We’re far from done with the Winter mainstream holiday releases, and now we come to the most unique release of the season. I know this one has raised some eyes from nail polish lovers all around, but just give it a chance here and you just might love that sparkle.
This past year each Orly collection has been inspired by a different style of art, and we’re finishing it out with ‘Futurism’. And this one definitely has that futuristic, “everything is chrome” feel to it. It features these 6 shimmery, metallic shades in more muted, almost grungy, space like colors. They’re just so interesting and different (and so much harder to describe) than any other collections we’ve seen for the holiday and I was so ready to swatch them up and see these shades in person on my nails as soon as I pulled them out of the box.
As always, I got this set through my Orly Color Pass. I’ve talked about that a million times in each Orly post, but Ialways want to update for any new readers. Orly Color Pass is a program where you can pay one larger fee annually, and then receive the 4 seasonal releases automatically shipped to your door! Each box always contains some extra goodies – this one came with a full size cuticle oil as well as a cute little tote bag. And more exciting now and so much easier for me to recommend to new subscribers, they now have a quarterly option as well. Instead of paying for the whole year, you can grab individual boxes that catch your eye at a nice little deal with those extra goodies. I’ve been raving about it for so long now, and it’s a fantastic way to grab any collections you’re curious about at a discount.
Now from the group photo above, I know you’re just so intrigued, so let’s get into swatches already!
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This first one is ‘Fluidity’, and it’s a bright, almost gunmetal silver shade with tons of holographic shimmers all throughout. It’s not the traditional chrome or metallic silver we’ve come to expect, those shimmers give it such a glittery and textured look.
Formula-wise this was more of a dense microshimmer in a clear base, so it was a little more sheer than I was expecting right out of the bottle. But it’s smooth and easy to paint on, and I was able to get it opaque in 3 thin coats. And just look at that sparkle! With all of those glitters, I will warn that it does get a little messy with removal and you can end up with some glitter fingers. This is a polish where you’ll want to just pull with the cotton ball, not twist to remove.
Or just embrace it and go glitter fingers, it is the holiday season after all.
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Next up we have ‘Ascension’. This is cool-toned, almost muted gray blue metallic shimmer. At some angles it’s a little more gray, but then it’s a little more blue, it’s a fun shade. It has that brighter aqua blue shimmer running through it giving it a lovely glow, but those gray tones keep it more grungy and soft.
Again like the first shade this was more of a dense microshimmer so it is more sheer out of the bottle. But again, I was able to layer it up and get it fully opaque with 3 thin coats. It’s smooth and easy to paint on, and any brushstrokes disappear with that shimmer.
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Continuing right along, next up is ‘Urban Landscape’. This again has that almost gray base giving it a grungy, muted look, with a bright cool-toned shimmer running all throughout. It’s almost shifty on the nails with that shimmer popping in and out, it’s gorgeous!
Again, that more dense yet sheer microshimmer formula, so those same 3 coats to full opacity. This one does show more brushstrokes than other shades in the set, so I do recommend painting as straight as possible. But always keep in mind, they’ll be more apparent in my photos than they will in day to day wear.
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Now this next one is such a unique shade in my collection! This is ‘Dynamism’, and it’s an almost brown-taupe base. That base is just such an interesting color that it’s hard to describe. And adding to it is a bright red microshimmer running throughout that gives it an almost pink shift – which you can really see in the 2nd photo. Overall so cool!
This one felt more opaque and more like a true shimmer shade than previous shades, so I was able to get it opaque with just 2 coats – but depending on your application you might want a 3rd to fully even out any last patches. Definitely not a traditional nail look and color, but I’m loving it!
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CONTINUING RIGHT ALONG! This is ‘Forward Momentum’ and it’s again a hard shade to truly describe. It’s an almost taupe-gray base with some plum purple shifts, and larger pink glitters all throughout. It feels moody and just perfect for these colder days.
Like the previous shade with that deeper base, it was more pigmented. I was able to get this one opaque in just 2 coats and it’s smooth and very lovely to paint on.
Forward Momentum – Live Swatch
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And last but certainly not least, we have ‘Industrial Playground’, and it’s most definitely one of my favorites of the release. It’s a frosty, almost pearly metallic lilac shade. It’s got an almost soft silver look to it, with those delicate purple tones running through.
For this one we’re back to the dense microshimmer formulas of the first shades, so I built it up to opaque in 3 thin coats. But just like the others it’s smooth and so easy to paint on. So fun!
Industrial Playground – Live Swatch
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And that’s the collection! These are so interesting and so different than a traditional holiday color palette as I mentioned above. We have such interesting finishes, but they all worked out much better than I thought they would – I was worried these would be a mess of pearly weirdness and brushstrokes city, but they surprised me in the best way! They’re instead smooth microshimmer formulas, and there is so much glow and sparkle to them, it feels like a success to me. They are more sheer so I did have to build many of them up with 3 coats – but those coats go by quickly and smoothly. If you’re looking for something different than the red and greens of the season, I would highly recommend this collection! It won’t be for everyone, but I always love when a mainstream brand tries something different.
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Upcoming Posts
Zoya Hypnotic & Zoya Y2K trios for Winter 2022 • Glam Polish Even More Enchanted collection • China Glaze Drippin’ in Glitz Winter 2022 • ILNP NYE collection • Holo Taco Magnetics Collection • KB Shimmer Northern Exposure
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If the old sci-fi classic THX-1138 or Logan’s Run became nail polish, this is what it would look like. The collection reminded me of 90% of the look of pre-Star Wars dystopian sci-fi movies from the 70s and late 60s. Most of them had that muted, metallic and chilly winter look. These polishes capture that motif, very well.
Also looks like colors David Bowie might have worn in his Space Oddity/Aladdin Sane years.
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