Come one, Come all!  Now appearing under the big top: OPI’s ‘Femme de Cirque’ Softshades for Spring 2011 (availability April 2011). This fresh & airy collection consists of three polishes in varied pink tones as well as a sheer glitter topcoat, which can be worn either alone for lightly shimmery nails or layered over any other polish to add an extra gleam. Make no mistake however; these are subtle & delicate colours, designed more to add an elegant finish to your nails and a touch of genteel sophistication, rather than shock value. The glitter topcoat stays within the same understated theme, and adds a unique glow rather than any outrageous bling to your nails.  All swatches are with Sèche Natural base coat and three coats of lacquer, no top coat. The last swatch photo of each shade is shown with a layer of the glitter top coat.  I’ve also included two bottle photos of each shade to try and depict them as accurately as I can, with the top photo taken with flash, the bottom in sunlight.

 

 

 

 

‘I Juggle…Men’ is sheer, in a slightly cloudy base, loaded with exceptionally fine glitter pieces in blue and pink… the smallest glitter in fact that I’ve seen yet in any polish. Very easy to work with, I really love how it imparts the tiniest glow to your nails even when worn alone, and layered over the other shades, seems to give them even more depth. This polish had great drying time, was very smooth to the touch and has the added benefit of being highly glossy along with the delicate glitter.

 

 

 

 

 

‘Step Right Up!’ is a pale sandy pink shade, reminiscent of the subtle hue found inside some sea shells. This is a creamy shade and the subtlest tan/peachy hints makes it flattering to all skin tones.  Usually, pale hues like this can be notoriously difficult – streaky and uneven, but apart from some minor streaking on the first coat, the second gave excellent coverage, albeit slightly more sheer than the third coat, and was wonderfully self levelling. Note how one coat of ‘I Juggle…Men’ layered on top, adds such pretty glints when seen in the light.

 

 

 

 

 

‘In The Spot-Light Pink’ seems to be the one shade in this collection that has that new OPI ‘sorbet’ or jelly-like finish. This is what I think of when I hear the colour ‘baby pink’ and I was so impressed with how evenly it applied, as well as how insanely glossy the finish was. The layer of ‘I Juggle…Men’ on top only seemed to add to the feminine appeal of this shade, but I actually prefer it straight up.  Love the squishy look of this polish!

 

 

 

 

 

 

The whitest or palest pink hue of this collection, ‘So Many Clowns, So Little Time’ is a delicate nude pink and has the same creamy finish of ‘Step Right Up!’.  Seen in shaded light (bottom photo), it gives off a cool-toned vibe, but it’s interesting to note that the delicate pink base means it will never appear chalky and thus wearable for practically everyone and every skin tone.  I really love the incredibly ‘clean’ look this hue gives to your nails.

 

FInal thoughts: Of course, this is a delicately themed collection due to the subtlety of the hues, but in light of some sensory colour overload we may have experienced with many collections of late, I welcome the neutrality of these shades. What really takes this collection from ho-hum to hooray, is the excellent formula.  All the shades glided on smoothly, levelled out nicely and there were absolutely no brush strokes left behind.  The high gloss look of ‘In The Spot-Light Pink’ in particular made it a real keeper. Perfect for the workplace, but still modern enough to wear anytime, these polishes are a must in your neutral nail wardrobe. A bonus: ‘I Juggle…Men’ is a really cool top coat, and worth investing in.  Available in April, these polishes retail for approximately CAD $10.95 and will be found wherever OPI products are sold.

 

 

 

 

 

*Disclaimer: Product samples were provided by the company/PR for my unbiased consideration