For Holiday 2018 OPI released a collection inspired by the upcoming movie "The Nutcracker and the Four Realms". This is an interesting bunch of polishes, some shades scream HOLIDAY to me while others don't exactly... This collection is made up of 12 polishes, and also includes 3 limited edition special glitter polishes. Grab a snack and something to drink, this is a long and very picture heavy post. These polishes are available now at approved OPI retailers, and I purchased mine for PolishPick.com.
Swatches
Black to Reality
From the promo pics I thought this would be another basic dark red creme... but I was pleasantly surprised to see a blackened red shimmer polish. This is a lit from within shade and I really like it. I'm generally not a shimmer fan, but I think this is exciting because OPI hasn't released a polish like this since like 2012. The formula on this was strange, it felt thick on the brush but not thick on the nail... if that makes sense... I did 2 thin coats for opacity and actually ended up wearing this as a full mani for almost a week with minimal tip wear and chipping. This was a surprise fav for me.
Ginger's Revenge
In the bottle it looks like a pretty basic berry toned deep red creme. And it is a pretty basic color, but it is a color that I adore. The formula was also really nice. I did 3 very thin coats for my desired opacity and look. Do you need this, no.. but if you like reds and vampy polishes then I think you would really like this one. I'm happy to own it.
Candied Kingdom
OPI describes this as a hot and spicy candy shade. I thought this was just another basic red creme, I didn't even notice there is shimmer in this polish until I started swatching. When dry, the pinky toned shimmer is barely noticeable... To me, OPI threw in this shimmer just so people like me couldn't cry DUPE when we saw this latest OPI red. Formula is super opaque, this is easily a one-coater... which is usually awesome but I think this is why the shimmer just doesn't work here. I also left my swatch without top coat so you can see how not smooth it dries :(
Dazzling Dew Drop
Yikes... shimmery yellow polish. I did 2 thin coats for opacity, the formula is really nice. This polish is very "holiday" in my opinion, but it is just not for me. Be careful with removing this one, the shimmery particles wanted to stick to my skin. This may be close to Oy Another Polish Joke, but I don't own that (or anything else close) to compare.
Envy the Adventure
This is the polish I was most excited for from the promo pictures... and I do like it, but it doesn't wow me like I was hoping it would. This is a kelly green crelly polish, but it does reach opacity in just two coats. I do actually like the color, I just wish it was a true OPI creme polish and not a crelly. This polish also dries a shade or 2 darker, which makes me like it more.
March in Uniform
This is a nice navy that leans a bit purple/blurple. As much as I love the color the formula on this one is weird. It is similar to the weirdness of Black to Reality. I wish OPI would just stick to their amazing creme formula that we all know and love. I'm not sure what pigments OPI used here, but it doesn't have the super skunky ultramarine smell that other rich blue/blurples tend to have.
Dreams Need Clara-fication
OPI has decided this is the "hero shade" of the collection, probably because it is named after the main character from the movie... it definitely isn't because this color is special or exciting. Even though it is pretty basic, I really love this polish. I did 3 thin coats for perfect opacity and found the formula to be thin but easy to work with.
Lavendare to Find Courage
OPI compares this polish to a blooming flower... to me this is a pretty basic pinky lavender creme polish. The color is nice, formula is nice, overall this polish is just nice. It isn't a color I find flattering on my skin... but if you like colors like this then I'd say pick this polish up as it is nice. I did 3 thin coats for smooth opacity.
Berry Fairy Fun
Shimmery, almost metallic berry. Not a fan honestly. This polish is more opaque than I expected, but the formula and color are meh in my opinion. I have to give OPI credit for making this a pinky-purple polish and not a holiday shimmery red berry. Even though I don't love this, it is something unexpected which I can appreciate.
Toying with Trouble
Bright pink creme polish. Super basic and dupable, but the formula is amazing!!! Almost a true one coater. Even though I am not a huge fan of bright pinks, I can get on board with this one because of the formula.
Dancing Keeps Me on my Toes
This is a shimmery white with some teeny tiny micro silver and gold glitters that are sadly pretty hidden by the shimmery base. I did 3 thin coats for opacity. I left this swatch without topcoat so that you can see the glitters/texture. The formula is fine on this, but I just don't understand this polish :(
I don't have anything really close to this, but I think it may be close to Happy Birthday, Kyoto Pearl or maybe even Oh My Majesty.
I don't have anything really close to this, but I think it may be close to Happy Birthday, Kyoto Pearl or maybe even Oh My Majesty.
Tinker, Thinker, Winker?
Hello OPI, welcome back to the age of holographic polish! OPI has released holo polishes before, but it has been a while since OPI has launched a silver holographic... or really any true linear holographic polish at all. Obviously this isn't the most intense linear holo polish in the world, it is a much larger particle holo, but I freaking love it. I did 4 thin coats for my preferred opacity. I have already worn this polish as a full mani 3 times, and my mom has rocked this as an accent nail.
Dreams on a Silver Platter
This polish is an interesting mix of silver glitters and pale champagne glitters. The base also has super tiny gold-ish micro flakies. I did one coat over black on all nails except my ring finger, there I did 3 coats of Dreams on a Silver Platter alone. If you want to wear this alone, I would recommend sponging the polish on because it got a little thick on my ring finger as I tried to reach opacity.
Gold Key to the Kingdom
This polish has yellow gold glitters and white glitters with super tiny barely gold toned micro flakies. I did one coat over black on all nails except my ring finger, there I did 3 coats of Gold Key to the Kingdom alone.
I Pull Strings
This polish looks rose gold but it seems to actually be made up of pale champagne glitter, copper glitter, and red micro flakies. I did one coat over black on all nails except my ring finger, there I did 3 coats of I Pull Strings alone. This is my favorite of the 3 glitters, I think it is the most unique color and mix of glitters.
Comparisons
Black to Reality(pointer/ring) vs Every Month is Oktoberfest(middle)vs Germanicure by OPI (pinky)
I can't believe I haven't worn a polish like this in literally years, because I used to love them. All 3 are different and I do love the colors, but the formula on German-icure and Oktoberfest are so much better than Black to Reality. I really loved Black to Reality... until doing this comparison, now I feel underwhelmed by it. This made me realize I have been missing out by not wearing these OPI OG polishes has been a big mistake and I'm happy to have rediscovered them.
Ginger's Revenge (pointer/middle/pinky) vs Malaga Wine (ring)
These are basically dupes. Ginger is a hair darker and Malaga is a hair brighter, but unless you love deep vampy reds like this, you do not need to own both of these. I'm not sure if Malaga Wine is readily available anymore, so Ginger might be an easier shade to find. Both have easy formulas so I don't think you can go wrong with either polish.
Candied Kingdom (pointer/ring)vs Tell Me About it Stud (middle)vs Got the Mean Reds (pinky)
Stud and Mean Reds are true OPI creme formulas, while Candied Kingdom has a super thick almost goopy formula probably due to the subtle shimmer. They all look much closer in the bottle than on the nails. Candied Kingdom is also a bit darker than the other 2, so definitely not dupes. Taking color and formula in to consideration, I don't think that Candied Kingdom is necessary to keep for my collection :(
Envy the Adventure (middle/pinky) vs Jade is the New Black (ring) vs Stay Off the Lawn (pointer)
I expected Jade and Envy to be a lot closer than they actually are. None of these are dupes, and I do really like all 3 polishes, so I am happy to own all of them. If you are not a green polish lover like I am, maybe you don't need all of these, even though they are all different.
March in Uniform (pointer/ring)vs Umpires Come Out at Night (middle) vs OPI Eurso Euro (pinky)
These are all super close, but none are actually dupes. As neither of the older OPI shades are easy to find now the closeness doesn't both me. Of all 3, Umpires is my favorite for color and formula. I also think March would be close to Roadhouse Blues, but I no longer own that to compare.
Dreams Need Clara-fication(pointer/ring)vs The I's Have It(middle)vs You're Such a BudaPest(pinky)
Obviously these are not dupes, but The I's Have It and Dreams Need Clara-fication are really close, but Dreams is more purple toned. Also, since when is BudaPest a terrible polish? I gave my original bottle to a friend and recently picked up a new one at Ulta, and the formula is absolutely awful. It is so thin and runny and I swear the color is different now. Such a bummer :(
March in Uniform (pointer/ring)vs Umpires Come Out at Night (middle) vs OPI Eurso Euro (pinky)
Dreams Need Clara-fication(pointer/ring)vs The I's Have It(middle)vs You're Such a BudaPest(pinky)
Lavendare to Find Courage(pointer/middle/pinky) vs Seven Wonders of OPI (ring)
I think this would be closer to Purple Palazzo Pants, but I don't own that anymore. These are clearly not dupes, but as they were released so close to each other I wanted to compare them.
Toying with Trouble (middle/pinky) vs You're The Shade That I Want (pointer/ring)
These are crazy close and if you aren't a fan of bold, pink polish... you definitely don't need both of these. Trouble is slightly warmer toned compared to Shade so therefore it is my favorite of the two. Both have impeccable formulas though, so if you love pink I recommend picking up one or both of these for sure.
Tinker, Thinker, Winker? vs all the glitters in this collection
Obviously these aren't dupes, but I wanted to show them all next to each other. I honestly don't see why all 3 of the chunky glitters were necessary for this collection. Yes they are all different, but they give such a similar look on the nail. I'm pretty sure Tinker might be a dupe for DS Coronation, but as that is long discontinued I'm excited to see it resurrected here.
If there is a new polish that I haven't compared to anything it is because I don't own anything close to it. Check out Phoebe Moon on youtube because her video featured a lot of comparisons that I had in mind but don't personally own.
If there is a new polish that I haven't compared to anything it is because I don't own anything close to it. Check out Phoebe Moon on youtube because her video featured a lot of comparisons that I had in mind but don't personally own.
I purchased this collection from PolishPick.com, if you decide to purchase this collection or anything else they sell please select "Sparkle & Polish" at check out so they know I sent you :)
Stay Sparkly,
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Stay Sparkly,
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