Holo Taco ‘Dark Academia’ Collection – Swatches & Review

GingerlyPolishedLeave a comment

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!

Read More »

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

GingerlyPolishedLeave a comment

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!

Read More »

ILNP ‘Campground’ Fall 2024 Collection – Swatches & Review

GingerlyPolishedLeave a comment

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!

Read More »

Orly ‘Terra Nova’ Fall 2024 – Swatches & Review

GingerlyPolishedLeave a comment

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!

Read More »

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

GingerlyPolished4 Comments

*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.

Read More »

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

GingerlyPolishedLeave a comment

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!

***

Read More »

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

GingerlyPolishedLeave a comment

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?

***

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).

Read More »

ILNP ‘Wildflowers’ Collection – Swatches & Review

GingerlyPolished5 Comments

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.

Read More »

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

GingerlyPolished2 Comments

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!

Read More »

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

GingerlyPolishedLeave a comment

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!

Read More »