This spring OPI released this cute collection celebrating Kitty character loved by so many girls (and boys?) around the world. I mean, even if we didn’t watch Hello, Kitty cartoons, we played video games and bought all the dresses and pens and everything else related to this character that was and still is merchandised all over the place. Or most of us probably did. This collection consists of 12 shades and brags a panoply of pinks – seriously, there’s a lot of pinks there, like half of the shades are pink – and some bright splashes of colour that introduce a pleasant distraction and variety to the collection. The result is pretty and romantic with a happy fun surge. Which sounds like a very good way to go to me when putting a nail colour collection together.

 

Before we get to the shades though, I have to say I appreciate the design. Hello Kitty had to appear somewhere and in some form here, and it did – there’s Hello Kitty pattern printed on each shade bottle cap. You’ll see. Very nice. It makes this collection feel even more like a collection.

 

Now let’s see those shades.

 

Pinks first, as there are just so many of them.

 

530812 NL H81 Charmmy & Sugar

 

A very cute and outworldlish in a way shade.

 

A tender pearly pink with a bunch of tiny pink sparkle and bigger silver round glitter. All this put together makes this shade very Hello Kitty like and adds an artsy twist to it at the same time, that I, personally, very much appreciate.

 

There’s something Deborah Lippmann Mermaidish about this shade. Only it’s ever so tender, romantic, soft.

 

It’s a perfect marriage of romance and artsy and trendy feel. Romance goes up-to-date and gets relevant.

 

To me, it’s nice. If you like romantic shades and wear them all the time, you tend to get tired of them and usually welcome this kind of change.

 

If you’re generally more artsy in your manicure, this is your chance to try romantic pearly pink you’d never try otherwise. The result is this shade will probably appeal to a lot of people.

 

‘Sugar’ in the name of this shade definitely makes sense. There’s something desserty about it. It looks yummy and delicate at the same time.

 

530921 NL H82 Let’s Be Friends!

 

This pink is so tender some people will probably say it’s off white. It’s just a touch of pink in white colour kind of shade.

 

Still, to me this shade is distinctly pink, even if pale. What actually makes it even softer is that there’s no shine, no pearl, no sparkle in it, it’s a classic crème shade.

 

Another tender shade. Another romantic shade. It’s all here.

 

There’s something very sophisticated about it. Because it’s just so understated.

 

At the same time, this shade can by all means be interpreted as a nude shade.

 

Its whitish pink essence makes it very natural looking deep down. So, everyone who likes pink nudes or white nudes with just a little bit of colour in them, will enjoy wearing this shade as much as romantic manicure fans.

 

The third way to interpret this shade is to treat it as an easy and understated chic kind of thing. This concept elevates it to a whole new level. Makes it posh. It can easily live up to it.

 

532022 NL H84 Small + Cute = heart

 

And bolder we go. This pink is more pink than the first two.

 

Another classic crème shade. Without any shiny or sparkly additions to it. Clean and simple in a good way. Unmistakably pink but a very delicate one.

 

Well, for starters, it’s as romantic as any pink nail shade is. Further on, it’s girly, because it’s so pastel and… well, pink 🙂

 

Can it be a womanly classic? Maybe, if you treat this concept in a modern way and say that pink is one of the first nail shades that came into usage period.

 

Elegant? I wouldn’t say it’s elegant. Too pink for that and not pink enough at the same time.

 

You can definitely play this shade as pastel. And every spring this shade will get trendy in a certain way, because every spring there’s no escape from pastels.

 

Some people can probably wear it as nude, although to me it’s a little bit more than nude. It’s a comfy neutral pink default shade that does come in handy every now and again.

 

531712 NL H87 Super Cute in Pink

 

Well now. If you’ve been waiting for something brighter here, you’ve got it.

 

Pastels, tender, romantic, nude, elegant, classic… nope, this shade is nothing of the kind.

 

It’s pink but, first of all, it’s bright. Much brighter than all the shades we’ve talked about already.

 

It’s very cool and even purplish. In fact, it’s purplish to the point, where some of us will say – hey, it’s purple. It’s more modern. It’s a different approach to pink. Bright and bold and colourful.

 

And it’s as much in tune with Hello Kitty as all the soft pinks. Cartoon world is vibrant, you know, so this pink is in the right place, it belongs here, in this collection.

 

This shade calls for jeans and T-shirts, bright summer dresses and sandals and swimming pools. It’s very optimistic and very summery in a way. Crisp and fun.

 

So, if you’re on your way to your vacation destination or just getting out of the city for a weekend, pack it up, you won’t be sorry.

 

530911 NL H83 Look at My Bow!

 

I duly look at the bow here and see a medium bright pink shade.

 

Not as purplish as Super Cute in Pink though. This one is bright, but it’s more of a classic. It’s like pink goes all dressed up and party ready.

 

Tired of off white nude pinks? Shake it up with this cute and fun bright counterpart of theirs.

 

This shade is pretty much universal in terms of looks you can create with it and places you can go. It’s the kind of shade, where it’s up to you to decide which direction you turn it.

 

If you go all elegant in your look and then choose to wear it on your nails, it will be an accent kind of thing to make your look more interesting.

 

If you wear it with your jeans, it will be a casual and young way to play it. If you go all flouncy and ribbony, this shade can be a romantic wonder.

 

If you wear it in the office with a business like outfit, it will be a pleasant distraction and a womanly touch to dilute all the grey, black and white palette around you.

 

531011 NL H85 Spoken from the Heart

 

What happened to fuchsia? It was so huge, and now all of a sudden this hot bright, almost neon, but not quite, pink seems to be beating it big time and winning new positions every month.

 

This pink is super warm and super bright, and I see it more and more often.

 

And I welcome this change. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not like I don’t like fuchsia.

 

It’s just that fuchsia on lips and nails and aqua on eyelids and eyelashes – and I like both shades, there’s nothing wrong with them – have been a little bit overpowering in makeup world in the past couple of years. So, it’s nice to have something different.

 

This pink is so warm and so bright that red and coral manicure fans can find themselves liking it a lot.

 

This shade is warm, so it will look good on dark haired and dark eyed beauties. And it will look good with tan, which is essential now that summer is stepping on our toes.

 

You miss fuchsia? Try this vibrant pink instead. Who knows, it might be your new obsession.

 

These are the pinks. Six out of twelve. So, it’s a half exactly. Now for the splashes of colour. As there might be people in this world who just don’t like pink nail colours.

 

Red/coral/pink – all wrapped in one

532111 NL H89  5 Apples Tall

 

As usual OPI does a good job with shade names here, even if they are limited in a way by the whole Hello Kitty theme.

 

This shade does have a lingering nostalgia for all the pinks in its core. Still, to me it’s more of a red or coral shade.

 

What it is, is actually a complex mix of red, coral and, yes, pink. It’s very bright, darker than the shades we’ve seen so far and trendy.

 

This red coral or coral red has showed up in Dior collection this spring and a bunch of others. So, it’s worth a look, at least.

 

If you don’t like corals, but feel like coral summer trend is getting to you, this shade is a good option. You can wear it instead of corals and still kind of ride this wave.

 

If you like reds, this shade might make your summer favourites list. It’s so full of life and colour and joy. Warmth and sun.

 

There’s something truly energizing about this shade. It’s fizzy like a good lemonade. Refreshing.

 

Purple

532112 NL H86 Starry-Eyed for Dear Daniel

 

Remember that very first shade we’ve talked about? Charmmy & Sugar? A pearly pink with pink sparkle and silver glitter? Uh-huh. This here is its dark buddy.

 

It’s purple plumish, loaded with purple and silver sparkle and has some silver glitter in it too, smaller glitter than in Charmmy & Sugar.

 

I’ll tell you what. I like such dark shades that explode with light from within.

 

It’s a great contrast. Which always makes them interesting. Unusual. And edgy.

 

Also, it helps dark manicure fans to justify the fact that they just keep wearing dark shades on their nails all through spring and summer pastel and bright frenzy.

 

Starry-Eyed for Dear Daniel is a great going out shade.

 

Going clubbing? If you think you like all this pearl and shine and sparkle here, just imagine, what it’s going to look like in disco lights? Imagined it? Now go and have fun 🙂 This shade will look awesome.

 

White

531611 NL H80 Kitty White

 

Kitty White is about to tell us what Kitty’s concept of white is.

 

Romantic again, huh? It’s pearly, very pearly and sparkly, not too sparkly, just enough to make it kitty cute.

 

As someone who’s not a huge fan of white nail shades, I have to tell you, even I like this shade a lot. Which means it’s a great one 🙂

 

It’s not full coverage, In two shades you get almost there, but not quite, and this sheer essence of this shade helps to bring even more light and even more shine, glow and sparkle to it.

 

It’s definitely not a natural nude white shade. It’s a dressed up white making a standpoint and proving in a second that white can be as much of a special occasion shade as red or gold or any other, for that matter.

 

Still, it’s cute and delicate underneath it all. Because it’s white. Kitty White.

 

Bringing a fresh, clean and clear vision into our manicure routine making it easy and providing just the right edge to it we’re all looking for sometimes.

 

Blue

531732 NL H90 My Pal Joey

 

Some fun and bright and artsy shades had to show up in Hello Kitty world reinvented here by OPI. And they sure did. Here’s one.

 

My Pal Joey is blue. It’s bright. You have to know that before you venture into wearing it.

 

The interesting part about it is that it’s bright and darker. Usually, when nails shades are bright, they tend to go lighter or neon. Well, this one is darker without making the shade less bright.

 

I guess, you could say, it’s not that it’s that much darker, it’s just that it’s intense. Super intense.

 

And very Hello Kitty like. I totally understand, why this shade is part of this collection.

 

If you don’t like and don’t wear brighter blue nail shades, this one here is absolutely too bright for you. If you do like turquoise and aqua and bright blue and everything though, then you’ll be happy to know there’s still bright blue out there that you might not have tried just yet.

 

I love this shade. It’s a great new blue way, off the beaten track for sure.

 

Yellow

532312 NL H88 My Twin Mimmy

 

Another fun and vibrant shade by OPI in Hello Kitty universe. This time around it’s yellow.

 

It’s ever so bright. Very very bright. At the same time, it’s darker, just like that blue.

 

Or once again, you could say, it’s not that it’s darker, it’s more like intense to the point of no belief.

 

This shade is as intense as that blue. As colourful. It’s full of sunshine. And life. And optimism.

 

And Hello Kitty attitude. It’s artsy, there’s no question about that. And it’s so not like all the yellow pastels we get every spring, this one included.

 

It gets out there – that is, on your nails, if you so choose – and screams summer and joy and party and fun and all good things.

 

It calls for activity. For sea and ocean, beach, picnic, sports, something. It demands bright colours and trendy clothes. There’s just something so forward and so optimistic about it. Love it. Definitely not for everyone though.

 

Black

531422 NL H91 Never Have Too Mani Friends!

 

There’s almost never a big enough collection by OPI without a version of black.

 

Although this one here is not really a version. It’s as classic as it gets. Dark, black and shiny.

 

It’s what the world has come to love black manicure for at some point. What brought it from punk right into the elegant wardrobe.

 

It’s sultry, mysterious, it’s special. It stands out. At the same time it matches anything almost, like white.

 

It’s hot. So hot. It’s one of the best contrast shades in the whole wide world. It never goes unnoticed. It can get you through several days and looks easily and look stunning on all those and with all the above.

 

Something tells me, it’s here in this collection more for nail art sake than as Hello Kitty colour proper. There’s Hello Kitty manicure set I’m about to show you that will pretty much prove my point, I think 🙂

 

Whatever it is, this classic shiny black has won many people’s hearts over, so it’s here to stay.

 

That’s the collection, the twelve shades, and before I tell you what I think about the batch, let me quickly show you this set, which is part of the collection and includes four shades we’ve seen already, one shade that’s not part of the collection, really, and… surprise, a free nail art tool. Told ya, that’s what this black is here for 🙂 Here we go.

 

Cute. And artsy. All bows and Hello Kitty. And there’s the free nail art tool on top of the box.

 

On the back we get a fuller description and the nail art manicure samples that we can learn to create by reading tutorials on OPI website. Or else, you can, hopefully. I’m ever so clumsy, so I definitely can’t create those 🙂

 

The five nail shades in this set come in mini size, which means, there’s not much nail polish there. See how much smaller they are compared to the regular size OPI bottle.

 

The four shades that we’ve already seen in this post are:

 

Let’s Be Friends!

 

Never Have Too Mani Friends!

 

5 Apples Tall

 

My Twin Mimmy

 

The one shade we haven’t seen, that’s not part of the collection, really, but part of this set is this – Milk Bottle.

 

What can I say about it?

 

Just one thing.

 

It’s white.

 

No trimmings, no additions of any kind.

 

White. Just white.

 

Another nail art design thing, I say. Just like that black shade 🙂

 

And here’s the free nail art design tool. It’s dual ended.

 

One end is a very thin brush for painting on your nails, pretty much.

 

The other end is a round tip metal thing for creating polka dot nail look.

 

Looks perfectly fine to me and perfectly useful for those who can pull it 🙂

 

I say, this set is a good one to have. Especially if you’re into the whole nail design stuff. The only thing I don’t like about such sets in general is that such small nail polish bottles have very small brushes in them, that might be good for nail design sometimes, but are very uncomfortable, if you want to just paint your nails. So, if you really like any of the shades here, better get a full size bottle. At least, that’s what I usually do.

 

That’s it. Hello Kitty by OPI.

               

 

It’s a nice collection. It’s very well balanced in terms of romantics and brights. Tell you what, if you like pink nail shades, you might wanna pay very close attention to it and grab some shades, while they last. I mean, it’s like heaven for pink manicure fans. If you like vibrant colours on your nails, you can benefit from this collection too. And, of course, you can pick up that shiny black, if that’s your preference in manicure. I, personally, like those two glitter shades a lot. Charmmy & Sugar and Starry-Eyed for Dear Daniel. Surprisingly, I like that pearly and sparkly white – Kitty White. I love the intense blue and yellow – My Pal Joey and My Twin Mimmy. Oh, and I think those two shades – red and coral 5 Apples Tall and hot pink Spoken from the Heart – are very fresh in a way, because we haven’t seen them on the counters for a while already. It’s always exciting to have something new. Good job, OPI. And Hello there, Kitty 🙂