As someone who looks forward to summer collections, this year has been a little disappointing. I don’t want to start the blog post off on a negative note but I feel like the mainstream releases this year didn’t get the memo on BRIGHT summer collections. Ok, China Glaze got the memo but other than that, my desire for eye-searingly bright colors has not yet been fulfilled.
Thankfully Starrily has stepped in and is giving us this BRIGHT AF neon collection for summer 2023! And no, these are not the kinds of neones where you need a white base. Big thank you to Starrily for sending these over to me!
The Noble Neons is a 6 piece neon collection that is available right now on the Starrily website as well as some of their stockist pages. As always, I will have some links to where you can pick everything up at the end of the post.
Live Swatch Video
Starrily is a US based boutique nail polish brand. Their polishes are in 15ml bottles, 5 free, cruelty free and vegan friendly.
Helium (He)
Description: a vivid pink hue that embodies the uplifting energy of helium gas
Helium (He) I love me a neon pink and this one is PANK. This had a beautiful formula but was very much on the thicker side. I found the application very easy and the polish was surprisingly opaque.
My photos show Helium (He) in 2 coats plus glossy top coat. I had a tiny amount of VNL with this polish but not enough to warrant a third coat. If your nails are a lot longer than mine, you might need a third coat.
Neon (Ne)
Description: a vivacious and energetic orange that embodies the dynamic presence of neon gas
Neon (Ne) had a similar formula to Helium (He) however it was a tiny bit sheerer.
Again, we have a super bright neon. This is an eye searingly bright neon orange. It leans a little bit towards red which made color correction a “I want to scream and throw things” level of frustration.
My photos show Neon (Ne) in 2 coats plus glossy top coat.
Radon (Rn)
Description: a vivid yellow that celebrates the rare and fascinating properties of radon gas
Radon (Rn) I know most of the polishes in this release are bright AF neons but a neon yellow just hits differently. This is a bright neon highlighter yellow, it seems to have a tiny droplet of green but it’s not nearly as green as some other highlighter neon yellows.
The formulation was also on the thicker side but self leveled really nicely. Coverage was pretty good, but depending on your application it will be a 2-3 coater. I had 2 nails that had dark spots with 2 coats.
My photos show Radon (Rn) in 2-3 coats plus glossy top coat.
Krypton (Kr)
Description: a hypnotic green that captures the electrifying energy of krypton gas
Krypton (Kr) today I learned that Krypton is an element and not just a fictional planet. As a big fan of Smallville, I geeked out that the neon green is called Krypton.
The formula and application were pretty much the same as the past few polishes. A little thick, good self leveling and easy to use.
My photos show Krypton (Kr) in 2 coats plus glossy top coat.
Xenon (Xe)
Description: a mesmerizing blue that reflects the intense blue light of xenon gas.
Xenon (Xe) was a lot sheerer than the first part of the collection. It leans a lot more jelly like but was still pretty thick. I did end up adding some thinner to mine as it was just a little bit too thick.
On top of being one of the sheerer polishes, it also isn’t a neon. This makes sense because as I understand it, neon blue doesn’t really exist. This is still a very bright blue, I would dare say it’s a cobalt blue which we all know I love.
I do this this polish is likely going to be a solid 3 coater. In just two coats, the coverage just wasn’t there for me.
My photos show Xenon (Xe) in 3 coats plus glossy to pcoat.
Argon (Ar)
Description: a regal and majestic purple that pays homage to the noble properties of argon gas
Argon (Ar) much like neon blue, apparently a true neon purple doesn’t really exist. This is a fairly dark addition to a neon collection but I loved the shade of purple anyway!
Coverage and formula were both pretty good. I expected it to be a 3 coater like Xenon (Xe) but I had perfect opacity in 2 coats.
My photos show Argon (Ar) in 2 coats plus glossy top coat.
Final Thoughts
This collection was exactly what I wanted/needed from a summer collection! I know we are still technically in spring but my mind and heart are 100% in summer. My only complaint/critique is that I wish Xenon (Xe) and Argon (Ar) were a tiny bit brighter but I will never ever ever be mad at a cobalt blue.
My top picks are going to be Xenon (Xe), Helium (He) and Radon (Rn). Let me know which polishes were your favorites in the comments section!
Starrily
15ml, 5 Free, Vegan & Cruelty Free
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Sale Information
The Noble Neons collection is available right now on the Starrily website. Each polish is priced at $13 for 15ml bottles.
Starrily is also sold on several stockist pages for those of you outside of the US. NailStuff (Canada), Hypnotic Polish (UK), Femme Fatale (Australia) and Nail Artisan (UK).
