Monday, October 12, 2009

Orly Matte Couture Collection and a Note About Basecoats and Matte Polishes

Orly made a decent stab at mattes. I'd call these an eggshell finish, rather than OPI's hideous flat finish. They manage to have a bit of depth and not look like if you scraped your finger over these it'd sound like fingers on a blackboard. That said, they're a sophomore effort and nice, but I'll reach for other mattes first. But they're decent polishes, and I am in no way horrified by them. They have a beautiful formula, not gloppy or sticky at all, and you have plenty of time to get them where you want them before you dry. they take a tad longer to dry than other mattes, but in my opinion it's well worth it.

Also I wanted to say a word about basecoats and matte polishes. I ALWAYS use base coat. not only does it improve adhesion, but it fortifies my thin nails, protects them, and - this is hugely important - smoothes out my ridges. Every picture I have ever posted of matte nail polish, and there have been many, I am wearing base coat. It in no way harms the polish's ability to give a lovely matte finish. So don't be scared to wear basecoat with mattes.

Orly Purple Velvet is my favorite, a reddish purple with a nice depth.
Orly Purple Velvet

Orly Blue Suede is a great light navy shade which we've been lacking in mattes.
Orly Blue Suede

Orly Matte Vinyl is your standard black.
Orly Matte Vinyl

10 comments:

  1. you make these look so great!! i couldn't get mine to turn out this good :) you're an application queen!

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  2. My understanding of the matte + basecoat conundrum was that since the mattes dry so quickly, they could dry faster than the basecoat, and shrivel up in the process.

    If using a matte basecoat, or leaving ample dry time for a traditional, non-matte basecoat, the issue can be avoided entirely.

    Have you compared the black Orly to the black $OPI? I would love one deep black matte... (minus the sparkle found in the Zoya or Manglaze versions) TIA! =]

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  3. These are so pretty on you. You are the Application Queen! I agree with Kellie. So far I've only bought the first three matte Zoyas. I haven't ordered any of the rest. I bought the Essie Matte About You. I figure I'll use that if I feel the urge to matte.

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  4. These look gorgeous on you! Purple Velvet is my favourite out of the three too. I think I may need to pick one up soon! :D

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  5. The pinkie of your blue suede looks so uniformly done that I thought it was a cg or photoshopped onto your hand. XD

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  6. I have Blue Suede and I love it! The purple looks so nice on you and it's making me reconsider not buying it.

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  7. I love purple velvet and matte vinyl. I need matte vinyl in my life, its the perfect black matte. It isn't too harsh.

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  8. I'm on the fence about these ones. Your swatches look absolutely gorgeous, but I've seen other swatches where these polishes look all lumpy and uneven. I assume you are super awesome at applying polishes and that's why they look so great on you, but I know my skills aren't quite up to par so I fear these might look bad on me. I'll definitely get the black one though, it looks like the perfect matte black. :)

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  9. Wixology, Never heard of the basecoat/shrinkage thing. I've applied and let dry over wet and dry base with no problems. But I guess that could be the fear! As for Black OPI vs. this, the Orly is somewhat less chalky and has a slightly better texture. I'd get the Orly if I wanted a really flat finish matte. Better yet I'd get neither and get ManGlaze or Zoya's version!

    And THANK YOU for the application praise! I do have a lot of practice, but these polishes are fairly easy to apply. I can see where some get clumps. I think the trick is don't use too much polish on your first coat. This can set in waves that can be amplified by the next coat. Apply lightly for first coat, then add another, even three if you need to, letting the coats dry at least a bit. but they do dry slower than other mattes, which helps with application.

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  10. Hello..Great blog! I love the purple & navy polish. I'm not sure if your on twitter if so, look me up i'm @twittycaro Thanks x

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