OPI x Wicked Winter 2024 Collection – Swatches & Review

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Omg hiiiiii. Yes it’s me, finally publishing my first post of 2025, 28 days into the new year. I have all of these big goals and plans for the year ahead – not just for the blog – and I was sure that I would be hitting the ground and just absolutely running on them right on January 1st. After all, I had that whole day off, what more was there to do? But then I didn’t. And then one week passed, another, and another. And suddenly, here we are 1 month into the new year.

Yet, I don’t feel panicked or like I’m behind (yet). The goals are all still there, I haven’t scrapped them. We still have 11 more months ahead of us for 2025, and I have years and years of swatching and blogging still in my lifetime. It’s almost like this first month has been the “set up”, something which I think is essential for any sort of new resolution. I know it’s been quiet, but I’ve still been here in the background.

You’re probably saying to yourself, (if you’ve followed me for any sort of time) haven’t you had this blog for years now, how have you not figured it out yet? Listen, after almost 10 years of Gingerly Polished, I do ask myself the same thing. I’ve been ebbing and flowing for years, and 2024 was especially sporadic. But my life has gone through so many phases and changes in this decade, how could I ever expect my blog to not do the same?

I started posting to this blog in 2016, in the summer before my senior year of college, as a fresh 21 year old, juggling an on-campus minimum wage job and schoolwork. I was surviving off hot dogs and microwaved cheese quesadillas, and my blog was built on reviews of Sinful Colors collections, as I could buy full sets of 8 polishes for $16. I’ve since graduated, landed a full time job in my field, moved to Chicago, bounced to 4 different apartments and now here we are in 2025. I’m now 30 years old, living in a lovely apartment with my fiancé and our dog, planning our wedding for this year, and in a wildly different financial position. With that privilege, and from also receiving PR from brands now, I’ve been so lucky to be able to purchase and review a wider range of brands than I could ever have imagined back when I started, typing up at the coffee table in my college apartment.

I’ve had my matching Instagram that entire time as well, and I’ve watched as the platform has gone from single photos to 20-photo carousels, and as video has taken over. I remember when 30 likes on one photo felt like an insane number, and I wouldn’t post swatches onto my Instagram until I had the matching blog post published. But with the ever moving and changing algorithm and constant advice of posting every single day and just post more and more, that personal rule quickly fell by the wayside. Instagram has always been the priority, and as mentioned, this is all a hobby alongside my full time job, so one thing had to go, and that was the blog.

But I never fully got rid of it. The blog has always consistently had views – even as my posting floundered. Because the one thing the blog always will have against Instagram is its searchable properties. You can look through and find any brand I’ve posted, any year, and find that specific shade and collection you had seen before and are still thinking about. Instagram is just for scrolling and scrolling. And I think especially as social media platforms continue to change and we see how flimsy they truly are – we did see an entire platform go down and up in one weekend – I think blogging could have another moment. After all, we’re seeing a rise of Substack, a blogging platform, so it’s even more important to use

This is all to say gingerlypolished.com is going nowhere in 2025, and I only want to give it the love it deserves. I have BIG plans for the blog this year, and I thank all of you who’ve stuck around for those empty and quiet months. We’re going back to consistency and I want to reward you with so much content. There’s so much backlog, items that have been up on Instagram without their accompanying blog posts for far too long. I can’t promise that I’ll get every single polish that I’ve every swatched up here, but we’re going to make a true dent.

At the end of last year, I also published a makeup review, and that was only the start of bringing beauty content back into my posting routine. I love reviewing new makeup products almost as much as a new nail polish collection, and again I’m just sitting on a mountain of content that just needs its published moment. The goal is at least 3 posts a week: 2 nail related and 1 makeup related. I’m sure it’ll take a few more months to fully settle into that routine, but you definitely won’t have months of silence again.

AND THERE WE GO, I’M DONE. Listen, clearly I love to yap, that hasn’t changed over these 10 years. I just always love to give myself a little “set up” post, and talk about my thoughts and plans. After being gone for months I didn’t want to just suddenly post like normal. I like to write things down to hold myself accountable, and I’m just excited for the year ahead. I’ve missed this blog, so it’s time to give it the love it deserves. And if you read all of this, I thank you. Thank you for being on this journey with me.

Now for what you’re actually here to read, let’s get on into the swatches.

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Mooncat ‘ Midnight Rodeo’ Collection – Swatches & Review

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A little about me: I do all my swatching at a desk in my main bedroom, and you know, instead of making the entire desk space usable or a place I can work at for my day job, I instead choose to fill it up with all of the nail polish shades I still have to swatch. I just really cram as many bottles onto it as I can and slowly work through them all, while continuously adding more. I don’t know why you’re looking at me like that, it’s obviously a good system and use of space.

A constant part of that insanity is always many beautiful Mooncat collections. They’re all just WAITING for their moment, and it’s about time I work on swatching them – both for the gorgeous nail polishes themselves, and for that fruitless hope of more future desk space.

So let’s work towards that goal. Let’s open up some SPACE. This first set we’re looking at today is called the ‘Midnight Rodeo’ collection, and it released last year in August. It features 10 shades all inspired by the colors of the desert – and in my opinion it truly nails that color story.

Of course, these are available on the Mooncat website. On into the swatches!

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OPI Infinite Shine ‘Metallic Mega Mix’ Fall 2024 Collection – Swatches & Review

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Oh hiiiii, let’s finally round out the fall posts, shall we? Happy Thanksgiving, we’re all thankful for figuring out our blogging schedule.

But okay, yes, I did already post a review on OPI’s fall release a while ago, you are correct there. But that was the regular lacquer formula, the main 12 piece collection that everyone knows. That’s right, I have to clarify because OPI has recently also been releasing matching collections in their Infinite Shine formula. So lucky me, that means 21 polishes per season to swatch up on up for you all (yes I’m the one “requiring” myself to swatch both collections, but all of these shades were pretty). I don’t know how long this will continue, but we do also have this pattern for the Winter 2024 collections, watch out for 2 posts on that set too!

As mentioned, these are in OPI’s “Infinite Shine” formula, the ones with the shiny silver caps, adn the ones that are a touch more expensive than the regular lacquer line. OPI describes this line as being “gel-like”, locking onto nails for longer wear as well as being super shiny. As always, I can’t speak to the longevity claims, as I’m switching my polish up too often with swatching. I more swatch these for the colors rather than any promised benefits. Maybe you’ll notice something different on your own nails!

These shades (as well as the regular lacquers) are all available from Beyond Polish (as always, code GingerlyPolished gets you 10% off individual items. It is affiliated which would mean I would receive a small commission from each purchase – never feel obligated to use my code when making a purchase. I just want you to save some money). They’re also available from PolishPick – a discount site that I’ve ordered from countless times – their shipping is so fast, and they have incredible prices. Either way, get a nice little discount on these Infinite Shine shades.

Now let’s get on into the swatches!

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NYX x Beetlejuice Collection 2024 – Swatches & Review

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That’s not nail polish, you’re correct! Today we’re looking at makeup! Gasp!

If you’ve been following this blog for a while now – shoutout to you – you’ll remember a couple that I dabbled in adding makeup reviews as well, that would pop up here and there in between all of the nail collections. But eventually they petered out and we were back to only nails.

Now I’ll be honest, I’m definitely not wearing makeup as often as I did before. Like a lot of others, my working from home status has continued past Covid, so without the push of going into an office every weekday, my wear of makeup has significantly decreased. But that definitely hasn’t stopped my purchasing of makeup. (It’s obviously from the money I’ve saved on train passes). Therefore I just need a little push to wear and test out all of these beautiful and interesting products I’ve been collecting up like a little squirrel. I must give them the light of day, and THUS, I want to bring makeup posts back to the blog.

Makeup has always been up there as a love for me, just as much as nail polish – in fact even before nail polish. I was caking it on (to cover teenage acne) and testing out wild eyeshadow combinations way back in high school. This blog already contains so much of me and my interests, it only makes sense to expand to a new set of drawers.

And I feel like there’s a little niche I can slot on into with this blog in the makeup world as well. I’ve always chosen to focus on more affordable products, both drugstore and more indie brands, mainly because of budget. Yes, it was definitely more rough to find something good, but with where the drugstore is now, it deserves far more coverage. Affordable brands are always coming out with interesting products and fun releases, and there’s room for more coverage of them! I always talk about how I want this blog to be a nail reference, so it’s time I expand out to a makeup reference I’ve been wanting myself.

Yes, I’m rambling, and there’s this whole novel before we even get into the swatches themselves. It’s just a “new” chapter for this blog, and we all know how much I love to ramble and explain. It won’t be happening every time, I promise. So let’s do it, on into the makeup.

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Holo Taco ‘Dark Academia’ Collection – Swatches & Review

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Listen, I have a problem, and that problem is just always having a myriad of unswatched Holo Taco collections and polishes in all places around and on and under my desk. But this posts shows that I’m working on it! I have a goal of having all of my Holo Taco polishes swatched and blogged, and this post gets us even a tiny bit closer. Baby steps.

So alright! This set is one of their newer releases for 2024 (we now have the Birthstone collection ahead of it) and it’s called ‘Dark Academia’ and if you’re at all familiar with book tropes, those words will immediately evoke a vibe. It’s also been a wardrobe and decor aesthetic, and Pinterest can always help you out with visuals. Just know it’s moody. It’s that feeling of shadowy hallways of old brick buildings on private college campuses, murder mysteries to solve in between classes, and all of the plaid and blazers you could ever want. Sure, I’ve personally saved a lot of this aesthetic onto my own Pinterest, and okay yes, I’m instead wearing the same leggings and sweatshirt every day as I work from home. But listen, this collection spoke to me, and I just needed them all on my nails.

We’ve got 8 new shades here, with some cremes, a brand new (to Holo Taco) crelly formula, and some gorgeous shimmers. They’re all vampy, and they’re perfect for stalking around campus, or you know just typing on a laptop in your living room.

Of course these are available on the Holo Taco website. And did you hear, Holo Taco is now in Ulta! That’s right, you can see their shades in person! None of these shades are available in store – and I’m assuming more limited collections won’t make their way there yet, but it’s still exciting. I just wanted to mention it, and you can grab more of their permanent shades.

Okay yes, let’s get on into these swatches!

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Essie ‘Punk at Heart’ Fall 2024 Collection – Swatches & Review

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We have a few fall collections still to review and talk about here, and of course, we wouldn’t let a season go by without some new Essie.

Essie’s newest seasonal release is called the ‘Punk at Heart’ collection, and it’s their traditional 6 bottle release. Essie describes this set as helping you “break the mold and step into your rebellious era with these six edgy limited-edition shades”. Now, mainstream brands will only ever go so “rebellious” and “edgy” so don’t expect anything too crazy here. It’s the same vibe as when child me thought songs on my Hilary Duff CD were “hardcore” because they had electric guitars.

I say this jokingly, and with love, as it’s still a fun and unique color palette and I was excited to swatch it up. We have 4 creams and 2 shimmers here. It’s not the typical fall shades, and there are even a few colors you fully wouldn’t expect for the season. But it does still feel fall, in the way that (most of) these shades feel suited for cooler weather. It’s not a regular collection, it’s a cool collection.

These are available on the Beyond Polish website (code: GingerlyPolished gets you 10% off individual items. Now it is an affiliate code, so I would get a small amount of commission if you use it – no pressure as always! I purchase all of my Essie polishes from Beyond Polish now, and I would never recommend a place I didn’t myself love).

Let’s get on into the swatches!

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ILNP ‘Campground’ Fall 2024 Collection – Swatches & Review

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ILNP just truly knows how much we all love fall, and so they recently dropped TWO new collections in the perfect fall color palettes. We have a set of 6 jelly holographic shades that we’ll be discussing later. And for this post, we’re looking at the ‘Campground’ collection.

This set features 4 cream shades, all inspired by, of course, the coziness of camping. We have 3 neutrals and a green, and I mean, what else would you expect from a Campground collection. ILNP describes this set as “bringing a sense of calm to your nails, evoking the tranquility of early autumn” and I think that’s the perfect description. These just feel classic, and they’re shades that create a good foundation for any collection, ones that you can reach for any time. Always good to have to balance out the bold vampy shades, and bright oranges and reds of fall.

These are available on the ILNP website. ILNP doesn’t do limited edition collections, keeping their shades around for quite a while, so you’ll be set to pick these up whenever you’re feeling that urge to slow down and set up that tent.

Let’s get on into the swatches!

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Orly ‘Terra Nova’ Fall 2024 – Swatches & Review

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PR SAMPLE

Chicago has the AUDACITY to keep trying to sneak in 70+ degree days, and considering we’re now in the first day of November, that’s absolutely preposterous. I remember being a child growing up in Michigan, working to fit Halloween costumes over snowsuits some year. It’s FALL, I want to be CHILLY. I shall continue to complain until it’s consistently cold, and then of course I’ll complain when I’m fully sick of winter, and yes, I will always do this every single year.

Maybe, this is happening because I still have some fall collection reviews to get up. There’s some holes that need to be plugged in still, so the warmth is trying to force it’s way back in. It’s guilting me for sitting on these gorgeous fall swatches, and not giving them their time to shine on the blog. They deserve to be preserved, moving from Instagram onto the archive, able to search at any point. Yes, I’m adding more meaning and poetry to blogging about nail polish.

Alright I’ll stop waxing poetic, and start yapping about these nail polishes.

LET’S FINISH UP THESE FALL REVIEWS. And today, we’re looking at Orly’s fall release for 2024. It’s called ‘Terra Nova’ and let me tell you, they’ve given us a gorgeous color palette, featuring both more “traditional” fall shades, as well as other rich and pigmented colors. The shades all feel bold, yet cozy on the nails, and they’re all perfect for the season.

These are available at BeyondPolish.com. (As always, code: GingerlyPolished will get you 10% off individual items. It is affiliated so I’ll get a small little commission, but as always no pressure to use it!). They’re also available on the Orly website.

Now let’s get on into the swatches!

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OPI ‘Metallic Mega Mix’ Fall 2024 Collection – Swatches & Review

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*Blows dust off of blog, sits back down and powers up the machine* Alright, let’s get into it.

Of course what seems to always bring me back to this blog is a new OPI seasonal release. I’ve mentioned many a-time that my OPI collection posts are always the most popular, and based on the views I continually get for older releases, y’all like to use them as a reference. It would just feel wrong for me at this point to ever skip an OPI review, and it was itching at the back of my brain, pushing me to finally finish. So I’m very sorry for letting this reference sit in my drafts for far too long. (I will say I have been keeping up on my Instagram, and these swatches have been up there for a while. But blog posts are much easier to search and pull up at any moment’s need).

So alight, maybe you looked at OPI’s summer collection full of 12 creams and said “simply not for me, I don’t like creams”. Well, OPI heard you and said “FINE. We’ll give you a full set of a DIFFERENT FINISH.” Hey, maybe at this rate, we’ll get a collection of entirely holographic shades for winter. (I’m role-playing here as if I finished this post earlier, before the winter collection was officially announced and released).

This is the ‘Metallic Mega Mix’ collection for Fall 2024, and I’ll bet you can’t guess what finish they chose for this season.

WOW, you’re RIGHT. We have 12 new metallic shades here, and their overall vibe is just autumnal to me. The color palette feels like a nice chilly day, one spent apple picking or in a pumpkin patch. (I’m sorry to any readers if that’s only direct to other Midwesterners. But once you have an apple cider donut, you’ll understand our obsession).

These polishes are available from BeyondPolish.com in both normal lacquer and gel formulas (GingerlyPolished as always gets you 10% off individual items. It is affiliated so I would make a small commission if you use it, so no pressure as always! I love their site and I’m here to get you a little deal). Or they’re available from PolishPick as well. I’ll always only recommend sites that I’ve personally purchased from multiple times with no issues.

ALRIGHT, ON INTO THE SWATCHES.

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Essie ‘Nail Art Studio’ Jelly Polishes – Swatches & Review

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Earlier this year Essie dropped EIGHTEEN new polishes at once (they don’t need sleep over there clearly), all under the label of their new “Nail Art Studio” line. They describe this line as “your DIY design destination for everything nail art”.

Now, of course, this can seem like an exaggeration and duh, of course there are hundreds of nail art products out there. We’re not talking about striping tape and dotting tools and charms here – Essie is staying in their lane and experimenting with regular polish. They’re filling in an area they were lacking before in their own product collection, and listen, we love the idea of shades perfect for layering and combining. Overall I was just very interested to see what we were working with when these were announced.

In this newness, we have 9 “special effect” shades, and then 9 jelly polishes. And today we’re starting by looking at those jellies first. They’re in a range of more “classic” colors, as you would expect when building up a palette for nail art. And spoiler alert, some of those colors are more successful than others.

You can find these online on Ulta’s website or on the Walgreens website (they might be available in store at either of these places as well). With Ulta they’re more expensive, but you can get points (but their packaging is also terrible) so up to you to decide. Now let’s get on into those swatches!

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