Orly Foil FX: Rage and Shine

Orly Shine, three coats, with flash

Last weekend, I dragged my boyfriend into the mall and picked up two of the polishes from Orly's Foil FX collection, Shine and Rage. The Foil FX collection was created to imitate the mirror-like finish of Minx nail treatments. (If you haven't heard the buzz about Minx, check it out here).

Orly Shine, three coats, no flash

First up of the two polishes that DID grab my attention is Shine. Shine is a highly reflective silver metallic. It is more shiny and even more gorgeous than these photos show. The silver is a nice true silver, it doesn't lean green or blue. Application on these was pretty easy, but I did have to do three coats. I actually felt like I could have used a fourth coat. Three coats looked fine most of the time, but when I held my hand up to the light, I could see right through the polish on my tips. I also was expecting this to dry quicker than it did. Usually metallics dry super fast, but these took at least as long as regular polish. If you're a fan of silver polish (like me), this is probably a must-have!

Orly Shine, three coats, with flash

Orly Rage, three coats, no flash

Next up is Rage, a rose-tinted metallic polish. Originally, I was thinking this would be kind of a rose gold polish, but it's more like rose silver. This polish is gorgeous! So shiny and a very unique color. I thought this would satisfy my longing for China Glaze Hi-Tek, but Hi-Tek is definitely more gold. When I give in to that lemming, I'll show you a comparison of the two. I had the same application experience with Rage as I did with Shine. It required three coats, and I can still see through the polish when I hold my hands up to the light. If you like metallic polishes, this one is a must-have, due to it's unique color.

Orly Rage, three coats, sunlight

There is a third polish in this collection, called Luxe. Luxe is a metallic shimmering gold. Usually I like gold polishes, but this one wasn't grabbing my attention, so I passed on it.

Now, a couple of comments on this whole collection. While these polishes are super shiny and gorgeous, they are nowhere near Minx-like. So, if you're looking for a Minx alternative, these are not the solution. Minx metallics are almost mirror shiny and super smooth. These are shiny, but they are textured, almost grainy.

Secondly, I definitely recommend wearing a ridge-filling base coat with these. I did not use a ridge-filling base coat, and I feel like I can see every single imperfection in my nails.

To sum up my feelings, these are beautiful polishes to own, especially for any metallic polish lovers. However, if you wanted a Minx substitute, you're out of luck!

The Orly Foil FX collection is available online at Transdesign or at your local Beauty Plus Salon.