Hung over with summer? Even as it rains you can still celebrate an extended summer with bright nail polish.
Orly Nail Lacquer has just launched its Feel the Vibe nail-polish collection in a spa party on the pristine beach of Pico de Loro Beach and Country Club in Nasugbu, Batangas.
The limited-edition line has four neon shades which remind you of sunny beach trips, plus more wearable midnight-blue and creamy white all-season shades.
If you want a fun polish, try Beach Cruiser, a neon fuchsia crème. This shocking shade goes on opaque with two coats. This fits most skin tones, from fair to tan. I wore this to a beach camp in Calaguas, Bicol, and it still looks great even if you’ve gone a shade or two darker. It also looks good on photos, especially against a backdrop of blue sea and sky.
Melt Your Popsicle is a highlighter-orange crème; apply two coats for full opacity.
Glowstick, an in-your-face neon yellow, is the brightest. It is slightly thinner than the others, so you might need to apply three coats for a solid, even color.
These two shades give a pop of color to any outfit, but may be too loud for some skin tones.
Skinny Dip is perfect if you miss the beach. This blue polish is not as blinding as the other neons, but is still a happy shade. Put on clear top to make the very fine silver and purple glitters come out.
All the neon shades dry off satin-matte, and are best worn with clear topcoat if you want some shine.
‘Neon white’
My favorite in the collection is Day Glow, a pearly white crème. If white were neon, it would be Day Glow. It’s a rich white shade with some blue flash, but not totally iridescent. It is a safe color, but not boring.
It looks so clean on any skin color, and complements most outfits and footwear.
If you prefer dark shades, check out After Party. Its description says “midnight blue” but it’s more of black, and has ultra-fine pink, blue and purple glitters.
The Feel Your Vibe shades are sold at P349.75 each.
Polish phenomenon
Sprint Asia Beauty company, headed by president Paul L. Yap, started distributing Orly Nail Lacquer in the Philippines five years ago. There’s an ongoing polish phenomenon, he said, with more women buying and experimenting with polish. He attributes this to the consumer’s exposure to trends and social media.
Local bestsellers for Orly are earth and nude colors like Coffee Break, but women are getting more adventurous.
“They regard nail polish as accessory,” he said.
Orly Nail Lacquer is highly pigmented and free of harmful additives like formaldehyde and toluene. It lasts, although those with thicker formula may take a little longer to dry.
Polish newbie
Marketing manager Donna Andrada says of basic nail care:
Don’t shake the bottle, roll it in between your palms.
Let it dry naturally; don’t blow wet polish or air it out.
Apply in this order: base coat, polish, topcoat.
Buff nails instead of cutting to avoid chipping.
Those tips are helpful for a polish newbie like me. Although I get a regular pedi with polish, I started wearing polish on my fingernails only a year ago. I didn’t know—or care—about pigments, formula or shimmer.
They used to be just nail polish; I pick a shade from the salon tray, and that’s it. Thanks to websites, blogs and polish-crazy friends, I now know how much effort, technology and love go into creating a polish, and how much fun it is to wear them.
Orly Nail Lacquer is available in Purebeauty, Serendra; First Aid, Greenbelt 3; PCX (Rockwell, Ermita, Alabang Town Center); Watsons (Greenbelt 1, Ayala Cebu), Beauty by SM (Makati, Megamall, Fairview); Landmark Trinoma; Beauty Cocktails; Robinsons Department Store Manila and Galleria.