Listen to Lena

Perfecting the Art of Conversuasion

Summer Beauty: OPI

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NOTE: The following giveaway is open to Canadians only.

This brand needs no introduction… it’s OPI, baby!

Now many of y’all know OPI as the world leader in professional nail cosmetics, but did you know that it’s a family-owned company? OPI was founded in 1981 by President & CEO George Schaeffer, who immigrated to the U.S. as a child from post-World War II Eastern Europe. Mr. Schaeffer, beautiful nails everywhere thank you!

I stressed over this review. A long-time nail biter, I pep-talked myself into kicking the habit so I could show off the pretty shades in the new Nice Stems! collection.

Alas, two little boys, tons of dirty dishes and frankly, a lack of focus landed me in hot water; my nails are awful! There is just no way I can possibly show my stubby little nails on camera – you’ll die laughing.

Thankfully, on a recent shopping expedition, I came across a Nice Stem’s promo piece and was able to snap a photo of the polish in action (click image to enlarge):

From top to bottom, on right: Play the Peonies, Come to Poppy, Be a Dahlia Won’t You? and I Lily Love You. Pictured left, first three shades overlayed with I Lily Love You for sparkle.

As you can see, the colours are varying shades of the prettiest pinks you can imagine. I love that Play the Peonies is such a sweet pearlized pink; a wonderfully understated and romantic hue that I envision on a summer bride. Come to Poppy is a daring, sensual come-hither poppy red with just enough pink to keep it innocent. Be a Dahlia Won’t You? is what I like to call a “Lena” shade – my toes are perpetually painted in vibrant fuchsias and this one makes the cut. With blue undertones its decidedly vixen and has a fine sparkle that adds to its star quality. Finally, I Lily Love You is a precious little sparkle that should be in every tween’s roster of faves.

If you weren’t already a devoted fan of OPI (and who isn’t?) here’s another reason to love them: To date, OPI and the Schaeffer Family Foundation have donated millions of dollars to charities worldwide, most notably the American Heart Association, the American Red Cross, City of Hope, Gilda’s Club Worldwide and the Leukemia Research Foundation, among others. LOVE.

For some fun girly time, visit their website to find your perfect shade via “Try On This Colour.” I can’t tell you how long it’s taken me to blog this feature in between playing around with the virtual hues! Such fun!


OPI Nail Polish, including their new Nice Stems! collection, can be found at professional salons and retail partners all over the world.

TWO (2) lucky Listen to Lena! readers will each receive the Nice Stems! collection, which includes all four nail polishes shown above! (Value $40)

To enter, simply leave a comment here recommending your favourite OPI nail polish to others – and tell us why it rocks! If you’ve never used OPI nail polish, jump online and choose your perfect shade, then let us know why it’s calling your name.

You can also qualify for extra entries! Remember, you must leave a separate comment for each. You can:

(1) Follow my blog, Listen to Lena! (2 extra entries!)
(2) “Like” Listen to Lena! on Facebook
(3) NEW Follow Listen to Lena! on Twitter
(4) “Like” OPI on Facebook
(5) Follow OPI on Twitter
(6) Tweet daily: Please use this OPI Giveaway Tweet.

I’ll draw for two winners on August 28th. Good luck everybody!

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. I am an OPI lover but I think my all time favourite is Hollywood Blonde. It's sheer and shimmery and perfect for every day wear. From the Sephora by OPI collection I love Mermaid to Order, a deep teal.

  2. I and a new OPI lover! I never thought it would be worth the price, until I got a bottle of InStyle Red for free with my magazine subscription. LOVE IT! Love the colour, love the coverage! For such a deep red, it covered perfectly in ONE COAT! And that Be A Dahlia Wont You? I just pinned it on Pinterest! So on my list of perfect shades :)

  7. I have never used OPI before. There is so many colours to choose from. I would pick Heart Throb as the everyday shade (one that I can wear to work) and Yodel Call Me on My Cell as my fun shade. tleesfb at yahoo dot ca

  16. Just picked up IM Beautiful recently – a really funky bright yellow to go with a black, yellow & grey dress I bought for an upcoming wedding!! & I LOVE IT!! Such a fun shade of yellow. I love all the colors they have & I have some sort of OPI color on my toes all summer! (Right now my toes are a metallicy aqua color by OPI)

  22. I`ve never tried OPI before,but I would love the Comet Loves Cupid! I love sparkly,redish,pinkish,burgandyish colors..lol.ksceviour at hotmail dot com

  29. Houston we have a purple and Happy Anniversary are calling my name. I am just getting back into haveing nice nails after years of abandoning all hope. I would love to try something new and hot.

  44. I LOVE Skulls & Glossbones! For me, wearing this, my nails would scream Johnny Depp to me every time I looked at them! (I know, I'm a bit weird lol)thanksnancyrobster at gmail dot com

  81. Love to Poppy is calling my name. Opi rock because of all the beautiful colour. Also because it last forever if you follow base, colour top coat.

  86. I've never tried OPI. Since I've had kids, I don't have much time for glam… I like the DS Radiance – it is glittery with a bit of blue. :)

  99. i have never tried OPI , but would love to they have some awesome colors , i love the I LILY LOVE YOU , it is a crackle pink , really pretty!they have this cool chart with all the colors, called TRY IT ON, and you can see all the colors on nails and how it would look, that is really great !!!staceyx at telus dot net

  147. One of my favorite shades is Who Needs A Prince. It is pinkish and works with everything. You all need to go and get it now!!bluebelle0367(at)hotmail(dot)com

  159. My favorite OPI nail polish is DONE OUT IN DECO, from the South Beach collection. It's lovely… but unfortunately, I can't find it anywhere! :(Karine (karinef27@gmail.com)

  169. I love Got A Date To-Knight as it is a nice shade of pink not too soft or too bright and goes with everything.cardshark42(at)hotmail(dot)com

  206. my perfect shade is "I want to be a-lone star" because it is such a pretty color and i could use it on my daughter aswellthanksflower_child_23(at)hotmail(dot)com

  214. never had the pleasure of using Opi but Nomad's Dream is calling my name. I love it on the model hand at least. Right up my alley.yourstrulee(at)sasktel(dot)net

  259. i just looked at the website and love the atomic orange from the brights by OPI line! something bright, refreshing, and different for toes in the summer compared to the standard red i often use (or no colour)!tumyiix at gmail dot com

  283. I am a faithful user of Opi's nail polishes. They stay on really well and rarely chip. My favourite colour is Italian Love Affair.Thanks for the great giveaway. ~Paulinedod@rogers.com

  319. i am new to the nail polish game so i don't own a lot of OPI but i just painted my nails with suzy says feng shui and added a coat of OPI navy shatter and i'm in love. hopefully my modest polish collection will have some new, pretty additions! thanks for offering the giveaway.

  351. I love Opi nail polish and cannot always buy them because of the price but the one I am using now is An Affair in Red Square. I think Red with a light shimmer is classic and you cannot go wrong.

  384. I love OPI! I am not the best at painting my own nails, but OPI seems to go on smoother than most other brands. My fav color right now is Miami Beet. It's pretty, sexy and just a little bit "different"cardprincess(at)sbcglobal(dot)net

  459. My favorite OPI color is the Y'all Come Back Ya Hear (an orange shade) shade, as it looks amazing against sunkissed summer skin!sbabij2 at shaw dot ca

  533. My all time favorite shade is Jade is the new black. It's a beautiful jade green and it's always on my toenails <3

  548. I love OPI's Greenwich Village, it can remind me of a grassy hill in which to bask in the sunshine even during Canada's long cold winter.

  601. My favorite for my toes is You're a Pisa Work. My manicurist used to always polish them up for me in that color before she moved away. :(ceeenndee at gmail dot com