I used to dislike Orly nail polishes -- they were all kinda boring -- but they've come out with so many great shades lately! This creme applied beautifully with a jellyish finish. Very glossy pre-topcoat!
And now, a matte topcoat comparison on this lovely creme jelly (I got bored of my NOTD by midday)! I love having matte topcoats -- it saves me the trouble of actually lemming matte polishes.
From left to right:
Index finger - not mattefied
Middle finger - Orly Matte Top, which has more of a soft satin finish than a matte finish
Ring finger - Nubar V for Men, a great matte which is only slightly closer to satin than chalk
Pinky finger - Essie Matte About You, a slightly more severe matte which is closer to chalk than satin
In terms of a matte topcoat, both Nubar V and Essie Matte About You blow Orly Matte Top out of the water. It'll be a matter of preference, of course, but I like Nubar V the best so far. It doesn't completely mattefy a creme polish, which allows it to have more of a reflective sheen whereas Essie MAY is much more of a flat matte that doesn't reflect light as much. It's probably more of a "true" matte when used with cremes, transforming a glossy finish into a (pleasantly) chalky one.
Stay tuned for more matte comparisons using polishes of different finishes!
