OPI – ‘Spookettes’ (swatches & review)

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For Halloween 2011, OPI has released two limited edition collections; the ‘Pair ’em, Scare ’em Duo’ (previously reviewed here), along with these ghoulish babies, the ‘Spookettes’ – a selection of three appropriately themed mini shades, which also includes ‘Zom-Body To Love’, the unique glow-in-the-dark polish. Even though this set is geared towards the upcoming holiday, all three colours can be easily worn as stand alone shades. The following swatches are with Deborah Lippmann’s 2-Second Nail Primer and Seche Clear Base Coat.

A view of the back of the packaging, which gives detailed instruction on creating some fun Halloween-inspired looks with the enclosed decals.

The decals which come with this collection, can be found on the inside flap of the packaging. Four of the decals are glow-in-the-dark; 2 of them being spiderwebs, with the other 2 spelling out “trick or treat” (which I must confess, I couldn’t see properly until I took this photo!).

A separate piece of paper included with the decals, gives a detailed explanation of how to properly apply them. The back of the box shows some interesting looks that can be achieved using these decals, but not trusting my skills at recreating any of the featured looks, I regretfully abstained!

‘Mummy Knows Best’ is not your average “liquid-paper shade of white”, but is the bearer of a rather incandescent hue. A slightly thick formula, it is also surprisingly streak-free, non-chalky, smoothly levelling, quite glossy, and fairly opaque by the second coat – although I applied three coats here for swatching purposes. The following swatches are finished with Revlon’s Quick Dry Top Coat.

Sunlight gives this shade an unearthly luminosity, seeming to come from deep within the base.

While indirect lighting tones this shade down, it still bears a ghostly pallor, yet the gloss keeps things interesting.

Shaded light imbues ‘Mummy Knows Best’ with a creamy semblance, looking all pillowy and cloud-like.

A final view taken with flash enhances this shade’s glowing core, straddling the border with neon, yet never crossing over.

‘He’s My Boo’ is luscious creme-sickle orange colour, with a paradoxically muted tone set amid a more vivid base. A wonderfully easy flowing formula, thinner in viscosity than ‘Mummy Knows Best’, it was basically self-levelling and dried to a high gloss shine. Once more, two coats gives perfect opacity, but I opted for three for swatching purposes only. The following swatches are finished with Revlon’s Quick Dry Top Coat.

Sunlight adds a stunning vibrancy to this shade – not quite as searing as traffic-cone orange, it manages to look extremely wearable.

Indirect light lends a much cooler semblance to this hue, with a certain citrusy sweetness to its true orange tone.

Shaded light not only adds a certain warmth to ‘He’s My Boo’, but truly does bring a more pumpkin tint to mind.

A final view taken with flash softens the internal intensity of this hue, yet serves to emphasize its glossy creamy nature.

‘I Only Date Werewolves’ is a glossy, pigmented, midnight black shade. Awesome, incredible formula, it literally flowed like liquid night across the nail, levelled itself off to a perfectly smooth surface, dried fairly quickly and finished in an exceptional mirror-like shine. With a formula similar to ‘He’s My Boo’, its intense saturation of colour meant that two coats were all I needed for complete opacity. The following swatches are finished with Deborah Lippmann’s On A Clear Day Top Coat. Note that the top coat used here is different that the previous shades, primarily due to some bubbling issues I experienced with the Revlon.

In sunlight, this shade cannot be mistaken for anything other than the deepest, truest ebony.

Seen in indirect light, there almost seems to be a slight silvery aura about this lacquer.

Shaded light while adding to the depth of ‘I Only Date Werewolves’, also reflects mysteriously off its glassy surface.

A final view taken with flash seems to both reflect and absorb light, adding a lush depth to this inky hue.

‘Zom-Body To Love’ is OPI’s secret weapon for Halloween: a funky glow-in-the-dark effects lacquer, with a subtler alter ego. Please check out my earlier review (here) on this product, to fully appreciate what it’s all about.

Final thoughts: I have to say that I wasn’t expecting to find any of these shades as wearable as they’ve turned out to be, thinking they were more of a gimmick made specifically for the Halloween season, but I’m pleased to say that I was wrong. The black shade was rather sublime and my surprise favourite from this set, and while these OPI incarnations all come in rather small sizes with tiny brushes, they still offer enough product to wear each several times, with the narrower brush being a welcome change to OPI’s regular Pro-Wide brush. Of course, as these bottles each hold only 1/8 fl.oz/375 ml versus a regular sized bottle that holds o.5 fl.oz/15 ml product, the quantity is significantly less, but it’s a great way to indulge in several colours without a major financial commitment. OPI ‘Spookettes’….fashionably scary lacquers for the season!