it’s amazing!
The normal photos (not layering experiment) are four coats of Valentina over OPI Nail Envy and topped with Seche Vite top coat. The glitter used on my ring finger is Maybelline Color Show “Gilded Rose” (LE).
Valentina wore alright. I did get a bit of minor chipping within a few days but nothing crazy or even very noticeable.
I like this shade a fair bit but I don’t actually see myself reaching for it very often.
ILNP Valentina is $10.00 from the ILNP website.
Did you get anything from the ILNP summer collection? As much as I love the brand I’m REALLY ready to get something else on my nails. I went a little over board with this collection. I blame the summer heat. It’s fried my brain!
Gym Bag Makeup 
Sparkle Frog Sandwich – I like the sounds of that! 😉
Yeah jelly and sheer aren’t the same thing… good try ILNP!
Such a pretty shade though – I agree, it looks neat over the blue and black polishes.
I’m still an ILNP virgin! Will hopefully get something by end of this year now that I know nailpolishcanada.com carries it (costs C$14.25) I have so many of the nudey shimmers on my wish list!
Is $14.25 on the high end for nail polish? I know the exchange rate is still wacky but that seems mighty pricey to me! Maybe we can organize some sort of swap!
That’s a stunner! I do need to try some ILNP someday.
I really do like them as a whole. I think I already mentioned this to you but I really need more coffee today and I can’t remember…anyway…I recommend going with their duo chromes when you do try them out! I love their duo chromes! 🙂