PR SAMPLE
oh HEY there! You’re probably (not) wondering where I went and why I’m only now posting a winter collection in February. If you didn’t read my last post, here’s a quick summary: I’ve been swatching more than ever on Instagram, and also there was no motivation, so the blog got shifted to the back burner. But now I’m here, I’m back, I’m posting, and determined to make this blog even more consistent and better than ever this year! Okay grand!
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Alright, spring collections are in full swing over on my Instagram – and don’t worry they’re coming here too, but we gotta catch up on some backlog, and keep it all in order and get these winter collection reviews up first. I already have the content, and these shades are still available, we’re not just throwing a post away and forgetting about them. I’ve mentioned I do want this blog to be a resource to look back on, maybe even years from now, to just peruse past releases.
So let’s talk about Orly! Orly’s release for Winter 2023 was their ‘Twas the Night’ collection. It of course features 6 colors. Orly has this cute little tagline for them: “Ready to give the holiday season a spin? This magical collection is where it will begin.” and I think it’s so accurate, because this really does have you covered with some classic holiday shades. It just feels like the holidays (or whenever you want to wear these shades, we’re not stopped by seasons). It’s cozy, it’s a little magical, it’s perfect. These are of course available on the Orly website.
Now let’s dive on into the swatches!
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First up, we start with the one shimmer of the set. This is ‘Sugarplum Soiree’ and it’s a deeper, rich berry-toned shimmer shade.
As for the formula, this felt like a squishier shimmer shade. It definitely has some jelly to its formula, but even with that it was still pigmented and painted on well in the 1st coat. With a 2nd coat, it deepens up and is fully opaque on the nails. The one thing with this shade, that I’m sure you can see with my swatch, is that it will show brushstrokes. I would suggest painting as straight as possible – otherwise it can pool and cause very noticeable lines and look a little messier. Not my favorite thing, but I made it work for the color! (And they’ll obviously be less noticeable in every day life than they are in my zoomed in and lighted photos.)
Sugarplum Soiree – Live Swatch
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Now we dive on into these cremes! First is ‘Regal Pine’ and it does truly feel regal on the nails. This is a very deep and rich forest green. I love any sort of green (on my nails, for my clothes, in my life and upcoming wedding), and I especially love rich shades like this when my nails are shorter.
Now for all of these cremes, I did notice they didn’t feel like true cremes. They felt squishier overall, like the ratio of pigment to clear base is different, you know? You would feel it. That made the first coat more sheer and uneven than I was expecting – especially with such a deep color. Luckily, it does build on itself well, and really comes alive with that 2nd coat. It saved itself, and I was able to get it opaque with just 2 coats.
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Next up of course we have to check off that holiday red (or any time of the year red). This is ‘Velvet Ribbon’ and it’s a beautiful brick red cream shade. It has some of that dustiness to it that pulls it over from more of a cherry red.
This has a lovely formula and was opaque in just 2 coats. It was more pigmented and smooth than ‘Regal Pine’s formula above, and painted on so well. And even better – I had no issues with staining or messiness around my cuticles or upon removal.
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‘Cozy Night’ is a deep, saturated teal creme shade. Again, I love shades like this – it’s bold and vampy, but still colorful and a statement on the nails. And my camera actually picked up the teal tones without just making it blue! Wins all around!
This formula felt more like ‘Regal Pine’, being squishier and more sheer than I was expecting for such a deep shade. With using a thinner coat, it was definitely uneven – and I did find with too thick of a coat it can flood the cuticles. So be patient and just build it up with thinner coats. It does build up well with that 2nd coat, but depending on your application and preferences you might want a 3rd. Not the best teal shade I have in my collection, but nothing unworkable.
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The last of the cremes is ‘Snow Angel’, and it’s a light sky blue shade, just like a sunny Winter day. Or I would say like the sky on a snowy day, but we’ve barely had any snow here in Chicago and I’ve been thoroughly disappointed.
Annnd just like I’ve been disappointed with the lack of precipitation here, I also did not love this formula. This was just not Orly’s best, and even after 3 coats, I still felt like I had some patches and uneven application. This could be due to my very ridged nails, as they often cause more patches than others would have. But it just didn’t paint on well, and if I used too thick of a coat, to try to make it opaque, it would pool at the end of the nail and feel gloopy. Just not great, and I know Orly has better creams than this – even such white-based shades! I wouldn’t recommend this one.
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And rounding out the set, we have a topper. This is ‘Spark’ and it’s a clear base featuring scattered copper flakes. I used it as 1 coat here over ‘Regal Pine’, and I just love that contrast and the way these go together. I think this is such a fun little topper, it pairs so well with each of the colors, and I didn’t have issues picking up the flakes. I just dabbed a bit with the brush on each nail to distribute them, and it was easy to add some flair to any polish underneath.
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And that’s the new winter collection from Orly! There was just one flop of a formula here, but otherwise, every other shade was opaque in 2 coats and easy to work with. Though they did feel squishier, they built up well and were smooth to paint on. I loved the little topper, and overall I felt this was a cohesive and festive color palette!
Did you pick any of these up?
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Upcoming Posts
Glam Polish Thorns and Roses collection • OPI Terribly Nice Winter 2023 • What’s Up Nails x Clionadh Cosmetics Christmas in New York Trio • Orly Spice It Up Fall/Winter 2023
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PR Disclosure: Though the shades in this post were sent to me, I was under no obligation to post from the brand. I never guarantee positive reviews, and all thoughts and opinions are my own. I review these shades thoroughly and in the same manner as I would with any polishes purchased with my own money.
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