Orly
Mannequin Hands with Rescue Beauty Lounge
Mannequin Hands is a new series featuring ALU Fanatics showing off their “mannequin hands” shade. The one polish that best gives that elongated, flesh-toned look to their hands.
Happy Friday Fanatics! Today we have Snap Happy from MUA showing off her “mannequin hands” and she graced with three gorgeous photos of her faves. Snap Happy is a MAC NC 35-40 so check out her swatches to see if you find a color match. |
Orly Bloom Spring 2010 Collection Preview
Walk Through the Wildflowers with this Blossoming Collection
Introducing Bloom, the feminine Spring 2010 Collection from ORLY that captures the colors of nature, straight from the garden. Bold colors epitomize this year’s spring trends with deep pinks, burnt oranges, rich wines and purple blues. Do you remember when I was at Cosmprof last summer raving about the new greens for Spring coming from SpaRitual and Orly? Well they’re finally starting to peek their heads out. I showed you one of the new greens from SpaRitual last week and today I have Wandering Vine from Orly’s Bloom collection along with a preview of the rest of the collection. Check them out after the jump! |
Orly Metal Chic Metallic Matte Swatches & Review
A perfect addition to your special occassion Orly’s newest set of matte colors, Metal Chic, includes three metallic shades that will add a fun twist to your party look. Iron Butterfly, Glam Rock and Solid Gold are in the same vein as the OPI Suede and Zoya MatteVelvet polishes in that they contain metallic shimmer to add a bit of bling to what could be a very flat, wall paint-ish polish.
Even though I’ve been a proponent of using a matte top coat versus a matte nail polish, there is one HUGE advantage in the matte polish corner… dry time!! Even though I love painting my nails, I don’t always have time to execute the perfect manicure. Case in point, last night. I was heading downtown for a charity event but was running late, per usual. It was bad enough that my tips were naked during my charity beauty sale but two nights in a row was unacceptable. So I threw on a quick coat of Iron Butterfly and not only did it give great coverage, it was dry before I got out the door. Talk about convenient. Check out these last minute manicure wonders along with some comparisons, after the jump! |
Orly Matte Couture Collection Swatches & Review
 Because Matte is the New Black! Orly’s tagline for the new Matte Couture collection totally nails the trend, no pun intended. Everywhere I look in the polish world, there is a new matte collection or top coat to check out. If there’s a brand that hasn’t embraced matte yet, I’ll bet they will soon.
I can hear many of you, channeling Elle Woods, saying, “whoever said matte is the new black is SERIOUSLY disturbed, ” but I’m starting to believe in matte’s staying power. As much as we hear that it’s a fad, a blip, a small moment in nail culture I can’t help but wonder if that’s just a wish rather than a prediction. Check out what Orly is bringing to the matte table after the jump! |
Unlike other matte polish collections, Orly is the first brand to suggest using a base coat under the lacquers. I tried these on bare and base coated nails and the application over both was relatively smooth. Granted mattes are still unforgiving if your technique is uneven but I found this formula to be thinner and easier to work with than the OPI or Zoya mattes. Also, these shades are extremely pigmented so you barely need two coats.
FYI – A reader asked on Twitter if applying a matte top coat over matte polishes would extend their wear. I tested Nubar’s matte top coat over their Modern Matte polish and had major chipping after one day. A great suggestion but unfortunately not a solution.
Blue Suede isn’t a true matte and I LOVE that. I was expecting flat, lifeless wall paint a la OPI Russian Navy Matte but instead I was treated to a lovely dusty hue with a suede-like finish as the name suggests.
As I applied Purple Velvet I started to pick up on the theme. This shade has a slight hint of shimmer giving it a (say it with me kids) VELVET finish. This one lies on the red-grape side of the purple spectrum but I’m digging it anyway.
Matte Vinyl is definitely the most matte shade in the bunch. Looking at it, I can’t help but think of that chalkboard spray paint I’ve seen used on old episodes of Trading Spaces. It’s a bit too much for me but I think with a glossy tip I’d be all over it. Want to see what I mean? Check out a modified matte manicure on my friend Sara from Bit By the Beauty Bug.
The Orly Matte Couture collection launches in September. The polishes retail for $7.50/ea and can be purchased online at OrlyBeauty.com and our fave etailers (see sidebar) and in stores like Sally Beauty and ULTA.
What do we think? Are you liking the different finishes on these? Which colors struck your fancy? Am I slowly breaking down the matte haters? Let’s here it!
Matte Top Coats – Let’s Compare
 Love it or hate it, Matte Nails are the big trend for Fall. With all the matte nail polish collections coming out, it will be a hard style to ignore. If you’re not ready to jump in feet first, why not try a matte top coat instead? Using them to mattify any polish in your arsenal makes it a more versatile and budget friendly way to embrace the look. Give your tried and true shades an update with a new finish.
From flat to satin there are a plethora of choices in the non-glossy top coat realm and I’ve tried them all so you don’t have to. Check out the results after the jump! |
First things first. There are certain things you give up in using a matte top coat.
Essie Matte About You ($10, essie.com) and Rescue Beauty Lounge Matte Top Coat ($18, RescueBeauty.com) are the most mattifying top coats I’ve come across. If you desire that truly flat finish this is your best option. The cloudiness does lighten the shade a touch but not significantly. Here’s my problem with that. They showed butter London’s Nail Foundation ($18, butterLondon.com) as an example yet they neglected to explain that only ridge filling base coats dry matte. Using your clear or tacky base coats won’t achieve that look. Overly opaque or shimmery ridge fillers won’t get it done either. Nonie Creme of butter London used her Nail Foundation over Yummy Mummy backstage at Alexander Wang to matte down the shine and in this instance using a base coat totally worked. She even sent me a pic from her iPhone to share with you (above). However when I used it over my test shade, OPI No Room For The Blues, it didn’t turn out as well. The nude pigmentation in the base changed the color drastically. If you don’t mind that, it’s a simple mattifying solution but I still prefer a matte top coat.
Nubar V For Men Matte Finish Nail Protector ($8.99, ByNubar.com) comes in a close 2nd to Essie and RBL in terms matte-ness and I love that it’s more forgiving in terms of application. It applies smooth and even every time.
Now for those wanting a satin style nail, the next three options are ideal. They take down the gloss giving a more buffed look. Orly Matte Top Coat is actually discontinued but still available on Head2ToeBeauty.com for $4.95 so get it while supplies last.
Orly Nails for Males ($6.99, SallyBeauty.com) performs similarly to the Matte Top Coat in spite of its dark appearance.
Finally, Barielle’s Matte-inee Top Coat will be launching soon on Barielle.com.
I received quite a few questions regarding InStyle’s June issue. One of the tips in the Summer beauty section was about matte nails. They suggested using “your base coat as a top coat to remove the shine from your lacquer.” 
So did this clear up a lot of your questions reagarding matte top coats? Which do you prefer… matte top coats or matte polish? Or do you wish this whole matte thing would just go away already? Sound off Fanatics!
Lisa N.
Ms Meatballhead
Birdie
Spa pediccure chairs
