Press samples provided for my unbiased consideration

Late last October, I was invited to attend a very special event, where I was fortunate enough to attend an early preview of OPI’s Hawaii Collection as well as sit down and chat with Suzi Weiss-Fischmann (you can read about it here), OPI’s founder as well as VP & Artistic Director. With Winter staring us in the face, the sight of all the colourful bottles and Hawaiian Island imagery was enough to instantly put me in a great mood – now THIS is my kind of collection … all about that Summer vibe.

All swatches shown are with 2 coats of polish as well as base coat.

OPI | Hawaii Collection 2015

Do You Take Lei Away? is a smooth nude crème hue with light slight mauve undertones in the base, excellent pigmentation (applies both non-chalky AND non-streaky), self-levelling and comes to a high gloss finish. Something about this shade makes it universally flattering and wearable for all skin tones – now one of my top 3 shades in this colour family. So much Love.

Suzi Shops & Island Hops is a candy-coated Barbie pink crème hue with blueish undertones in the base that make it lean slightly cool, in a formula that applies remarkably well for a shade in this colour group: self-levelling, non-streaky/patchy and super glossy. I’m not usually a fan of pale pink, but I confess to liking this on me – so unexpected!

That’s Hula-rious! is a mint green crème hue with seafoam hints in the base that provides depth and a sleekly modern touch. Beautifully pigmented and ridiculously easy to apply (non-streaky, non-patchy, self levelling and über-glossy at the finish), this shade has a dual-personality: simultaneously vivid AND dusty … and absolutely gorgeous.

Is Mai Tai Crooked? is a soft apricot crème hue that is a repeat of everything written above: amazing application, flow & opacity, self-levelling, pigmented and glossy finish. This is a great shade to transition into Summer corals and brights, and will be simply spectacular as a pedi shade against a light tan.

Hello Hawaii Ya? is a dusky purple/mauve hue with all the awesome properties of the shades before, but in a hybrid crème/jelly formula that adds an almost squishy overall look and gives new meaning to glassy shine.

Lost My Bikini In Molokini is the violet/purple version of Hello Hawaii Ya?, and one that is almost impossible to properly capture in pictures (my camera kept wanting to turn it blue). With a good balance of both cool & warm tones and just bright enough to be vivid without going overboard, this shade stands out for its universal wearability.

Aloha From OPI is an electric coral crème hue that manages to steer clear of neon territory (like magic) in a formula that flows a touch thicker than the rest and thus making it basically a 1-coat-wonder. Highly colour saturated, self-levelling in application and ridiculously glossy at the finish, there is a stain potential here so I suggest doubling up on base coat first.

Just Lanai-ing Around is a dusty mauve/rose hue with ultra-fine pearlized shimmer, in a formula that displays excellent pigmentation, flow, self-levelling ability and glossy shine at the finish. A true throwback shade with a 70’s retro vibe, it’s the type of colour grows on you and makes you appreciate how unique it is in the world of lacquers. Pretty cool, actually.

Go With The Laval Flow is a warm leaning rose/pink hue with ultra fine glass-flecked pink/fuchsia shimmer (what a long description, right?!) of the type that seems to float just at the surface level of the nails and gives off that banked embers look. To reiterate: excellent formula/application and glossy shine at the finish. Bonus: non staining upon removal.

My Gecko Does Tricks is a semi-sheer acid green hue with ultra fine line green shimmer and displaying a slight iridescent flash at certain angles. For a truer depth of tone, it’s best when layered over a similar shade – really brings out its extroverted nature. While a decent opacity is reached at 2 coats, on longer nails you might still see some translucency at the tips (a third coat takes care of that, although I prefer the slight transparency).

This Color’s Making Waves is a stunning teal metallic hue with irregularly shaped bronze flat glitter specks, in a semi-sheer formula that has nonetheless great flow & coverage. You do need a steady hand in application, in order to minimize any visible brush strokes (although they do seem to smooth out somewhat once applied), but it’s so worth the extra little effort for the rich jewel tone you’re left with. Bonus: non-staining upon removal.

Pineapples Have Peelings Too is a golden yellow shimmer hue in a semi-sheer formula that’s filled with an assortment of multi-coloured metallic hexagonal glitter pieces, ranging from ultra-fine to medium large in size. Overall, there’s just way too much going on here and I’m not quite sure that I’m on board with it all – but there’s no denying that this combination is unique (and strange) and will certainly appeal to some people. I will say that the name cracked me up.

OPI has effectively captured AND bottled the colours of these tropical islands with their Hawaii Collection, and as far as quality goes, these are some of the easiest applying shades to be released yet. The crèmes are all phenomenal (in particular the paler hues – not always  an easy thing to accomplish) and even the shimmers all bear a unique twist on their particular colour. And while a hot mess like Pineapples Have Peelings Too (still laughing at the name – I can be ridiculous like that) might leave you confused, it certainly is a conversation starter … even if it does look like there’s mashed up confetti in it. Surf’s up!

The OPI Hawaii Collection is available now at fine salons and retailers nationwide. Find more information via www.opi.com