ILNP ‘Trapped’ Collection – Swatches & Review

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Listen, this blog will always be mostly mainstream and drugstore nail polish reviews (and hopefully some more affordable makeup reviews again soon). The polishes are (somewhat) cheaper overall (though they do try to keep raising up in price), and also easier to buy discounted from supply websites (polishpick.com truly saves me). But I have been lucky enough, as I gain a little more of a polish budget each year, to slowly wade in and try out a few new-to-me indie brands. I do wish I had the time and money to review every single brand of polish, but at this point I still have to be selective. I just have to be patient and have self control and wait for the collection to truly catch my eye. (Not that every indie brand out there doesn’t release gorgeous collections all the time, but you get what I mean).

So this collection was one that truly captured my eye and pulled me in, and it was just the right time to purchase. ILNP had already been a brand that had been circling around the edge of my radar, from other Instagram friends posting previous shades and swatches, so it met all of my criteria and made the perfect jumping off point for my first full collection purchase.

This is the ILNP ‘Trapped’ collection. This was a Halloween release, and with that we have 6 vampy, shifty and sparkly shades, with a lot of dark bases and contrasting shimmers. (In my opinion, more brands need to release Halloween collections, thank you very much.)

I did originally swatch these up and post them on my Instagram in November (another shoutout to follow me there as you see swatches earlier most often), but you know, my whole 2023 goal of working to catch up and make sure every polish collection gets it’s matching blog post. This collection is still readily available on the ILNP website and not going anywhere soon, so you can also still get your little hands on them whenever you end up reading this post.

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ILNP ‘NYE’ 2022 Collection – Swatches & Review

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2022, especially in the later months, was a time where I was lucky enough to be able to expand out my roster of brands and dip my toes into more indie brands. One of those brands was ILNP. They fully grabbed me with their Halloween release, Trapped. After that, I had my eye on them. I did end up skipping on their Winter Wonderland release (though as I’m looking at it again, it IS gorgeous…). Now I won’t be reviewing every single indie brand (I wish I had the budget and time for that), and I’ll still be here for mostly mainstream and drugstore brands, but listen, we love to add some unique little indie polishes into the mix every so often. And ILNP has truly been releasing some beautiful shades.

For this newest review, we’re looking at the ‘NYE’ collection. This comes after their winter release, so it’s truly more of full New Years Eve release and look and theming. So with that it features 6 super sparkly and flashy shades perfect for watching the ball drop (hey that’s even a shade name!). We have 5 full color polishes and then one iridescent topper, and all of your glitter needs will be covered with this one, whether it’s for a celebration or when you’re reading this review in the middle of January.

These lovely shades are available on the ILNP website. Now I’ll let the sparkle speak for itself, let’s get on into the swatches!

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Glam Polish ‘Even More Enchanted’ Collection (5 Shades) – Swatches & Review

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PR SAMPLE

I’ve been so lucky to have been receiving products from Glam Polish for a while now and it’s been a truly great way to try out their unique and interesting shades and formulas! (Of course you know my drill, that doesn’t sway my reviews at all, you would see in my live swatch videos if things were terrible). They’re a fun indie brand giving lots of polishes and finishes that you won’t find from the mainstream brands too often.

And now listen, I’ll also be the first to say they release A LOT. It’s about a collection or two a month at this point which can be a lot to keep up with – if I wasn’t receiving PR I wouldn’t be able to keep up at all (not that you need to keep up at all either). So I’m hoping my posts and swatches – of even half a release – can help you out and make it easier to decide when browsing their large selection of polishes. Someone’s gotta help you keep them all straight here, and maybe even make a few recommendations here and there. If you’ve been interested in trying out their shades I’m hoping you can eventually browse through all of my Glam posts and make a more informed decision!

So let’s start with this current collection on my desk. This newest release is the ‘Even More Enchanted’ release, and it’s inspired by the latest Disney sequel, Disenchanted. It’s the sequel to Enchanted, which originally came out in 2007 (15 year ago!!) with Amy Adams and James Marsden. I did love that movie and found it truly delightful, so I was definitely intrigued hearing about a new sequel. I haven’t watched it yet, but it’s on my list – have you seen it?

Anyways, they released 10 new shades for this release, which is typical for Glam’s larger collections. I do only have 5 of the 10 to show you, but I’m sure these swatches will still be helpful so I wanted to get to posting them up! These, along with the 5 other shades, are now available on the Glam Polish website – where you can buy the whole bundle or individual shades.

Let’s dive on into the swatches.

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Zoya ‘Hypnotic’ & ‘Y2K’ Trios for Winter 2022 – Swatches & Review

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We’re continuing right along with the blog post catch up, and reviews of the mainstream Winter polish releases! So let’s look at Zoya! (That’s right, that’s all I’ve got for an intro, we don’t need the rambling here. Maybe it’s because I feel productivity running through my veins).

In lieu of the traditional 6 piece collection for the winter season, Zoya released 2 trios. The two trios feature ‘Hypnotic’ which features 3 deeper, vampy jewel-toned shimmers, for when you just want to be seductive and mysterious in these snowy days. And then there’s ‘Y2K’, which features 3 jelly, sparkly polishes in brighter 2000s colors, when you just need some fun and sparkle throughout all the gray. (Why does it remind me of that scene from Parks & Rec with Andy & April “someone will die” “of fun!” Pls tell me you know that reference and what I mean). Overall, super interesting to go for 2 trios instead of one full cohesive collection, and it gives you choices for 2 distinct nail moods to choose from.

I grabbed both of these trios from the Zoya website during their amazing Black Friday sale – both trios, the Hypnotic, and the Y2K trios are still available to purchase there (and they’ll probably eventually make their way to the Beyond Polish website if you want to wait for even more of a discount).

So enough talking, let’s dive right into the swatches!

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Orly ‘Futurism’ Winter 2022 Collection – Swatches & Review

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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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Holo Taco ‘Cristmas Glitters’ Collection – Swatches & Review

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Well Merry Christmas, or shall I say “Cristmas” everyone (that’ll be explained later)! Yes I know the date on this post says December 3rd, but I am in fact writing up on Christmas day (I change the dates on posts to match when the swatches were posted on Instagram, to keep them spread out and also in order). I’m here in Chicago on this Christmas day and the city is so empty and there’s just something so magical about that. I’m seeing my family before and after actual the actual holiday, so I’ve been enjoying my quiet day just getting up some blog posts finally.

And so fitting on this Christmas day to post up about these holiday glitters from Holo Taco! Yes, you read that right in the title, they’re the “Cristmas” glitters – without an H. Holo Taco’s founder, Cristine, spells her name without the H so it’s a fun little play on her name and spelling! Fun facts for you.

And more fun facts: these glitter polishes originally released last holiday season. I hemmed and hawed over them for far too long and then suddenly they were sold out and I missed out on them. But then a Cristmas miracle! They were re-released again for this holiday season and I didn’t wait this time and snatched them up (even though they’re still fully in stock).

This bundle features 6 super glittery and shimmery holo shades in some gorgeous holiday shades. They’re jelly bases that are just jam packed with sparkle and I was just so mesmerized by them. I wanted them with my little grabby hands. And if they’re catching your eye, as mentioned they’re still in stock on the Holo Taco website. Treat yourself for this holiday season.

Let’s get into these swatches!

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Essie ‘Wrapped in Luxury’ Winter 2022 Collection – Swatches & Review

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We’re getting so close to the holidays and winter breaks and time with family! But it’s just not complete without the mainstream winter releases to check out. So far we’ve looked at the OPI winter release so now we continue on with Essie. Essie of course released their traditional 6 bottle set, and it features rich cream shades and 2 gorgeous shimmers! It’s a lovely little holiday palette, with some classics of reds, greens and golds, but with a tiny little twist.

I purchased these from the Beyond Polish website! I’ve been loving them for their discounted bundles of Essie polishes – especially with how many sets Essie releases throughout the year.

Now I’ve waited too long to post these already, so there’s no long winded intro like usual. Let’s just dive into the swatches already!

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Glam Polish ‘Dungeons & Dragons’ Collection (5 Shades) – Swatches & Review

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PR SAMPLE

Glam Polish is constantly releasing a new collection of shades inspired by an upcoming movie, TV show, or other beloved media. And I’m lucky enough to receive a lot of these shades and swatch them up for you. Now I sometimes don’t receive full collections – like today – but even with half of the polishes I hope I can be helpful and take your hand and guide you through the newest shades. A little Glam Polish leader if you will. (Of course, even with receiving them in PR, I’m always giving you my honest thoughts. You would see right in the live swatches if a polish was horrible).

So let’s dive on into this set. This is the ‘Dungeons & Dragons’ release, inspired by of course, the popular role playing game. (I hear there’s a movie coming eventually too with Chris Pine, as a big fan of his, I’m excited). There are 10 new shades, and I have 5 of them to show you!

As always, these are available on the Glam Polish website, both individually, as well as in a nice little bundle.

We have some gorgeous shades and finishes here, so let’s dive right in!

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Mooncat ‘Once Upon a Fairytale’ Collection – Swatches & Review

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I had seen Mooncat floating around and in my Instagram feed, the gorgeous linear holos and magnetics tempting me each time a fellow nail friend posted up new swatches. And then finally I saw this collection of just soft and fantastical blues, pinks and purples, and I finally dove in and bought my first full Mooncat collection.

If y’all were at all familiar with indie polishes before this, you might have heard of Live Love Polish. Well they recently rebranded into the more edgy and fun branding and name of Mooncat. Their motto is “Abandon the Ordinary”, so you just know you’re going to get some unique finishes and formulas.

So let’s look at this set, the one that truly started my new love for this brand. This is the ‘Once Upon a Fairytale’ collection, and these colors truly match that theme. We have 5 sparkly and flakey shades to look at today. I bought these way back in May and swatched them up on my Instagram, but still wanted to get a matching blog post for them as well! This collection doesn’t seem to be going anywhere soon, and they’re still available on the Mooncat website for $14-$15 each, or in a nice little bundle.

Now let’s get on into the swatches!

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OPI ‘Jewel Be Bold’ Winter 2022 Collection + Glitter Exclusives – Swatches & Review

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Listen, has it been over a month since I posted a blog post? Yes, but we’re NOT going to ruminate on that today. I think I have this exact same spiel each time I come crawling back here after not posting regularly, and I have no excuses. I’ve still been swatching up a storm on my Instagram (plug here to follow me there), but I neglected you all over here, my heart and soul, my regulars, the ones who continue on even with no algorithm, steady through any storm.

But I digress. Let’s not pause and stay on the negative, and let’s just discuss what we’re all here for: nail polish. And I know most of you are here ESPECIALLY for new OPI nail polish. That’s right, I see my stats, and I know no matter what I’ll always be posting up the OPI seasonal reviews, don’t you worry. Even if I only put up 4 posts a year, it’ll just be the seasonal OPI releases. OPI keeps us all going. So let’s look at this newest release.

This is the ‘Jewel Be Bold’ collection for Winter 2022, and it features the traditional 12 bottles, along with 3 glitter exclusives. So 15 shades total. That’s right, we got a lot of polish so I won’t be too wordy, and I’ll let the photos do all of the talking (she says while still being wordy).

We have just 1 cream shade, and then 14 shimmery and sparkly and glittery shades. So if you’re a lover of sparkle this is the set for you. As always, I purchased from my favorite place, polishpick.com. They always have the best prices and incredibly fast shipping. Highly recommend!

Now, enough talking, let’s just get right on into the swatches!

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