Orly: Red Carpet

I'm still playing catch up around here so that will explain why I'm posting my Christmas Day manicure in the middle of January!
 

I'm a bit of a traditionalist when it comes to Christmas beauty and so I'd always planned to go with a red (or gold, or green!) polish.  Red Carpet is one of the Orly polishes I chose at the Salon Melbourne event last year and it's a cherry red jelly with a subtle glitter sparkle. I'll tell you right now these pictures will not do justice to this little gem because it actually sparkles madly in the right light! This is two coats, finished with a single coat of top coat.

 

Sun:

 

 

Shade:

What did you choose for your Christmas mani?



Orly: Teal Unreal

Onto another nail post while I'm on a roll...

 

Teal Unreal is from Orly's Surreal collection launched late in 2013.  It's one of those winter-appropriate brights which provides a slight twist on the usual winter colours.  The name sums it up very well - this is a vibrant teal cream with a strong leaning towards blue.  Application was superb as the formula is so easy to work with (not too thick and not prone to flooding) and what I'm coming to expect from Orly polishes.  The only downside with this shade is the blue colouring can stain the nails and cuticles so be careful when using remover to ensure you sweep the cotton pad down from the base to the tip of the nail to minimise cuticle staining.  The nails themselves clean up well with an extra wipe of good quality remover.

All pictures taken in indirect daylight:

 

 

 

Have you tried Orly nail polish?

 

 

Orly: Lollipop

I'd fallen in love with Orly's Lollipop nail polish many months ago so I almost literally pounced on it in excitement when I spotted it recently at the well-stocked Orly stand at Salon Melbourne.  Ah, nothing like a little obsession!

 

Lollipop was originally released in Orly's Sweet Collection in 2010 and has since obviously become a favourite.  This utterly flattering pink-lavender cream was a dream to apply and the finish was smooth and opaque in 2 coats.  I'm so glad I pounced on this polish because it's simply, understatedly pretty and a lovely alternative to pastel pink.

Outdoors

 

 

Indirect daylight indoors

 

Until next time.

Orly: Chocolate Martini

I was able to get a few more Orly minis a little while ago and here's the first one I've chosen to share with you.

Chocolate Martini is not actually chocolatey in colour as the name suggests but is more of a coppery bronze highlighted with golden flecks.  And it is utterly beautiful especially as it sparkles in the light.  I wore Chocolate Martini to work last week and, among other things, I loved the surprising versatility of it as it worked well with orange, nude and red lipsticks - not that I go around holding my hands up to my lips all the time!  I applied this in two smooth coats and had no difficulty with the little brush.  It's pretty durable too and I got through the week with only minor tip wear.

I believe this polish is only available in the mini range which doesn't bother me as a polish whore but means a backup would be required if you really love it...

Sun

Shade

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Vita :)

Orly: Life's a Peach

Life's a Peach is the last of my Orly mini collection polishes, and this one unfortunately disappointed me.

Don't get me wrong here, I like the colour and was really looking forward to wearing it - it was the formula that let me down this time.  On the positive side this is a summer-appropriate tangerine with just a hint of shimmer which would look its best with a (fake for me) tan.  Onto the negatives:  I had all sorts of problems applying this polish, which I don't understand as all my other Orly polishes glided on so smoothly.  This polish was a bit thick and gloopy and applied unevenly with bald patches even after three coats.  Luckily some top coat smoothed it out well enough to photograph, but then I went and smudged it badly an hour later so it didn't last long on my nails after that.  Oh well...

Full sun

 

Outdoors shade

That's all for now

Vita :)

What my nails wore to work: Orly - Purple Crush

It wasn't planned but it seems to be pink week for my nails this week!

Still on a bright kick my work manicure of choice this week was Purple Crush.   Purple Crush is from Orly's 2010 Hot Stuff collection and is more fuschia pink than purple to my eye.  I was a little surprised when this creme formula dried to more of a satiny semi-matte finish on my nails.   I applied two coats of polish but this probably could have benefited from a third to give it a more even depth of colour.  From my limited experience I think Orly polishes are consistently three-coaters.

Without top coat:

With one coat of Sally Hansen Megashine:

I applied top coat to make this manicure more durable as well as adding shine.  What's your preference?

Until next time.

Vita :)

Orly + Essence = Candyfloss pink

Hello and happy Wednesday to you all!  Only a few more days until my boy and I pick up Hubby from the airport.  We're on the homestretch now, can't wait.  Alright, enough of that, I know.

While I got a kick out of wearing Orly's  Oh Cabana Boy  the other day, I wanted to soften it a little, just to turn down the visual volume if you know what I mean.  One coat of Make Me Holo topcoat from Essence turned it down just nicely from that hawt Barbie pink to something more like spun sugar.  This now looks something a Disney princess would wear.  Here's some soft, shimmery and sugary goodness on my fingertips. 

All pictures were taken outdoors in cloudy conditions:

 

Now, for something a little bit random here's a picture of one of  my hairy babies. Squeaky's a youthful looking 14 year old girl kitty.   She's normally very skittish around the camera but she decided to sit and pose the other day.

Until next time.

Vita :)

NOTD: Orly - Oh Cabana Boy

After being demure all last week I reached for something a little more out there for my weekend manicure.  How about an absolutely kick a** pink?

Oh Cabana Boy is another of my little Orly minis.  Man, I'm really falling in love with these polishes.  The vibrant colours, the ease of application, the smooth finish - Orly has been ticking all the boxes for me so far.  Oh Cabana Boy is a luminously neon hot, hot, HOT pink with a subtle shimmer.  I'd argue this is also a retro shade, because it reminds me of taffeta dresses from the 1980's (showing my again...).  This colour screams for sure.  My friend's husband said I could use my nails as a means of workplace safety gear, you know,  like those vests the guys wear when they're doing roadwork?  Hmm, see what you think.

Outdoors shade

Indoors natural daylight

Full sun

I'm going to be rocking this one as a summer mani-pedi for sure!  I am woman, hear me roar!!

That's all for now.

Vita :)

Layering: Green with gold flakies

Hi and Happy Tuesday to you! Here's a post dedicated to layering using one of my favourite layering polishes - Inglot 205.

I'm not a nail artist but I like to have a bit of fun with polish.  I love Inglot's 205 green/gold flakie polish because by adding one coat it easily transforms a simple manicure into something a little bit special. 

Here I've applied a single coat of 205 over Orly's Green With Envy (see original manicure here ) and it added just the twist I wanted.  I think it looks a little like gold leaf on my nails:

Do you wear flakie polish?  What's your favourite flakie layering combo?

Until next time.

Vita :)

Orly: Entourage

Here's another glittery, almost vampy polish - stunning in real life but *sigh* it was so hard to capture in pictures!

For some reason Orly's Entourage actually reminds me of raspberry jam.  It's a very deep plum jelly base with a generous smattering of silver glitter.  I applied three coats to get good depth of colour and coverage.  I think this looks great on its own but because of the sheer jelly base it would also be a good layering polish.  As with my first Orly experience, this polish was very smooth and easy to apply.

Full sun

Lamplight

Outdoors shade

Are you an Orly fan?  What's your favourite Orly shade?

That's all from me tonight.

Vita :)

Orly minis: Green With Envy

Hello!

This is another first for me - Green With Envy is the first Orly polish I've ever worn.  From all the reviews out there in the blogging world and Makeup Alley this shade is a favourite and I'm not surprised.  This is a flatteringly cool toned green which leans towards turquoise in certain light.  I applied three coats and the polish dried to a superbly smooth glossy patent finish.

This is an on-trend shade for our southern spring/summer:

Outdoors shade

Full sun

Natural light indoors

I was impressed by the smooth application of the Orly polish and I'm glad I've got four more Orly minis to try!

That's all  for now.

Vita :)

Vacation Haul Part 1 - just a few more bottles of polish :)

I always like collecting pretty things when I'm on vacation and my Queensland trip was no different.  This post is devoted solely to my nail polish hauling.  I was overwhelmed by all the pretty colours available and I didn't hold back...

Here's a quick look at the brands and shades:

rokk 96

Left to Right:
Mauve is Me
Silver Screen
I'll Be Frank


Orly & Milani

Left to Right:
 Entourage
Purple Crush
Oh Cabana Boy
Life's a Peach
Green With Envy
Brown-A-Licious



BYS & Revlon

Left to Right:
Beautifully Bare
High Impact Blue
Icicles (Snow globes collection)



OPI & BK

Left to Right:
Be a Dahlia Won't You
DS Temptation
Glitter Silver
Fine Glitter Fuschia
Blue Dark

I think it's safe to say that I'm well and truly set up for spring/summer!  I don't know what to wear first.  I know, I'm terrible...

Until next time.

Vita :)