OPI Fall/Winter 2013: San Francisco Collection Swatches and Review Part 1 (Shimmers)

OPI San Francisco Collection (click to enlarge)

(Media sample)

As always, summer gives way to fall, and the beautiful fall colors of nail polish come and take our breath away.  I've always loved fall nail polish colors because they are these vampy, rich, dark polishes that look really great against any kind of skintone.  OPI chooses a city that is well-known and loved all over the world to showcase its fall collection - San Francisco.  I for one am a huge fan of this place, and I cherish beautiful memories of visiting this city while growing up.

The OPI San Francisco collection has 12 shades, but I will divide the collection review into two entries.  This post is all about the shimmers, duochromes and glitter in this collection.

OPI Dining Al Frisco

I am not really a fan of light blue shimmers because they look dated to my eyes.  OPI Dining Al Frisco is a frosty looking light blue that looks 80s to me, but since the frost it not too overbearing, it's a wearable kind of color.  It's just not my favorite from this bunch.

OPI Haven't the Foggiest

OPI Haven't the Foggiest is probably my top 2 favorites from this collection.  It is a very intense, very opaque silver-grey that is very flattering on the nails.  I wore this for more than 3 days, and the staying power is very good as well.  I just love this polish - it can be worn year-round too.

OPI Peace & Love & OPI

OPI Peace & Love & OPI

OPI Peace & Love & OPI is such a beautiful duochrome - it's like an oil slick that shifts colors from dark purple to green to gunmetal.  I have seen versions of this duochrome from other brands, but I like OPI's 

OPI Embarca-Dare Ya!

OPI Embarca-Dare Ya!

OPI Embarca-Dare Ya! is a beautiful garnet with strong flashes of gold, as you can see in the bottle.  The gold shimmer is really pretty and it made this red color very festive.  Perfect for the holidays.

OPI I Knead Sour-Dough

OPI I Knead Sour-Dough is one of the prettiest, most unique shades from this collection.  It's a brownish-red with beautiful shifts of gold.  I like it so much that I think I will be wearing this often in the fall.  It's a gorgeous color that is quite flattering.

OPI Muir Muir On the Wall

Another gorgeous duochrome.  OPI Muir Muir On the Wall is a blackened red with beautiful gold, wine and moss green nuances.  Soo beautiful, and the overall color is rich, vampy, and just perfect for fall.

Formula of these polishes is great - good staying power, opaque in two coats (but Haven't the Foggiest is a one-coater), and the consistency is neither too thick nor too runny; very easy to apply.  I love all the shades in this post with the exception of Dining Al Frisco, but not because of the formula, but because I am just not a fan of the color and finish.

All in all, I am pretty impressed with these fall nail lacquers from OPI.  Check out Part 2 of the OPI San Francisco collection swatches and review (the creams), and I will be posting a video review with swatches of the OPI San Francisco collection on this blog and on my YouTube channel soon!

(Media sample was provided by a representative of the brand for consideration.  All opinions are mine.)