As a huge Gwen Stefani/No Doubt fan, I have been patiently waiting for this collection to come out so I wasted absolutely NO TIME in getting it swatched. There is a degree of excitement surrounding this collection precisely because it’s tied to Gwen whom I have always loved. Being born and raised in Orange County, I can remember watching No Doubt explode and feeling proud of my fellow OC’ers. When I first got the press release for the Gwen Stefani by OPI Collection, I was so freaking excited that I am sure I annoyed a few people. Why is it that some people can’t understand how awesome this collaboration is??? My poor nail guy pretty much felt harassed by my multiple weekly calls to ask him if he had received this collection yet. Imagine my elation when he finally told me they had come in! I raced there after work and grabbed everything so I could come home and play with them. Are you ready for GS awesomeness?
It’s no secret that I am a rabid lover of hot pink polishes, so you’re not really going to hear me complain about OPI Hey Baby…well, not much anyway. This pink is the kind of color that I like to sport because it’s super bright and looks great on my skin tone. Any time I wear a pink like this, people always comment on my nails. I do love the color, but the formula was a little bit of a pain because it was so darn streaky. After two coats, I could still see a lot of uneven coverage so I applied a third thick coat to smooth it all out.
OPI I Sing In Color is one of those colors that can look almost black. It’s a dark brownish red with an outrageously glossy finish. The finished look of it makes my creme loving heart beat faster. The formula on this was a little thin, in my opinion, so you have to let each coat dry a few minutes before going back over it. I created a lot of bald spots with my second coat so I applied a third coat to even out the coverage.
Are we all silver/holo glittered out? I have so many versions of OPI In True Stefani Fashion that I wasn’t super excited about this. It’s just a lot of small silver holo glitter with some squares thrown in. My lighting doesn’t really show how pretty this looks in sunlight because it really does shine.
I think I’ve said plenty of times how much I DON’T like gold polishes, but OPI Love.Angel.Music.Baby is actually my favorite polish from this collection. It’s not an obnoxious ghetto gold, but rather a delicate and classy version that I am totally in love with. This polish has a satin finish so you should not apply top coat to keep the satin effect. Let me tell you about the formula on this baby: it’s creamy like butter and applies beautifully. It looks a little sheer at the first coat but it’s fully opaque at two coats. This is like the gold equivalent of This Gown Needs A Crown from the Miss Universe Collection.
My second favorite from this collection is OPI 4 In The Morning. I really do like black polishes and this one seems a little unusual with its satin finish so don’t apply top coat to keep the soft effect. I also loved the formula on this baby as it was super opaque and easy to apply.
Let’s be honest here: how many of us are dying for a polish that accentuates and magnifies every single ridge and imperfection on our nails? Me, me, me…NOT! Well, OPI Push And Shove does just that if you don’t buff your nails and/or use a good ridge filling base coat. In fact, this polish comes with a mini “Lay Down That Base” base coat that is recommended before applying Push And Shove. I don’t think that I have any polish quite as reflective and metallic as this one, and I was beyond surprised that it wasn’t as brush stroke-y as I feared. The funky thing about this polish is that the packaging states that it is a one night only polish which I guess means that it will start to chip/flake almost immediately. Personally I don’t have a problem with this since I change my polish so often, but I thought it might be important to note.
So, let’s get down to it. Did I love this collection? Meh. If it wasn’t a Gwen Stefani collaboration, would I still purchase these polishes? Not all of them. And that, my friends, is the genius of marketing. This whole collection does not scream Gwen Stefani to me, and I’m a little disappointed. For those of you who are wondering about why there isn’t a red here considering it’s Gwen’s signature lip color, there is a red in the collection called Over & Over A-Gwen but it comes in a special boxed set that wasn’t available when I picked these up. If you’re as polish obsessed as me, I’m sure that you’ll run out to get these as soon as they are available–especially if you’re a Gwen Stefani fan. Overall, I love Love.Angel.Music.Baby and 4 In The Morning. Shockingly, I also like Push And Shove even though it’s a chrome. I just like how reflective it is and I can definitely see myself wearing it for a special occasion. The Gwen Stefani by OPI Collection will be out next month sometime and you will be able to purchase it at the usual OPI retailers such as Beauty Brands, Beauty First, Chatters, Dillard’s, JCPenney, Pure Beauty, Regis, Trade Secret, and ULTA.
And here is my question: What do you think of this collection? If you’re not a huge fan of the colors, will you purchase it just because it’s Gwen Freaking Stefani? I’m really curious to hear your thoughts on this so let me know. Thanks so much for stopping by today, and I will talk to you soon!
*Edit: I’m selling these: 37.25 for the 6 polishes including priority shipping in a box.* email me if you’re interested.
OMG! These look awesome! I can’t wait to receive these. Soooo excited. Love the chrome one!
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Even though I wasn’t wowed, I am still kind of giddy cause it’s Gwen Stefani! lol Can’t wait to read what you think of these.
Paint me up like a sucker, because that’s what I am. Yes, I’ll be buying all of these and the boxed set. LOL! I can’t even pick a favorite, but my least favorite is probably the glitter.
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LOL…Well, I am a sucker too because I got them all. I don’t regret it because well…Gwen Stefani, yo! Now I want the red in the boxed set–maybe I’ll pick it up next week.
Love : Love Angel Music Baby, 4 in the morning, I sing in color and of course push and shove. However I am a little iffy about the fact that it comes with its own special base coat and its a one night wear. Besides that I liked this collection more than I expected. So yea… I”ll be getting a bunch of these.
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Of course you will. Ha! I was swatching another collection yesterday and it has a gunmetal shade that made me think of you immediately.
That’s cool that you kind of got to see No Doubt make it big. I hadn’t thought of that. 🙂 Have you seen them or her in concert?
The pink makes me think of you, hands down, haha.
I Sing in Color is my favorite…yummy yum yum! I just like dark polishes on you, though.
Glitter…SNORE. Sorry, Gwen. I can see a glitter being a good idea, but this one is kind of done. Black and white squares could have been cool…but maybe that’s been done, too.
I think that gold is going to be popular and the black looks like good quality…it almost looks fake, it’s so perfectly matte.
Push and Shove was the one I was most curious about. I think you did an excellent job with it, but I know I’d probably get so frustrated with trying to make it look good I’d throw it out the window. And it’s actually advertised as “one night only?” GTFO of here with that nonsense. Seems too high-maintenance overall.
I was wondering why there wasn’t a red, so, thanks for addressing that!
I am with you…I’m not super excited by these (no polish boner, lol) and I think they could have done better with this collaborator. I can likely pass on this collection.
I feel that you are going to end up with at least 1 of these. I can just FEEL IT. I agree that they could have done better but you know me: I’m still excited cause it’s OPI and Gwent Stefani. You know, Push and Shove isn’t as difficult to deal with as you may think because the application is good for a chrome and it’s not as brush stroke-y as I thought it was going to be. Maybe the special top coat isn’t necessary as long as you use a ridge filling base coat. I think it looks pretty interesting but that one day wear is going to kill it for some people.
I wish I had seen Gwen/No Doubt in person back then, but I didn’t get a chance to. I was like a freshman/sophomore in HS when I first started hearing about them and then they hit it big.
LAMB and the satin finish polish are my favorites from this collection – with the hot pink coming in third! I probably won’t buy them though b/c OPI is super expensive here in Vancouver!
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I am always shocked to hear how expensive some of these brands are outside of the US. I agree that the satin polishes are the best!
That gold shade looks absolutely amazing! Waaaaant it!
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Totally agree! That one is my favorite!
I really like soft/muted golds so L.A.M.B. will come home with me. But the rest is nothing I haven’t seen before and a total snooze-fest. Plus I’m not a Gwen lover or No Doubt fan so I’m not pulled in by the marketing. OPI’s first swing and a miss for me in a long time, but they can’t all be winners, right.
I really do think the gold is going to be the most popular one from this collection. I can totally understand you being underwhelmed…especially since you’re not a fan of GS. I would probably feel the same if I didn’t love her and No Doubt so much.
Great collection! Loving some of the colors 😉
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Glad you liked them! 🙂
That gold has been calling out to me since I saw the promo pics on my magazines at the beginning of the months. It really does look gorgeous. I need to see it in person though since I don’t know how it will look with my medium-tan skin tone. Thanks for the beautiful swatches 🙂
I think it will look great! I am medium tan too and I think it’s neutral enough to work with most skin tones. It really is a gorgeous polish, and I think you will like it once you get to see it in person.
You’re so gonna laugh at me over this, but I’m/was a huge no doubt fan! I actually did a report on them in 9th grade! LoL corny right? I think that pink is so Gwen in the 90’s…. Her no doubt years. …. That black almost has a blue tint to it, no? I don’t like gold…. or brown. … And that Chrome is great, but one night? I can safely say this is not a collection I’m drooling over. Kinda wish she did something different, something Oh so Gwen! I fell like I’ve seen these colors before…..
LOL…the reason why I found this so funny is because you reminded me of the report I did in 4th grade…on CHER. Yes, Cher. I have no idea why I picked Cher when I was 9 years old–I guess I was just a weirdo. I even had to dress up like Cher to give my report. I basically wore a mini skirt and some weird ruffly top and high heels. It was horrible and I hope to God my mom lost that picture. And I am still a huge ND/GS fan so I’m right there with you.
I am a No Doubt fan and I agree these colors really don’t make me think of Gwen Stefani. The pink is nice but doesn’t look that original. Plus, streaks? I’ll pass.
I Sing in Color is interesting as it isn’t a straight black, but if it looks black enough then it is black. I’m not a fan of colors that dark.
I have enough golds to cover the world and the silver seems too time consuming. Great for New Year’s Day, but too much effort for one day.
Thanks for the review. I really love seeing it on your nails and I read your blog for your honesty. I will be passing on these.
Thanks, Kimberly! I really appreciate your comment because I always try to be as honest as I can. Sometimes it’s hard because I want to love something so much and then I don’t. I also think that sometimes my experiences (particularly formula-wise) aren’t universal. I think a couple of these, particularly the satins, are worth getting because they are really nice. Thanks for stopping by!
I am not thrilled about the colors but I most likely will end up with ALL of them because GWEN STEFANI.
You are still one of my go-to’s for swatches, beautiful!
Yup. Exactly. I think most of us polish weirdos and GS fans will pick these up regardless of anything we see or hear about the collection: good or bad.
Beautiful swatches! I quite like I Sing In Color. Gorgeous and shiny and creamy.
Thank you, Kara!
Thanks for all the great info. I just purchased them all and even the red with the gems. Still haven’t used them, but I’m just a big fan and had to have them all!
I ended up buying the red as well. I did try the red polish but I didn’t use any of the studs. I’m such a collector!