Urban Decay Summer of Love Nail Kit Review, Photos, Swatches
Summer of Nails with Urban Decay
Urban Decay Summer of Love Nail Kit ($28.00) includes seven miniature-sized bottles of nail polish in summery shades. Each bottle contains 5ml/0.17 fl. oz. of product in it.
- Shine On is a brightened bronze with gilded bronze shimmer. You can see a few brush strokes in this one, but they’re not too bad. I found the formula on this one to be a little goop-y but watery. You can’t rush this one — you have to let it dry quite a bit between coats. I found three were necessary for overall smoothness and color.
- Woodstock is a bright neon pink. Like most neons, it’ll dry on the matte side, but a shiny top coat like Seche Vite will give it a glossy look. This went opaque in two coats, and it was a fuss-free formula.
- Love Light is a sheer champagne shimmer. Even with three coats, you’ll still see the nail beneath it, but there’s plenty of shimmer here. The formula is sheer but easy to work with.
- Hashbury is a magenta-fuchsia purple. It has a lot of red in it, and in the light, it looks much lighter than it does in the dark (where it looks more like an eggplant-y purple). Compared to the other two shimmery/metallic shades like Shine On and Aquarius, this one was easy to use and was just a bit on the runny side but not difficult to work with.
- Magic Bus is a darkened neon orange. It’s like construction cone orange to me. Like Woodstock, it has a very smooth, easy to use formula that applies opaque in two coats.
- Aquarius is a metallic-y aqua blue with teal sheen/shimmer. This one is both a pain to photograph and apply. It applies sheerly, so you need at least three coats for an opaque look. The problem with the formula is that it’s both goop-y and watery — it’s difficult to get enough for a thin coat, because if you do a medium-thick or thick coat, you’ll end up with goop-y looking nails (see my index finger in the swatch) that looks terrible. This was the problem child of the bunch for sure. Like Shine On, make sure you give each coat time to dry.
- Psychedelic Sister is a neon coral-red. Again, like the other two neons (Woodstock and Magic Bus) in this kit, Psychedelic Sister applies smoothly and evenly without any work.
Three of the seven shades have an excellent formula–Woodstock, Magic Bus, and Psychedelic Sister–while three aren’t so hot–Shine On, Hashbury, and Aquarius. Love Light was neither excellent nor problematic; it just was, you know? Shine On and Hashbury weren’t too bad, but the formulas had a bit of a goop-y yet watery feel to them. Aquarius had this issue, but it also showed brush strokes the most and required nearly four coats to look right. With my larger hands, I found the tiny bottles harder to work with (I felt like I had meathooks!), but I was able to get used to that pretty quickly so it wasn’t a huge issue.
I like that it comes in a cute little bag that you can reuse later on for whatever makeup essentials you might want to put in it. It’ll fit your 24/7 Eyeliners, a few eyeshadows, glosses, and a blush. It’s not huge, but it has enough space for an overnight adventure.
If it was just the neons, these would be an A! Unfortunately, the metallic shades are harder to work with, and between Shine On and Aquarius, they have more of a low-B/mid-C formula, respectively, to me. The kit, in total, is thus somewhere in between–just to clarify how everything came together. I didn’t feel that comfortable rating it as a whole, just because some were great, some weren’t so great!
If you want to know more about how products are evaluated, read out Rating System FAQ! 🙂
- Product: 25/30
- Value: 8/10
- Ease of Use: 4/5
- Packaging: 4/5
Recommendation: If you love trying lots of shades at once, this nail kit is a great way to grab some metallics and neons without breaking the bank. If you don’t mind a little patience, the metallics are workable, while the neons apply like a dream.
Availability: UrbanDecay.com on March 30th
Nail Lacquer: Shine On, Woodstock, Love Light, Hashbury, Magic Bus, Aquarius, Psychedelic Sister
Nail Lacquer: Shine On, Woodstock, Love Light, Hashbury, Magic Bus, Aquarius, Psychedelic Sister
Nail Lacquer: Shine On, Woodstock, Love Light, Hashbury, Magic Bus, Aquarius, Psychedelic Sister
Nail Lacquer: Shine On, Woodstock, Love Light, Hashbury
Nail Lacquer: Woodstock, Love Light, Hashbury, Magic Bus, Aquarius, Psychedelic Sister
Urban Decay Shine On Nail Lacquer
Urban Decay Shine On Nail Lacquer
Urban Decay Shine On Nail Lacquer
Urban Decay Woodstock Nail Lacquer
Urban Decay Woodstock Nail Lacquer
Urban Decay Woodstock Nail Lacquer
Urban Decay Love Light Nail Lacquer
Urban Decay Love Light Nail Lacquer
Urban Decay Love Light Nail Lacquer
Urban Decay Hashbury Nail Lacquer
Urban Decay Hashbury Nail Lacquer
Urban Decay Hashbury Nail Lacquer
Urban Decay Magic Bus Nail Lacquer
Urban Decay Magic Bus Nail Lacquer
Urban Decay Magic Bus Nail Lacquer
Urban Decay Aquarius Nail Lacquer
Urban Decay Aquarius Nail Lacquer
Urban Decay Aquarius Nail Lacquer
Urban Decay Psychedelic Sister Nail Lacquer
Urban Decay Psychedelic Sister Nail Lacquer
Urban Decay Psychedelic Sister Nail Lacquer
the cream finishes are absolutely to die for! normally i don’t even like pinks, but i love woodstock! what a gorgeous collection!
I think you read my mind today, I was hoping for swatches of this!
It sucks that two of the shades that looked best to me- Aquarius and Love Light respectively are not all that hot.
Thank you for this, I think I’ll be able to find dupes for the neons elsewhere!
Wow Aquarius is the most gorgeous nail colour I have ever seen! Though I don’t like the sounds of the formula, nor do I want to buy the whole set. Aquarius is perfect for summer! I’m on a mission now to find a dupe. Anyone know of any? 🙂
I don’t know if it compares to it well, but I’m thinking Mermaid to Order by Opi Sephora. I think Mermaid might be a little more green then Aquarius. Then again, my mermaid nail polish changed colors in different lightings. But I dunno, it really really reminds me of it.
Aquarius does remind me of Sephora by OPI’s Mermaid to Order. While it doesn’t look 100% the same it is a nice shade and it is sorta close.
Beauty and the Beach by China Glaze looks prettyyy similar. Sexy in the City by China Glaze looks close as well too, but a bit more blue. But I’d def say go with Beauty and the Beach. 🙂
I have a color that looks like it might really similar to Aquarius. I got it from Walmart. I’m not at home right now, so I can’t tell you the name right off hand. But I’ll try to remember to look it up when I get home.
Yea, I finally remembered to look. The color I was thinking of was actually a little lighter, but my Sexy in the City by China Glaze looks a ton like it. I’m wearing it now. It might be just a smidgen more blue and Aquarius, but it’s DEFINITELY close and the formula is to die for good.
I own one buy Sinful Colors Professional called Aqua (#104) It has a bit of green but other than that I think its probably the closest dupe =D
At first glance, it’s the font and packaging that really attracts me, but after seeing the nail swatches… The colors are so gorgeous!
Thank you for the impeccable swatches. They’re very cute but 30€ (their price in France) is far far far too expensive for me. And am I the only one who think UD’s old polish shades were far more unique than those they do now?
I totally agree with you!!!!! When I heard UD was relaunching their nail polish, I thought, “Heck yes! Toxin, Cult, ID–all of those crazy colors!” However, thus far their colors are, while still being pretty cool, not as unique as the old ones. 🙁
I wish these were sold separately cause I love woodsock but the others are all meh !
Remember when I said I will skip UD Summer 2010..I think I’m going to rehash and get these. lol. :o)
I’m sooo disappointed about Aquarius! It was easily the shade I was most excited about seeing swatched. Anyone know of a good metallic teal dupe??
Seems like China Glaze’s poolside might be a better neon/summer collection to pick up then, yes?
If you’re looking for just neons, sure!
I think I want all the nail polishes just cause i love Urban Decay so much!! and the colors are cute ♥
I absolutely love all of these! Aquarius is stunning!
I would wear each and every one of these colours. Thanks for showing them to us!
Shine On is so beautiful!! It is my new mission in life to find a dupe for it! (Or just any bronzey-goddess color, haha).
OMG that’s so fab! I will definitely buy the set! Thanks for posting this!
Is there an OPI dupe for Woodstock?
I’m not sure 🙁
Woodstock is so pretty! Such a nice bright pink, such a great colour for summer!
Maybe you can layer Love Light on other polishes since it’s so sheer?
Ok, I’m in love with Shine On, Woodstock, Love Light, and Psychedelic Sister! Even Magic Bus looks nifty, and I’ve always been scared of wearing orange nail polish!
I might need to pick this up. I always get my nails done during the Summer, and these colors are really calling to me.
I love them all! Wish they sold them separately though.
I really wish they’d release some individual shades because the sets aren’t doing it for me. I miss their old polishes!
If you had to pick between Magic Bus and China Glaze’s Sun Worshiper, which would you choose?
Sun Worshipper, but I don’t like construction orange!
Hashbury and Aquarius look gorg! I wonder if Sephora will get this..
Meh. Some have gorgeous colours, but I’m not fond of the formula.
Any good dupes that can be purchased separately? Especially for Shine On, Woodstock, Love Light, Hasbury and Magic Bus?
I’m not versed enough in the world of nail polish to list any dupes, unfortunately!
OMG i want them all ..
especially the wood stock one <3
jst lovvvvveed it !
I really like hashbury! It kind’ve reminds me of the pink pearl pigment.. somewhat but not really lol 🙂 I think this is perfect for summer, but I’m more into cream finishes so I’ll pass these up! BTW, when you do multiple nail swatches like these, do you do all in one day? Just wondering because it would take a killer beating on my nails 🙂
I do them in one day typically, but it depends on how many polishes there are in the collection. I usually do them while I’m writing reviews or other things so they can dry without me just sitting there waiting! You can’t imagine how adept you get at maneuvering around slightly wet nails when you do nail swatching often, LOL!
i would by this but almost 30 dollars is alot!
This is a lovely set, but I really just want Aquarius.
I am swooning over these! I can get around a couple of less than stellar formulas because those colors are awesome! Also, the little bottles appeal to me since I can never manage to get through a full sized one before it goes funky.
oooh! these are too fabulous. i love the aquarius!
Aquarius is gorgeous! This whole collection is very summery. I like it.
adorable colors!!!!!