The Orly obsession

Orly top coat | Shop Orly polish here

I thought I would do something different today and put together a beauty post for you! This is what happens with it snows the day you are supposed to take outfit photos. But in all honesty, I've been meaning to do a proper post about this anyway, and there is no time like the present! Back in 2014, I made the New Year's resolution to paint my nails on the regular, and it's the one resolution I have completely aced! To this day, I am still fulfilling it! My most commonly used brand is Essie followed closely by OPI and then Chanel when I want to feel extra fancy. I recently discovered Orly, and it's my current obsession right now. I stumbled upon it randomly at Walgreens last November and I've been hooked ever since!

Polish: Orly "Intermission" | Bracelets: Nadri (similar here and here), Topshop | Rings: bp

So what is it that I like about Orly? Hands down, the saturation of color. The colors are so bright and vibrant, and each coat goes on pretty thick and solid. I hadn't heard of the brand at all before, and had no idea where to buy more! I went back to Walgreens for more colors, but apparently they only sold the Disney-themed sets but no others outside of that. I ended up finding them at Beauty Brands and Target. No idea how I never noticed the brand at Target before!

Polish: Orly "Stadium Way" | Bracelets: Paperdolls Boutique (c/o) (here and here) | Rings: Charming Charlie

I finally caved and decided to try their top coat also. I was previously using Seche Vite, which I felt was magical and irreplaceable. But, I think the last bottle I got had a flaw in its formula - it was crazy thick and sticky, and while adding some nail polish remover to it would thin it out and make it better for the next use or two, it kept going back to this gooey mess. What I loved about Seche Vite was that it dried ridiculously fast and provided endless shine. The bad thing about Seche Vite, aside from the weird last bottle I got, is that it goes on really thick and I had issues with polish coming off in its entirety. Meaning, all of a sudden one nail would have zero polish on it. Poof, just gone. An edge would get caught on something and rip all the color off a nail, painlessly, but still. Very annoying.

Polish: Orly "Stadium Way" topped with Orly "Hollywood Royalty" | Hand Bracelet: Kendra Scott | Clutch: Paperdolls Boutique

What I hate about most top coats is how long they take to dry. Even though they may feel dry to the touch, there is still a tackiness to the nails, so if I try and sleep soon after my nails are painted, chances are, I would wake up with indentions in my nails from sleeping on my hands. I never had that problem with Seche Vite, but again, I needed a break and was open to try Orly's quick dry top coat since I've had so much success with their regular polish formula.

Polish: Orly "Cali Swag" | Bracelet: Banana Republic | Double ring: Kendra Scott (other colors here) | Midi rings: bp

I was wary at first because it goes on super thin, almost watery. However, it's great that it's so liquid-y because the application is super fast and easy. I was pleasantly surprised how quickly it dries. Not *quite* as fast as Seche Vite, but fast enough to literally give myself a quick coat before I leave the house. I'm very happy! I want to try their base coat next, though admittedly, I love my current base coat and have no reason to stray from it. I use one by Guerlain. It's pricey, but it goes on really smooth, leaves my nails feeling hydrated, and doesn't have a harsh nail polish smell.

Polish: Orly "Extreme Vanity" | Midi rings: Kendra Scott

And this is the color that started my obsession. It was part of a nail polish duo, themed around Halloween and the Disney villains. It is the prettiest shade of purple - looking at this photo makes me want to paint my nails this color again stat!

I don't really talk about my polish that much on the blog, but I do post mani photos semi-regularly on Instagram. You can always see those posts through the little hashtag I created for them here. I will also admit that painting my nails has gotten me a little more self aware of my rings, or lack thereof, and I've accidentally accumulated a ton of rings and midi rings as a result. You may as well celebrate your pretty manicure with some bling though, right?

Have you tried Orly before? What's your current favorite color?

PS Thanks to everyone who entered our giveaway last week! The winner is Cara W, and we have contacted her already to claim her prize! Congrats!!!! We appreciate everyone's support!

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