Why yes, I still have more summer collections to swatch up for you, I know you’re so excited! It’s only July, so there’s still plenty of warm weather to enjoy (even though Fall collections will start releasing on August 1st, I’m just warning you).

Alright, today we’re looking at the final mainstream summer collection review (China Glaze didn’t have a summer release this year!) with Essie’s newest seasonal release. This is called ‘Sol Searching’ and it features 4 creams and 2 shimmery shades. This is a more muted color palette overall, and one might even call it more “zen”. So if you’re looking for some meditation for your summer, and you’re not feeling the neons, these shades could be perfect. Between this collection, Essie and Orly, we have a wide range of such interesting “nontraditional” summer shades. You can really find a little something for any nail mood.

I like to purchase all of my Essie shades, including this collection, from Beyond Polish. You’ve heard me talk about Beyond Polish enough and I order from them all the time. They’re always reliable, and you can get a lot of brands for a nice little discount. (You can also use my code GingerlyPolished for 10% off individual items. That code is affiliated, which means I would receive a little commission, so no pressure as always. I’m just here to get you some savings! And I ordered from Beyond Polish long before I had an affiliate code with them.)

Now let’s hop on into those swatches!

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We start right out with ‘Sun-renity’. This shade is a rich, yet squishy berry shade. It is more pink, of course, but it also has those mauve-y tones to it. Those tones make it a touch more muted and dusty, and just tones it down to make it more wearable. That also makes it perfect for every season, not just summer.

I am so glad to report this has the classic Essie cream formula. It’s super smooth to paint on, and it’s opaque in just 2 coats. Very easy and lovely all around, and a good start to another summer set.

Sun-renity – Live Swatch

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This next one is ‘Breathe In, Breathe Out’ and its truly one of my favorite tones to wear. It’s a gorgeous cooler-toned pinky lavender shade. It’s leaning right in between a pink and purple, and once again we have that more muted look overall.

And this was another easy 2 coat formula. It painted on so smoothly and evenly, and I found all of these cream shades dried so shiny on the nails.

Breath In, Breathe Out – Live Swatch

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‘Sol Searching’, the namesake of the set, is a warm-toned medium orange. It’s “brighter” than the 1st two shades but it still has that dustiness to it keeping it from a searing orange on the nails. It just feels like a summer sunset, warm yet still cozy overall.

Repeating myself here, this was another 2 coat formula. The 2nd coat came in and smoothed out any patches I had left, and it dried with a smooth, shiny finish.

Sol Searching – Live Swatch

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Next up we’re looking at the 2 shimmers of the set. First up is ‘Glisten to Your Heart’. This one is showing as an almost sandy yellow with a softer golden-orange shimmer. In other swatches it can look almost peachy and more cool-toned, but on my cool pink undertones it pulls full yellow. This shade is a shapeshifter and the color will depend on your skin tone overall.

This shade felt like a thinner formula than the previous shades and I’m guessing it’s to help that shimmer peek through. It built up pretty well with 2 coats, but I did add a 3rd coat to cover any last patches peeking through. As always I have very ridged nails that can cause more patches, so those with smoother nails will be set with 2 coats.

Glisten to Your Heart – Live Swatch

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Our 2nd shimmer is ‘It’s All Bright’ (with the name and color, it’s almost feeling Christmas-y. And now I’ll apologize for mentioning winter in the middle of summer). This one is such an interesting shade, and it’s almost hard to fully pin down and describe the color. It’s a warmer toned, almost platinum silvery shade – that touch of warmth keeps it from a traditional silver shade.

This one felt like more of a dense shimmer within a clear base, so it did take some building up. It built up well and easily with 3 thin coats. I had no issues painting it on, and it’s just a fun little shade. If you’re going with thicker application, you could be set with just 2, but I do always prefer to go thinner to help it lay on the nails more evenly.

It’s All Bright – Live Swatch

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For our final shade, we switch back to a cream formula, and we have our brightest shade of the set. This is ‘Meditation Haven’ (having the most “relaxing” name for the brightest shade, I see) and it’s a cooler toned buttercup yellow. Now we couldn’t escape summer without a bright yellow shade.

I do always expect some trickiness with any yellow especially such a bright white based tone like this, so I wasn’t surprised that I ended up using 3 thinner coats to make this fully opaque. But if you have smoother nails, you might be able to get this opaque in 2 coats. It’ll just depend on your own preferences and application, but I love that final look.

Meditation Haven – Live Swatch

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And that’s the collection! Yes I’m also labeling this collection as a “nontraditional” color palette for summer. But to me it almost feels like that moment of a sunset right before the sun dips below the horizon. It feels warm, yet not too hot, and more calm and just settling down for the evening. Am I romanticizing nail polish? Of course I am.

Anyways, we had some lovely cream formulas in this set, as well as some fun shimmers. I had no complaints and I can recommend any of these shades! The one that’ll take the most of coats will be that bright yellow, but it didn’t surprise me at all. It was still smooth and workable, and still a good yellow shade to add to a collection.

Are you interested in picking any of these up?

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Sally Hansen x GLAAD Pride 2024 collection • ILNP Cabana collection • ILNP Wildflowers collection • Mooncat x PowerPuff Girls collection • OPI My Me Era Infinite Shine Summer 2024

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