OPI Gwen Stefani Collection - 4 In the Morning, I Sing In Color, Over And Over A-Gwen

Did anyone realize back in the 90s that Gwen Stefani would turn out to be a fashion icon? All I knew was that she was MY icon, with her tough, sassy take on vintage glam. I wanted her bleached-out hair (chickened out and got a Rogue streak instead), her abs (yeah, dream on) and her sexy/sporty clothes (see: abs).

I suppose it's only natural that this collaboration between OPI and Gwen happened. Inspired by the Metropolitan Museum's Costume Institute Gala's them of "Chaos: Punk to Couture"*, Suzi Weiss-Fischmann created this 7-piece collection to honour Gwen's influence on music, fashion and style.

It's also no surprise that the OPI Gwen Stefani collection reflects the icon's own vintage/edge style heritage, with a mix of classics and completely new, breakthrough textures.

*Still so very angry that I missed that exhibit by four days.

photo credit: OPI

One of the shades is a mirrored chrome that comes with a specific base coat: Push And Shove, and Lay Down That Base.

The other 6 are:

• Over and Over A-Gwen (signature red creme)
• Hey Baby (pink creme)
• I Sing In Color (blackened maroon creme)
• Love.Angel.Music.Baby (champagne gold satin)
• 4 In The Morning (charcoal satin) 
• In True Stefani Fashion (silver glitter)

I've included press pictures so you can see the caps they come with, as my samples had the regular caps.

 I was able to sample three of them, including one of the new satin textures (which actually looks and feels a little rubberized).

Over And Over A-Gwen, 4 In The Morning, I Sing In Color

4 In The Morning: A dark charcoal, with the teeniest shimmer and an almost green undertone that is only evident in certain lighting. In the shade, this is more of a flat (but soft) black, but in the light you can see some of that shimmer adding depth. I think the shimmer actually adds to the perception of the satin texture, as in the shade it looks entirely matte. It's a very neat shade/texture combo that looks both punk and sophisticated. 

Although they don't recommend adding topcoat, I did use it for the sake of testing. As expected, it makes the shimmer more obvious and is a beautiful colour, though it does lose  a lot of what makes it cool and different.

Application-wise, this took me a while to get right. It flows easily and evenly, but I tend to do my nails quickly, the coats staying wet in between layers. It took me a few tries to figure out that this did best with a very thin base coat, allowed to dry, and then a normal one over that. 

4 In The Morning (no topcoat, in lighting that shows the green undertone)

4 In The Morning (with topcoat)

I Sing In Color:  A classic blackened maroon vamp, this boasts one of the best formulas I've seen for a shade like this. No watery-ness, no pooling, just smooth, free-flowing, self-leveling perfection. And it is glossy, glossy, glossy. It's not unique, but it's a great example of a vamp shade done in a stellar formulation.

Two coats is good, but I did three here because I love saturating near-black shade like.

I Sing In Color

Over and Over A-Gwen: Another classic, done to perfection. This is a medium depth, ever so slightly cool red. It's actually darker than it appears in my pictures, which pull brighter.

OPI does incredible reds, but chances are you have something like this in your collection. It's darker and cooler than Color So Hot It Berns. It's similar to China Glaze Phat Santa, maybe a touch less cool (even though PS looks darker in the bottle).

The formula is, again, what sets the bar high: incredibly smooth, rich and self-leveling, with a lovely gloss finish. Two coats gives perfect pigmentation. If you don't have an excellent red (or you can't resist one that applies like butter) then this a choice pick.

Over and Over A-Gwen

I really, really want to try Love.Angel.Music.Baby, which my friend Eugenia swatched and reviewed over at Ommorphia's Beauty Bar. (Champagne glitter that feels like suede? IN.)

Are you guys grabbing anything from this collection?

Availability: At Trade Secrets and salons, as well as Nail Polish Canada. Suggested price is 10.95$ CAD.

(Items were provided by the brand/PR to be considered for review. This post is not sponsored or compensated. All opinions are my own.)

OPI Holiday 2013 Mariah Carey - The Look: My Favorite Ornament, Visions of Love, I Snow You Love Me

The OPI Holiday collections are always a fun mix of the classic (lots of red and burgundy shades) and the bling-tastic (glitter....glitter as far as the eye can see). This year is no different, and as the collection was inspired by Mariah Carey, the reds seem all that more saturated, and the shimmers all that more sparkly.

I had a chance to try three shades from the collection that are also sold as a three-pack gift set of full-size bottles called The Look: My Favorite Ornament (champagne glitter), Visions of Love (rich burgundy) and I Snow You Love Me (holographic confetti).

My Favorite Ornament - This is, BY FAR, one of my favourite glitters. It is incredibly saturated with champagne gold glitter, so much so that a single coat is almost enough. (I'm wearing two on the pictures below.) Yet it doesn't feel thick or clumpy. The glitter is just that fine and dense. Application was easy as well, I just made sure my first coat was dry. This can by worn with or without a topcoat, depending on your preference, but if you like a traditionally glossy finish you'll need to do several layers. I did just one coat here, to emphasize the sparkle.

It doesn't look too dimensional in the bottle, but applied to the nails it has an almost holographic depth. Under light, it's like looking at millions of teeny tiny diamonds. It glows.

Utterly gorgeous.

(Wear time was surprisingly good too, three days without a chip, which for me is equal to probably a week on anyone else.)

Visions of Love: This is a blackened burgundy. At one coat it looks like merlot, with two it's vampy and rich. At three, like I have in these pictures, it's near black. This is not an innovative shade, but a well-done classic, with a smooth, medium texture, a glossy finish and generally good application. The slightest tendency to pool a bit at the cuticles, but not in a way that stands out for a shade like this.

It also makes for a great base for...

I Snow You Love Me: Round holographic confetti in a fairly thick clear base. I love the way these catch the light and transform a classic shade into something funky. Unlike a lot of chunky glitters, this lies flat and smooth to the nail.

The biggest challenge for a shade like this getting an even distribution of the confetti on the nail. I did have to go fishing, and rested the confetti I caught on the inner lip of the bottle. Once I had a few collected that way, I could pick them up with the brush. It's a bit of work, but the effect is fun, especially if you're only going to do an accent nail. It can be a discreet and office-friendly way of adding some holiday cheer to your manicure.

Availability: Currently at Trade Secrets and salons in Canada, as well as at www.nailpolishcanada.com. The suggested retail price for the The Look is 24.95$ CAD, and prices for individual bottles of the Holiday collection are about 8.95$ CAD.

Pros: Gorgeous, glowing glitter on My Favorite Ornament, and easy to apply. Good wear. Well-done classic for Visions of Love. Beautiful, well-behaved holographic confetti. Good variety of shades in the pack, classic to vivacious.

Cons: Getting the confetti applied evenly takes some work, especially if you are looking for a particular placement. Thicker base can make edges look a bit gloopy if you're not careful.

(Items provided by the brand/PR to be considered for review. This post is not sponsored or compensated. All opinions are my own.)

Quickie - OPI Planks A Lot

This incredibly lovely Spring teaser weekend had me digging into the stash for an appropriate nail polish.

OPI Planks A Lot, from last year's Pirates of the Caribbean collection. In my opinion, a vastly under-loved series of dusty pastels and neutrals.