If you’re a No Doubt fan, you have probably been waiting with baited breath for the OPI Gwen Stefani collection to finally hit. After what feels like months of anticipation and carefully orchestrated secrecy, the polish has hit shelves across the country. Is it worth it? You decide.
The collection is small – seven limited edition lacquers – with a mix of new formulas and some nail art. OPI Executive VP and Artistic Director Suzi Weiss-Fischmann was inspired by last years Metropolitan Museum Costume Institute Gala, where the theme was ‘Punk: Chaos to Couture’. While the collection doesn’t necessarily scream punk, it perfectly channels Gwen Stefani. There’s the signature Gwen red, Over & Over A-Gwen, which is available in a box set and includes Swarovski black crystals and silver, gold and pewter studs in bar, square, diamond and circle shapes, as well as nail glue. There are two glossy crème lacquers, Hey Baby, a bold pink, and I Sing in Color, a very 90s dark vampy almost-black red. There’s a glitter, naturally, In True Stefani Fashion, that’s a silver holographic combo of small round glitter, and larger square chunks. OPI’s new semi-matte satin finish formula, designed to be worn without top coat, has two colors in this collection – Love.Angel.Music.Baby., a gorgeous glittery light gold that dries to a dazzling finish with the matte effect, and 4 in the Morning, black with a subtle silver shimmer.
The most talked-about polish of the collection, the one that yielded much of the secrecy, is Push and Shove. Touted as a bold chrome hue, the silver polish is supposed to yield an intense mirrored finish. It requires a special base coat, Lay Down That Base, which comes with Push and Shove in a double set (the base coat is not a full size bottle). Immediate comparisons have been made by the nail community to Layla’s much-loved Mirror Effects polish
, so while the chrome finish is a first for OPI, it certainly isn’t unique in the industry. The packaging does warn that this is a One Night Only wear, and many bloggers have reported terrible tip wear within 24 hours, making this a special occasion polish.
Perhaps the most notable thing about this collection is the packaging. It is very rare for OPI to deviate from their standard black lid, only doing so for the Designer Series, but here each lid is adorned with a design that labels what kind of formula it is (glitter, satin, crème, etc), as well as Gwen’s autograph on her signature red. It might only be a plastic wrap, but this is a creative step for OPI. There is also a mini set available for this collection, featuring the two crèmes, and the two satin semi-matte colors.
What do you think? Was the hype worth it? Will you be buying any of the collection?
