Summer’s still in the air, unfortunately. I think it’s been in the 90s for over a week now and, well, Old McDonald’s had ENOUGH. Not enough polish, though! I feel like I have barely gotten to enjoy the summer collections before the fall ones started pouring in. They clearly know what the people want (cozy colors! cooler weather!). Deborah Lippmann has recently released their fall collection, so of course today we are looking at some of their summer releases. I actually have my fall picks already, but I refuse to post swatches until official fall. Deborah Lippmann shades tend to hang around for a while anyway, so I’m sure it’s fine. These posts actually generate quite a bit of activity here at Short Nail Swatcher. I don’t think many people swatch Deborah Lippmann, and they really do not help themselves by posting super not color accurate photos to their site. I cannot tell you how often I read their color description and then look at the bottle shot trying to figure out in what world they are a match. I suppose I should be thanking them for making swatch work more valuable! Anyway, I have 3 colors to show you today, all in their gel lab pro formula (more money, better brush). I also have comparisons for all of them. Let’s still try to get some enjoyment out of summer while we can!
For all the swatches today, I used Deborah Lippmann All About That Base base coat. I used Seche Vite as my top coat where noted.
Deborah Lippmann Blue Blue Ocean, 2 coats plus top coat
Blue Blue Ocean is described as a “turquoise multi-colored shimmer.” Erm, not really sure where they are getting the multi-colored thing from. This looks like a blue-green glass fleck shimmer! It isn’t brush-strokey and sparkles like a tropical sea. I totally dig this one and surprisingly have nothing like it.
Deborah Lippmann Blue Blue Ocean, 1 coat
Blue Blue Ocean has more of a jelly base so you can see all that yummy shimmer. Because of that, it is a bit sheer and streaky on the first coat. The formula itself is super smooth, just glides right on the nail.
Deborah Lippmann Blue Blue Ocean, 2 coats
I only needed two coats on my nails to get Blue Blue Ocean completely opaque. When swatching on the wheel for comparisons, I did need three. If you have longer nails and/or a super white free-edge, you might need to use three as well. This polish is crazy shiny and reflective, really perfect for summer!
Zoya Selene, Deborah Lippmann Blue Blue Ocean, Collection Peacock
I wanted to be sure to compare Blue Blue Ocean to polishes in similar finishes. Zoya Selene is one of my all time favorite polishes, but it is a much more teal glass fleck shimmer than Blue Blue Ocean. Peacock by Collection is another one of my all time favorites, but it has a darker base and has gold flecks in it instead. Blue Blue Ocean is unique in my collection, yay!
Deborah Lippmann Happy Now, 2 coats plus top coat
Next up, we have a color that I really struggle to describe. Sage turquoise? Is it a blue? A green? A blue-green? Deborah Lippmann calls Happy Now a “bright aqua cream” and I guess that’s good enough. For a summer collection it’s very dusty, but it is so gosh dang gorgeous that I will not complain.
Deborah Lippmann Happy Now, 1 coat
Happy Now has a spectacular formula. It is super opaque on the first coat. I used just three strokes to glide it on and found that I only had a few sheerer spots that needed to be covered up. Again: YUM.
Deborah Lippmann Happy Now, 2 coats
Oh yeah, totally opaque in two coats! Happy Now is just perfect, I had no issues with it running or wanting to drag. It also dries super smooth and shiny. I would definitely say I am happy now ;]
Butter London Minted, Deborah Lippmann Happy Now, OPI Closer Than You Might Belém
My first thought was to compare Happy Now to OPI My Dogsled is a Hybrid, but I ended up finding two that were closer. Butter London Minted is clearly more minty and bright than Happy Now. OPI Closer Than You Might Belém is, well, closer. I think it looks more teal and definitely darker in tone than Happy Now. Again, no dupes!
Deborah Lippmann In the Sun, 2 coats plus top coat
Last up, we have In the Sun, which is described as an “orange red.” I would throw pink in there too. It’s a coral red. I don’t love coral, but I definitely lean towards the coral reds more than, say, coral oranges or coral pinks.
Deborah Lippmann In the Sun, 1 coat
In the Sun looks super opaque. It could be a OCW. In person, I could see some darker spots on some nails so I went in for a second coat. The formula is creamy and can be manipulated without causing any dragging.
Deborah Lippmann In the Sun, 2 coats
If In the Sun was not opaque with one coat, it definitely is with two! The color looks super smooth and consistent. Another shade that is summer in a bottle, perfect for hot weather and stepping out in your sandals.
Butter London Macbeth, Deborah Lippmann In the Sun, Jenna Hipp Just One Bite
We might have a dupe! Butter London Macbeth is so close. In the Sun looks like it has a drop more red to me, but man is it hard to tell. In the Sun does have a much better formula, I find Macbeth to be a bit finicky. Jenna Hipp Just One Bite is more of a true red than In the Sun.
I am pretty satisfied with my picks this collection! The first two are totally unique for me and the last polish, In the Sun, has such a stunning formula that I forgive it for being so close in color to the Butter London. For the price, these polishes really do deliver. Thank goodness for that! I have already have had my fall picks on hand (all two of them) for several weeks now. I don’t see myself publishing a post on those until late September at the earliest. It’s still summer and the weather is not letting me forget that fact.
What have been your favorite collections this summer?
xx, Ashley
I purchased my bottles from Deborah Lippmann’s website. Deborah Lippmann is cruelty-free.
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