Essie - The Girls Are Out

This is a new release from Essie's nautical themed summer collection, and whilst it's not a colour I tend to gravitate towards (those mid-toned purple/pinks), I really enjoyed this one. The shimmer (or flecks?) really added dimension to the polish, and the application was smooth and opaque in 2 coats like usual with Essie.

2 coats, 1 coat Essie GTG.

shade

direct sunlight

shade

Orly - Mayhem Mentality

This is from Orly's new summer collection, and it definitely caught my eye. Lots of brands do a neon orange, but this was just a touch lighter, more "milky" than the traditional orange neons I own. The sun was actually shining for most of the day when I wore this colour (though the air was freezing), so it felt somewhat appropriate to wear. Formula was excellent, and it was opaque in 2 coats.

2 coats, Dior gel coat top coat.

direct sunlight

direct sunlight

shade

artificial light

Skylark by Elle & Blair - Jelly Shot

Jelly Shot is the final colour from Skylark's spring/summer mini set, and it probably had the best formula of the lot. It still dragged a little, but it wasn't as streaky as the other polishes. I ended up using 3 coats "just in case," but I most likely could have gotten away with 2. People say this colour can make you look more tanned, but unfortunately I looked as pasty as usual with this colour on :( (though it is winter so I can't expect it to perform miracles...)
Overall, this set was a win for me because I'm a nail junkie and I 'gotta catch 'em all', but I'm sure you could find similar colours at a cheaper price (though I still haven't found an exact dupe for any of these yet).

3 coats, 1 coat Essie GTG top coat.

artificial light

artificial light

artificial light

Skylark by Elle & Blair - B-Days in Cabo

If I had to pick a favourite from the Wild & Free mini set, it would probably be this one. I'm a sucker for pinks, and this pink is a little cooler than my typical "barbie" bright pinks (it's slightly cooler than Essie's Boom Boom Room, and MAC's Saint Germain). It might look like my photos are a little washed out since I've seen this photographed as a more bright, hotter pink on other blogs, but my photos are accurate to what I saw when looking at my nails *shrugs*

3 coats, 1 coat Essie GTG top coat.

artificial light

artificial light

artificial light

artificial light

Skylark by Elle & Blair - Sea Glass

The catch up posts begin. Sorry if I spam your feeds!

Since I really enjoyed wearing Dream Catcher from the Wild & Free mini set, I decided to test out the rest of them. Sea Glass is a blue leaning mint and another that I couldn't find an exact dupe for (it is a little greener than Essie's Mint Candy Apple or Dior's Nymphea, but not as green/dusty as the likes of Zoya's Neely or as bright as Color Club's Blue-ming or Butter London's Fiver). The formula on this one was better than Dream Catcher, but I still had to be careful of dragging when I painted on the next coat.

3 coats, 1 coat Dior gel coat.

artificial light

artificial light

artificial light