O.P.I. Vesper and Zoya Maisie Fix-Up

OPI Vesper and Zoya Maisie, outdoor, sun

You all may be surprised, but I actually decided to try and improve a nail polish with something OTHER than Zoya Godiva. I know. Heart attacks may happen.

OPI Vesper and Zoya Maisie, outdoor, shade

I was really unhappy with O.P.I.'s Vesper Liquid Sand. It just was... blah. It was vampy, but flat. Not my favorite. I decided a glitter would be fun to put over it, hoping it would work. I settled on Zoya's holographic mylar "Fleck Effects" polish, Maisie. I need to put out the disclaimer that I didn't buy this from Zoya directly--they don't sell it any longer on their website, so I sought other venues. Amazon magically found this for me.

OPI Vesper and Zoya Maisie, indoor, natural light

Maisie is really a top coat polish, or what Zoya calls a glaze. Alone, it can read a bit strangely, as the base is a blue-tinted translucent jelly, with mylar holographic glitter. The holo flecks in the polish are actually green in color, despite the fact that the polish looks blue in the bottle. You can still get Opal directly from Zoya. Honestly, based on my experience with Maisie, I think Opal will have the same results. Particularly over other polishes, Maisie simply looks green, and loses the base color.

Unlike with Blaze and Aurora (and, I assume, Storm) from the Ornate Collection, Maisie's holographic glitter really only reads monochromatic. Even in the bottle, Maisie looks like a blue polish with green holo flecks.

Zoya Maisie, shade

Zoya Maisie, sun

On Vesper, I have to say that Maisie did just what I wanted. It transformed it from a dark purple (almost black) polish to a dark polish with funky green glitter on top. They're very appropriate for Halloween, or even just autumn. It's not a look for the faint of heart, but it really works for a funky pedicure. It was a success in that it is certainly better than Vesper alone, but I still don't think Vesper is something I'll be wearing much. It's just not for me.

OPI Vesper and Zoya Maisie, indoor, artificial light

 
If you have any successful experiments, feel free to share them. I'd love to hear your thoughts! I'll be back with you guys soon with a new manicure.

OPI Vesper and Zoya Maisie, flash

Until later,
Emily, the Manic paintress

OPI Vesper

OPI Liquid Sand in Vesper, natural light

I should say this from the get-go: this is a pedicure. I know you probably don't love my toes, and that's okay. I think toes need polish, too. It makes them feel less ugly. For today's pedicure, I decided to try out one of OPI's Bond Girls collection of Liquid Sand polishes--Vesper.

Vesper Lind was one of the most controversial of all Bond Girls. In the film, Casino Royal, she was portrayed by the gorgeous and mysterious French actress, Eva Green. The controversy regarding Vesper stems from the fact that she is neither a true Bond heroine, but she isn't fully a villain. She's somewhere in between. She does great things with our favorite spy, but also betrays him in some serious ways. In the novel, Bond reacts in a rather unexpected way to said betrayal. It's softened a bit in the movie version, but in both, she remains unique in her ability to walk the line of good and bad, and play the game almost as well as Bond does.

OPI Liquid Sand in Vesper, flash

In the bottle, OPI's Vesper polish looks like a very dark brown. When you put it on your nails, it looks like a very deep purple. It definitely needed a couple of coats to be opaque. I used three for the pictures. It's a liquid sand, so it has a matte finish, and a rough texture. The matte texture comes across beautifully, though the texture seems minimal in this polish. OPI is traditionally heavy with the use of glitter in the liquid sands, but Vesper's glitter is almost non-existent.

I'm going to say that part of the problem I have with this is that I used it on my feet. Maybe the smaller surfaces don't show off the color terribly well. Then again, maybe I just don't love this polish. It's very dark, almost black. While I like the vampy look, the matte finish actually seems to make this look flat and a bit boring.

OPI Liquid Sand in Vesper, artificial light

I have every intention on putting some top coat on top of this. Maybe a glitter? I'm not sure, but my toes don't look fancypants--they look stiff and dull. Actually--dull is perhaps the best description of this. I loved the surprise of putting on what looks like a brown polish, and getting a purple. That was reminiscent of its namesake, Vesper Lind. Unfortunately, I don't think it has the same charm.

I actually like a number of OPI's liquid sand polishes. They're generally well-crafted, full of dimension and eye-catching depth. Magazine Cover Mouse from the Couture de Minnie collection is a great example of this, as I wrote about in my last post. Vesper just falls flat. I think I'll stick to Jinx from the Bond Girl collection. It's very orange, but it really is dazzling.

Hopefully, if you were thinking about tracking down a bottle in your favorite specialty beauty store or Amazon, you may decide to pass on this one. Sadly, that is my recommendation for Vesper. Anyone out there agree or disagree?

I'll be posting about a definite favorite of mine that I have yet to really feature here. Expect to hear from me soon.

Until then,
Emily, the Manic Paintress

OPI Magazine Cover Mouse

OPI Magazine Cover Mouse, outdoor shade

I have to admit that I first became addicted to textured nail polish when I tried an OPI Liquid Sand polish in their Mariah Carey collection. I loved the idea and the colors, so I bought all four of the textured polishes in that collection: Stay The Night, The Impossible, Can't Let Go, and Get Your Number. The only real misstep in the collection was The Impossible, as the star-shaped glitter pieces tended to chip off and ruin the look. It was a shame, because I really love the coral color.

OPI Magazine Cover Mouse, outdoor sun

OPI continued to make Liquid Sands for the OZ the Great and Powerful collection, and the Bond Girls collection, which was made up exclusively of liquid sands. I have three of the Bond Girls polishes--Pussy Galore, Vesper, and Jinx. I have yet to try Vesper, as it screams fall/winter with how dark it is, and Jinx is fantastic beyond words, particularly on toes. Most recently, OPI included a liquid sand in their Couture de Minnie collection. Magazine Color Mouse is a very bright berry color. It is mostly red, with subtle glitter in gold and pink that give the polish a lot of depth in color.

OPI Magazine Cover Mouse, indoor, artificial light

Compared to Zoya's PixieDust polishes, the OPI liquid sands are much more pronounced in their texture. The matte is quite evident in lower lighting, and you can visibly see the bumpy texture. It also feels a lot rougher than the PixieDusts.

I really have been impressed with the Couture de Minnie collection. I really like Magazine Cover Mouse, as I think it has a lot of dimension in and out of light, and it looks pretty fantastic against my skin, which is always nice. I have all of the collection aside from Chic From Ears To Tail, and really like all of them. Minnie Style is the polish that most screams Minnie Mouse to me, as it really looks like polka dots on the nail. All of them, however, are really quite pretty. They're girly, and make no apologies about that fact. Innie Minnie Mighty Bow and Magazine Cover Mouse are more red/berry colored, so they might appeal to those who don't truly love the pink.

OPI Magazine Cover Mouse, indoor, natural light

I wear a base coat under every nail polish I have. OPI, like Zoya for the PixieDusts, recommends putting the liquid sand polishes on bare nails. They might last longer, but I really like how a good base coat will also strengthen your nails, so I just won't skip it. I'm using Zoya Anchor. Liquid sands tend to last for a long time, though. They can be difficult to actually remove, but I think that makes them excellent for pedicures. If the texture bothers you when it's on your fingernails for a manicure, toenails might be the option for you to wear this polish. I'm not bothered by the roughness, but I know people who are. If you do paint your fingernails, make sure you run a nail file along the edge of your nails, because some of the grit can be scratchy if left alone.

OPI Magazine Cover Mouse, outdoor shade

I really love this polish. I think most of my current favorite polishes in my stash are textured, and this is no exception. It really boils down to the depth and dimension they create. The OPI liquid sands are much more sandy than the PixieDusts--sort of like comparing a salt scrub to a sugar scrub.

OPI Magazine Cover Mouse, flash

I'm going to be rocking the textured look for a while to come. I highly recommend doing the same.

Keep on painting, my fellow polish addicts. Until we meet again,
Emily, the Manic Paintress