Serum No. 5 Fall Winter '18 swatches & review

Press sample

It's that time of year again... leaves are falling, the weather is turning colder and Serum No. 5 turns up the heat with this new collection full of glowing shades. Literally, they glow in the dark! Let's jump right in, and keep scrolling for an extra PPU surprise!


Let's start off with Glitter Me Timbers, a beautiful deep red shade that's giving me visions of perfect fall foliage as well as warm Chrismas vibes. There's these tiny little shifty flakies dancing just below the surface like flames. I needed two coats to reach full opacity. The glow can be described as a more scattered effect, and not as strong as the other polishes in this collection.

Speaking of stuff that glows, Shell Yeah is AWESOME! This polish totally rocks my socks, both in terms of opacity and mind blowing orange glow! It's just such a sweet soft color that didn't show any streaks while applying 2 coats and it's.... amazing.

Whatever you do, Stay Salty! There's a nice subtle shimmer in here that reminds me of glistening snow. This pure white shade glows bright aqua in the dark, must be the brightest one in the bunch! I used two coats and I'm actually pretty amazed at the opacity with just those 2 coats. It has a sort of luminescence to it.... I can't quite put my finger on it, so I'll just put the polish on my fingers instead! (bad joke, I know)

Who's up for sweater weather? Knot Today is my favorite shade for warm apparel this season. I'm craving warm knitted cable sweaters with this light gray and yes, I'd totally love some holographic shimmer in my clothes too. Let 'em glow dark blue/purple in the dark too because hello, wow! I applied 2 coats without streaks or any problems at all. Ooh and take a look at the macro pic for some holo sparkle action!

Kelp! I Need Somebody. Not just anybody. I need this baby right here with her color changing skills and sweet, sweet glow! She moves from a mermaid teal when she's warm, to a dusty leafy green when cold. Full disclosure: my bottle of Kelp! I Need Somebody arrived stuck in its warm state and was unable to shift. I contacted Victoria, the brain behind Serum No. 5, and she kindly replaced the bottle so I could show you pictures of the cold state as well. Both sets of swatches needed only 2 coats for a nice opaque finish, and both bottles glow the exact same speckled green in the dark.

And the last to show you from this collection is Fresh to Depth, another really gorgeous thermal that stays in the same color family. It goes from a stormy ocean teal when warm to a slightly darker more space-y hue when it's cold. For this one I used three coats, because the warm color is just a little bit less opaque than its cold state. There's a legion of glitter that brings the whole polish to new heights and knocks you off your feet! You can even see the outlines of the glitter through the glow, which gives it an extra dimension, I think.

And as a special bonus, we have November's Polish PickUp color, named Notorious RBG! It rolls right along with the thermal parade, going from a brown leaning gunmetal gray (you try naming colors!) in its cold state to a kind of dusty mauve/purplish color when it gets warm. It confused me because I kept thinking I could still see my nail beds through the polish, so I kept adding coats. I ended up with 4.... but you might need less! I've been wearing this polish for two days now and I'm really enjoying it, I'm not that familiar with thermals (I know, I've been missing out!) and I love seeing when my fingers are cold or warm or somewhere in between. But most of all, bedtime is my favorite time to enjoy it, because that's when the glow comes out! I woke up one morning and got confused about the light flashing in front of my eyes... 8 hours later, they were still glowing!

And that's all, folks! I hope you enjoyed them as much as I do! All of the fall/winter collection is now available at the Serum No. 5 website. Follow the brand on Facebook & Instagram to keep up with.... everything you might want to know!

Notorious RBG will be available from Polish Pickup only in November. For those of you who are not familiar with PPU, the shop is open the first Friday of each month and stays open for four days. During this time, you can place a pre-order that will be shipped after the shop closes for the month. The brands participating vary each month and they all contribute a polish according to a certain theme (which for November happens to be 'bad ass women').

Thanks so much for watching!!! Which one is your favorite?



 I received all of the polishes in this article as a press sample. Opinions expressed are 100% my own and not influenced in any way other than the quality of the product itself.  

Serum No. 5 Love in Paris collection swatches & review

Press samples 

Hey! How's it glowing? Today I'm showing you this brand new collection from Serum No. 5 called Love in Paris! There's a variety of finishes, all of which glow in the dark (!!!) with that familiar glamour we love so much. I've had so much fun swatching these for you so let's jump right in!


Let's start with Oh, Crepe! This name made me LAUGH! It's one of those unnameable (believe me, I tried) yellow shades, packed with golden flecks and something iridescent or maybe multichrome flashing through. I used 2 coats with a slightly visible nail line and it dried with a slight texture that I smoothed out with a top coat.

It's Toile Y'all is a uh... dusty salmon? A blush colored polish that covers in one. Single. Coat. I'm not even joking. There's a scattering of tiny holo glitter in there, along with something silvery and shimmery making this polish so much more than it appears at first sight. The color is very classy, it's a shade that I've always associated with my older relatives but now that it's on my nails, it's actually very sweet and caring and I'm going to give it a real try!

S'Il Vous Play seemed to be a one coater at first, but there were some lines and spots I was happy to cover up with a thin 2nd coat. It may look like a Barbie kind of pink at first glance, but there's so much more to this shade, with a wink to the orange family. It's in no way a subtle color, it's definitely very visible. A plain creme, classic in its frillishlessness (is that even a word??) with less texture after drying than the other polishes in this collection, which is surprising because this one is PACKED with glow!

Louvre At First Sight likes to deceive us. It may appear to be a plain creme... but as the bottle turns, a slight purple shimmer appears. Gone as quickly as it came, and you wonder if you even really saw it. It's so elusive, it hides on the nail. The shade is a cross between the softest pink and lilac, like it's not sure what it wants to be but it's perfect in its indecisiveness. In the dark, this one just explodes!!!! SO much glow!!!

Hugs & Quiches is another creme polish, a definite purple this time, and a stunning shade of amethyst. I'm gonna go ahead and call this another one coater because the color is so rich and vibrant, it takes charge in just a single coat! It's also the smoothest in the bunch, going on like butter and drying to a paper thin coat with little bumps from the glow pigment. I definitely recommend using a top coat for this one if you have trouble with a textured finish. Purple glow polishes are notorious for barely showing in the dark. Despite that, it tries its best!

France With Benefits leans a bit towards grey but I'm just calling it a muted periwinkle. In the bottle I can spot a bit of subtle shimmer, but it can't be spotted on the nail. I wore this polish for over a week, asking everyone what color they thought it was, and opinions varied between lilac and light blue. Plus it was fun to show off the glow whenever I could! Two coats were enough to bring it to a lovely smooth finish and THE GLOW YOU GUYS!!!!

So..... let out the breath that I know you've been holding. Exciting, wasn't it! I always get this warm tingly feeling when glow in the dark pictures work out well. This collection is available RIGHT NOW from Serum No. 5 and you can also follow them on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Wait why are you still here? GOOOOOO!!!!!!



I received all of the polishes in this article as a press sample. Opinions expressed are 100% my own and not influenced in any way other than the quality of the product itself.