The Original French Manicure For All Seasons

Orly sells nailpolish in more than 60 countries worldwide. The company was founded in 1975 by Jeff Pink for the sole purpose of making womens’ nails beautiful. Orly’s French manicure showcased early on, complementing actresses wardrobes on-set.

Today Orly manufactures everything from pale to dark, from sparkly to crackle glaze and neon colours, gels and crèmes, so there’s something for everybody. Their dynamic palette includes over 150 shades, all completely free of DBP, toluene, formaldehyde and formaldehyde resin. Aside from the generously sized bottles (18ml), Orly is noted for fast dry times and good adhesion.

And their patented rubber caps ensure no more teeth marks in bottles that have become stubborn to open. Bottles retail for around £8 in the UK.

Holiday Soiree 2011

Their newest line is the Holiday Soiree 2011, which is a collection of six dark and light shades with a glamorous edge. Le Chateau is dark green/blue matt. Application and coverage is smooth and superb. The ‘downside’ is that this colour looks practically black on, so only you as the wearer are likely to know the true shade of this polish. Ma Cherie on the other hand is a gorgeous dark red gel.

Two coats will suffice, though three is probably better. Being sheer, your nail line underneath remains visible, but this in no way detracts from the rich colour. The other colours in the range are Oui – a purple based colour with gold flecks, Androgynie – a black gel with glitter pieces (bottle may require vigorous shaking and careful application to pick up sufficient glitter pieces, Au Champagne – an opaque shimmery white with a satin finish (great for the ski slopes) and Ingenue – a warm pink based colour, again with gold flecks. All in all, Holiday Soiree is sports an interesting selection of colours.

For more adventurous party shades, see Orly’s previous ranges*. We found Peachy Parrot (from Orly’s Birds of a Feather range) works well on both light and dark skins. The shade is between peach and coral, and it has a frost finish that may appeal to older ladies. Our tester is wearing Peachy Parrot for three days, so far without any chipping.

*See www.orlybeauty.co.uk for more information.