Quo by Orly Gels Very Vixen - a quick heads up!

This will be a quick one just because I wanted to get this swatch up for anyone who was curious. This is Very Vixen from the Quo by Orly Gel series. Very Vixen is a deep chocolate color with a hint of eggplant in it. It also, sadly, did not meet my expectations in terms of formula. While all the other Quo by Orly Gel colors I've tested were opaque in two coats and had a decent formula, Very Vixen was gloopy, streaky, gave me cuticle drag attitude, and would not give even coverage after three coats. So guys, if you're contemplating this one, I'd say you should pass and try a similar Gelish shade instead.

This did not float my boat. But at the same time, one of my favorite polish ever is a Quo by Orly Gel (reviewed here) so I'm not too upset about this dud. Brands have duds all the time. And as a beauty blogger, I'm bound to find them and tell you!

What's a brand you trust that has put out products that truly disappointed you?

QUO by Orly Gels: Take 3 with By Candlelight

It is Sunday night, and I am wiped. I miss the weekends where I felt refreshed! Hopefully next weekend will be more low key. I need me a LUSH bath soon! 

This week, I have sported an QUO by Orly Gels manicure in By Candlelight. What I thought was going to be a true red turned out to be more of a berry color. You can't tell very well from the pictures, but By Candlelight has a clear purple tone in it.

As per usual with the QUO by Orly Gels I have used, I use a Gelish base and top coat. On my ring finger, I used Close Your Fingers and Cross Your Eyes by Gelish. I kid you not, that is the name of the polish. Who has time to write the whole name!

Honestly, this color disappointed me. The label on the bottle made me think it would be a dark, true red. It's definitely not a bad color - just not the kind I feel confident with. The formula was excellent and required two coats but I might have been able to pull off one coat.

If berry toned reds are your thing, then you will not be disappointed with this - there is no problems with pigmentation or formula and the color is very pretty. However, if like me you're looking for a true red, I suggest perhaps getting the other red in the QUO by Orly Gels collection (I can't recall the name but it's the only other red and seemed very similar to Hot Rod Red by Gelish). Gelish also does a great selection of red polishes and swatches are easily found online.

Billie is running wild in the apartment! I hope she settles down because Annick needs some rest! She usually finds stuff to make noise with as soon as I turn off the lights. Oh Billie, what a cat!

I hope you have a wonderful week! I'll be checking in soon with a surprise! 

QUO by Orly Gels - Part Deux with Victorian Lace

Victorian Lace is a very appropriate name for this new polish shade from QUO by Orly Gels. This polish makes me feel like I need to whip out a lace dress, braid my hair, and wear a raffia hat while picking strawberries. Or if we are more realistic here in Canada, try to catch some rays while enjoying snow whipping your face. Nevertheless, it puts me in a romantic sort of mood.

I don't generally enjoy polish this color but I think I know why. They usually look poorly applied no matter what you do, and chalky in the White-Out sense of the word. I don't think I've encountered a polish this pale that I've loved. Except maybe this one, but it's completely different. My preferred nudes are usually beige or blush colored. I never find shades like Victorian Lace work for me. However, I've been proven wrong.

This is two coats with a Gelish base coat and top coat.

The thing that is making me like this polish a lot is that because it is a gel nail polish, the edges of the color are not sharp or chalky looking. They are soft and blended. The polish is sheer so it doesn't look chunky.

 

I really like the softness of this polish. It's conservative and girlie, and while it's not a very "me" shade, I quite like the freshness of it. I've got to try new things sometimes! 

This is my second review of the QUO by Orly Gels. For my first review, click here. So far, this polish has survived a piping hot bath, lugging and lifting bins for work, and layer after layer of hand cream. It's not bad for 4 days as there is not one chip in the polish. These retail for $10 at Shoppers Drug Mart.

I have two more shades picked out to review - hopefully I'll be able to test them out soon!

Hope you're all having a good weekend! I'm having a pretty good one so far! Off to do a bit of retail therapy now!

QUO by Orly Gels - New nail polish alert!

Hello all!

I must say, when I decided to go to Shoppers Drug Mart a few days ago, I didn't expect to walk out of there with $103 dollahs worth of stuff. One of my most awesome and surprising purchases was the QUO by Orly gel nail polishes. They must  have JUST come out because I can't find any information on them on the internet and Shoppers didn't have a display for them. Or a LED lamp for them yet. But they did have a good selection of colors, which, ahem, I found better than Sally's Gelish selection.

I had never seen or heard of these before and at $10 a bottle, I was very happy to purchase a couple colors. Now, it does seem like you're getting a deal with these since they are only $10 a bottle with their Gelish counterparts being $18 in Canada. However, the amount you get does end up being about the same price. The QUO by Orly polishes only get 4.4ml and the Gelish ones have 9ml. If you're like me and never finish a bottle of polish, this won't bother you too much.

Here's a comparison shot for size reference:

A mini Gelish bottle, my new fave: First Class QUO by Orly Gel polish, an Essence polish, and an OPI bottle.

The application of this was seamless. I find that most Gelish colors (well, the ones I have) need a good three coats of color before the nail is completely opaque. And after three coats, your nails feel a bit "thick". Orly for QUO Gels only took two coats before being opaque. What's really nice about the formula was that it wasn't too thick. The formula didn't run or pool around cuticles - it was excellent. I tried my luck using a Gelish base and top coat and it has worked fine.

What I like most about this gel polish system is the fact that the finish is so shiny! Every time I give myself a gel manicure, I am so happy with the durability of the polish and the intense shine. I must admit, First Class wasn't a polish I would normally pick. It's a very shimmery champagne shade. I believe if you want its non-gel counterpart, QUO by Orly has produced that shade in regular polish in the past (it has the same name). Also, I'm pretty sure it looks a lot like Orly Rage although I do not own it to compare.

On with the pictures yes?

Lame, the bottle is backwards. Sorry!

What's interesting about this polish, as you can see from the pictures, is that it changes colors with the light. Sometimes it's a very light champagne color, sometimes it's more taupe and others it looks gold. Very strange but awesome!

I'm not sure if you can catch how shiny the finish of the topcoat it - I'd compare it to 3 coats of a perma-Seche Vite hybrid. The nice thing is that this finish does not dull itself as fast as a regular manicure. I've written about Gelish here before, but these types of manicures are supposed to last 3 weeks. Since I've used a Gelish base and top coat, I'm not sure I can comment on the durability of this particular polish - it's sandwiched and not technically touching my nail!

All and all, I'd highly recommend this polish. And gel polishes in general. They are easy to use, they do not take too much time and they last an eternity. LED/UV lamp do not have to be expensive - I bought mine from a supplier in Hong Kong for $12. Word to the wise: only go with the Hong Kong option if you're willing to wait a month +. If you're not, I believe Sally's has some decently priced options. DO NOT pay $100 + for one of these - they all work the same.

I'll hopefully have another shade posted in the near future! Do you own any gel nail polish? What's your take on the gel nail system?