Yesterday I got my OPI Hong Kong Collection, and I have a metric boatload of pictures for you. The natural light yesterday, and in the upcoming forecast, was really low, which made the colors look washed out, and bright artificial light made them a bit too vivid, so I have both for you. Times twelve colors. You can just mull this paragraph over for a bit whilst the page loads... I have avoided reading any reviews of this collection lest they affect my impression of it, so I'm just giving you my observations from swatching. I have seen pics of two of them, but the other ten were a new sight for me.
The Hong Kong Collection consists of nine cremes and three shimmers, one of which is sheer. All twelve were three coaters for me, but otherwise applied pretty well. There are some dupey colors both within this collection and to recent collections. I'll just show them to you in alphabetical order with the exception of the last one, so we end on a strong note. The last two, I really like a lot, some of the others I'm fond of and would wear, but there are a few... I'll show you the natural light picture of each first, then the artificial light picture.
First up at bat is A Good Mandarin Is Hard to Find, which is a bright orange creme.
OPI A Good Mandarin Is Hard to Find Nail Polish, Three Coats in Weak Natural Light
OPI A Good Mandarin Is Hard to Find Nail Polish, Three Coats in Strong Artificial Light
Bling Dynasty is a metallic shimmer, but a hard color to describe. My first thought was of an authentic Chinese restaurant I used to go to where they made their own hot mustard and sold it for something like $3 a pint - the color of Bling Dynasty reminds me of that hot mustard. The natural lighting picture is more accurate with respect to color, and the artificial light one shows the shimmer.
OPI Bling Dynasty Nail Polish, Three Coats in Weak Natural Light
OPI Bling Dynasty Nail Polish, Three Coats in Strong Artificial Light
Chop-Sticking to My Story is an odd orange creme, and likely the least flattering color that's ever been on my nails. If Ginger Bells was OPI & Apple Pie Version 2.0, Chop-Sticking to My Story is OPI & Apple Pie Version 3.0. Not 2.1, but 3.0 - it's so unattractive it's a complete overhaul.
OPI Chop-Sticking to My Story Nail Polish, Three Coats in Weak Natural Light
OPI Chop-Sticking to My Story Nail Polish, Three Coats in Strong Artificial Light
Dim Sum Plum is a pretty kind of berry creme, but it looks dupey to Fall 2009's Ate Berries in the Canaries from OPI Espana to me.
OPI Hot & Spicy Nail Polish, Three Coats in Weak Natural Light
OPI Hot & Spicy Nail Polish, Three Coats in Strong Artificial Light
We'll skip to Lucky Lucky Lavender, a pale lavender creme. This is one I like, am sure I'll wear, but isn't anything new or exciting. Just a pretty Spring pastel. In these pictures, the fact that the weak natural light had colors reading somewhat blue and artificial somewhat pink is evident. Comparing the bottle to the two pictures on my monitor, the actual color falls in between the two pictures.
OPI Lucky Lucky Lavender Nail Polish, Three Coats in Weak Natural Light
OPI Lucky Lucky Lavender Nail Polish, Three Coats in Strong Artificial Light
Meet Me on the Star Ferry is one I'd seen maybe two pictures of, and was really looking forward to. It's a shimmer, a very sparkly kind of brownish mauvey shade, but I was let down by it on the nail. It just didn't look that good. However, when I went through pictures, it looked as good as other pictures I'd seen. It's just an exceptionally photogenic nail polish!
OPI Meet Me on the Star Ferry Nail Polish, Three Coats in Weak Natural Light
OPI Meet Me on the Star Ferry Nail Polish, Three Coats in Strong Artificial Light
Panda-Monium Pink is just a little bit paler than Lucky Lucky Lavender, which are the two I think are dupey within the collection.
OPI Panda-Monium Pink Nail Polish, Three Coats in Weak Natural Light
OPI Panda-Monium Pink Nail Polish, Three Coats in Strong Artificial Light
Pearl of Wisdom is the sheer, and I'm hiding my silk wrap in the pictures. It has a tinge of pink and is very shimmery.
OPI Pearl of Wisdom Nail Polish, Three Coats in Weak Natural Light
OPI Pearl of Wisdom Nail Polish, Three Coats in Strong Artificial Light
Red My Fortune Cookie is a somewhat orange red creme, and after three coats I still have VNL.
OPI Red My Fortune Cookie Nail Polish, Three Coats in Weak Natural Light
OPI Suzi Says Feng Shui Nail Polish, Three Coats in Weak Natural Light
OPI Suzi Says Feng Shui Nail Polish, Three Coats in Strong Artificial Light
Predictably, my top pick from this collection is Jade is the New Black. It's a green creme, probably most similar to Orly Enchanted Forest, but a little bit lighter. Here, natural light made it too blue and artificial too yellow - again, it's in between.
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