Have I left my heart in San Francisco? Well, honestly, after trying out these colors from the OPI San Francisco Collection, I’m starting to think I quite possibly could have.

Check out a preview of the Nicole By OPI Tink 2013 Summer Collection with 6 new shades. See PHOTOS —> HERE!

Let me start off by saying that OPI, as well as another popular nail polish brand (that will remain nameless), are quite possibly two of my most favorite polish brands of all time.

I remember the first time I bought an OPI polish with my own money – it was such a golden experience. Okay, enough of going down memory lane.

San Francisco by OPI brings street chic style with West Coast flava (Yup – that’s what I call it, flava) to nails and toes for the Fall/Winter Season 2013.

“This collection features a gorgeous palette of shades ranging from sky- and sea-colored hues of blues and gray to reds, burgundies and browns all inspired by some of the city’s most iconic places – Chinatown, the Golden Gate bridge and the Embarcadero.”

Liquid Sand

A mixture of texture (seen in the 3 new Liquid Sand Nail Lacquers), these earthy hues of taupe, blue and gray are awesome lacquers that dry to a textured, matte finish (and are infused with sparkle).

What’s the most popular nail polish color this summer? YELLOW! Find out which are the 9 Best Yellow Nail Lacquers —> HERE!

Not only are they gorgeous in the bottle, but stellar on nails, too. I am completely in love with textured polishes and have tried many from many brands on the market and I must say, “Way to go, OPI.”

These do not remind me of normal textured polishes, because their lasting power is phenomenal. I experienced little to no chipping when using the three colors I was given, and I wash dishes several times a day. But most importantly, I love that these are so darn easy to remove: I simply take my cotton ball that I have soaked with nail polish remover, apply to the nail that I want to remove the lacquer from and wait a second before moving it along the nail to remove the polish.

This Fall 2013, it’s all about matte nails with pops of unexpected PUNK color. Check it out —> HERE!

There is no crazy technique needed to remove it – it comes off like a dream. I LOVE IT. Not to mention it dries so quickly. I was able to do my nails about 10-minutes before running out of the door, and even though I did apply a quick dry treatment, I drove and did everything I would normally do without one nick. AWESOME.

Now, that goes for all the polishes in this collection, not just the textured ones. Drying time is a snap! Being that I am a mom with little guys, I have to make sure that my beauty needs can be made with little to no fuss. These polishes are awesome for that purpose. 🙂

Now, we are not done there… the San Francisco Collection by OPI also includes a wide range of lacquers from moody grays and blues to garnet and ruby jewel tones designed to be that perfect accessory for the fall’s hottest looks.

The shades included in the San Francisco Collection include:

A-Piers to Be Tan (a gorgeous chocolate tan)
Dining al Frisco (beautiful mid-toned/jewel-toned blue)
Haven’t the Foggiest (gorgeous silver-gray, almost gunmetal)
Peace & Love & OPI (awesome holographic deep sage and eggplant)
Keeping Suzi at Bay (A very bold, beautiful navy blue)
Incognito in Sausalito (deep and dark/almost black-blue)
Lost in Lombard (deep, rich garnet red)
I Knead Sour-Dough (jewel-toned warm reddish brown)
Mui Muir on the Wall (beautiful holographic plum/burgundy with pinkish shimmer)
In the Cable Car-Pool Lane (beautiful matte burgundy)
Embarca-Dare Ya! (metallic, jewel-toned magenta)
First Date at the Golden Gate (matte red/ruby shade – almost the perfect true red)
It’s All San Andreas’s Fault (earthy taupe color – Textured)
Wharf! Wharf! Wharf! (beautiful matte blue – Textured)
Alcatraz… Rocks (gorgeous glittery purple – Textured)

Now – let’s get into details and my thoughts on these gorgeous beauties.

Application

An easy process with the aid of the Pro Wide Brush — featured with all of the nail lacquer shades in the San Francisco Collection. This brush is perfect in that it covers most nail shapes in one sweep, but I also love that it is easy to use.

I didn’t experience any fraying of the brush or difficulty when applying the polish. For me, some brushes can make it difficult because I have nails that are a little on the smaller side than average, but these worked out well.

For the matte shades, it took me 2-3 coats for a great opaque application. For the jewel-toned/metallic-type shades, two coats worked really well and gave true color payoff and coverage.

Concrete nails are all the rage this summer! Check out some swatches and see how the concrete texture looks —> HERE!

For the Liquid Sand polishes, one coat worked well for full coverage, but if you want a bit more texture and a brighter, bolder color — I definitely do suggest two coats. Either way, it is definitely up to you and the look are you are aiming to achieve.

Tip: Take your time when applying any nail polish. While these brushes are awesome, the colors are very bold, so a steady hand will assist with fixing any mishaps later.

Wear

I was truly amazed at how well the polishes stood up to my everyday craziness. Though, I must admit, I am always impressed with OPI and their products. Through dishes, playing with the kids and being out in the yard living my normal but active life, wear lasted well.

I wore most of the colors without a top coat or base, and all of the shades held up to their original luster fairly well. While I did experience chipping after a week, I consider that to be normal, especially with the abuse I put my nails through. With a great top coat and base, I’m sure you will get longer use out of these polishes without a problem.

After removing the polishes, each of the shades did lend for a little bit of a nail color change or stain – I consider that pretty normal with darker hues. By having a base coat under your polish, this will assist with stain prevention, however, since I wanted to test the wear of them, I did not apply a base coat; staining may be eliminated altogether if I had used one.

Removing the polish was easy for me: I used my basic natural nail polish remover that I always use, and all of the polishes removed pretty effortlessly, including the textured Liquid Sand polishes.

Tip: If you are having a bit of trouble removing glitter or textured polishes, try saturating a piece of cotton in your nail polish remover. Apply directly to the nail of the polish you want to remove. Instead of removing the cotton ball immediately, leave it there for about a minute — in some cases 2-minutes for stubborn polishes — and then rub to remove.

Check out 5 Best Nail Art Designs Inspired By Swimsuits: Polka Dots, Plaid, Leopard, Color-Blocking Bathing Suits —> HERE!

Like all polishes, I like to smell them and see how strongly scented they are. I paint my nails at night and don’t like the strong scent of nail polish lingering in the house. They do have the normal OPI nail polish scent: not too strong, but you can smell it.

Overall Opinion

Great, gorgeous shades that will stop traffic. I just can’t stop looking down at my nails. These shades are the epitome of the Fall/Winter 2013 season — and a fashion statement all on their own.

San Francisco by OPI will be available for purchase on August 7, 2013 at professional salons like Beauty Brands, Beauty First, Chatters, Dillard’s, JCP Salons, Pure Beauty, Regis, Trade Secret, ULTA and online at www.ulta.com for $9.00 each.

After viewing this nail collection, did any of you beautynistas leave your hearts in San Francisco as well? Which shades are your favorite?

Let us know by commenting below (you just might win a free sample)! Make sure to check out our Pinterest page by clicking HERE! And don’t forget to get the latest beauty and skincare news by following us on Twitter @BeautyStat!

– Honey Kahoohanohano

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