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ORLY Color Pass Nail Polish Review + Coupon – Fall 2018

Jessica Hapak
ByJessica HapakAug 15, 2018 | 13 comments

closed ORLY box

ORLY Color Pass
4.7 overall rating
3 Ratings | 0 Reviews

ORLY Color Pass is a new subscription box from Orly. Each quarter you will receive the newest collection of nail polish from Orly, along with a few extras to round out the box. For this subscription, you can only purchase an annual up front.

open ORLY box

This box was sent to us at no cost for review. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes.)

ORLY Fall 2018 review

About ORLY Color Pass

The Subscription Box: ORLY Color Pass

The Cost: $119 for an annual subscription + free shipping

ACTIVE DEAL: Save $10 off your first box!
CODE: MSA-ORLY

The Products: 6 nail polish shades per box (total of 24 Shades a year) + bonuses

Ships to: US

ORLY Color Pass Fall 2018 “The New Neutral” Review

This box includes an info sheet detailing the bonuses included, as well as a nail art idea using the colors. The bonuses this month were an ORLY Flash Dry Quick Dry top coat and some small nail art supplies. The New Neutral collection is really brand spanking new— ORLY has not yet officially announced the collection on their website, but you can find the polishes from select retailers. And if you subscribe today, this box will be your first.

These small jars of metallic foil are great for adding some sparkle to your nails—to use I would rip small pieces off with tweezers and place it on top of wet nail polish before sealing with a top coat. These colors go great with the polishes included, but that gold would look stunning with some blue and black nail polish for a turquoise look!

Orly Flash Dry Quick-Dry Drops, Full-Size!

ORLY Flash Dry Quick-Dry Drops, Full-Size! Retail Value $11 (Listed MSRP $15, which confuses me because I pulled the retail value directly from the Orly website)

These quick-dry drops are meant to help seal the nail polish from nicks and smudges while adding shine, but these definitely shouldn’t replace your true top-coat. This works best in tandem with your go-to top coat (I prefer Seche Vite) for ultimate shine and sealing your manicure while it fully dries.

Here is the full set! One thing to note—the following photos were taken with no top coat to really show the punch of shine these babies pack. Now let’s dive in!

Orly Mauvelous nail polish bottle

ORLY Mauvelous, Full-Size! MSRP $9.50 (found here for $7.95)

Mauvelous is a true mauve nail polish with red/brown undertones, and like all ORLY crème polishes the formula is fantastic. It takes two coats for full opacity, and this polish has a lot of shine in it without a high-shine top coat. This lasted for a few days without chipping and minor tip wear with no top coat, and that could easily be extended longer with a top coat. This is a great neutral polish on me, so it makes sense it would be in this collection!

ORLY Olive You Kelly nail polish bottle

ORLY Olive You Kelly, Full-Size! MSRP $9.50 (found here for $7.95)

This is a true olive green crème polish and it absolutely stole my heart as soon as I laid my eyes upon it. It had the same great formula and longevity as Mauvelous and this too had a lot of natural shine. I rocked this for a solid week before switching colors, and I was chip free the entire time. This is such a great play on the neutral theme of the collection, and I can tell I will keep reaching for it as summer transitions to fall.

Orly Cashmere Crisis nail polish bottle

ORLY Cashmere Crisis, Full-Size! MSRP $9.50 (found here for $7.95)

I have a soft spot in my heart for grey nail polishes and this one really knocks it out of the park. This has the same great crème formula as the others in this collection and has the same great staying power. I really loved the way this paired with silver glitter for a classic and chic look.

Orly Snuggle Up nail polish bottle

ORLY Snuggle Up, Full-Size! MSRP $9.50 (found here for $7.95)

One day I was at Sephora playing around with Kat Von D liquid lipsticks when I decided to try the shade Ophelia. Once on, I fell head over heels as it was the perfect nude lip color for my skin tone. Snuggle up is my perfect nude in nail polish form, and I cannot get enough of it. Sometimes there is nothing I want more than a simple nude manicure, and this peach toned nude is definitely the color I will be reaching for. As expected, the crème formula and finish are great with two easy coats for full opacity.

ORLY Seize the Clay, Full-Size! MSRP $9.50 (found here for $7.95)

Seize the Clay is a berry-tinged rose polish that reminds me of a perfectly ripe raspberry. This is another crème with a stellar formula and finish with an easy application. Honestly, I know it sounds repetitive with each crème polish, but ORLY has really nailed their crème formulas and it is incredibly difficult to find a flaw with them.

Orly Fall Into Me nail polish bottle

ORLY Fall Into Me, Full-Size! MSRP $9.50 (found here for $7.95)

Ahah, a polish that isn't a crème! Fall Into Me is a metallic taupe brown shimmer, and since it is metallic it does show brush strokes (a common issue for metallic polishes and one that is nonexistent with a good crème polish). This color really reminds me of leaves changing colors right before they fall off the trees, and it makes me want to put on my boots with cute boot socks and drink a fall themed latte. Brushstroke issue aside, this does have a lot of great shine, though I did have to be a touch more careful to get the color opaque in two coats without it being too thick (I am really looking for things to point out—this is by no means a problem polish to apply).

The Verdict: Once again, ORLY hit this collection out of the park. They created a set of six neutral polishes, but none of them are boring to me. While last season’s collection is still my all-time favorite, these colors are going to be great nail polish staples as the seasons start to change, and all of the neutrals are professional colors that I could wear in a law office setting without being out of place. That is important to me because I am currently looking for a clerkship at an insurance defense firm, which will be much more strict with the dress code compared to the plaintiff’s firm I have been at for the past eight months. One thing to note—it is a big perk to subscribe to ORLY Color Pass because this collection has not yet been officially released by ORLY. Once released, you will probably be able to buy the individual polishes for cheaper than the retail value at Ulta or Sally’s, but considering the monthly cost of the box is $29.75, finding the whole collection for cheaper than the Color Pass price will be difficult. I genuinely cannot wait to see what the winter collection holds—I am hoping for glitters and party-ready shades!

To Wrap Up:

Can you still get this box if you sign up today? Yes! If you sign up for the ORLY Color Pass, your first collection will be the Fall box.

ACTIVE DEAL: Save $10 off your first box!
CODE: MSA-ORLY

Value Breakdown: The annual subscription costs $119, or $29.75 a box, and I calculated a value of $68 for everything except the nail art supplies. That means you are paying approximately the following per item:

  • Flash Dry Drops: $4.81
  • Each Polish: $4.16 (total of $24.94)

Check out all of our ORLY Color Pass reviews and more nail polish boxes in the Beauty Subscription Box Directory!

Keep Track of Your Subscriptions: Add this box to your subscription list or wishlist!

What do you think of the ORLY Color Pass Box? What was your favorite color from the set?

Starting at $119.00
Active Deal
Save $10 off your first box!
Use Coupon Code MSA-ORLY
Subscribe Now
"Whether you're a die-hard ORLY fan or just want on-trend professional quality lacquer, the Color Pass is for you." You'll receive 6 Shades 4x Year For Total of 24 Shades + Bonuses.
Jessica Hapak
Jessica Hapak
I am a staunch believer that pineapple doesn’t belong on pizza and when I’m not working as a family law attorney I enjoy hiking the Louisiana trails (alligator sightings are a favorite!) or relaxing with Duchess, my cat. I’m a sucker for anything labeled a mystery box and I’ve never met a bath bomb I didn’t like.

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13 comments

Haley

Such a cool box.

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Linda

Do you know if this subscription automatically renews? I subscribed for 2018, and although I loved it, I want to skip 2019. I can’t find the answer on the website.

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Jessica

I had to stop myself from getting this set, but i have too many polishes already. However, i really love the olive color polish. I know i can just go buy it, but if anybody has this and they are putting it up for swap I would love to get it.
thanks…

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mydogsheds

Great review. You did a great job explaining everything. I honestly never knew how to use the foil before.

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Ragan

I used to love Seche Vite but I am pretty sure long-term use did some serious damage to my nails. Like, they were cracked, splitting, and peeling. (FYI Seche Vite reeks of toluene when you open it, and yes I know what toluene smells like because I have smelled it directly from the bottle back when I was in grad school. I am guessing that is at least part of the problem.) It’s too bad because it works really well, but I have given it up.

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Anna

Pacifica makes a good top/base coat and it’s 7 free too.

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KCinMA

I got this collection via my Color Pass subscription about 3 weeks ago. LOVE IT so much. They have had collections that have really been blah. They hit the nail on the head with this one and the fact that the majority are cremes is really nice. “Snuggle Up” is the PERFECT nude. “Mauvelous” is more orange than mauve but still very nice. I paired both applications with Orly’s Glosser top coat and then used the quick dry drops they included in the box. WOW! How shiny! And it’s been a week and I have no nicks or flaws in the polish.

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V

Wow I absolutely love your nail polish reviews. You certainly brought those colors to life. They look much better on your nails then most of them did in the bottle. Thank you for doing such a beautiful review as always 💅🏼!

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aldama

Wow, please give me your nail polishing skills! I’m so jealous. 🙂

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TK

I was thinking the same thing…how do you do that? I can’t ever seem to “keep it in the lines.” I end up with polish on my cuticles. If I could make my nails look that spectacular I would invest in more polish.

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Jessica Hapak

Hi TK!
The more I paint my nails, the more control I have about not getting it everywhere. One thing I recommend is liquid latex! When I am doing messy nail art, I paint it over my cuticles and wait for it to dry. Then when my nail polish is painted I peel off the liquid latex and boom, clean cuticles! I also have a brush I will dip in nail polish remover to clean up my cuticles if necessary.
Hope this helps!

Cristina

I agree! They look so professional, mine never look like that!

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Kris

Me too…! Every time I paint my nails the final product looks like a preschoolers art project and NOT in a good way! 😉

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