PURCHASED

Gosh DANG, it’s gotten HOT here in Chicago (finally). Something snapped and it’s been 80s here all week (that’s hot for a Midwest state that has been lazing around in the 60s and 70s all summer), and today it’s apparently 94. My new exercise routine is just sweating constantly because I’m currently too cheap to turn on my AC. I keep telling myself to appreciate it after Polar Vortex 2k19 but I’m weak and not used to this. What’s the summer like where you’re at? Are you calling me weak right now? Pls let me know.

But you know what, hot temperatures require neon nails. Smooth transition, right?

That’s right! We’re talking about the new neon collection from OPI. This is a 6 piece collection for Summer 2019 and features 6 bright neon shades. They’re bright, I was excited to test em out. Let’s just get right into it.

As always, I purchased these off of polishpick.com.

I showed each of the shades built up on their own, as well as over a white base! Let’s get into them. All of these shades also dry with a more satin finish like any neon formula

Up first is ‘V-I-Pink Passes’, a bright pink cream. This was one of the more opaque shades but after 2 coats I still had a little bit of nail line. I ended up doing a 3rd, and as you can see here it pretty well covered up any last nail line. This was definitely one of the better ones of the collection!

And then 2 coats over white. A white base brightens and lightens up the color a touch, but overall I think it’s set even without a base.

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‘Orange You a Rockstar?’ is a bright coral-orange cream shade. A more sheer formula, this was still a little uneven on 2 coats. A 3rd pretty well evened out, and for most people it would be good after this. However, as you can see, I have super ridged nails, so that 3rd coat was still a little bit uneven on my nails. It’s a shade that will have to be worn over a base for me.

And then 2 coats over a white base. Along with brightening up the color, the white base really helped smooth and even it out. It’s almost two different looks depending on your preferences!

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‘PUMP Up the Volume’ is the bright yellow-green shade. And the problem child of the collection. Just whew boy, she was a lot of work on her own.

This was the most sheer formula of the collection, and that thinner formula was especially troublesome on my ridged nails. It seems most people could get this smooth and even on 3 coats – however, to get over those ridges and build up the formula, I ended up doing a 4th coat. With the more satin formula, at least the coats do dry fairly quickly, so it will take a little less time than a normal cream formula.

As you can see, I still had a little bit of unevenness. Definitely the most problematic formula of the bunch, and it’ll depend how much you want to work for it on its own.

Now, putting a white base down saved it. This was 2 coats over a white base, and it ended up appearing so much smoother and brighter.

It’s a stereotypical neon formula and it’ll be a little more work for the end product. So this is definitely one that you’ll have to know your own preferences on whether or not you’ll want to pick it up.

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‘Dance Party Teal Dawn’ is the teal cream shade. I wouldn’t exactly call this one a neon shade, but that applies to the formula more than the color really.

Another like ‘V-I-Pink Passes’, this was one of the more opaque shades. It was pretty well good in 2 coats, though you can see some nail line still in my brighter lights. Again, depending on your preferences, you could choose to put a base underneath to cover up any nail line, or leave it as is.

And then 2 coats over white. (Ignore my shoddy application on the pointer finger, I didn’t wait long enough for the white base to dry, and smudged it all up). Like the others, the white base smooths out any nail line, as well as brightening up the shade.

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‘Music is My Muse’ has a very similar formula to ‘Dance Party Teal Dawn’. It’s also not quite what I would call a “neon” but it is perfect for summer.

It was one of the more opaque shades of the bunch and was smooth and builds up nicely in 2-3 coats. There’s still a fair bit of nail line, so again it’ll depend on your preferences whether you like that look.

And 2 coats over white. Just like with the shade above, a white base covers up any last nail line and makes it brighter. This will be beautiful in the summer, so she might be worth the extra coats.

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And lastly we have ‘Positive Vibes Only’, the bright purple shade.

This felt a little thin, but built up well and was opaque in 2 thicker coats. One of the easiest of the bunch to work with, and one of the brightest as well.

And then 2 coats over white. This is one of the shades that didn’t quite need a white base, but it did really just make it pop. Super bright and perfect for the warm weather.

 

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And those are the swatches! Though I wouldn’t call some of these quite “neon”, they are fun bright colors. However, the formulas are definitely trickier, so it’ll depend on how much you want to work with them overall.

Not my favorite collection overall, just because of the multiple coats. Of course, I always love when mainstream brands come out with different finishes. And I’ll be here to try em all to let you know all about them.

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Upcoming Posts
Nails: Zoya Barefoot Collection • Essie Summer 2019 Collection • Sinful Colors Neon Shades

Makeup: Wet N Wild Crystal Cavern Collection • LA Girl Haute Heat Palette • Colourpop Sweet Talk Palette

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