The more expensive of the two nail polishes today – this is
the ORLY Breathable, in the shade TLC!
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This is my first ORLY! I hadn’t heard of them before, but
the price suggested they’d be somewhere in the ballpark of OPI and Essie; that
is, a high-end nail polish that isn’t going to break the bank, but is still relatively expensive as far as nail polishes go. I really didn’t want to pay
full-price for one, so I waited patiently until one was discounted. My waiting
was rewarded, and a few shades were 50% off. Honestly, I wasn’t extremely too
keen on any of them, but I wanted to see how good ORLY is, and this was the
best time to do so! This violet shade looked the best out of the ones that were
50% off, so I guess I’ll be trying this one out, even if I’m not very
interested in violet nails? Another thing that I find interesting is that this
polish apparently has a built in base and top coat, which would definitely
simplify things! I’m quite curious, so let’s see what it’s like!
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Packaging: wow, this looks very expensive! It’s also pretty
heavy. The bottle has a rounded shape, which is pretty elegant, but the cap is
what’s most interesting to me here! It’s soo tall! I love the material it’s
made of; it’s made of rubber which has been additionally fortified on each side
so that you have more grip. I’m not used to having rubber caps on nail
polishes, but I really like it! The cap closes very tightly. It, and the text,
is black, which is an okay choice for this kind of violet colour. The design –
and quality – of the bottle definitely matches the price point!
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Ingredients: argan (Argania spinosa) kernel oil,
panthenol/provitamin B5, bladderwrack (Fucus vesiculosus) extract, rooibos
(Aspalathus linearis) leaf extract, glycerine for nourishment. No harmful
ingredients (DBP, formaldehyde, toluene). I find it interesting how both water
and glycerine are at the very end of the list. Also, this polish, supposedly,
has a built-in primer and top coat. The presence of all these extracts does
make me believe it actually does prep nails. The scent is like any other nail
polish. The expiration date is 36 months after opening.
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Brush: oh... I was expecting a longer brush. This brush is
very short, but it’s pretty wide. Still, it’s too small for my liking. It’s
flat, which helps somewhat, but it really should be both wider and longer. In
spite of its small size, though, it picks up a ton of pigment and deposits it
evenly and richly. This small size makes it more precise on the sides, but it
also means that you need more strokes to paint the nail properly. The more
strokes you use, the higher the chance is that stuff like air bubbles will
form. For its size, it is very easy to use, but, again, it really ought to be
larger.
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Colour: oh this colour looks so much prettier on my nails
than in the bottle! I was a bit concerned what it would look like, as I don’t
wear such purple nail polishes very often, but this is one of those occasions
where I was needlessly worried. Because it looks so good on pale skin! It’s a
bright violet colour that isn’t very vibrant, and it’s this ‘dullness’ of
colour that makes it this pretty. In terms of exact colour, it’s something
between African violet, lavender and wisteria. Probably closest to wisteria. It’s a good amount of red undertones, so that it doesn’t look too deep purple
but this lovely warm shade of violet. Beautiful colour for spring! I really
love it!
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Hmm, the formula is definitely not what I was expecting.
It’s very watery and pretty thin but it doesn’t look like it. It’s not runny,
despite being quite watery. But it’s tricky to use because you really need just
a tiny amount in order to get rich pigmentation, and it isn’t really that easy
to tap off that much polish from the brush.
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With one coat is actually opaque! It looks very good like
this, even and richly pigmented so you could absolutely leave it like this. With
two coats it is again, completely opaque! But it doesn’t look thick at all, in
fact, it still looks elegant and thin. Quite high-end, I must say! The texture
is glossy, which is very nice with this colour.
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Longevity is... well, let’s start. Because I am mad. Proper
mad. So, this nail polish, apparently, has a built-in primer and top coat.
Uh-huh. Then why does it get covered in a million scratches overnight? A good
top coat should prevent that... no? Well, it certainly doesn’t here! All
of my nails have hundreds of scratches of all sizes on them, with a few nails
having really deep scratches. Now, I really don’t sleep on my hands so... what
gives?? This is supposed to be a higher-end nail polish, and for that price I
am expecting better results. This is just pitiful. However, it is extremely
resistant to chipping, I will give it that; after 4 days there were only two
tiny chips that were totally my fault. I used my nails to peel off stickers and
to open packages, which obviously wasn’t a smart idea.
It stayed almost
chip-free even after a hair wash, which is when most nail polished get damaged.
So that’s great... if only it wasn’t ruined by all the scratches! This
is legit making me angry! Like, imagine paying almost the same as an OPI or
Essie and having so many scratches... with a “built-in base and top coat”.
Whereas OPI and Essie don’t have any built-in top/base coats and they do just
fine and don’t get any scratches...
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Removal: it’s fairly easy to remove, as it doesn’t require a
lot of rubbing before it’s completely gone. I was afraid that it might leave a
yellow stain on my nails as purple pigments are known to stain, but,
fortunately, it did not.
All in all, yup, I’m not happy with this polish... it’s
disappointing. There’s so much that should be better: the brush is a bit tricky
to use, the formula is oddly watery and thin (not at all luxurious-feeling),
and, worst thing, the polish gets scratched to hell within a day of painting
the nails! It looks atrocious with all those scratches – especially the deep
ones, and there’s lots that are like that! Not only does it look ugly, it also
ruins the otherwise lovely glossy finish! I am so angry because of this! You’d
expect better from a nail polish that costs 10+ euro! Like, you don’t see Essie
or OPI struggling with this, so...? Then again, those two do chip more than
this one, I’ll admit. This nail polish stays in literally almost perfect
condition 4 days later, and not even a hair wash can damage it! That is
honestly superb longevity, but it’s moot when it’s got a million scratches. The
best thing, to me, is the colour! I love it so much! And here I was, skeptical
that it would ever look good. But actually, it’s gorgeous! An almost wisteria
violet, it’s a beautiful colour for springtime, when flowers are in full bloom.
And among them, your nails, coated in a gorgeous, bright, yet still subdued
violet that is equal parts fun and elegant. I never fully realise how good
blues and purples look on me... I’m so glad I picked this shade out of the ones
that were on sale! Yes, I’m still angry with this polish, but at least I can
enjoy this lovely colour. This polish didn’t feel like TLC for my nails,
unfortunately. It’s nowhere near as good
as it ought to be, even when it’s 50% off. So this may well be my last ORLY, as
this, suffice to say, was a very bad first impression. Absolutely no
recommendation, go get an Essie instead.
Rating: 6/10
Would buy again? NO, absolutely not (very, very
disappointed...)
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