May 27, 2014

OPI Full Size Neons Swatches!!

*Sent for review*

I wear neon polish almost exclusively in the summer. It is really rare to find me without a neon either on my nails, toes, or both in July and August. There's something so happy and carefree about neon polish. I was THRILLED to hear that OPI was releasing 6 new full size neon polishes (the first full size OPI neons ever) AND adding them to the permanent OPI line-up. I have swatches of the six polishes for you today. OPI suggests you wear a white base polish with these to make them pop and so they also released OPI Put a Coat On!, a white base to be worn under brights. I failed to take pictures of Put a Coat On! alone, but it is a very good white. Streak-free and opaque in two coats. I actually have a friend who got it to be perfect in one coat, so that's pretty amazing. The first OPI neon I swatched is OPI Juice Bar Hopping, a bright juicy orange. I sometimes find that neon oranges veer into the chalky traffic cone color, but this is more of a clean orange, maybe with a hint of red.


This is two coats of Juice Bar Hopping over two coats of Put a Coat On!. I found this one to be a little prone to pooling in the cuticle area, so just don't load up your brush too much. Otherwise, it was fairly easy to work with and went on smoothly over the white.



OPI Life Gave Me Lemons is one of my favorites in this collection. I would have called it "Life Gave Me Lemons and I added a hint of lime" because it definitely has a neon lime tinge to it. This is a really unique shade, that kind of yellowy-green color I love, made super bright. It's brighter in person than my pictures show and more in your face. I think the brightness confused my camera, because it looks washed out. I think this is the most unique shade in the collection and if you love yellows, greens and weird-ish colors, you NEED this. I am not remotely tan, but I bet this would be amazing with a tan. You'll have to let me know, as I don't think Casper the See-Through Ghost can get a tan.


Life Gave Me Lemons had a great formula, I had no trouble with it at all. This is two coats over two coats of Put a Coat On!. As you can see, it is streak-free and smooth. I tried this one on a nail alone, without the white base, and you could get it to be opaque in 2-3 coats. It is not a neon without the white base, but it is a pretty cool color.



Next up is OPI Hotter Than You Pink, a shimmery hot blue-tinged pink. In person, it almost looks like the shimmer is slightly blue and it looks really pretty. At first I thought this might not be the most unique shade, but I actually can't find anything similar in my collection. I can't wait to wear this on my toes!


This is two coats over two coats of the white base. This had an excellent formula, really smooth. The added shimmer always makes polish so buttery! You can see in the picture below how this color just glows, even in the shade.



I have a tie for my second favorite of this collection, between OPI You Are So Outta Lime! and the next polish. You Are So Outta Lime! is a bright lime, yet maybe a little mintier than lime, green. This is another shade that glows, although I'm not sure this one is a true neon. It's super bright though and I absolutely LOVE the color. It's not at all close to anything else I have (I looked at it next to several things). China Glaze Highlight of My Summer is mintier and chalkier, China Glaze Grass Is Lime Greener has more white in the base and is much much more yellow, OPI Green-wich Village is more green and way less vibrant. As a green lover, this unique bright green is definitely a must have for me.


This is (again) two coats over two coats of the white base. Good formula, not as buttery as Hotter Than You Pink, but I didn't really have any complaints.



OPI Down to the Core-al is tied for second place for my favorites of this collection. Down to the Core-al is a shimmery neon orange-y coral. It was hard to photograph accurately. It leans a little more pink than these pictures might suggest. It's kind of like an orange-y pink base with pinky shimmer. I think it looks to red in my pictures. It GLOWS like something radioactive, and that's always the kind of polish that makes cameras freak out. Down to the Core-al is really gorgeous and absolutely perfect for summer toes.


I think I used three thin coats of this one over two coats of the white base. It may have been my own personal malfunction though, but the first coat seemed very streaky and uneven. It was opaque enough after two coats, but still seemed a little uneven so I added a third. 



Finally we have OPI Push & Pur-pull, a bright purple. This leans a little pink, rather than leaning blue, making it look warmer. This shade is really gorgeous and flattering on me, I'll definitely be wearing it a lot! It is super bright, but this is another one that I am not sure it's a true neon.


This is three thin coats over two coats of the white base. Again. I thought it was still a little uneven looking after two coats, so I added a third. Otherwise, no problems with the formula.

*Sent for review*

My top picks from this collection are definitely Life Gave Me Lemons, You Are So Outta Lime! and Down to the Core-al. I do really enjoy all 6 shades though. I am probably biased towards loving these because I do love neons so much. The white base is very good. Sometimes I really dislike neons that need a white base, because if the base is at all streaky or uneven, the whole thing looks like a hot mess. With this white base, I didn't have those problems, so I didn't mind using it as much. There are a couple shades here that are maybe not true neons, but they are super bright and fun anyway.

I can't wait to start wearing these as soon as my current mani/pedi gets removed! I think I want to wear Down to the Core-al on my toes and Life Gave Me Lemons, maybe with You Are So Outta Lime! as an accent, on my nails. Memorial Day is over and summer has (un)officially begun!

Neons by OPI are available in both nail lacquer and GelColor (for professionals only) formulas now. Nail lacquer shades retail for $9.00 ($10.95 CAN)  at Professional Salons, including Beauty Brands, beautybrands.com, Beauty First, Chatters, Dillard’s, jcp Salons, Pure Beauty, Regis, Trade Secret, ULTA and ulta.com.  GelColor is an in-salon, professional service only. Prices depend on the salon and range from $28 - $38 for a manicure and $35 - $45 for a pedicure.

For more information, please call 800-341-9999 or visit www.opi.com. Follow OPI on Twitter and Instagram @OPI_PRODUCTS and become a Facebook fan!

2 comments:

Ananka said...

These do look good and bright!

My favourite is Hotter Than You Pink, it just jumped out at me :-)

Never Enough Nails said...

Hotter Than You Pink is really pretty Ananka! I'm glad they added the cool blue-ish shimmer, it makes me more unique!