The whiff of cool ocean breezes tickling your hair and the gleaming sun kissing and embracing your skin as you deeply breathe in the fragrances of flowers in full bloom, this, to me, had always symbolized summer. - Ji Baek, Italian Summer Press ReleaseFirst up is Gelato Al Cioccolato, of course inspired by chocolate gelato, a delicious Italian treat. I love taupe and I actually really enjoy brown polishes so this color is just perfect for me. In the sun it almost looks like it has a hint of purple which is cool. It was nice and buttery and was perfectly opaque in two coats. Mmm I can almost taste the chocolate just looking at this one!
Bicicletta is inspired by a young girl's pale pink sparkly bike Ji saw while in Italy. This is a gorgeous soft pale pink with lavender undertones. It's filled with the tiniest micro glitters ever, in silver and pink. This went on very smooth, great opacity in two coats. Reminds me of sugar, yum!
This is sexy. Gondoliere is a hot little number. It's named for the men who steer the gondolas floating in the canals around Venice. It's an orange based red, more so than previous RBL Bangin (which I sadly don't own). Almost a perfect one coat wonder, but I used two. It has that great thin but crazy pigmented and smooth crème formula that I love. If I was more of a red kinda girl, this would be on my digits on the reg. It's that good.
Now this color is more my normal style, Oliveto is an olive green that "reflects the flash of rainbow and purple and periwinkle shimmers". This is inspired by olive groves and the rustling olive branches in the sun. This was way more shimmery than I first expected looking at the bottle and I love it. Was a little thicker than the others. This is two coats.
When I first saw Motorini, I was like, Aqua Lily? Is that you? Nope, it's not, but that's alright, it really stands on its own. Inspired by Ji's perfect scooter color, this is a darker and more blue version of Aqua Lily. I think it's a cross between it and Faraway. The shimmer is a purple toned pink which flashes in the light. It just glides on your nails, ahhh. Perfect in two thin coats.
A shade inspired by cats? I'm in heaven ;) Meow Meow comes from seeing the bright green eyes of cats flash in the dark during late night strolls in Italy. This glitter is really something, the bright springy hunter green is mixed with black which really makes the color pop. In the sun it almost has a navy look, but it's definitely black. This was harder to apply but not too difficult. I spread it like normal polish on the first coat, then kind of dabbed and pushed the glitter around on the second coat and it's pretty much totally opaque. It dries matte so top coat is necessary for a smooth look.
Melanzane is the last shade of the collection, inspired by eggplants. I have actually never tasted an eggplant, but they are pretty to look at. This is the same formula as Meow Meow, but with different sizes of glitter. The bigger pieces are in two shades of purple, a bluer one and a straight violet. The micro glitters are green which gives a ton of depth to the shade. This was easier to make look completely opaque. Two coats with top coat, as this also dries matte. Fabulous!
Please take a look at Ji's inspiration video and her press release to learn more about this collection. Also, please check out the other RBL reviewers: Scrangie, NailsandNoms, Polish Police, Fashion Polish, Peachy Polish, Makeup Withdrawal, Manicurator and Warm Vanilla Sugar. Refined and Polished will have hers up at a later date.
These will go on pre-order for 48 hours on Monday, August 11, 2014. You can only get the link to the pre-sale emailed to you if you sign up for the RBL email list on their website beforehand. They will be available for purchase like normal at a later date if you cannot participate in the pre-sale. Each bottle is $20.
I really enjoyed this collection. The formulas of the non-glitters were so on point and easy to use. The glitters were just so lovely and unexpected, and their formulas were workable, so I'm not complaining at all. My favorites are probably Motorini and Meow Meow but I really like them all :) What do you think of these Italian beauties?
Product samples were provided for consideration.
