This collection by OPI was released this fall and has a bunch of very nice fall/winter season shades in it. Fifteen shades, to be precise. The shades are not too light, not too artsy, very grounded and perfectly suitable for any fall or winter. Also, you’d probably like them, if you are not a fan of pastels or neons, prefer womanly, well rounded shades and don’t mind some pleasant modern manicure colour distractions from time to time. In case you are a fan of greens – I’m with you there, by the way 🙂 – this collection might appeal to you too, because there are four green shades in it. Four greens out of fifteen is a rare thing, you know. The greens in this collection aren’t too edgy, they are darker and sultry instead. You’ll see. All in all, Washington, D.C. by OPI is a nice batch of nail colours, it’s versatile too, so the chances are there’s something here to suit your taste.
Well? Do you see something you like? Maybe, you will come to like it even more, once you see more of each shade.
NL W61 614721 Shh…It’s Top Secret!
A deep chocolate brown. Elegant.
There’s something about chocolate brown nail shades. They are hot. Hot as hot chocolate, you know.
Deeper browns on the nails are sexy in a very understated chic way. Not in an on the nose way. They are not a sultry cliché like, say, reds.
As a result, you get both hot and modern here, and that’s rare, because modern usually tends to lean to artsy.
Dark brown nail shades are a great alternative to black manicure. If you don’t like black on the nails but want to achieve the same effect, this shade is just right for you.
This brown in particular is awesome because it’s dark without being too dark. It’s very well balanced and reveals different sides depending on the light you’re in.
Just be aware that there’s no pearl, no sparkle here, nothing, just dead on chocolate brown colour. So, you really have to be darker manicures fan to like it.
Next shade.
NL W67 612611 Inside the ISABELLEtway
Some people would say this is brown too. Only lighter brown. Others would say it’s a darker warmer beige. See what you think 🙂
Whatever you see in this shade, there’s definitely warmth about it. It’s very warm and very nice. Softer than that chocolate brown.
If Shh…It’s Top Secret! is way to dark for you to ever wear it, but you want the same languid warm brownish look, you might achieve it with this one.
The thing I, for one, like about it is that it’s not nearly as common as chocolate brown. Chocolate brown is done and released a lot in nail colour world.
While this lighter brown is pretty rare. More or less, only professional brands make it, luxury brands don’t venture into light brown territory too often.
So, it’s a great shade that’s not too artsy and doesn’t stand out too much, at the same time, there’s definitely a zest about it that makes your manicure special.
On we go.
NL W59 613812 Freedom of Peach
For starters, Freedom of Peach is a nice pun. Good job, OPI. In terms of shade, it’s coral, and it’s one of those very few corals I like.
It’s not a super fun vibrant summery coral. There are so many of them on the market. Dozens of variations. Hundreds, probably.
And it’s not your cute little girly and romantic pastel coral, which is also something pretty common for manicure territory.
This coral is mature in a very good way. It’s not light minded and not light headed. Instead, it’s serious, kind of, and sophisticated.
One of the few corals you could wear to work and feel quite comfortable with in an office setting. And it will conveniently match a lot of outfits – beige, brown, mustard yellow.
There’s something moody and classy about this coral. To my eye, corals are rarely elegant. This one is an exclusion to the rule though, and a nice one.
Next.
NL W57 613122 Pale to the Chief
If you’re a nude manicure fan, you’ve been probably sitting all through the shades we’ve talked about already going – la-la-la-la-la, when am I going to get, finally, interested?
Well, here’s something that’s probably more your kind of thing. This shade is very classically and very nude beige.
It’s on the cusp of cool beige and warm beige, so when you move your hands, it leans more towards one or the other depending on the way you move and the light you’re in.
I, for one, was sure this beige will be very warm after seeing it in the bottle, so I was surprised, when it settled on my nails and looked cooler than expected.
It being so much in between cool and warm beige though solves the eternal puzzle of – cool beiges work better for me or, maybe, warm beiges work better for me, you know.
No need to think about that and rack your brain anymore. Instead, you could apply Pale to the Chief and enjoy your nude manicure to the full.
Moving on here.
NL W64 614112 We the Female
We the Female is a good name for a red nail shade. What can be more womanly than that? Ok, Ok, it’s arguable, I know. Depends on a woman.
For some of us green nail shades are the most womanly ones. For others nudes are. But you’d probably agree that, classically speaking, reds are the ultimate manicure colours.
This shade is a very interesting red mix too. It’s like wine meets cherry and lands somewhere in between creating a new and fresh red shade.
And this red proves to be immensely pleasant. Not too bright like all the holiday reds we’ve been seeing over and over again this season.
Not too dark like black cherry shades that look almost black at times. Instead this shade is sultry, hot, mysterious and, yes, womanly, female on a deep deep level.
I love this red, because I don’t think I’ve seen quite a shade like that before. Wow. This shade is beautiful. Gorgeous. Spectacular. Wine cherry.
Here’s our first green.
NL W66 614021 “Liv” in the Gray
Gray? Where’s grey though? Green, yes. I see green here. But grey… If anything, this green is warm, not cool. So, I can’t really say it’s grey green.
It’s more of a khaki green, if anything. Warmish. And dark as dark can be. But not dark enough to suppress the green. It’s green, for sure.
The more I wear it, the more I come to understand though, why there’s ‘gray’ in the name of this green shade that looks so warm, khakish almost.
It looks different at different angles. Sometimes warmer and khaki like. Sometimes cooler and with a touch of grey, but always dark.
Such shades that cooperate with light and are versatile enough to reveal their different sides depending on the situation, are always interesting. You just need to learn them well.
You’ll like this green, if you prefer nail shades that don’t stand out too much, that are darker and more calm, and if you don’t mind an interesting spin on your manicures.
More. And it’s not green 🙂
NL W62 613911 Madam President
Madam President? Ok 🙂 It’s interesting to see what shade OPI considers becoming and suitable for a woman president.
It’s a red shade. And it’s surprisingly bright rather than dark. Raspberry like. But there’s more to it than raspberry. I’d say, it’s raspberry pink.
Unexpected for Madam President, I’d say. Personally, I’d go for something more subdued here. Red, yes, I get this choice, but this seems a little too bright to me.
If we get distracted from the whole Madam President thing though, it’s a nice raspberry pink shade. Bright, still very much of a classic.
A nice alternative to all the reds and all the pinks. In fact, this shade is red meets pink, makes friends with it and unites red and pink manicure fans.
This shade is intense, vibrant and happy on a certain level. It’s elegant and fun at the same time. And very optimistic. Full of life.
Moving on.
NL W60 614011 Squeaker of the House
Squeaker of the House? Nice shade name 🙂 The shade itself is even nicer. It’s greige. Or else, dark greige, I’d say.
It’s like they took milk and coffee and added just a splash of grey in it. I love milk and coffee shades, and this one is stunning.
It’s just so appealing and so flattering for most of us. It’s not too dark, but darker in this inherently sultry way.
Milk and coffee and greige are one of the few shades that are exceptional, really, subdued and elegant and special. And this shade is a combination of the two. Wow.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen a shade like Squeaker of the House before. It’s a fun and cute pun of a shade name, by the way.
A magnificent darker manicure option that’s not too dark. Hot and beautiful and all the good things. Love it and wanna wear it.
On we go.
NL W54 614422 Stay Off the Lawn!!
As long as there’s ‘lawn’ in the shade name, it must be green. And it is. The second one in this collection. Emerald green. Only this emerald green is on the darker side.
Actually, it’s exciting, because it’s dark, on the one hand, and markedly emerald green, on the other side. Which is awesome.
Emerald green is usually saturated with light. Stay Off the Lawn!! somehow manages to keep this quality and be dark at the same time. How come? I don’t know. Only OPI does 🙂
This green is simply wonderful. With it you’ll get a darker gem colour manicure that’s lush and exquisite.
At the same time, this green is dark enough, where you don’t have to worry much about it being, well, green 🙂 and too artsy.
I have to tell you, I usually prefer green as green can be nail shades, but this hot green manicure option is pleasant, and I’ll enjoy it this fall/winter season and then some.
Next.
NL W65 617211 Kerry Blossom
Dark night like purple. Is not to be mixed up with plum. Plum is warmer than this. This shade is as dark and intense as plum, only it’s considerably cooler.
It’s somewhere in between plum and black cherry and sort of a mix of the two. And even if it’s not as warm as plum, it’s definitely as hot of a manicure choice.
It’s like a modern version of plum, more fresh and a little more artsy, still it has all the sexy plum potential in it.
Dark manicures are mysterious and exciting. And Kerry Blossom is the right shade to nail both in one manicure.
This shade is a keeper, it will work any fall/winter season. It’s one of those shades we want in our stash, because we’ll keep coming back to them.
Kerry Blossom is a very femme fatale like purple. Deep and dark and everything. There’s a glam rock charge in it intertwined with elegance.
Let’s keep going.
NL W63 616632 OPI by Popular Vote
Boy, reds in this collection are splendid. Just when you thought you know everything about red nail colours, OPI creates this beauty.
OPI by Popular Vote has a nice sound to it. And it’s red. To be more specific, it’s red meets raspberry. Sounds impossible? Check it out.
This shade is bright and gorgeous and very wearable all at the same time. The raspberry mixed in it softens it up and brings out all the elegance and womanly feel there is in it. And there is a lot.
If you don’t like classic reds in manicures, or if you are just tired of them, OPI by Popular Vote is the shade that will help you get back in the red groove.
And if all the bright and merry reds make total sense to you within holiday season, but make less sense, once the holiday season is over, this shade works all year round.
If you like pinks on your nails, by the way, you can try this nail colour as a very bright version of pink with a red twist, you might get a kick out of it in fall and winter.
More shades? Yes!
NL W56 614812 Never a Dulles Moment
You know what my second favourite nail colour after green is? Yellow. OPI obviously decided to make me really happy this season 🙂 because here’s yellow.
The shade name is cute. The yellow shade is very much like that coral shade – remember? – in a way that it’s an elegant yellow leaning to mustard.
What I love about Never a Dulles Moment is that it doesn’t fully arrive to mustard. It stops somewhere before getting there.
But it travels far enough in this direction to drift away from artsy yellow and to get to elegant yellow. Elegant yellow – that doesn’t happen too often 🙂
If you usually shun yellow nail colours, this might be your way into the whole yellow manicure world. And there is a world there, trust me 🙂
Never a Dulles Moment has a big combo and matching potential in it. You can wear it with your beige, brown and coral outfits. And many more.
Speaking about more…
NL W53 615322 CIA = Color is Awesome
Another green. Yay! This one is dark. It’s cooler than “Liv” in the Gray, which is khaki like and darker than emerald green Stay Off the Lawn!!
It’s emerald green taken to a new and darker level. You know what this shade is? It’s a cool counterpart of dark dark “Liv” in the Gray.
It’s emerald with all or most of the light and vibrance taken out of it. Instead, it’s sultry and hot. And dark.
Dark manicure fans would love this one. Even if this shade is not as vibrant, you can see it’s green. It’s not really off black.
Makes me think that it might be fun to combine dark emerald CIA = Color is Awesome with dark emerald infused with light Stay Off the Lawn!! in one manicure.
Also, this shade will be a great base shade for topping with glitters. That is, if you feel creative. If you don’t, just stick with this posh dark nail colour.
One but last.
NL W58 615311 Yank My Doodle
Do you like brick manicures? Brick red manicures? Then this shade might be interesting. It’s brick without much red.
Pretty much, there’s just brick there. That is, orange brownish or brownish orange colour, medium in terms of brightness.
This nail colour is a great metaphor for fall. When I look at it, I see fallen leaves. On the other hand, you could see more red in it. It depends on your colour perception.
If you see more red in it, Yank My Doodle can even work as an edgy holiday season manicure choice.
Just like most shades in this collection, this one is a modern take on classics. If red brick is a classic, this nail colour is more than just red brick.
Still, it’s a mix of red and brown and orange, in essence, so you can easily wear it in any situation, where you’d wear any of the three otherwise.
The last one.
NL W55 615212 Suzi – The First Lady of Nails
The last shade in the collection and the last green. If “Liv” in the Gray was a darker khaki like green, this one is all khaki.
It’s lighter than “Liv” in the Gray, and the khaki part is more pronounced here. This khaki green is well rounded and medium to darker.
Yet again in this collection OPI creates a green nail shade that even those of us who aren’t usually keen on greens can wear and like.
Yet again they turn a shade artsy in its core all elegant and sophisticated. That’s a lot to ask, and they pulled it repeatedly in this collection.
This khaki green is warm and pretty and pleasing. It can be very hot too, should you want to play it this way.
This shade is a great final chord for this collection that will look good in fall and winter for sure and can be a dark manicure colour for spring and summer. Oh, and Suzi – The First Lady of Nails is a fun name 🙂
That’s Washington, D.C. collection by OPI. The greens are great. Especially the light saturated emerald and this last khaki green shade. Also I like the intense yellow and the brick and the coffee milk meets greige. The collection is well put together. And I love the concept of taking the shades that are traditionally edgy and showing that they can be womanly and elegant and understated. And that we can all try them, at least, and, maybe, even come to love them. All nail shades out there have a very big range in them. What they are like depends on how the brands choose to present them this particular season and on how you wear them, what you where them with, what occasion you picked them for. So, edgy can be elegant and elegant can be very edgy sometimes, if you know what I mean. This bigger concept behind the collection is very appealing and very true. Good job, OPI 🙂
Browns
Corals
Beiges
Yellow
Reds
Purple
Greens
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