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OPI San Francisco swatches and comparisons, Pt 1: Cremes

June 10, 2013 By Michelle 27 Comments

Affiliate Disclosure: I receive a small commission for purchases made via affiliate links.

Parts 2 and 3 are out! Click through to check out the liquid sands and shimmers in the collection.

Recently I was very fortunate to be invited to the launch of OPI’s San Francisco collection, inspired by the vibrant (and foggy) city’s sophisticated urban chic. It was a very exciting day! I got to hear what OPI are up to, from the amazing and passionate George Schaeffer who started OPI based on his work in dental products (OPI actually stands for Odontorium Products Inc).

Equally excitingly, I finally met the lovely Sharon of Polish Infatuated, who was one of the original bloggers who inspired me to start my own blog! And perhaps most excitingly, I had a sneak peek of the new OPI collections coming out later in the year! Unfortunately, I arrived a bit late (Sydney public transport, gah) and didn’t have time to take good photographs of the new swatches, so here is a quick and dirty phone photo of a new Mariah Carey collection coming out later this year (including holo dot glitter!) – Sharon has better photos on her post of the event!

In the incredibly generous goodie bag, I received the whole of the San Francisco collection, and naturally I’ve been busy wearing them all. I feel like I get a better feel for how much I’ll end up wearing the colours when I actually road test them instead of hastily swatching, and whether they make me feel sophisticated/pretty/mismatched/trashy. So that’s my excuse for the belated post! 😉

There are 6 cremes in the collection. They’re all moody and dramatic – when I first saw swatches of this collection on US blogs I wasn’t excited, but now that it’s finally cooled down here in Australia, I’m really loving the deep, rich colour.

Keeping Suzi at Bay is my absolute favourite creme, possibly favourite polish, in this collection. It’s definitely my favourite blue creme right now! It’s a deep, slightly murky blue, somewhat similar to OPI… Eurso Euro in the Euro Centrale collection, but less purple-toned, and more of a true navy. It’s a bit more wearable in my opinion. I didn’t want to take it off!

 
Incognito in Sausalito is an inky, almost black, blue shade. I like how it looks a bit less harsh than a true black, but I don’t tend to reach for almost-black shades.

 

Here’s a comparison of the two blue cremes from this collection, along with OPI… Eurso Euro and Wharf! Wharf! Wharf!, a creme liquid sand I’ll be swatching a bit later.

A-Piers to Be Tan is a yellow-toned brown, with a kind of terracotta look to it. I really want to like it, because the formula and application are superb, but it just doesn’t suit my skin tone – the yellow tones are just too similar for my liking.

 

 

It’s actually very different to the other browns I own – here are the two nearest in my swatch stick collection. It’s more strongly orange-toned than both Nubar Milk Chocolate and OPI A-Taupe the Space Needle.

And onto the reds! Suzi Weiss-Fischmann, OPI’s artistic director, apparently always starts with a red when making new collections. (It’s probably every nail addict’s dream to pick her brains – I get a bit drooly when I read US bloggers’ posts on meeting her!) Almost half this collection is made up of reddish shades, including 3 cremes:

In the Cable Car-Pool Lane is a burgundy shade, straddling the fence between red and purple. I was originally ambivalent about this colour, but in the 24 hours I wore it, I got compliments from 3 different people, including my sister who tends to ignore my nails altogether (we live together, and she’s commented on my nails maybe three times). It’s not a unique colour, but it’s very sophisticated, flattering and work-safe. A shade like this is a must in every collection, in my opinion (right after a bright red). This one will be on high rotation this winter!

 

 

It’s just a smidgen lighter than China Glaze Purr-fect Plum.

The final two reds are incredibly similar, and I’m surprised they were released in the same collection.

First Date at the Golden Gate is described as a ruby red. It’s a tad orange and muted.

 

 

Lost on Lombard is darker and more neutral. It’s described as garnet.

 

 

They look quite different on my hands… but then I tried painting First Date at the Golden Gate on half the nail over Lost on Lombard, and took photos in both shade and sun:

 

I can only just tell that I’m wearing two polishes – in fact, when browsing through my photos, I assumed these were single colour swatches! But against my skin they look quite different. First Date at the Golden Gate is more the sort of colour I gravitate towards, but I think Lost on Lombard is more flattering against my skin, so I’m undecided about which one I like more. What do you think?

Here’s what they look like next to some similar reds:

As usual, all the cremes gave full coverage in 2-3 thin coats and applied beautifully. OPI have really nailed opaque creme formulas!

In the coming weeks I’ll be showcasing the shimmers and liquid sands from the San Francisco collection – stay tuned…

These products were provided, which did not affect my opinion. For more information, see Disclosure Policy.

 


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Filed Under: Nails, Review, Swatch Tagged With: blue, brown, creme, nails, OPI, purple, red, review, swatch

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Comments

  1. Sharon says

    June 10, 2013 at 10:06 am

    Aww, it was so great to see you too! 🙂 Beautiful swatches as usual and I agree, I know I will be constantly reaching for these shades throughout the upcoming cooler days as well.

    Reply
    • LabMuffin says

      June 10, 2013 at 1:19 pm

      I’m looking forward to getting the photos of us together, so I have evidence! 😉

      Reply
  2. MIN MissIntensityNails says

    June 10, 2013 at 10:53 am

    Great swatches and review! I am wondering if you could give some insight on how “In the cable car-pool lane” compares to OPI Anti-bleak and OPI Casino Royale?

    Reply
    • LabMuffin says

      June 10, 2013 at 1:14 pm

      Thanks! Unfortunately I don’t own either of those, so I’m no help, sorry.

      Reply
  3. Nailovelogy says

    June 10, 2013 at 11:21 am

    Can’t wait for the textured swatches!

    Reply
    • LabMuffin says

      June 10, 2013 at 1:14 pm

      They should be coming this weekend!

      Reply
  4. Paint Those Piggies! says

    June 10, 2013 at 11:57 am

    Thank you for the sneak peek!

    Reply
    • LabMuffin says

      June 10, 2013 at 1:17 pm

      No problem! 🙂

      Reply
  5. Matilly Rose says

    June 10, 2013 at 12:01 pm

    Thank you for all the gorgeous photos, I am a sucker for OPI.

    I’m having a giveaway on my blog, I hope you will join in.

    matillysthisnthat.blogspot.com.au

    Jac x0x

    Reply
    • LabMuffin says

      June 10, 2013 at 1:16 pm

      I’m a massive sucker for OPI as well! Applying a perfectly smooth creme makes me so much more excited than glitter… I think I’m in the minority here!

      Reply
  6. Gnarly Gnails says

    June 10, 2013 at 1:40 pm

    So excited for this collection!!!

    Reply
    • LabMuffin says

      June 16, 2013 at 8:25 pm

      It’s gorgeous! I didn’t get grabby hands immediately like with Euro Centrale, but it’s a grower 🙂

      Reply
  7. Vedrana Brankovic says

    June 10, 2013 at 4:17 pm

    Thank you so much for the comparison photos. In the Cable Car-Pool Lane was on my to-buy list, but I have several similar/same shades so I’ll give it a miss at least until I spend at least one of the similar polishes.
    I’m sooo looking forward to seeing your swatches of Muir Muir on the Wall.

    Reply
    • LabMuffin says

      June 16, 2013 at 6:52 pm

      I just wore it yesterday, gorgeous colour! Hope the swatches do it justice.

      Reply
  8. Riotbettyx says

    June 10, 2013 at 5:14 pm

    I also appreciate the comparison photos. I have the hardest times telling red cremes apart! Can’t wait to see the rest of this collection.

    Reply
    • LabMuffin says

      June 16, 2013 at 6:52 pm

      I can never remember what the cremes I own look like, thank god for Google and smartphones!

      Reply
  9. TikiBarbie says

    June 10, 2013 at 6:37 pm

    Thanks for the swatches. Can’t wait to see the shimmers.

    Reply
    • LabMuffin says

      June 16, 2013 at 6:50 pm

      The shimmers definitely surprised me – hoping my swatches turn out well!

      Reply
  10. Rachael says

    June 10, 2013 at 7:52 pm

    I’m excited for the rest of this collection!

    Reply
    • LabMuffin says

      June 16, 2013 at 6:51 pm

      I’m working hard, I promise! 🙂

      Reply
  11. LittleMonsterx14 says

    June 11, 2013 at 7:27 am

    i love san francisco so much, these colors are so beautiful! perfect for fall/winter!

    Reply
    • LabMuffin says

      June 16, 2013 at 6:51 pm

      Definitely good fall colours… I’m a bit sad because all the pastels I went crazy buying in summer look a bit washed out now…

      Reply
  12. Jo says

    June 13, 2013 at 9:06 am

    I love these swatches…when the textured ones appear I won’t be able to hold myself back!…and I can always dream of San Francisco 🙂

    Reply
    • LabMuffin says

      June 16, 2013 at 6:49 pm

      Thanks 🙂

      Reply
  13. Mel Giandzi says

    June 13, 2013 at 5:54 pm

    gorgeous swatches michelle! But to be honest i’m not totally grabbed by this half of the collection… a little safe to me!

    Bring on the second half!! 😀

    Reply
    • LabMuffin says

      June 16, 2013 at 6:49 pm

      Cremes are always a little safe, except for neons… but I love ’em anyway!

      Reply
  14. Crystal says

    July 23, 2013 at 12:46 am

    gorgeous shades!

    Reply

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Michelle
Hi! I'm Michelle, chemistry PhD and science educator, and I'm here to help you figure out which beauty products are worth buying, and which ones aren't using science!

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