OPI New Orleans Collection S/S 2016: Show Us Your Tips

Today I have my lone selection from OPI's large Spring/Summer 2016 collection to share with you: Show Us Your Tips!

First a quick note- for those who hadn't noticed, OPI just had another price hike. We're now at $10 per bottle for the regular formula. It's not a lot, but somehow the double digit price barrier looms large.

Same classic, full-coverage brush as always:

Show Us Your Tips is a gorgeous cornflower/periwinkle shimmer. I found it to be the most unique in the collection. I've got 3 coats on my nails here:

This lasted about 3 days on my nails, and I'm extremely tough on my nails.

I passed on the rest of the collection (see it here) because, aside from the green (which isn't office-friendly), I felt that I probably had a dupe for just about all of the others.

OPI's collections are always a lot of fun- New Orleans is just the latest in a proud tradition of travel-themed hues. I bought mine at Ulta about a month ago- you should be able to find it everywhere.

NOTD: OPI A Butterfly Moment

If there was a draft NOTD to discover while digging through Blogger, this one is a shocker! I would've thought that I'd have already featured it.  Oops. I can speak much more eloquently about it now though.

You'll have to trust me, but this is three coats of OPI A Butterfly Moment. This is a discontinued shade from the Mariah Carey collection. A Butterfly Moment came in stark contrast to the blinged out shades that stole most of the attention in the collection.

But A Butterfly Moment was where it was at. It's a lovely, grown-up shade that's so soft and irresistible. Think of it with a cozy cashmere sweater and you're on your way.

NOTD: OPI Where Did Suzi's Man-Go?

Today's NOTD was my only selection from the Spring 2014 OPI Rio Collection.  Where Did Suzi's Man-Go? is much lighter in person than it photographs. I'd really call it a white-based juicy peach shade.  Formula and coverage are superior. There are only 2 coats, no top coat on my nails here.

NOTD: OPI I Can't Find My Czechbook

I loved today's NOTD so much that I actually photographed it twice. Whoops.

Here is OPI I Can't Find My Czechbook, a lovely electric blue creme.  Formula is perfect, with it nearly being a one-coat wonder. There are two coats plus topcoat on my nails here.

NOTD: OPI Hotter Than You Pink

Today's NOTD was my only selection from the OPI 2014 Neons Collection- Hotter than You Pink.  It's the most traditional hue of the collection, a pearly neon pink. I have three coats topping one coat of Butter London Cotton Buds (to pull out the true color) here, topped with topcoat. To me, this is a shade that screams summer vacation. Ah, a blogger can only dream, right?

NOTD: OPI Coca-Cola Red

Today's NOTD was a shade that literally stopped me in my tracks: OPI Coca-Cola Red.

I actually wore this on the 4th of July because it is, by my criteria, the perfect red creme.  It's a blue-based red (OPI Race Red looks downright orange next to it!). Formula-wise, it's nearly a one-coat wonder. There are two coats plus topcoat on my nails here.

I'm a sucker for a perfect red creme, but I was shocked that this was my only selection from the July 2014 OPI Coca-Cola Collection. I mulled both the mini 10-pack and a few of the shades, but I felt like I had close enough dupes for most. A classic red with a great formula, on the other hand, is always worth the investment.

Here's a comparison between Coca-Cola Red and Race Red. It's even more pronounced in real life.

 Overall, I think this is a can't miss.

OPI Ford Mustang Collection

I've somewhat shied away from reviewing nail collections in separate posts since I do a daily NOTD, but I'm happy to make an exception for the OPI Ford Mustang Collection.

I have a confession to make: I've always had a soft spot for Ford Mustangs. I can pinpoint when I fell in love with the classic American muscle car: when I was in high school. I grew up in a town with a university. When I was in high school, I worked at a local establishment part-time, and got to interact with the college students who seemed oh-so-cool to a 16-year-old.  One of the coolest of them all was a college guy (who could've been a male model) who owned a Ford Mustang. And there the infatuation with Mustangs began.  I've never owned (or even driven) one, but I do love the roar of a Mustang engine. When I ran into the collection at my local Ulta, I was forced into a quick decision. As you can see from the photo, they only received 2 of each shade. Thus, I bought the collection in one fell swoop. It feels right to review them all in one post.

The OPI Ford Mustang Collection ($9 each, 0.5oz, via Ulta and salons) is comprised of six shades: Girls Like Ponies, Race Red, 50 Years of Style, Sky's the Limit, Angel with a Leadfoot, and Queen of the Road.

This wheel is in direct sunshine.

Overall, this is an outstanding collection. I forgot just how wonderful OPI's formula is.  I'll get into each shade individually.

Girls Like Ponies

Girls Like Ponies is a saturated hot pink creme. Formula and pigmentation are outstanding; I have two coats plus Sally Hansen Triple Shine topcoat on my nails in this photo. This is probably a dupeable shade in most stashes, but I still find it to be lovely and perfect for summer.  I was inspired when I noticed my tree had bloomed:

Although hot pinks are the standard nail color for summer, I find this to be a lovely addition to my stash. It's almost a one-coater.

Race Red

When I first learned of this collection, I knew Race Red would be coming home with me. When I finally saw it in store, it was the first shade that I grabbed from the display.  There's something about the shade and its name that sent my heart aflutter. Race Red is the perfect summer red- a flawless tomato red creme that's almost a one-coater. I have two coats plus topcoat on my nails here. It's hard to tell in this photo, but it really is quite orange-leaning. I'll be able to show a better comparison vs Coca-Cola Red (coming soon).

50 Years of Style

50 Years of Style is a shiny metallic gold hue with surprisingly excellent formula. I did need three coats to achieve the desired effect, but brushstrokes were not an issue. For a metallic, this was a lovely surprise. I can see myself playing around with this since I instinctively reach for cremes by default.


Sky's the Limit

Sky's the Limit is a glitter-packed blue with (naturally) the trickiest formula of the bunch. It requires three coats to achieve the color in the bottle, and is a bit of a bear to remove. I initially thought about not purchasing it, but knew I'd be looking for it at a later date to round out the collection.

Angel with a Leadfoot

Call it a reaction to the sweltering heat lately, but I've been digging white nails the past few weeks.  Angel with a Leadfoot is a lovely white creme, with probably the best formula I've ever seen from a white. There are three coats plus topcoat on my nails in this photo, but it doesn't tell the story. This is buildable and has the best formula I've seen. It self-levels and dries quickly. I could've almost gotten away with two coats, which is unheard of for a white. I highly recommend this shade.

Queen of the Road

Queen of the Road is the shade meant to recall the classic Mustang black. It's not a true black, but rather an ultra-dark grey shimmer. It really looks like the finish on a new car. Like every other shade in the collection, formula was great, needing only two coats to achieve the perfect finish.


Overall, I highly recommend this collection. I've reached for three of the shades more than once already, and can see these classic shades being a part of my rotation for years to come.

Although I loved writing this collection up, I promise that tomorrow's feature will be something other than nails!

NOTD: OPI Live and Let Die

Today's NOTD is another selection from the Holiday 2012 OPI James Bond Collection.

Live and Let Die is a truly unique polish.  It's a gold-packed forest green.

These swatches are with two coats, and using flash to pull out the glitter.

NOTD: OPI The World Is Not Enough

Today's NOTD is another selection from the Holiday 2012 OPI James Bond Collection.

OPI The World is Not Enough is a brown-based metallic glitter sheer polish.  These swatches are with 3 coats, no top coat.

NOTD: OPI On Her Majesty's Secret Service

Today's NOTD is another selection from the Holiday 2012 OPI James Bond Collection.

On Her Majesty's Secret Service is a murky grey glittery metallic shade.  It's quite sheer- this is 3 coats- and unique in my collection.

NOTD: OPI Skyfall

Today's NOTD is another selection from the Holiday 2012 OPI James Bond Collection.

Skyfall is a burgundy creme that's almost a one-coater.

Swatches are with 2 coats, no top coats.

NOTD: OPI The Spy Who Loved Me

Today's NOTD is another selection from the Holiday 2012 OPI James Bond Collection.

The Spy Who Loved Me is a cheery red metallic packed with gold glitter. Swatches are with two coats, no top coat.

NOTD: OPI Moonraker

Today's NOTD is a selection from the Holiday 2012 OPI James Bond Collection.

Moonraker is a beautiful blue metallic polish.  It's much darker than Sky Line.

Two coats, no top coat.

NOTD: OPI Casino Royale

Today's NOTD is from the OPI Holiday 2012 James Bond Collection.

Casino Royale is a saturated berry creme.  These swatches are with two coats, no top coat.

NOTD: OPI Die Another Day

Today's NOTD is another selection from the Holiday 2012 OPI James Bond Collection.

This is Die Another Day, a cheery red metallic polish.

Two coats, no top coat. 

NOTD: OPI Tomorrow Never Dies

Today's NOTD is the first of a series from the Holiday 2012 OPI James Bond Collection.

Tomorrow Never Dies is a metallic blurple that almost glows.

Two coats, no top coat: