Nail Lacquers: Retro Red, Old School Orange, Viridian Vinyl, Purple Pleather
It’s Not Matte, But It’s Not Glossy
Orly’s Plastix Collection is a short and sweet debut of a new finish type — satin matte. It reminded me a bit of Chanel Black Velvet, which after much thinking, definitly has a pleather-like finish.
- Retro Red is a bright pop of orange-based red. I found three coats were needed to ensure there was no visible nail line showing.
- Old School Orange is a vibrant shade of creamy orange with sunshine yellow undertones. I also used three coats on this shade.
- Viridian Vinyl is a blue-based teal that only needed two coats to go totally opaque.
- Purple Pleather is a deep, blue-based purple that reminded me of Orly’s own Charged Up (but obviously a total different finish). Just two coats for this one.
I like these. I don’t love them, because they’re not entirely my style (I’m also not huge on matte polishes, either–again, all personal style preferences), but I do really love how they played with the finish and gave us something different. It’s not matte–there’s definitely this played down, barely there glossy sheen… but it’s not glossy. It’s not shiny. It’s very pleathery.
The formula felt a little on the thicker side to me, but I didn’t encounter any major issues. Each coat felt like it dried down pretty quickly–similar to mattes–though for 100% dry, it seemed a little faster than average but not super speedy. Despite each coat seemingly being pigmented, two shades still needed three coats. Like matte finishes, you may want to use a ridge filler to minimize any imperfections on your nail.
I wore these with Zoya’s base coat underneath, and I didn’t get any chips after five days, just minor tip wear. I skipped the top coat so I could maintain that satin-matte finish. The base coat didn’t seem to affect the appearance or finish of the polish at all, so at least I could lock it down with a base coat even if I couldn’t protect with a top coat!
I haven’t spotted these for sale yet online, but they should be popping up sometime soon!
If you want to know more about how products are evaluated, read out Rating System FAQ! 
- Product: 26/30
- Value: 8/10
- Ease of Use: 4/5
- Packaging: 4/5
RECOMMENDATION: Viridian Vinyl and Purple Pleather were my favorites, because the colors are bold, wearable, fall-appropriate, AND the formula was best with these two.
AVAILABILITY: Orly
See more photos & swatches!
Nail Lacquers: Retro Red, Old School Orange
Nail Lacquers: Viridian Vinyl, Purple Pleather
Nail Lacquers: Retro Red, Old School Orange, Viridian Vinyl, Purple Pleather
Nail Lacquers: Retro Red, Old School Orange, Viridian Vinyl, Purple Pleather
Orly Retro Red Nail Lacquer (Natural Light)
Orly Retro Red Nail Lacquer (Natural Light)
Orly Retro Red Nail Lacquer (Natural Light)
Orly Retro Red Nail Lacquer (Flash)
Orly Old School Orange Nail Lacquer (Natural Light)
Orly Old School Orange Nail Lacquer (Natural Light)
Orly Old School Orange Nail Lacquer (Natural Light)
Orly Old School Orange Nail Lacquer (Flash)
Orly Viridian Vinyl Nail Lacquer (Natural Light)
em>Orly Viridian Vinyl Nail Lacquer (Natural Light)
em>Orly Viridian Vinyl Nail Lacquer (Natural Light)
em>Orly Viridian Vinyl Nail Lacquer (Flash)
Orly Purple Pleather Nail Lacquer (Natural Light)
Orly Purple Pleather Nail Lacquer (Natural Light)
Orly Purple Pleather Nail Lacquer (Natural Light)
Orly Purple Pleather Nail Lacquer (Natural Light)
These are so interesting! I really like the blue and the purple… and the orange the and red.. darn.
Love these!
They actually had these at my local Ulta about a month ago… I wanted to wait for your review before purchasing though!
These are cute!
are these your real nail? if so you have PERFECT NAILS!!!
Yes!
Do you have any recommendations for bright purples like purple pleather?
Orly’s Charged Up is VERY similar.
I can see these on the toes. Especially the orange one.
That’s exactly what I thought! They’d look lovely.
I really like Viridian Vinyl.
I got Retro Red and Viridian Vinyl from Ulta, but transdesign.com is selling them as well. I feel sort of meh about them, you NEED a basecoat, otherwise they stain the bejeezus out of your nails. I wore viridian vinyl for a night out and removed it when I got home, and after 6 hours of wear my nails were stained hi-liter yellow. my friend used my retro red that night, and her nails ended up stained with a sort of orangey glow.
Yuck
They have these up for sale on Transdesign. I ordered the mini set.
Beautiful and can’t wait to add them to my collection.
i can’t decide whether i like them or not! hmmm!
old school orange looks awesome! prefect as a punchy bright colour for the summer, can def see on toes
Interesting. I like them, and the colors are yummy, but I wish the finish was a little more like the bottle.
I really love these – bought the orange and blue at Ulta a couple weeks ago – the finish is really pretty! It’s like a toned down version of matte, so your nails look different, but not like you slathered paint on them (which has always been my issue with matte). Haven’t tried the orange on my toes yet, but I bet it would look great!
very pretty….definately for the pedi!!
These are very interesting. I love the blue one, it’s very pretty.
Beautiful colours and smooth application! You probably get asked this a lot, but do you leave space around the polish as empty nail for comparison’s sake? Must be tiring to swatch all of these and remove them too. Thanks for the swatches Christine, always!
Hey Angie,
I leave that space just so it’s easier to remove – less wear and tear on the cuticle but also less polish gets stained/left on (even though some inevitably does!).
I’ve never used ORLY, but I like all of those colors. Yes, I want them all.
That packaging is WEIRD, like a sports shoe D:
But I think it fits well for the finish really. It looks like a semi matte rubber finish to me. Like you could bounce stuff off your nails.
That’s the way all my Orly polishes’ handles are… Yeah, it’s a tad bit weird, but they’re so easy to open.
I absolutely love the Viridian Vinyl and Purple Pleather!!
Oh and Christine.. the Orly link doesnt take you to the correct website?
It’s http://www.orlybeauty.com — sorry about that!
I really like them!
I actually really like the finish… how much are these?
I believe they’re $8.50!
Really digging the finish on these, but the colors are just too bold for my tastes (though I won’t hesitate to adore them on OTHER peoples’ nails!)– hopefully they’ll come out with some colors for fall!
Seche Vite has spoiled me with its drying speed, so it’s a shame that I can’t use that without ruining the finish. Will Drip Dry work, or do they actually dry fast enough that I won’t have to sit around for 3 hours doing nothing to avoid dings?
I don’t have Drip Dry, so I couldn’t tell you, but I felt like I could start going about my regular business (NOT washing dishes, mind you) after an hour or so. Well, that’s about as long as I could manage sitting around and not doing anything!
Okay, that’s really good to know. Thanks!
I was actually really excited about this collection, but I do wish they stuck with a glossy finish. I never found matte-ish polishes to be that great either, but I think with a glossy topcoat, these would look fantastic!
I ordered 2 of them recently and they are on their way! I got them from victoriasnailsupply.com
I picked up retro red (wearing on my hands now) and viridian vinyl (on my toes). They were more on the matte side for me but I think that has to do with my base (Orly Bonder). I was considering returning them but they are starting to grow on me. I just wish retro red was more true red and less orange – red would be great with this finish. Like sexy, read leather pants.
Personally, I prefer a super glossy finish on my nails, but it’s always cool to see something different.
you’re like amazing at applying nail polish. Mine is always streaky and just a mess
Aww, thanks
The blue is one of my favorite colors. I ADORE the teal thats peacock green! LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it.
hey christine!
you have such gorgeous nails! this may seem like a weird question, but i try to grow mine but i always seem to bite them. are there any tips you could give to prevent me from biting? i have naturally dry skin around my cuticles, too so i feel like this also affects my nails too.
thanks!
Hey Melissa,
I find that 1) painting them with polish 2) soaking in nail polish remover are two things that keep me from biting my nails!
It really looks like plastic, love it!
I really like the blue color!!
Viridian Vinyl is awesome!
I can’t say that I’m in love with these…I think Flash is my pick of the bunch but I’ll have to give these a miss, I’m afraid. But thanks so much for the review and pics – your effort is so appreciated!
great new finish, completely different!!! colors so pretty!!!
I am really quite surprised that I like these colors.
I found these for sale at my Ulta at least a month ago. So if any of your readers like the colors, they should run down there for some instant gratification.
omg those look real pretty i love the purple if they had a black on i would buy it
The orange and red seem a bit boring but I’m definitely loving the look of the purple and I might have to get the blue too
this finish looks really interesting. I hope they come out with other more fall and winter-ish colors of it at some point.
I hope this type of finish becomes more popular, and that someones puts out a black version so I don’t feel bad for having skipped out on Chanel Black Velvet vernis.
<3333333333333
I want Viridian Vinyl!
I have retro red and its really beautiful!! And I know a really good dupe for it. It is Bourjois 10 days nail enamel no 16. its almost identical only difference is that the bourjois one is not matte and has fine shimmer in it ( which you can hardly see)