OPI Infinite Shine ‘My Me Era’ Summer 2024 Collection – Swatches & Review

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WHEW. Can you tell from time in between new posts that I’ve been experiencing some writer’s block over here? Well, I HAVE. Though maybe it’s hilarious to you to put “writers block” in the same arena as “blogging about nail polish”. But, maybe joking about it will help me finally break through that wall of pressure I always put onto myself for these posts. After all, no one will ever talk about if I’m not witty enough in these opening paragraphs, about how I craft the perfect little quips for each polish and description. You’re just here to know about the formula of some nail polish and I’m here to show you, and well I can always do at least that.

But in general, that’s just my personality, I love to put some unrealistic expectations on myself, and then avoid posting in general and losing any sort of true timeliness I could’ve had for a collection review. It’s fun!! Thank you for listening to my brief therapy session, I just had to get it out, and now I’m done. Let’s finally talk about nail polish, shall we?

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For summer 2024, along with a 12 piece regular lacquer release, OPI also graciously bestowed upon us 9 more new shades in their Infinite Shine formula. The regular lacquers were all in a cream finish, so it was only fitting that the complementary Infinite Shine release featured all shimmer.

Now, what’s different about the Infinite Shine line, you ask? On their website OPI describes it as “Our shiniest shine ever in a long-lasting nail polish formula that delivers up to 11 days of gel-like wear.” So yes, it’s supposed to be nice and shinier and longer lasting than regular polish.

And “gel-like”. No, it is not gel. There are no lamps here, it dries on its own, it’s not attached to your nail. That’s always just a little marketing term they love to use. Maybe they are shinier, but it’s easy enough to apply a top coat. And I can’t ever speak to claims of wear as I’m never wearing polishes for long because of, you know, the swatching. So all I can say about it from my perspective is that it’s OPI’s slightly more expensive line with the fancy shiny caps. If the colors and formulas speak to you, buy them on a nice little discount from the two sites I mention below. I’m just here for the shimmer.

Now, speaking of that many times aforementioned shimmer – we have 9 polishes here, in a nice little range of shades, almost like a tropical rainbow. Each one has the same golden shimmer running through it. It gives all the shades a warm glow, its brings them all together into a cohesive set, and it feels like the sun’s just shining onto your fingers. It’s fun all around.

You can find these shades available on polishpick.com as well as on Beyond Polish – if you do shop through Beyond Polish you can use my code ‘GingerlyPolished’ for 10% off individual items (it is affiliated so I would earn a small commission so no pressure to use it!)

So let’s get on into these swatches (finally).

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ILNP ‘Wildflowers’ Collection – Swatches & Review

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Why yes, this post is another post of SHAME. It’s about me once again neglecting a beautiful indie brand, and then finally crawling around to swatch the abundance of collections I have saved up from them, after they collected dust under my desk for far too long. And then after swatching, I’ll kick myself for not putting these gorgeous shades onto my nails sooner – it’s a cycle I’m working to break here.

So yes, let’s talk about ILNP. ILNP came onto my radar at the end of 2022, and I finally purchased their ‘Trapped’ Halloween collection. Since then, I’ve been enamored with each new release and as mentioned, I’ve collected quite a few collection that deserve their time on the blog.

We work to remedy that first with today’s post, all about the ‘Wildflowers’ collection. This one released in Spring 2024 (okay I’m not too far behind with this one), and as you might guess from the season and name, it has a very spring-like color palette. We have the typical 6 bottle release, and each shade is filled with so much sparkle and shine. It’s a little something different from your typical spring color palette, but I can still feel the warm sun oozing from each and every shade.

You can find these shades on the ILNP website. None of ILNP’s collections are limited edition, sticking around on their website for years after release so no rush – but I mean I’m sure you’ll want to grab at least a few after seeing these swatches. Let’s get on into it.

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Essie ‘Sol Searching’ Summer 2024 Collection – Swatches & Review

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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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Holo Taco Holo Royalty ‘Shimmering Secrets’ Collection – Swatches & Review

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Like many other nail polish brands, Holo Taco has a little rewards system – as you buy more, you gain points and steadily make your way up the various tiers. And with each new tier, you receive new and additional benefits – all the way up to the highest called Holo Royalty. Among having all of those perks of the previous tiers, Holo Royalty members also get a chance to add their input to future shades and releases.

To do this, each year Holo Taco sends out a survey filled with choices on various mood-boards, colors and finishes of never-before-made shades. Eventually all of these answers get compiled and voila, a set of polishes is born! I finally made Holo Royalty this past year so I was invited to the super secret survey and added in my thoughts. I’ll be waiting in great anticipation to see what polishes arrive from that, most likely in the next year.

The first collection from these surveys released last year, in the form of 3 purple polishes in different finishes. I do have this trio, and I do plan on getting it swatched up and posted, some might say just for history and archives.

But now we’re looking at the 2nd annual release, 2024’s Holo Royalty polishes. We have 4 shades, all filled with various sizes and shapes of sparkle, in some cooler toned colors. I do love that we got some different shades that Holo Taco doesn’t normally do, like a light ballet pink and soft sky blue, with some different finishes and glitters. We have 2 softer shades, and then 2 more bold, chunky moments.

These are available on the Holo Taco website. These are limited edition, so even though they’ve been sticking around so far, they won’t be around forever!

Let’s get on into the swatches!

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Orly ‘Melting Point’ Breathable Spring/Summer 2024 Collection – Swatches & Review

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We’re continuing right on with swatching up some gorgeous summery shades, and these next ones truly bring the HEAT. It’s technically a collection for both spring and summer, but it feels like allllll summer on the nails. As you can see from the title, today we’re looking at a newer collection from Orly called ‘Melting Point’. It’s a set of 6 super glowy shimmery shades that are described as “mesmerizing molten shades”.

This collection is in their ‘Breathable’ line which they label as “treatment + color”. Orly says it’s a 1-step nail color, with no base or top coat needed, as well as being infused with good things such as Argan oil and vitamins for “healthier looking” nails. Now with any sort of “special” formula like this, I’ll be honest and say I can’t truly speak to its benefits. With swatching, I’m constantly changing up my nail color, so I can’t speak to any sort of longevity or nail improvement. I don’t know if I would fully skip top coat with these ones, especially if you really want that sparkle to shine and pop on the nails. Overall, they felt like normal lacquer being applied, and I’m just here for the beautiful colors. They only release 2 of these Breathable collections a year, so this is the one for Spring/Summer 2024.

These are, as always, available on the Orly website. They’re also available on the Beyond Polish website (Code: GingerlyPolished gets you 10% off individual items. It is an affiliate code so I would get a little commission, so no pressure to use it! Just trying to get you some savings and I love Beyond Polish).

Enough talking, we’re diving on into the swatches!

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Orly ‘Cloudscape’ Summer 2024 Collection – Swatches & Review

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OH hey there! You want to talk about some summer nail polish, don’t you? Let’s do that and continue on with the summer releases!

And we’re getting right into it. Today we’re looking at the ‘Cloudscape’ collection from Orly for their Summer 2024 release. We have 5 cream shades, from softer pastels to bright bold pops, and then one shimmer. This color palette does just feel very summer to me, so it’s perfect if you’re wanting to build up a little summer capsule outside of neons.

These shades are of course available on the Orly website. They’re also available on Beyond Polish’s website for a tiny discount – you can also use my code GingerlyPolished for 10% off individual items (it is affiliated so I’ll make a small commission but no pressure to use it! I just want to get you some savings).

Now let’s get on into the swatches!

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OPI ‘My Me Era’ Summer 2024 Collection – Swatches & Review

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Oh hi there, it’s been a while again. But we SHAN’T DWELL ON THAT. You’ve been waiting long enough, I’m not going to give long explanations and lay out plans to not have it happen again – I’m just going to try my best. So let’s talk about some polish.

Now, I do say this every year, every season, and I shall repeat it again now: it doesn’t truly feel like a new nail polish season until I swatch up OPI’s collection. Therefore, it’s officially summer, as we look at OPI’s ‘My Me Era’ for Summer 2024! OPI describes this collection as “here to celebrate self expression with a bold color palette”.

If that sounds appealing AND you’re a cream nail polish lover, AND you’ve been missing those rich, bold creams from OPI, this collection is truly going to be for you. That’s right, we have 12 cream finishes in this set, ranging through the color spectrum. We got a little something for everyone here. Though I do question looking at all of these, is that little something summer? It’s a nontraditional seasonal palette here, and a lot of shades lean more autumn in my opinion – but I’m also team “wear whatever shade you want whenever you want” so I wouldn’t stop you. Just something I note.

These are, as always, available from Beyond Polish (you can use my affiliate link or my affiliate code “GingerlyPolished” for 10% off individual items. I will get a small commission from each sale so no pressure to use it!) They’re also available from Polish Pick.

Now let’s get on into the swatches!

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China Glaze ‘Meadow Dreams’ Spring 2024 Collection – Swatch & Review

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Oh HIIIIII, let’s finish up the spring collections, shall we? Thank you as always for patiently waiting.

Diving on in, the lovely little spring moment we’re looking at today is from China Glaze. This is their ‘Meadow Dreams’ collection for Spring 2024. And with a name like that, it just evokes the feeling of laying in a soft meadow of dappled sunlight, with little wildflowers all about you. (Maybe a little Twilight-core there, that could be me stretching but come ON, Bella is all about the meadow).

ANYWAYS, in this release, we feature 3 creams, and 3 shimmer shades. This color palette leans heavily on the purples and greens, with pops of white and orange, and I mean, duh, of course, meadow, wildflowers, see those thoughts above. It’s both traditional spring shades, yet something a little different, but overall it hits us fully over the head with SPRING.

These shades are available from polishpick.com, as well as from Beyond Polish. If you shop through Beyond Polish, you can use my code: GingerlyPolished for 10% off individual items – it is affiliated so I will earn a small commission if you use it, so as always no pressure! Just here to help you save.

Now let’s get on into the swatches!

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Holo Taco ‘I Need Space’ Collection – Swatches & Review

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Recently, I had just been looking at all of the Holo Taco polishes scattered around my desk and drawers, and thinking about collections I still needed to swatch and post about and I was just feeling overwhelmed. I felt the need for organization, so as a true lover and connoisseur of lists, I recently combined those with another love of mine – distracting myself from my work. I sat down, and I went through and listed out all of the Holo Taco collections in release order, while both noting collections I already owned, already swatched, and already blogged about.

And whew, that final category was woefully small (and so was the 2nd column). I’ll admit, Holo Taco (as well as Mooncat, which has gotten the same treatment), as a more “boutique” indie brand has gotten pushed to the back of my nail polish queues, behind the traditional seasonal releases of the mainstream brands. I absolutely love collecting both brands, as they’re both consistently releasing interesting collections, but then those poor shades just wait on my desk, crying out to be loved. Well it’s time to REMEDY THAT.

So I’m determined to get through my Holo Taco (and Mooncat) stash and get them swatched up and blogged throughout the next few months, catching up on both old and new releases. (Maybe we’ll say like 6 months, let’s be realistic here). I’m ready to feel that high of checking things off my lists, and to build up more of a resource and guide on these brands and their many, many releases. I have (most of) them already, and it’s time I show it. Oh darn, more posts for you, I know you’re truly torn up.

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So ALRIGHT let’s start this journey with one of their most recent releases, and the newest collection I have in my stash (for now – though I am telling myself I’m not allowed to buy even newer releases until I get through some backlog, even if that Ice Cream collection is truly calling to me).

Anyways, this is the ‘I Need Space’ set, and as you can tell from the name, it has quite the fun galactic theme. We have 5 shades here all with some fun finishes and formulas. We have flakes, we have shimmer, we have holographic sparkle, and interesting color choices – what more could you need? After all, it’s space-themed, so I’m intrigued already.

These are as always, available from the Holo Taco website. Now enough with the talking, let’s finally see some polishes in ACTION.

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Essie Blushin’ and Crushin’ Spring 2024 Collection – Swatches & Review

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Have I mentioned that it’s still cold here in Chicago enough times yet? We had snow this week. SNOW. In APRIL. I think I’m allowed to keep mentioning that I want spring until it actually stays here for more than a week, okay.

As always, we’ll just soften our weather woes with nail polish. We can always pretend it’s spring with warm glowy spring tones on our fingers. And you know the best way to truly avoid the cold is to not go outside at all and just paint our nails. Modern solutions, and all that.

So let’s stay in the warmth and talk about some new nail polish!

This is the Essie ‘Blushin’ & Crushin’ collection, and it’s their newest seasonal release for Spring 2024. We have 3 creams, and then we have 3 gorgeous squishy shimmer shades. This is just a fun little color palette that really hits every sort of spring mood one could have throughout the season.

These shades are available on the Beyond Polish website where code: “GingerlyPolished” will get you 10% off individual items. It is affiliated which means I’ll get a small commission for each order, but as always no pressure to use it!

Alright, all of that starting information is out of the way, let’s get on into the swatches!

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