Orly Spring 2014 Galaxy Fx Collection Swatch and Review: Star Trooper

Orly Star Trooper (2 coats)

Happy Monday! Unfortunately I had to take the day off work to recuperate from my vacation. I know, crazy, right? I hope your weekend went well.

Today brings the last Galaxy Fx polish, and it is equally complex as Intergalactic Space. Star Trooper is a deep brown/black jelly base with tons of copper microglitter, medium white hexagonal glitter, and larger white glitter. I was extremely impressed with the application and formula. I was sure I'd need 3 coats, but it was opaque in 2, and no dabbing of glitter was necessary. Some are saying there is a big Sally's sale until today, but I haven't been out to check my local store. Either way, today is the last day for the buy 1 get 1 free Orly.

Orly Spring 2014 Galaxy Fx Collection Swatch and Review: Intergalactic Space

Orly Intergalactic Space (3 coats)

Sorry for the missing post yesterday, but my dad had to go to the ER and we also had a drive back to NC that took a long time due to traffic. I am so exhausted from the trip from my Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and hope I can work this week. Life.

Anyway, so far we've seen the light side of the Galaxy, but now we're getting into the dark. Up first is Intergalactic Space which is an extremely complex polish. It contains a black jelly base with small hexagonal fuchsia and bronze glitter and tons of blue microglitter. Interspersed, there are large white glitters which actually weren't too difficult to get out (perhaps a tiny bit of fishing for one per nail). The application and formula was the best of the collection since you can use regular strokes and was fairly opaque (it barely needed the 3rd coat for me). 

Orly Spring 2014 Galaxy Fx Collection Swatch and Review: Milky Way

Orly Milky Way (2 coats)

I'm baaaaack! Yes, after a long hiatus, I am back among those with wifi. I had several issues on this trip, and I planned on having more posts ready to go, but you know how that goes. If you want to find out more about my trip, check out my Twitter or Instagram accounts. 

Anyway, I believe I was working on the Orly Galaxy Fx collection before the break, and I'll continue with my second favorite polish which was Milky Way. It's a baby blue base with coral and white hexagonal glitter and teal microglitter. There's a lot going on here, but everything is just in sync. This would also make a perfect summer polish. Do be careful with the application though because this sucker is extremely thick. I shook it well before applying, but about halfway through, it started to get unbearably thick again. I got this for real cheap at Sally's but will usually run about $10 which is ridiculous. Right now Orly polishes are buy 1 get 1 free at Sally's, so check out what else they have to offer. TGIF! 

Orly Fx Spring 2014 Galaxy Collection Swatch and Review: Starburst

Orly Starburst (3 coats)

I've been collecting these Orly Fx spring polishes for months from the Sally's Beauty Supply clearance sales. I think I'm done with buying them, so I have several to show you. I'm showing my favorite color first called Starburst which is a white jelly with loads of orange, gold and red glitter. I think it's all hexagonal glitter of different sizes. It's just so bright and fun and perfect for summer. It's a jelly, so it's sheer, but the 3 coats weren't a big deal. If you can find it online, I would highly recommend it! 

Orly Spring 2013 Hope and Freedom Fest Collection Swatch: Boho Bonnet

Orly Boho Bonnet (2 coats)

Woot, 2 posts in 1 day! I'm trying to do some catch up before the winter break when I can really do some swatching. Boho Bonnet came out back in April, but I think you can still find it on the interwebs, for sure. It's a greyed-out blue creme that is pretty, but not very unique. I haven't gone though my collection looking for dupes, but I'm sure I'd find at least 1 close one. The formula was fine in just 2 coats overall. Oh, and please don't look at my middle finger...these were done back when I had a bad break I was trying to deal with. Dang, now all of you are going to look at my terrible middle finger. Oh well. 

Orly Spring 2013 Hope and Freedom Collection Swatch: Melodious Utopia

Orly Melodious Utopia (3 coats) over China Glaze Snow (1 coat)

I'm back! I had a long day in the field for work yesterday, so I was unable to post. Sorry! I only have one polish from the Spring 2013 Orly collection and I got it for cheap at Sally's. I tried Melodious Utopia by itself, but it was just too sheer needing 4 coats which caused lots of bubbling. I decided to put a coat of China Glaze Snow (from a holiday collection) underneath to see if that helps, and it definitely brings out the yellow and the pink shimmer in this one. I like it, but I find it a bit too much of a pain to use often. 

Orly Holiday 2011 Holiday Soiree Swatch: Androgynie

Orly Androgynie (2 coats)

Yes, I've had this polish since Christmas of 2011....don't judge me. I have no idea why I didn't swatch these earlier because I really regret it. Androgynie is a blackened brown base with lots of silver and gold fine glitter and colorful large hexagonal glitter pieces. I thought this one reminded me of space, and lots of people made similar comments to me. I found getting the large hexagonal pieces to come out and stay put to be a bit difficult, but in the end it was well worth it. The formula and application was fine otherwise. Apparently you can buy this directly from the Orly website for only $3.99 right now.

Oh, and some of you are forgetting to leave your e-mail address and/or your favorite nail polish brand on the giveaway comments. Please make sure to update it so you are still eligible! 

St. Patrick's Day Manicure: Orly Monster Mash and Sinful Colors Irish Green

Sinful Colors Irish Green (3 coats)

Orly Monster Mash (2 coats) over Sinful Colors Irish Green (3 coats)

Happy St. Patrick's Day! I spent the day in Charlotte going to Ikea and Trader Joe's. You know what that means...I got a new Helmer! Now I can finally put all my nail polish away. 

I was really happy with this manicure and I thought it would be the perfect green combination for St. Patrick's Day. The base is Irish Green from Sinful Colors which is a kelly green jelly. Since it is a jelly, it is a bit sheer, but it was mostly opaque with 3 coats. Despite being sheer, the formula was actually pretty great. Next, I put 2 coats of Orly Monster Mash which is a glitter bomb of green and gold glitter (hexagonal, bar and microglitter) with a sheer green base. I think this works best as a layering top coat because it would be really hard to build up the opacity. I know this post is a bit late in the evening, but I hope you had a great day and wore a green polish! 

Orly Winter 2012 Naughty or Nice Collection: Devil May Care

Orly Devil May Care (2 coats) over 2 coats Orly Ma Cherie

Happy belated Valentine's Day! My husband and I had our annual IHOP dinner which was very exciting. That came about in a funny way actually. An ex-boyfriend of mine took me to a gun range followed by dinner at IHOP for Valentine's Day one year and I thought it was funny. I told my husband about it and we had a good laugh and decided to keep the IHOP tradition for ourselves. Do you have any funny Valentine's Day traditions?

I got Devil May Care at one of Sally's 50% off clearance items sales and it's a red and gold hexagonal glitter polish with a clear base. I wasn't sure how opaque it was going to be, so I went ahead and layered it over Orly's Ma Cherie which I found worked out fine. Despite it being a holiday color, it was quite appropriate for Valentine's Day as well. The formula was a little thick, but nothing too bad. I think you could get full coverage out of this, but it will take you at least 3 coats. 

Indie Nail Brands: Happy Hands in Flowers on the Highway

Happy Hands Flowers on the Highway (1 coat) over Orly You're Blushing

TGIF! I am leaving for Washington DC tonight (for the world's largest pen show!), so this is going to be a quick post. When I saw Flowers on the Highway from Happy Hands, I knew I had to have it. It is chock full of glitter (large yellow and silver, medium silver, pink and green, and small black and pink glitter) that I ended up putting over Orly's You're Blushing. When I say it was full of glitter, I'm serious; it almost applies too much per coat! I found it was best to dab on, unless you want to deal with pushing glitter around. I love this one! You can find it on their Etsy site every Saturday at 5 PM EST. 

Orly Cool Romance Spring 2012 Collection: You're Blushing

Orly You're Blushing (2 coats)

Wait, you thought I was done with the Orly spring collection? Yeah, so did I. This baby popped up in my collection the other day and I had completely forgotten about it. You're Blushing is a light dusty purple creme with hints of taupe. I like it; it's not your typical putty color since it has a bit more purple to it. The application and formula was pretty spot on and was almost a 1 coater. Ok, now I'm done with this collection...I think. 

Orly Dark Shadows 2012 Collection: Buried Alive

Orly Buried Alive (2 coats)

I'm back from Vermont! Actually, I came back early yesterday, but I was too exhausted to blog last night. We attended my husband's cousin's wedding and it was beautiful. The ceremony was outside a vineyard and the reception was in a restored barn. On Sunday the family went to the Shelburne Museum where we saw lots of interesting exhibits (from creepy old dolls, retired circus memorabilia, to original Monet paintings). At the museum we also saw the dark-haired, skinny guy from the Drew Carey show (his name is Diedrick Bader), but we didn't want to bother him. It was a great weekend, and I wish I had more time to spend there. 

The second polish from the Dark Shadows collection is Buried Alive which is a pretty brown shimmer with hints of gold. Out of this whole collection, this one is definitely my favorite of the bunch. Despite not being a stereotypical summer color, I was happy to rock this a few weeks ago. The application and formula was slightly thick, but overall fine. 

Orly Dark Shadows Collection: Mysterious Curse

Orly Orly Mysterious Curse (2 coats)

Orly Royal Velvet (2 coats)

Well well well. It appears as though I have a dupe on my hands. I hate when companies rerelease polishes with a different name to get more money (I'm looking at you OPI...with your "Ulta exclusive" colors). Orly already came out with this blue/purple color with blue shimmer last year called Royal Velvet. Can you see much of a difference between Royal Velvet and Mysterious Curse? No? Me either. Oh well, live and learn. Good thing I only paid $2 for it. 

I didn't see Dark Shadows when it was released. Was it any good? 

Orly Cool Romance Spring 2012 Collection: Artificial Sweetener

Orly Artificial Sweetener (2 coats)

Greeting from Vermont! I love when Sally's Beauty Supply has their 50% off clearance items because I picked up some Orly polishes for only $2! Such a steal! Artificial Sweetener (awesome name) is a light pink color with lots of silver shimmer. The pictures don't highlight the shimmer, but you can definitely see it well in person. I like it, it's a nice spring/summer color. I find that Orly has a great formula that is often overlooked. I don't think I've ever had a polish from them with major issues. It was also very pigmented with full opacity in 2 coats. 

Orly Cool Romance Spring 2012 Collection: Prelude to a Kiss

Orly Prelude to a Kiss (2 coats)

I hope you're having a good night! This post needs to be quick because the finale of Project Runway All-Stars starts in 2 minutes! Eek! I hope Austin wins. Who are you picking?

I only bought 1 polish from the Orly Cool Romance collection and it's Prelude to a Kiss which is a pink/peach creme. I was hoping it wouldn't be too pink on me and I'm happy to report that it is a fun pastel peach. The formula was a bit thick and streaky on the first coat, but the second coat covered up all streakiness. 

If I had it to do over again, I would also purchase Faint of Heart from this collection because the swatches look pretty awesome.