notd | androgenie

Orly Androgynie

This is Androgynie. Three coats of a mix of fine micro glitter and larger hex glitter on a black base and oh just look at it. There's something about glitter nail polish on a dark base that makes me weak at the knees, and this is no different. I'd been after this particular polish for a few months now, ever since I'd seen swatches of it but at over £10 the price was unjustifiable, even for me. But by pure coincidence, I stumbled across a sole bottle of Orly polish in TK Maxx and, surprise surprise, it was the very one I'd been hunting for. For five quid.

The formula is thin, with a tendency to pool at the cuticle. However this does mean that the drying time is fairly quick, and the black is quite opaque - I could've left it at two coats, but I applied another for MAXIMUM GLITTER. In order to end up with any hex glitters at all on the nail, the bottle needs to be stored upside down or shaken for a good few minutes before applying, otherwise the glitter sinks to the bottom. The glitter doesn't stand out at much as I would like it to, due to the black base washing over the glitter and making them stand out less. However, as I've shown on the nail wheel, a layer of another glitter top coat can give Androgynie an extra "something". On the left I've added a coat of Revlon Galaxy, another mix of (predominantly blue and silver) hex glitters and micro glitter but with a clear base that allows Androgynie to show through. The right swatch has a layer of Miss Sporty Transformers Sparkle Touch over the top, which has small silver glitter and slightly larger blue and pink glitter in it.

So yes, Androgynie is definitely a more muted take on glitter and does take some work in order for it to look at stunning as it could potentially be, but worth it? Oh yes.