I wasn’t all that excited when the Gwen Stefani for OPI collection rolled out, frankly; I didn’t really see anything that exciting. But after reading a few reviews, my curiosity about a couple of the special finishes was piqued, so when I passed the display at my local Fred Meyer last week, I grabbed a couple after all.
In the Morning (satin)
I am generally not a fan of textured polishes. I didn’t love the Milani Texture collection, I don’t really like the Nails Inc. Leather polishes, Sally Hansen Sugar Coat does nothing for me, and I just don’t get the appeal of Zoya Pixie Dust. But I do like a flocked or matte nail, and from what I’d read, the OPI satin finish was somewhere in between.
And it is. And I love it.
In the Morning is a black satin polish that has a hint of shimmer when wet but dries to a finish that’s matte and sort of — well, it’s hard to describe, but I guess I would call it “soft.” It’s a little bit velvety without going all the way to a flocked nail; it’s matte without being too flat; it’s just barely a hint of texture. I now wish I had also bought Love. Angel. Music. Baby., which is a gold polish in the satin finish. And by “wish I had also bought,” I guess I effectively mean “probably will also buy.”
Push and Shove (chrome)
Instead of Love. Angel. Music. Baby., though, I bought Push and Shove, a silver chrome that comes with a tiny little bottle of a base coat called Lay Down That Base.
Based on the reviews I’d read, I didn’t expect Push and Shove to have much staying power, and it doesn’t — I put it on my nails yesterday morning and it’s already wearing away. But I’d also read some reviews about how it is the perfect chrome polish we’ve all been waiting for. And in that respect, I have to disagree. Yes, Push and Shove is a great silver chrome, and until it starts to wear away, it looks fabulous.
BUT.
In my opinion, there is nothing about Push and Shove that makes it superior to the Essie Mirror Metallics collection. In fact, when I put Push and Shove on my nails yesterday morning, I only put it on nine nails, and on the tenth I instead used No Place Like Chrome, the silver chrome from Mirror Metallics, just for comparison. And visually, there is literally absolutely no difference between the two, except that I noticed this morning that the Essie polish appeared to be wearing just a little bit better. In fact, as far as I can tell, the only differences between Push and Shove and the Mirror Metallics collection are:
- Push and Shove claims to require a special basecoat, which comes in a teeny weeny little bottle (and which, as far as I can tell, isn’t sold on its own);
- Where I shop, Push and Shove costs about a dollar more (although you can find better deals online); and
- Push and Shove only comes in one color, whereas I’ve got three or four different shades from the Mirror Metallics collection and they’ve all got that same lovely chrome finish.
Gwen Stefani for OPI chrome and satin polishes
Bottom Line: Satin is unique and worth checking out; chrome has dupes on the market.
Price: $
Tip: Pass on Push and Shove and check out the Essie Mirror Metallics instead.
