It’s SUMMER. (Okay fine, it’s still warm somewhere, right? There’s still sun. Or maybe I’m actually doing this for the Southern hemisphere, what now? No, I’m not just behind on my posts).
So as I said, we’re starting on into Summer with OPI and taking ‘A Trip to the Brite Side’ (do you see what I did there, that’s the name of the collection). We’re starting with the first half of the seasonal release by looking at the lacquer formula first, and the Infinite Shine post will follow right after. This is a traditional 12 piece collection and OPI describes it by saying “Jet set your mindset with a vibrant, vacay-ready collection of summer brights.” I will say I have to agree with that, as it’s all bright summery colors that’ll all really POP when the sun hits them.
These shades are still available at the time of posting in the 2 main places I buy from: Beyond Polish (if purchsing from here you can use my code GingerlyPolished for 10% off items. It is affiliated so I would earn a small commission, so no pressure as always) and PolishPick.com.
Let’s get on into the swatches!
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4 of the shades of this set are pink, so we’re of course starting there. This first one is ‘Go With the Floatie’ and it truly drops us into summer being a bright neon pink cream. It’s more of a blue toned pink shade so it really glows against any skintone.
For the formula, since it is more of that neon finish, I did find the first coats a touch streaky and drying with a more satin finish. I was able to get it pretty smooth with a 3rd thicker coat, but overall this one was just fine. After all of the years of swatching I’ve done, I’ve had better neon formulas from mainstream brands. It’s not the worst but I just have high standards now okay!!!
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OPI collections will sometimes have a “theme” finish, which is a more unique finish that they pull all throughout the collection in different colors. And for the summer release it’s this more foiled finish. (The finish slightly reminds me of this collection, but luckily with more opaque formulas). The first appearance of this foiled finish comes in this shade ‘If U Like Pinka Coladas’ (that feels like a stretch of a name but we’ll allow it). This is a warmer tropical pink base filled with that scattered silver foiled sparkle.
You’ll see from the swatch video that these shades are more of a jelly base filled with a dense shimmer so it will take some layering. It’s pretty well good with just 2 thicker coats, but on certain nails I did add a 3rd to cover some last patches, especially at the bottom of the nails. It’s a gorgeous little finish and I do enjoy having different colors of it.
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Now your eyes aren’t deceiving you, I didn’t just post the same swatch in a row. No, this is a DIFFERENT polish. That’s right, in a set of 12 shades, there is for some reason two incredibly similar pink shades, as if no other colors exist for summer. Anyways this 2nd pink is called ‘Dopa-Mani’ and it’s slightly cooler than ‘Pinka Coladas’ above with that same silvery shimmer all throughout.
And it has the exact same formula as the shade above, being pretty well opaque with just 2 coats, but needing a 3rd on a couple of my nails. I did notice this formula dried more quickly so the 3 coats weren’t too much to deal with.
Okay fine, you can in fact see a little difference in the two shades when they’re next to each other, and one undertone might be more flattering on different skin tones than the other. But as I said we only have 12 shades to capture summer so it just felt a little redundant to have in the same release.
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Okay okay okay we have one more pink, but don’t worry, this one’s actually different and makes a little more sense to be in the same collection. This is ‘Bright Where I Belong’ and it’s an, of course, bright fuchsia shade. It’s a jelly formula and is almost neon on the nails.
Being that more neon jelly formula, it’s definitely more sheer on those first coats and dries with that neon satin finish. But I was pleasantly surprised at how well it builds up with that 2nd coat. Most would be good with just 2 coats but I chose to add another to further build up the color. There’s a tiny bit of nail line still peeking through after 3 coats which is normal for jellies, and it’s an even finish overall.
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We continue with the jellies with ‘Your Zestination Awaits’ and okay that name is fun, I’ll give them this one. This one is zesty, being a rich saturated yellow-orange jelly. It does feel like summer on the nails, like sipping on a bright orange juice drink next to the pool.
It’s another jelly formula so it’ll be sheer and I found this one to apply a little more unevenly than the shade above. I do recommend a thicker application for this one as I found thinner coats to dry more patchy. Since I went thinner on the first coat I had to add a 3rd thicker coat to make it opaque and smooth.
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We bounce on back to that foiled finish and it’s time for SUNSHINE. This is ‘Paintin’ on Sunshine’ and it’s absolutely shining on the nails. It’s an almost golden yellow base filled with that same silver shimmer, which can put it to more cool at moments as well.
It had the same formula as the other 2 foil shades, but I did find that yellow base made any streaks and patches more noticeable, so I definitely recommend 3 coats to fully even it all out.
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We technically have that same foil finish in this next shade called ‘Lime of My Life’. This is a deeper, more cool toned green base. I’m saying “technically” for this one because it does have the same silver shimmer but it feels smaller and more scattered than in the other shades with a more pigmented base.
Though I’m giving it a technicality on final finish, it does have a similar formula to the others. I did notice with that deeper base color it showed more streaks in application. That can be remedied a touch with a thicker coat, especially on the final one. After 2-3 coats it was fully opaque and even, so trust the process as you apply.
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The foils continue on into blue with ‘Sky Blue’s the Limit’ and this one feels the MOST foiled and almost metallic of the bunch. This is a bright blue base and it feels like the shimmer is the densest in this shade. I’m just loving the way those two elements are contrasting and glowing on the nails.
Even with that more metallic finish I found it had a similar formula to all of the others. It has a more jelly, uneven 1st coat but a 2nd coat really builds it up and can be pretty well opaque. If you’re going thinner with application you might want a 3rd coat.
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Oh now this shade. THIS SHADE. We’re fighting, and you’ll see why farther down. This is ‘Sea-ze the Day’ and alright yes, it’s a lovely bright cobalt blue, everyone needs a rich saturated blue for the summer right, sure of course.
It also applies well, okay, all is going fine so far. It’s a little streaky and almost jelly like in the first coat, but that 2nd coat really brings in the pigment and makes it pop on the nails. And you might think I see no problems, what are you criticizing? It’s all about the removal.
That’s when disaster hits. Absolutely rocked me in the middle of my swatching session with the amount of staining this has. Sure, I could’ve been more careful with removal, I was doing some full twisting motions, but that’s what the average consumer is doing and becuase of that I was able to give you a WARNING. This almost halted the swatching session for the day when I still had 4 more shades I wanted to finish. I haven’t met a blue this potent in QUITE a while, so it’s going to be a pass as I have other shades that won’t commit crimes like this.
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Okay, okay, we have another blue but I promise this one doesn’t hurt us like the other. This is ‘Catch a Wave of Happiness’ and while ‘Sea-ze the Day’ is more of a rich cream, this one is a rich jelly formula. It’s also deeper in color, looking like the middle of the ocean on the nails.
The first coat is a touch uneven because of that jelly formula, but you can really see that color build up and come alive with the 2nd coat. I would recommend a 3rd coat to further layer up the color and really add the full depth to the look. And it DOES NOT stain upon removal.
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We’re finishing out this collection with a duo of purples. This first one is ‘Glowin’ on Vacay’ and it’s an interesting color to describe. It feels very cool with more blue tones, but on the outside edges you can almost see warm pink pigment peeking out. It’s a stunning little color.
Unfortunately the formula on this one is just okay. It’s more sheer on the 1st coat, having an almost satin neon finish. The 2nd coat still has patches to it, so a 3rd thicker coat did come through and save it. But it’s definitely a little bit of work and not all of my nails looked great. I do have other shades like it that I prefer more.
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WHEW. Last but certainly not least we get to ‘Ultra Violet Daze’. This one is another jelly finish and it’s a rich, warm toned purple shade.
And I hate to finish a collection on a meh formula, but you can see in the final swatch that this one is more uneven and streaky even after 3 coats. It feels less even than the other jellies in this collection – maybe a top coat and shine will help, but I always like to show a shade on its own and give my thoughts. We shouldn’t need a top coat to save anything.
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And we’ve made it through another collection! This one has some fun shades and I really enjoyed the more foiled shades – though as I mentioned maybe we overdo it on the pink a touch (if I’m getting specific). Most of the formulas weren’t too bad, maybe average in my large collection and swatching experience, but not the worst. Except ‘Sea-ze the Day’, that one is my enemy.
What do you think about this set of shades? Are you going to pick any up?
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Upcoming Posts
Holo Taco 7th Anniversary Jackpot collection • Wet N Wild Trick or Treat collection • Mooncat Planet Nyarr collection • OPI Infinite Shine Trip to the Brite Side Summer 2026 • Holo Taco Spice Rack collection
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