[Press Samples, affiliate links used – Post Disclosure Page]
Hey friends! So winter is still here but it is time for Spring collections to start popping up. As I have mentioned on many occasions, I do not generally like spring releases. However, when I saw the spoilers for Orly’s Spring 2023 collection I was so excited. No pastels, some shimmers, I was intrigued.
Spoiler alert, I was not disappointed by this collection one bit! For disclosure, Orly did send me these polishes in PR but this post is not sponsored. I also did purchase these through Orly’s annual Color Pass subscription.
This collection is called Hopeless Romantic, it is a 6 piece collection that is available now and starting to pop up for sale. As always, I will have links and sale details at the end of the post.
Live Swatch Video
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Orly is a US based mainstream brand. Their polishes are in massive 18ml bottles, 12 free, cruelty free and vegan friendly.
Check Yes Or No
Description: a medium purple creme
Check Yes Or No had a fantastic buttery smooth formula. It self leveled perfectly and applied just as well. I expected this one to be chalky and streaky but it wasn’t!
Color wise, I would call this a pinky orchid shade. It has just a drop of purple, in my opinion for all intents and purposes it’s pink.
My photos show Check Yes Or No in 2 coats plus glossy top coat.
I wanted to compare this to another pinky purple shade, Essie’s Fuel Your Desire from their Valentine’s Day 2023 collection. Not dupes but they are similar.
Meet Cute
Description: a light pink creme
Meet Cute had a fantastic formula. It felt just slightly thicker than the other cremes but not at all overly thick or difficult to work with.
I feel like the base color leans in the pink salmon-y category which is one of my least favorite shades of pink. However, I did really like how this one looked on me despite me not actually loving the color of it.
My photos show Meet Cute in 3 coats plus glossy top coat. I had a few light spots with this one so depending on how picky you are, this will be a 2-3 coater. I did find on my shorter nails, I had a light spot in 2 coats.
The most similar pink to this one that I have swatched is called In Our Domain which is from Essie’s new Cyber Society collection. They aren’t 100% dupes but they are very similar.
Oh Darling
Description: a raspberry creme
Oh Darling had a beautiful formula. This one of those reds that apply just slightly crelly like.
Maybe it’s because we are gearing up to celebrate Valentine’s Day but the shade of red just made me think “Classic Valentine’s Day Red”. I. dare say it is a sexy red. I don’t see ANY raspberry in the base color.
I went back and forth on it this polish needed 2 coats or 3. I didn’t notice any difference in depth of color or amount of opacity between the two so it is likely a solid two coater.
My photos show Oh Darling in 3 coats plus glossy top coat but again, I don’t think the third coat was needed at all.
Opposites Attract
Description: a stunning purple with a surprising blue shimmer
Opposites Attract had a great formula. I was surprised that this one was opaque on me in 2 coats. I swatched Serendipty before this one so I expected it to be as sheer as that polish. It was a lot more opaque and crelly-like vs the obvious jelly formula of Serendipity.
Unlike Serendioity, this was not color shifty at all. Which is fine, not every shimmer needs to be color shifty to be beautiful.
The shimmer does show some brush strokes. Most of them disappear as the polish dries but if you look for them, you will see them. The shimmer doesn’t give the polish a metallic look which I appreciate.
My photos show Opposites Attracts in 2 coats plus glossy top coat.
Serendipity
Description: an iridescent shimmer
Serendipity had a fantastic formula but it starts off very sheer. The base base is that bright shade of cobalt that I always love but this one is in a jelly base.
The shimmer is a larger particle size that has a lot of sparkle and color shifts. I was seeing a blue, purple to pink color shift.
So while I understand that if the polish wasn’t sheer, we wouldn’t be able to see the beautiful color shifts. Do I still wish it was just a hair more opaque? Yes, yes I do. Do I still love it? Also yes, yes I do. It’s truly gorgeous.
My photos show Serendipity in 3 coats plus glossy top coat. Removal won’t be overly difficult but it will be fairly messy. I also do think this will be a 3 coater on natural nails with some VNL as well.
Written In The Stars
Description: icy blue shimmer
Written In The Stars had a great but thinner formula. The polish had a tendency to run down the stem of the brush but I didn’t find it made application difficult or for thicker application. It also starts off fairly sheer so you will want to build it up to get the most opacity.
I’m a little surprised at how frosty this polish was. It is a more sparkly metallic shade as opposed to the smooth metallics from the winter collection. The color is more spring-entric so it does work for a spring release in my opinion.
It is also just sparkly enough that I didn’t get my usual “ugh metallic” feeling from it. I actually really liked it!
My photos show Written In The Stars in 3 coats plus glossy top coat.
Final Thoughts
When I saw spoilers for this collection back in December, I was PUMPED. I love Spring collections that don’t feature pastel cremes. This color story was so fun and I loved the variety of finishes.
My stand out top pick is definitely Serendipity. It’s color shifty, it’s a vibrant blue so what is not to love?
Orly
18ml, 12 Free, Vegan & Cruelty-Free
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Sale Information
The Hopeless Romantic collection is available right now in all of the places Orly is sold as well as their subscription service Color Pass. The MSRP for Orly is $10.50 for 18ml bottles. If you sign up for Orly’s Color Pass service the Spring box comes with Orly’s new peel off base coat and a detail brush.
Amazon has the full collection priced at $50. It is also available on Beyond Polish where you can save an extra 10% with affiliate code my NicoleLovesNails.
Orly is also sold at Ulta, although I do not see this collection available there online at the time of posting.
