Over the past year I've felt myself maturing in different ways, but one way I know for sure my frontal lobe has fully developed? My need for neutral nails. I used to love my bright, fun colors like green, blue, and purple, or on the other end of the spectrum I loved a black polish but lately I just want something simple. 

I definitely still enjoy a color...but mostly in the pink or peach family, or if it's the colder months I love a brown. However, when I want a true color, especially in the 'in-between months' I'm probably going with red.

The issue I was running into was that all my Olive & June red polishes are too dark, too bright, or have the wrong undertone. None of the polishes were a true, blue red until now.

Olive & June has admitted that they haven't had a blue-red but are not answering for their sins with one of their newer shades 'Secret Recipe' I am still on my low-buy and not indulging in as many nail polish purchases as I usually do, but I needed to restock some of my nail care items so it was a good time to place an order. 

This past fall I got hooked on gel manicures because of their long lasting nature and how shiny & chic they looked. What I didn't love was the cost, sitting in the manicure chair and how I felt entrapped by the color for at least two weeks. I also have realized that I suffer from sensory issues and sometimes the feeling of thick nail polish on fingers sent shivers down my spine.

How could I mitigate the cons and still keep the pros? It was like Olive & June heard my prayers and answered them in quick succession.

Right before Christmas, my favorite nail polish brand released their at home gel manicure system and I don't know the last time I pressed checkout so fast. I bought the full gel system with 6 colors-- all which I have the regular polishes for too which made it easy to choose. 

Nail polish names are so fun and I think it's probably the coolest job in the world to have a part in naming them. Some names make sense...like Essie Ballet Slippers or Marshmallow; others are a bit off the cuff, like 'Not a Phase' or 'Butler, Please' and some are bizarre but make perfect sense. 

Like this new one from the Olive & June winter collection...

Last week, Pantone announced their color of the year. It's Mocha Mousse, a swirly brown/beige and when I heard that, I was over the moon. It sounded like the most obvious thing in the world and brought me back to 2015 when the color of the year was Marsala -- that mauvey red shade that was the color on all of our lips thanks to Kylie Jenner.

Brown has been having a moment, which sounds like a ridiculous thing to say but it's true. Everyone is after brown; brown bags, clothes, shoes... 'expensive brunette' was a trendy hair color this year, and it seemingly is the color of 'quiet luxury' so it made sense for 2025. 

A lot of people were unhappy and were saying that it signals a recession but I'm choosing to ignore those people. I'm very excited for all the shades of brown about to come our way, or shall I say continue to come our way. 

I was ahead of the curve because this week my manicure was brown...thanks to Olive & June's holiday collection. Yes, it is December and I should have a red manicure but something about the brown was comforting to me...like a cup of hot chocolate on a cold day. 

 After a long, one and a half month Manicure Monday drought, we are back with a vengeance! Because of my busy 7 weeks, my gel manicure obsession has come to an end. I've given my nails the break they needed after removing the gel manicure myself, before it was meant to come off, and now I'm ready for polish again.

I still haven't bought the Olive & June Gel Manicure System but it's next on my list...however, we're going to be talking about one of their Fall 2024 polishes that I hadn't yet used after I initially placed my order.

After red nails for a month and a half, I was ready for something to truly put me in the fall spirit and the polish of choice was easy. Museum Date from Olive & June's most recent fall collection is so unique and truly one of a kind in my collection and probably a lot of yours too.

 One of the best days of the year is when Olive & June releases their new seasonal collections. I always love seeing the theme they chose as well as the shades. This year the theme was museums, which is very interesting, but I love the idea of a sophisticated, cozy fall city day roaming a museum exhibit.  

The shades released in this collection are gorgeous. they range from very light to deep, dark and glittery. I'll be honest; the first shade I used was "Sculpture Wing" which is a beautiful warm toned lavender but it wasn't the best (review coming soon). 

My next manicure is what we're talking about today and that's Patron of the Arts. It's the perfect transitional fall shade; a deep, dusty rose brown that screams pumpkin and apple picking. 

 You guessed it -- another Olive & June quick dry review! I can't help myself, I am addicted to this formula. There is nothing like realizing you forgot to paint your nails and need to do it fast, but you don't have enough time to fully dry. Having a variety of Olive & June quick dry polishes has saved me so many times and I'll never give this formula up!

One of the 'always on' non seasonal shades that I picked up a few months back was "Freshwater". It is a newer shade in their line and one that I thought would be a perfect addition to my rotation.

Freshwater is described a 'sheer, pearly white' which makes the name perfect for this all year round color. It's super shiny, a little sheer but still opaque enough to make you feel put together. 

 As the summer begins to wind down I'm trying to cram in all my fun, summer manicures. I've kept it pretty standard throughout the past few months -- reds, pinks, and a Bikini So Teeny manicure or two but lately I've been craving something brighter.

It could be that I'll be switching to darker colors soon or the fact that I have a tan so the neon polishes look so much nicer, but something in me is screaming for brightness. It's also a little weird because it's mid-August and I don't even care that pumpkin spice season is around the corner which is very unlike me.

Anyways...this week's manicure is a newer Olive & June shade called 'Guava Gloss', from their new lipgloss finish collection. When they announced a lipgloss collection, I truly thought Olive & June was releasing lipglosses but jokes on me, because they weren't.

Olive & June Quick Dry formula is such an unexpected winner in my beauty collection. Every time I use one, I'm continually stunned at how well they perform. 

During my shopping spree when I picked up a few summer quick dry shades to add to my ever growing collection, one of the colors I bought was 'Lollipop' because I needed a summer red to bake into the rotation when I wasn't in the mood for a pink or orange.

In my opinion, red nails are a neutral; there is never a bad time for a red nail. They are always chic and especially for summer, they feel incredibly right.

I told you last week that we were in for a marathon of Olive & June manicure Monday posts... and this week it's all about the new quick dry shade for summer 'Melon'. 

There are few things that feel like summer more than a bright peachy, orange manicure. It reminds me of summers when I was a teenager, the beach, and being tan. It reminds me of Florida vacations, late nights and back to school season.

I haven't found a shade that truly matches that feeling in a while so when I saw Melon pop up on Olive & June's website... and as a quick dry shade, I was immediately sold.

The Olive & June Quick Dry polishes are some of the best out there. I was very skeptical when they first launched because I was less than impressed by Essie's quick dry formula; how could a polish truly be quick drying? But Olive & June really changed that.

I've been wanting to add more summer colors in the formula to my collection because I found myself constantly reaching for this formula over the original and I needed more options. I placed a hefty order a few weeks ago and have been trying them out...and they're perfect, as usual.

This summer I've really been focusing on more neutrals, pinks, and reds and staying away from the bright greens and blues. If I want to get a little fun in the sun, I'll reach for a peach shade so I made sure to get one of everything.

The love affair with Essie Gel Couture continues! I cannot stop using the colors I have because they are so gorgeous. The polish is light, smooth and super glossy. 

I've always loved using the Essie Gel Couture top coat because it gives the shiniest, glossiest and long lasting finish but when you combine it with the actual Gel Couture nail color, the difference is astounding. These two are truly a match made in heaven.

 I'm a sucker for a collaboration, especially when it features one my favorite brands. LoveShackFancy has been killing the collaboration game lately and I've been loving them all, even if I don't indulge in a purchase. 

I saw a few weeks ago that they were coming out with another Sally Hansen collection but this time, with actual polishes instead of press ons. I was immediately intrigued and then like most things nowadays, I completely forgot about it. 

That is until I went to CVS for a few things and saw the polishes front and center in the store. It was fate and I immediately picked the shade Rosy Quartz which is a milky pink with an iridescent sheen. 

It's been a minute since my last Manicure Monday post, and probably almost a year since I did a post about any brand other than Olive & June. I don't know what sparked my interest in these nail polishes again, maybe a TikTok video or beauty editor, but I caught the Gel Couture bug.

My mom took notice because she included a few colors in my Easter basket and I've been wearing them non stop. There's just something about the shininess of an Essie polish that looks so glamorous and put together. Olive & June still has my heart but I've been enjoying the variation.

I haven't done a Manicure Monday post in a little bit because I've put myself on a little bit of a nail polish buying ban. I simply have too many polishes and don't need anymore. I recently did a clean out of my collection, reorganized and rediscovered some old favorites which inspired by this post.

As we transition from winter into spring, I've begun to transition my nail polish choices. When I was reorganizing, I moved all my fall and winter polishes to the back of my drawer, and all my light colors to the front...that is always the first sign of spring for me. 

When it comes to the colors I've been gravitating towards lately, I am standing firmly in the neutral category, especially for spring and summer. Over the past few years, I have not been loving the bright, pastel colors of yesteryears. I don't really wear or buy bright blues, greens, yellows, etc. I like the elegance that comes with a sheer pink or beige for the warm weather...expect of course, Bikini So Teeny which will never leave my collection.

Also, if you haven't noticed, I've exclusively been buying Olive & June polishes for at least a year (with the exception of the Barbie x OPI collection from last year. 

All of this being said, may I present my Spring 2024 Nail Polish Edit... all the polish colors and trends that I love for the spring.

 It's been a minute since I did a Manicure Monday post but we're back to business today with a new Olive & June color.

If you follow me on social media (TikTok & Instagram) you would've seen this past December that I did a daily unboxing of the Olive & June Advent Calendar. It was 25 days of nail goodies and it remains one of the best value advent calendars I've seen in the beauty industry. 

In that calendar were a few nail polishes and while some of them were fan favorites, some were exclusive to the set...until now. Olive & June has released one of my favorite colors from the calendar as a standalone polish you can purchase on their website.

 I've slowly been making my way through all my new Olive & June shades that I bought this past fall & winter, and one of last shades I have is 'Favorite Beanie'. 

When I first saw this color (I can't remember if it was the fall or winter collection), I was intrigued. It's so dark, but not dark enough to be confused with another color. It's wintery, cozy, and is the perfect shade to wear in a blizzard.

I don't have a blue/gray like it in my collection and it was definitely something I was missing. I waited until it was cold enough to almost snow to wear it and I'm glad I did; it was the perfect color for a cold weekend in Boston.

We're officially in Christmas nail season and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't sad to see my fall manicures go. It feels like fall flew by! Don't worry though, I won't be giving up brown manicures any time soon...

However, this week we're talking about a beautiful, rich, cranberry manicure from Olive & June. For Thanksgiving this year, I was really feeling red instead of brown, probably because I've been wearing brown manicures all season long. 

Olive & June recently released the shade Cabernet into their Quick Dry line and I had to have it. I have quite a few reds from Olive & June but I think this one is my favorite so far. 

It's described as a wine red with undertones of plum and purple to add depth to the manicure. It's stunning and Cabernet really is the perfect way to describe the shade. 

In the second installment of reviewing the Olive & June Quick Dry polish fall collection, we have the shade 'Americano' up next. This past summer when I was decluttering my nail polish collection I got rid of a lot of old, expired polishes that were basically unusable. 

In that declutter I got rid of a lot of my brown, neutral shades so I needed to restock those colors. Americano was ideal because I wanted another quick dry, and a lighter brown. I already have Tip Your Barista, which is from last year's fall collection and it's a smidge deeper than Americano.

Americano is almost more orange toned than Tip Your Barista, which is more of a traditional espresso color. I think both are gorgeous, and I'll wear them both this fall, but I'm particularly excited about Americano as it's not as dark. Some times I just want a brown manicure without it being super bold. 

Ever since receiving the Quick Dry formula from Olive & June last year, I've been hooked on it. It's truly a quick dry formula, drying down within minutes and not smudging. That being said, when Olive & June released their fall quick dry polishes, I was immediately enticed. The shades were stunning and quintessential autumnal tones that were calling my name.

They were all shades that were missing in my collection; browns, deep reds, and a beautiful deep lavender called Twilight which I can't wait to review for you all.