Saturday 16 June 2012

Orly Nail Polish Review

As many of you will know I love nails and everything to do with nails. I love nail art, I love sparkly gems but most of all, I LOVE nail polish. I have tried many low-end and high-end nail polishes throughout the years so I know which nail polishes are good and which are utterly shocking. 

I'm going to be reviewing nail polish brands over the next couple of weeks as this will be a good way of showing you the good, the mediocre and the down right rubbish nail polish brands. 

To kick off my series of nail polish brand reviews, I have for you...Orly. 

What Orly have to say...

"ORLY is the trendsetter when it comes to fashion for nails. Taking influences from the catwalk, ORLY's seasonal collections go hand in hand with fashion trends, and with over 150 different colours to choose from, there's a shade for every occassion.
Over 30 years and more than 25 treatments later, ORLY is renowned around the world for its professional quality products. A complete manicure and pedicure range, ORLY has everything you need to keep your hands and feet in the red carpert standard they so deserve."
Are Orly nail polishes 3 free?

Yes they are. Orly nail polishes are free from DBP, Formaldehyde and Toluene. 

Does Orly have a large colour selection?

Orly have a fabulous colour selection. There are 96 shades in the permanent collection and approximately 6 shades in each of the limited edition collections. Orly release many collections over the year and they're always brilliant collections. One collection Orly have just released is the Orly Flash Glam FX collection, it's basically a collection containing many sparkly and glittery nail polishes and I have to say that it's a simply amazing collection. Perfect for a magpie like myself. 
Orly cater for everybody as there is a wide selection of neutral, dark and bright nail polishes available. No matter if you like beige, dark purple or hot pink, there will be a shade just for you. 

How much do Orly nail polishes retail at and where can you buy them from?

Orly nail polishes retail at £10.95 and can be purchased online at Look Fantastic, Beauty Bay and Feel Unique. Mini Orly nail polishes can also be purchased in-store at selected Boots stores, the mini Orly nail polishes retail at £3.99 each. It's also important to know that full sized Orly nail polishes retail at  £7.50 on Beauty Bay so you may as well buy them from there, Beauty Bay also offer free delivery (or snail delivery as I like to call it).

What do Orly nail polishes look like?

Below are photographs and swatches of a few of my Orly nail polishes. 


From left to right: 'Hot Shot', 'Passion Fruit', 'Beach Cruiser', 'Basket Case'.

From left to right: 'Butterflies', 'White Out', 'Androgynie', 'Shine On Crazy Diamond'.

'Hot Shot'
Colour: Neon Red/Coral
Coats needed: 2

'Passion Fruit'
Colour: Neon Red/Pink
Coats needed: 2

'Beach Cruiser'
Colour: Neon Pink
Coats needed: 2

'Basket Case'
Colour: Pink With Purple Undertone
Coats needed: 2

'Butterflies'
Colour: Strawberry Pink
Coats needed: 3

'White Out'
Colour: Pure White
Coats needed: 2

'Androgynie'
Colour: Black With Green/Blue Glitter
Coats needed: 3

'Shine On Crazy Diamond'
Colour: Fine Glitter
Coats needed: 2

Swatches
From left to right: Hot Shot, Passion Fruit, Beach Cruiser, Basket Case, Butterflies, White Out, Androgynie, Shine On Crazy Diamond. 

The Good
  • Brush - Orly nail polishes have a thin brush which enables precise application. 
  • Packaging - Orly nail polishes have a rubberised lid which enables easy gripping (handy when opening) and flawless performance.
  • Coats Needed - The majority of Orly nail polishes require 2 coats which is standard. Some of the paler shades need 3 coats but that is to be expected. 
  • Drying Time - I can't give specific drying times as I don't sit there with a stop clock funnily enough, but If I were to guess then I'd say that one coat would be dry after 5 minutes. I also noticed that matte Orly nail polishes dry almost instantly so if you're in a rush and need to use a nail polish that dries uberly fast then I'd check out the matte Orly nail polishes, for example, 'Hot Shot' or 'Beach Cruiser'.
  • Chipping - Orly nail polish lasts around 6 days before chipping. The majority of nail polishes last around 3-4 before chipping so 6 days is amazing! Orly nail polishes would be ideal for anyone who doesn't change their nail colour frequently.
  • 3 Free - Orly nail polishes are free from DBP, Formaldehyde and Toluene (baddies that shouldn't be in nail polishes). It's important that you check the ingredients list of a nail polish before buying it as you really don't want to buy a nail polish that contains these three baddies. Hoorah for Orly.. you kind, thoughtful brand!
  • Opacity - Some Orly polishes are very opaque, whereas some can be quite sheer. It just depends on the colour and finish of the nail polish but more often than not, Orly nail polishes have brilliant opacity. 
  • Application - Orly nail polishes apply very well. They apply very smoothly without streaking, although you do have to watch out for some of the matte shades as they can apply a little streaky, and also sheer. 
  • Colour Range - I personally feel that Orly have the BEST colour range, there's 96 different shades in the permanent range and there's usually 6 shades in each of the limited edition collections. Orly release many collections throughout the year and I have to say that they never fail to impress me. I feel that Orly cater for each and every one of us as they include a mix of vibrant, neutral and dark shades in their collections. 
  • Size - Orly nail polishes contain 18ml of product which is utterly amazing. A standard nail polish contains between 8-15ml of product so you're getting a lot more product in Orly nail polishes. Orly nail polishes are very large so I can imagine one bottle lasting a while. I paint my nail VERY frequently and have gone through 2 bottles of 'White Out' in the space of 10 months which in my opinion is very good.  
  • Price - Orly nail polishes retail between £7.50 - £10.85 and I think this is reasonable. Not only are you paying for the large amount of product, you're paying for the quality too. I own many high end nail polishes that are a lot more expensive than Orly nail polishes and I have to say that the quality it utterly shoddy, £1 Primark nail polish is probably better quality, and that's no exaggeration. Overall, Orly nail polishes have a brilliant price tag and I will definitely by buying more in the future, they're brilliant nail polishes!  
  • Scent - Some nail polishes can have a really overpowering scent, so much so that they can give you a migraine but I'm pleased to say that Orly nail polishes don't have an overpowering scent at all. 
The Okay
  • Availability - Orly nail polishes cannot be purchased in-store (apart from a few select mini shades at selected Boots stores) and this is a problem for me as I like to look at nail polishes before I buy them, just incase I either don't like the shade or find I already own a similar one. If Orly branched out to Boots/Superdrug, it'd be so much better as you could freely look at the nail polishes. There's no denying that Orly nail polishes are readily available online, you can buy them left, right and centre (which is ace) but it'd just be nice to see them in the flesh. Not only that, the Boots/Superdrug points would be nice too. 
The Bad
  • I have nothing bad to say about Orly nail polishes, they're brilliant nail polishes and I'll certainly be buying more in the future. The only thing I will say is that I'd like to see more green/blue shades in the permanent range. 

Overall I like Orly nail polishes, they have a nice consistency, apply smoothly and last around 6 days without chipping. Orly nail polishes also contain 18ml which is utterly amazing as a standard nail polish contains 15ml.
I would suggest Orly nail polishes to anyone that doesn't paint their nails that often or buy nail polishes on a regular basis. Orly nail polishes would also be great for anyone on the go 24/7 as they're fast drying.

Would I recommend? Yes, I personally feel Orly nail polishes are the best on the market.
Would I re-purchase? Yes, 10 times over. 
Rating? 10/10

Have you tried any Orly nail polishes?
:)

*The shades 'Hot Shot', 'Basket Case' and 'Butterflies' were sent to me for review purposes. This does not effect my thoughts and opinions on the products. As always, my reviews are 100% truthful. 

18 comments:

  1. Androgynie and hot shot look gorgeous! I wish these polishes were more widely available in store! I don't own any Orly because I'm the same I like to look at polish colours when I'm buying :)

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    1. They really are :D Androgynie looks amazing over black as it brings out the green/blue glitter! :) I don't understand why Orly isn't stocked in any stores, they'd making an absolute killing if they did! :) Apparently they've started to sell Orly minis in Topshop but the only issue is that they're quite pricey for teeny bottles :( xxx

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  2. Hot Shot and Beach Cruiser look gorgeous! I've never tried Orly! xo

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    1. They really are! :D They're very bright and perfect for summer! Think I'll be taking Beach Cruiser on my jolly holidays! :) xxx

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  3. Just the type review i was looking for, thinking of getting some higher end nail polishes for my birthday, Orlys on my list :D xo

    vintage-teapot.blogspot.ie

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    1. You really won't be disappointed with Orly at all! :) they're lovely nail polishes! :) xxx

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  4. Butterflies looks so cute, i love all the colours you've swatched here xxx

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    1. It's a really lovely colour! :) perfect for summer (although it doesn't feel very summery right now) :P xxx

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  5. Those hot pinks and corals look perfect for summer! I've never tried Orly, would you say they're better than OPI? xx

    http://wonderwall-93.blogspot.co.uk/

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    1. Me and OPI have fallen out, in a big big way. To sum it up OPI are overpriced and the quality is shocking, they also go gloopy after about 2 weeks. Orly nail polishes are 100% better than OPI nail polishes and they're also cheaper! :) xxx

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  6. Beautiful colours. I only tried one Orly nail polish, but I think I will get some more now :)

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    1. Orly polishes are lovely! :) possibly the best I've tried :D if you like glitter polishes you NEED to check out Flash Glam FX swatches, they're utterly amazing! :D xxx

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  7. Ooh I love the look of 'Basket Case', I've been looking for this kind of pink for ages :) Thanks for the recommendations! xxx

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  8. I only have a couple myself, but I do love them :) I definitely want to buy more, looks like they have some gorgeous shades x

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  9. I would love to try out these nail polishes. They sound amazing and the colours are great!

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  10. I am amazed at the lack of chipping and they seem like mini and they are my favourite types of nail varnishes as I never use them up :) LaceyLoves

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  11. I love brands that make mini polishes because I love to buy it and never ever use one up :p. I've never tried Orly, but I will now haha thanks :)

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  12. Do you use any topcoat at all or does it last 6 days without anything?

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