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Since it is the month of Halloween I figured I’d throw in an orange. China Glaze Riveting (The Hunger Games Capitol Colors) is a fiery orange and gold microglitter:
Picture taken in sunlight. This applied well; I got full coverage in two coats. This is such a lovely, bold shade of orange. The finish is amazing! There’s something glass-fleck-y about it, in that the microglitter looks so well-defined even out of direct light. I don’t think the base is quite jelly-ish enough to call it a true glass-fleck, though. The addition of the gold microglitter really adds to the glowy, burning ember quality of the overall look. It makes me think of not just fire, but lava. I doubled up on orange today and paired this with OPI A Good Man-darin is Hard to Find on my toes.
<3sarah
The weather has begun to cool down a bit, but I’m determined to finish trying this collection, and I’m one step closer with Illamasqua Optimist (Rubber Brights, Summer 2012) is a bright, sunny yellow-orange creme (originally with a satin finish):
Picture taken in sunlight. The formula was not as stellar as the others in this collection, but it still applied pretty well for a yellow-toned polish; I used three coats. With the other rubber brights I’ve tried so far, I’ve said that they look great in their original satin form, too, but I can’t say the same for this one. For me, I really needed topcoat to make everything appear smooth. As I’ve been wearing these polishes with topcoat I don’t see it as a drawback. I think the color really fits the name; it just seems like a happy-feeling shade. I can’t even decide if it’s yellow or orange, so I’m calling it both, but it tends to look more orange in low light and more yellow in bright, direct light. I wish it was more of a radioactive neon, but I still like its brightness. I can tell I’m hungry as I’m typing this, because the color just reminds me of egg yolks (of good eggs that come from free-range hens) and boxed mac and cheese. 
I paired this with Misa Push Upon It on my toes.
<3sarah
I had something else planned to wear today, but then I remembered the BAFTAs are tomorrow so I put on an orange (with a name that still fits my theme for the month 
) in honor of that. Considering the BAFTAs have a much better list of nominations than the Oscars (one that includes Michael Fassbender, Shame and Drive, among many other things the Academy failed to recognize), I’m looking forward to them much more. OPI A Roll in the Hague (Holland, Spring 2012) is a bright tangerine orange creme:
Picture taken in natural light. This applied well; it went on smoothly and was nicely pigmented, but I still needed three coats to cover up streakiness. This is really bright, like almost neon but not quite (it lacks that glow that would take it to neon territory). I don’t wear orange very often, and it’s not really a favorite color of mine, but this is definitely the kind of saturated, bright orange I love. Plus the name is pretty great, too. After a couple of disappointing location collections, I’m definitely looking forward to trying more from this one! I paired this with MAC Originality on my toes.
<3sarah
I was trying out softer shades, but I still want to take care of more of my untrieds from this year’s spring and summer collections, and this is one of the brighter ones. Essie Braziliant (Summer 2011) is a glowing orange with pink shimmer:
Picture taken in sunlight. This was very pigmented and applied quite well in two coats. This turned out to be another nice surprise for me; I like it so much better than I originally thought I would. It’s beautiful! It’s not just a regular orange shimmer; it’s so much more than that. Normally I wouldn’t pair orange manis with pink pedis (and vice versa) since they’re not complementary colors, but the pink shimmer works perfectly well in this orange base, and gives the overall shade a bit of a pinky-tangerine tone. I also wasn’t expecting the finish to be so glowy! (Not in the neon kind of way, but the lit-from-within kind of way.) It makes me think of a gorgeous sunset. I paired this with Sephora by OPI Skinny Jeans on my toes.
<3sarah
After my previous crackle mani, I’m returning to something simpler. I’m still keeping up with the neons, though! American Apparel Neon Coral (Neon, Summer 2011) is a corally orange neon creme:
Picture taken in sunlight. This applied well; I used three coats for an opaque, even finish. I’m not sure why this is called coral; it doesn’t have enough pink in it to look like a true coral. It’s orange, but it’s not traffic cone orange. The shade has a softer, sherbet-like quality to it. It probably does have some coral tones in it to make it look this way, but overall the color seems more orange. (Although not as orange as it appears in this photo. It was difficult to capture the true tone and sherbet-ness of the shade, but it does look just slightly more coral in real life.) Whatever it’s called, it’s such a pretty color! It looks so creamy, and the neon, slightly glowy quality also makes it look bright and punchy. I think I like this more than traditional orange! I paired this with Essie Haute as Hello on my toes.
<3sarah
Now that I’ve finished Color Club’s 2011 neon offerings, I’m moving on to another brand’s. American Apparel Neon Orange (Neon, Summer 2011) is a neon yellow orange creme:
Picture taken in sunlight. (Pardon the bubbles!) This actually applied better than I expected; I had easy enough control over the formula, which was thick but runny. (I’ve come to expect this from most American Apparel polishes so it was no surprise.) It’s very pigmented, so I knew I would get an opaque, solid result, but I needed three coats to cover up streaks. It’s so refreshing to see more and more of these yellow orange type neons; it’s a change of pace from the standard traffic cone orange neon. I’ve heard this color being described as looking like radioactive artificial cheese powder (indeed it does, it’s glowy like a proper neon), but it also reminds me of kumquats or cape gooseberries, yum! I paired this with Essie Bright Tights over white on my toes.
<3sarah
As much as I love the scented polishes, I couldn’t stay away from these unique ones for long. Color Club You Got Soul-ar (Starry Temptress, Summer 2011) is a neon orange packed with holographic glitter:
Picture taken in sunlight. (I think the sunlight washed the color out a little; this looks even bolder in real life.) The thick, glitter-dense formula didn’t pose a problem; I got full coverage in two coats. The way the finish turns out smooth (after topcoat) still amazes me. As I apply it I can see how thick I’m laying it on and I can see how much glitter is loaded on my nails, yet it doesn’t feel bumpy at all. And normally I’d expect something with a thick formula to have a longer dry time, but since I only needed two coats and the base is a neon, it dried pretty quickly. The color is a nice, typical traffic-cone neon orange. It’s very glowy; an orange that’s bright like this definitely has a solar quality. I paired this with Milani Hi-Tech on my toes.
<3sarah
I wanted to continue trying these scented polishes, and I was in the mood for something ultra-ultra bright. I normally associate that characteristic with highlighter yellow neon, so this is something new for me. Color Club I Always Get My Man-darin (Wicked Sweet, Summer 2011) is a yellow-orange neon shimmer with green flash:
Picture taken in sunlight. This applied pretty much like Get Your Lem-on, which has the same finish. I had good control over the formula and it did apply well, but the formula was streaky and very sheer. I ultimately needed four coats, plus touchups, for a nice, opaque result. Normally I’d think a polish with such a formula would be too much of a bother, but I think this was worth my while. It’s not just because it’s scented; it looks so cool too! It smells like that recognizable artificial orange scent, but it doesn’t seem to be as strong as the others I’ve tried so far. This radioactive yellow-orange color isn’t such a common color for neons yet. There are a few out there but it’s definitely not as prevalent as neon pink, purple, green, yellow etc. It’s so yellowed that sometimes I think it looks more like goldenrod, but it’s decidedly orange. Like highlighter yellow neon, this has a true, retina-searing glow; I love it! The green flash makes it look even more radioactive and glowy. I paired this with Color Club Twiggie on my toes.
<3sarah
I didn’t realize two of my favorite players, Ivan Ljubicic and Fernando Verdasco, were going to meet each other in the third round. I already did a mani-pedi specific to Ivan’s kit, so I’m due to do one for Fernando’s (even though I was expecting and rooting for Ivan to win, which he did, in straights). Illamasqua Gamma (Toxic Nature, Spring/Summer 2011) is a light orange neon creme:
Picture taken in sunlight. (As is the case with neons, pictures do not do this justice.) This didn’t have the same impeccable formula I’ve come to expect from Illamasqua; it was actually a little sticky, but applied well enough. I needed three coats for opaque, even coverage. Despite the less than perfect application, the end result looks amazing. It’s so refreshing to see a neon orange that isn’t traffic cone orange. It’s a lighter shade, but it’s very bright, punchy and intense. And of course it has that lovely neon glow. I paired this with Sally Hansen Grass Slipper (Complete Salon Manicure) on my toes.
<3sarah
I know this polish is relatively old now, but I’m trying it for the first time today. I had this hang-up about trying all the polishes from this collection in the same month, and I’m only getting around to doing that now. China Glaze Orange Marmalade (Summer Days, Summer 2009) is an orange glass fleck with gold microglitter:
Picture taken in natural light. (I wish I could’ve gotten some sun to show off the sparkle, but the beauty of glass fleck polishes is that you can still see the microglitter and depth of finish in the shade.) This applied well; the first coat was sheer but built to sufficient opacity in three coats. This isn’t one of those super-bright, punchy oranges, but it’s definitely still a summery shade. It’s orange-orange, like the fruit. The name is so apt; the pretty, warm golden microglitter suspended in the transclucent base really makes me think of those bits of peel suspended in orange marmalade, mmm. I paired this with OPI A Good Man-darin is Hard to Find on my toes.
<3sarah
