EDIT: Now with 100% more commentary!
I promised I'd have these up on Monday, and damn it, I am going to post them before midnight!
The odds were against me today. I was supposed to have these on Friday, but UPS decided to reschedule my shipment! So today I waited and waited as all the good sunlight disappeared. No OPIs! I was about to give up hope when I heard the UPS man pull up... at 7:30PM!!! By this time the sun was setting and I had no light for swatches. (I took over 200 pictures of these outdoors in the sunset and not a single one turned out!)
But, here they are, finally, OPI La Collection De France!
I'm tired, so I'll spare you the commentary and let you admire the images without my constant nonsensical babble ;-)
A Oui Bit Of RedThis actually has a bit of fuchsia shimmer to it that wouldn't show up in the picture. You can see the hint of shimmer in the botttle if you look closely. It's your average red shimmer, very pretty, but not something I would wear.
Baguette Me NotReally odd muted salmon brown sort of color. Another "mom" color, but I really like it. It reminds me of fall. Very soft.
Bastille My HeartThis is a bit more purple in real life. A deep, shimmery, stainy (yikes!) wine shimmer. Pretty, but holy crap does this ever stain.
Crepes SuzietteThis is less red in real life. More of a muted burnt orange type of color. Another soft "mom" color that's extremely similar to Baguette Me Not, just a shade darker. In fact, this is a creme version of one of my favorites- Cheyenne Pepper. It's like Cheyenne Pepper without the beautiful golden shimmer.
Eiffel For This ColorHot. Seriously. It reminds me of Black Cherry Chutney. A deep, dark black cherry color with shimmer. Not terribly unique, but still awesome.
I'm Fondue Of YouLOVE this one. Chocolate brown with a touch of red and gold shimmer. Very 'fall'. It's similar to Rescue Beauty Lounge Noisette, but more subtle (and not quite as pretty!)
Yes... I Can-Can!Another cherry-colored polish! This says "Moulin Rouge" to me. Vampy, sexy, shimmery dark cherry.
You Don't Know JacquesThis is probably my favorite out of the collection. There aren't too many colors that look like this. It's very unusual! Is it grey or taupe or mousy brown? I'll probably wear this the most often out of all of these.
Louvre Me, Louvre Me NotHey, is this Zoya Jacy? Close, but a tad darker. Medium purple/plum with pink shimmer. Gorgeous.
Parlez-Vous OPI?This is wicked cool. It's a greyed lilac. Like Do You Lilac It's undead zombie sister. This *might* be tied with You Don't Know Jacques for my favorite of the collection. I can't decide. Maybe it's my second favorite.
Tickle My FranceyA coffee with too much cream nude. I don't wear nudes or pale colors, but I really love the way this looks. It's not your average nude, there's just something about it that's unique. It has that Rescue Beauty Lounge Grunge feeling to it, but more natural looking. Elegant, for sure.
We'll Always Have ParisA deep wine cream. Well, maybe not wine exactly, but purple-red-brown. Man, I think I really suck at describing colors. That's what pictures are for, I suppose. Vampy and rich, definitely not unique, but still beautful anyway.
These colors are not what I expected from seeing the promo pictures. I think there are really only three totally unique colors in this collection -You Don't Know Jacques, Parlez-Vous OPI, Tickle My Francey. They are all really pretty, but I feel that OPI played it too safe. What happened to the OPI that released Night Brights? I can see what they were going for in this collection, and I'm sure the average nail polish consumer would love all of these, but for a nail polish junkie like me, I've seen all these colors before. Red shimmer, vampy shimmer, vampy creme, wine creme, ho-hum.
I'm not saying that I don't like these- I think they're all gorgeous- but I think OPI could have been a little more, I don't know, exciting? Look at China Glaze's Rodeo Diva collection! They did a mixture of traditional and non-traditional colors and every single color came out awesome.
Then again, this is just my opinion and I know that I like my polish colors to be more "out there" and over the top- bring on the glitter, the duochromes and the neons! I do love my vampy colors, but the nail polish market is becoming SO saturated with them I'm starting to become bored! At least I have OPI's Halloween and Holiday collections to look forward to.
Louvre and Bastille are super pretty! Some of these are different than I expected. Although I think OPI could've taken a few more risks, they are very French (although I've never been there, I've taken 9 years of the language).
ReplyDeleteThanks for getting these swatches up! I can't wait to try these out for myself...although I should be on a spending diet because if RBL...Whoops :) I think I've already fallen off the wagon and my polishes haven't even gotten here yet.
Thanks again. Can't wait to read your comments on the collection.
WOW! i loved them all! i didn't see even one that i dislike [a huge problem for my bank account :)]
ReplyDeletethanks for the great post!
Crepes suziette really looks like Lunch at the delhi, mm only a few out of this collection that tickle my fancey! :)
ReplyDeleteOh and scrangie, I changed the name of my blog so it doesnt go there when I click on nail juice from your page?
ReplyDeleteOh, no! I thought three would be enough and now I might have to add another two...
ReplyDeleteI'm glad to see that I think I ordered the right colors! :D Yay!
ReplyDeleteOh, you are the best Scrangie! I'm only drawn to Can-can, and that's not even a serious craving! I think all the other brands have managed mch better with their shades this fall!
ReplyDeleteNot really feeling this collection, and the ones I do like will probably be too warm for me. That China Glaze is hands down the best fall collection.
ReplyDeleteThanks Scrangie, for NOT giving me lemmings for a change, lol! ;-)
I agree with Carla g, I'm not feeling this collection either (for once, I will save my pennies!!) but I can't WAIT to get my well-manicured mitts on the ChG fall collection :)
ReplyDeleteAt first,before seeing any swatches, I thoght this collex looked so boring compared to ChG, Misa etc. Ok, I've changed my mind! I LOVE it! I love them all. Which is not good for my economy!!!! gorgeous pics!
ReplyDeleteYou can actually see your reflection in your nails in some of the pix! Oh and Parlez-Vous OPI? is unique and sexy.
ReplyDeleteThese are much prettier than I thought they would be! I got the Cafe Cuties collection, which has mini sizes of the purple ones (Parlez vous Opi?, Louvre me Louvre me Not, and Eiffel for this Colour). I can't wait to try them.
ReplyDeleteSo far, I've bought about 40 polishes this summer ... thanks to all the nail bloggers out there, but especially you Scrangie :). Thankfully, my friends and family think my addiction is cute and look forward to my nails changing every couple of days!
Thanks Scrangie!
ReplyDeleteNow I need:
Baguette me not
Crepes suziettte
Eiffel for this colour
You Don't Know Jacques
Louvre Me, Louvre Me Not
Parlez-Vous OPI?
Tickle My Francey
Your nails are beautiful and thanks for the time you take to swatch all these colours for us!
I didn't think this collection looked particularly interesrting until I saw them all on your nails! I'm more of a summer colours girl, not a big fan of vamps, so I'll be still wearing my brights and corals into winter, withthe addition of a few fall colours.
Btw Scrangie, are you learning Swedish? I've been seeing you writing Swedish in Sanna' comment section all the time and you're doing really REALLY good!
ReplyDelete*dies* I wasn't too excited for this collection but now I'm really looking forward to it. <3
ReplyDeleteScrangie, you are my hero! Thank you so much for the swatches. I miss your comments, thou, it's my fav part :)
ReplyDeleteI'm still not digging this collection. I got Eiffel, for I'm a known sucker for vampies; after your swatches I'll get TMF - it looks TDF on you; and that's it.
Thanks for your beautiful swatches! It confirms for me that I don;t have to have any of them tho
ReplyDeleteScrangie, perfect swatches, perfectly painted nails! Thank you for taking the time to do this. :) Some interesting colors from OPI here...
ReplyDeleteGrace, you're welcome! They are different than what I expected as well!
ReplyDeleteNitzan, thanks :) They are all perfect for fall!
Nail_juice, I'll have to compare the two! I think maybe they are similar, I'll have to go look! Might save someone some cash ;-) And thanks for letting me know, I'll have to update it right away!
Sminkan, I had three originally picked out for this collection... then I decided I needed them all XD
Chaosophia, yay! I know everything will look great on you :D
Rocketqueen, aw thanks! :D I think OPI was playing it a little safe, but at least I have the awesome China Glaze collections to satisfy me :)
Carla G, lol! :D Happy I could 'help' ;-) I think the China Glaze collection is the best of all!
Lina-Elvira, you will love the China Glaze collection. I do! ;-)
Sanna, they are all very pretty and not what I expected from the promo pics!
Skramnor, I agree! And oops, I try to keep my reflection out as much as I can because it interferes with the accurate portrayal of the color- I guess I still need some practice!
Melli, hahaha aww :) This is the only addiction that can make you more beautiful instead of less, that's what I always say! ;-)
Bethch, thank you so much! I'm definitely more of a fall girl, so these colors appeal to me :D But I'll still be wearing the occasional neon green in the dead of winter!
Rocketqueen, jag ar inlarning Svenska, but it's really tricky! Thank you, I am trying my best :D
Steph, I thought some of these would be right up your alley! :D
Masa_inn, thank you! You're too kind :D I am surprised by how much I like Tickle My Francey- it's a nude I can actually feel comfortable wearing!
Diann_co, thanks! I'm here to help one way or the other- to give lemmings or to save money :)
Dani, thank you so much! You're very kind! :D
I know a lot of folks were unhappy with this collection, but I'm lovin' it! I think each color is fantastic! Oh, and the new Gems collection from Orly is fab, too!
ReplyDeleteJättebra Scrangie!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for these!
ReplyDeleteI wonder how You Don't Know Jacques compares to Butter London's Fash Pack?
:( i have been refraining from painting my nails for the past few days since ive started painting them so much they have stunted growth SOOO much !!and i hhad to cut them due to too many broken ones :( im with bethch...more of a neons girl myself so fall colours don get me too excited until i see them on scrangie in the sun :) hope to see a few of these out door...i love the names for these i think on of my faves is "you dont know jacques" (think i spelled it wrong)
ReplyDeletebeautiful swatches your so awesome!!
Danielle
thank you so much for the swatches! I knew I could count on you =)
ReplyDeleteThe collection is so blah though..so many repeats IMO. I am liking Parle vouz OPI? a bit.
And I personally love the comments!
Anonymous, I just got the Orly Gems and I'm actually finishing up my pics now! :D
ReplyDeleteRocketqueen, tack! ;-)
Firepail, I don't have the Butter London, but from the pictures I've seen of it, it looks similar to but lighter than You Don't Know Jacques :)
Danielle, thank you! :) As soon as I have some sunlight I'd love to do outdoor pictures of these, they always turn out way better. It's been so overcast today. *sigh*
Lenka, thank you! :) I'm glad someone likes my odd stream-of-consciousness commentary, lol
overcast sucks :( and your comments JUST GOT ME SOOOOOO EXCITED!!! THIS WILL BE MY FIRST YEAR (as a polish lover) COLLECTIND HALLOWEEN AND X-MAS COLLECTIONS. oh man i am soooo excited!!! it must be really hard to be origional around those collections for the companies huh???
ReplyDelete<3
Danielle
As usual, gorgeous swatches and I love your commentary! Do you know why vampies are becoming such a staple in nail collections?
ReplyDeleteI am so surprised by Tickle my France-y! Looks like I better head out after work and pick one up...:)
You know, before this collection came out I totally thought I was all over Eiffel, but...eh. It's just not doing it for me. Maybe I just have too many similar colors?
ReplyDeleteTotally getting Can-Can, Paris, Parlez-Vous (hot!), and Tickle My France-y (a surprise want for me), though)!
thx so much for ur amazing swatches!! u never disappoint. i wonder if tickle my francey would look good on a nc35?
ReplyDeletei agree-opi kinda payed it safe. i think its because they are more "mainstream" like essie and cater to a different audience more than to hard core nail-ies like ourselves.
how do you have such nice nails, and such great polish application?! hmph! i'm awfully jealous.
ReplyDeletethanks again for the gooooorgeous pix!
thank you so much for the pictures!! i love your swatches so much.
ReplyDelete"Like Do You Lilac It's undead zombie sister." - ROFL!!! So true :)
ReplyDeleteLove the photos, thanks so much.
ReplyDeleteThe August 5th post on this website compares the France collection - bottle to bottle, no photos - to some other OPI shades.
http://mezzamy.blogspot.com/2008/08/preliminary-thoughts-on-opi-la.html
Scrangie, mezzamy also said that Eiffel for this Color reminded her of Black Cherry Chutney.
Thanks for the swatches Scrangie! I have to agree with you. I think I am only going to get tickle and parlez. YDKJ looks very close to Sephora Opi's Metro Chic which I was lucky to get. The others do nothing for me. :(
ReplyDeletePicked mine -- Tickle, Parlez and Jacques. Scrangie, I'd love to see what would your top 10 or 20 polishes are one day. :)
ReplyDeleteHow does Parlez-Vous OPI? compare to Metro Chic?
ReplyDeleteDanielle, Halloween is always my favorite and that usually means one thing to me: GLOW IN THE DARK!! :D
ReplyDeleteJ., Thank you! As much as I like vampy colors, I feel like nail polish companies seem to be taking the easy path- instead of coming up with new colors, they're coming out with the obvious choices for the season.
Samhainophobia, it is a hot color, but you're right, I have lots of similar colors, maybe that's it :)
Ocelot1, THANK YOU :) And I'm glad you agree! I think it would look good on an NC35, it seems like it would be warm enough to look like a natural nude color on a darker skintone. I think you should try it out and see how you like it :)
Andie, part genetics, part obsession and a lifelong love of nail polish :) Thank you!!
Robyn, thank you so much, that makes me so happy! :D
Masa_inn, lol :D
Watcher, thank you for posting that! Very interesting, indeed!
Asia12mb, I should have Metro Chic hopefully this week, I can't wait to compare them.
Shryh, I'd love to do a list like that :D I don't know if I can even narrow it down to 20, I love so many polishes! lol Maybe a top 50, or even a top 100 XD I could do that!
Indigomoon, I should have Metro Chic soon, maybe as soon as Friday and I'll compare them as soon as I have it :D
Scrangie,
ReplyDeleteThanks for posting these swatches;
Let me be frank: those swatches that you consider "Mom" colors are the ones for me.
I'm somebody's MOm, and I tend to be on the conservative side with my mani's (not so with the pedi's) because of professional reasons.
I find the OPI Collection 'tres chic,' and perfect for us "Moms" who need to remain professionally appropriate.
As much as I can admire the fun of China Glaze fashion-forward looks, I appreciate the other end of the scale for what I can wear (or 'get away with' as my daughter says)..
Keep up the great blog; I always look forward to your postings.
Hi Sage1! Thank you for the kind words :) I completely understand- when I use the phrase "mom color" it's not meant in a derogatory manner, it's just something I can picture my mom wearing. I like those colors too, I hope my nickname for them is not offensive! I appreciate and value everyone's tastes, thank you so much for your comment, Sage1!
ReplyDeletedid you just say GLOW IN THE DARK?!?!?!?! :D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D
ReplyDeletewe have simialr polish tastes..funky funky funky :)...the only difference ,is one your begining to make me change!!!(VAMPIES)your so great
<3
Danielle
Danielle, yes, GLOW IN THE DARK!! :D I love glow in the dark!! Every year OPI and Wet 'N Wild release a glow in the dark polish (and Wet 'N Wild does a glow in the dark lipstick too hehe) I can't wait for Halloween!!
ReplyDeleteLove this france collection, I really like eiffel. Think I may have to purchase that one! (as if my polish collection isn't big enough already!
ReplyDeleteI've been looking for great natural looking french manicure colours from OPI. I've tried coney island but it was way too streaky and the colour wasn't right on me. Would it be possible for you to swatch a french using one coat alpine snow on the tips and one coat of bubble bath? I hope I'm not being too cheeky!
BTW love your blog, I can't make a polish purchase wiithout consulting your swatches first, your nails are incredible! Many Thanks!
Alison, thank you! Of course I'll do that French mani for you :)
ReplyDeleteso obv the op G-I-T-D will be better then?? (just for future reference lol!)
ReplyDelete<3
Danielle
Danielle, actually, I've found that the OPI and the Wet N Wild are pretty close in quality, but OPI usually only does a mini bottle of GITD, and Wet N Wild does a full size :)
ReplyDeleteI personally love these. I know a lot of them are dupes of previous colours, but I just love them. I picked up Parlez-Vous OPI?, Eiffel for this Color and I'm Fondue of You yesterday! I think the only thing that attracted to me to IFOY is the name, lol...but it IS a gorgeous chocolate brown! And I LOVE PVO...I never thought I'd be able to wear anything along the lines of lilac...but it went very well with my Asian skin tone! And EFTC just looked gorgeous in your swatch and I *had* to get it. I want to get Louvre Me Louvre me Not too but I may have too many purples already...
ReplyDeleteKarman, TOO MANY PURPLES??? No such thing!! ;-P
ReplyDeleteI'm really in love with Parlez-Vous OPI right now... So strange yet so beautiful!
Hahaha... I guess as an addict I shouldn't really have said that, but it seems like all I ever buy nowadays are purples!! I recently bought Zoya Suvi and Kotori, as well as OPI Ink...so I'm trying to expand more into blues and greens too...but...yes...I do love purple.
ReplyDeleteKarman, funny you should mention them, I am posting the Zoya Downtown collections swatches later! My favorite Zoya collection :)
ReplyDeleteWoohoo! I can't wait!
ReplyDeletethank youu!!!
ReplyDeleteDanielle
Do you know what happened to Cheyenne Pepper?
ReplyDeleteDo you know what happened to Cheyenne Pepper?
ReplyDeleteAnonymous, hmm. I thought it was part of the Classics, but I was wrong! I think it has been discontinued :( I still see it around in stores, so I didn't think it had been discontinued :( Sorry!
ReplyDeleteHi scrangie. Bought the TMF-ey and the coverage is superb & goes well with tanned fingers (cycling gloves tan lines) :-P
ReplyDeletedo you have any OPI flesh tone colours that have good coverage but in a light pinky beige colour (Miso Happy with this Color is too pinky for my skin tone)... maybe something like the Sally Hansen's Maximum Growth Delicate Rose ?
Hi there Fudge! I do have lots of those types of colors, but I rarely wear them so I'm not as familiar with them as I am with other colors.. I will look through the ones I have and see which ones match what you're looking for :)
ReplyDeleteI love these colours! Thanks so much for posting them..I've ordered a mini set called Cafe Cuties which contains Eiffel For This Colour (my favourite based on your swatches), Parlez Vous OPI & Louvre Me, Louvre Me Not (the colour which originally attracted my attention) & I can't wait to try them for myself! I only wish that all the brands you've posted were available in the UK as I've really fallen in love with some of the colours- probably lucky for my wallet!
ReplyDeleteHi Astrid! :) I think the Cafe Cuties is a great set! I really love OPI minis, too. I need to find more brands that are available in the UK, since most of my readers are European! I feel guilty sometimes posting brands that aren't available :(
ReplyDeleteI always think that you guys in the States have much better polishes anyway! Plus, it's safer on the wallet not to get tempted by even more polishes!
ReplyDeleteI'm so pleased with my Cafe Cuties collection- the colours are fantastic, especially Eiffel for this Colour & it's such good value for money. I'm finding the cute, teeny pots make application a little fiddly (I miss my ProWide!) but guess I'll just have to practise! Thanks again!
Astrid, you're welcome :D I bet your nails look fantastic in those OPI colors!
ReplyDeleteHi, thanks for your help last time with french manicure colours! i'll be trying them out during my sch hol :) btw, i did my nails at a palour but i cant remember the colour!
ReplyDeletei know its from the france collection, i bought effiel for this colour and it seems too dark for the colour i did..
description: looks dark, but under light it will be a reddish shimmer.. could u help me identify? so sry but thanks for your help!!
just to check, could i email you in future if i have any enquiries dear?
I really like the look of Parlez Vous Opi - i'm digging the whole lilac - grey deal for fall. However, after looking at the Sephora -Opi collection and seeing Call Your Mother, I'm finding it hard to decide which one i should get, or if i should get both. Which one did you like better? Right now i think i'm leaning towards Parlez Vous Opi, but i probably need a second opinion. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteYixuan, could it be Yes I Can-Can? I will have to look at it under light, but that might be it :)
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, you can email me any time, I am always happy to help! :D
M, definitely Parlez-Vous OPI! The color is a little richer but the application is MUCH nicer. You can also get it cheaper than the $OPI :) Hope this helps :)
Hi, Do you still have Jacques :)
ReplyDeletesophie.parkjm@gmail.com
Just to clear things up in case there's confusion: I'm not a store, I don't sell polish! I just buy it, hehehe :)
ReplyDeleteAnd now in hind sight - this is a top rated collection of all time for OPI from fans - this and the Russia Collection continue to come up at top rated collections...but know where you are at. I have been collecting polish in various collection stashes since the early 60's. Once we broke out of the old frost formulas and 'they' worked to get shimmer more than a tiny something in the polish, we have come a long way. But it's like looking at any subject you know well. When you reach that point of you have seen it and know most all of it, you are an expert and that is not who the market on polish is playing to always. Right now I am feeling there will be a return to some of the old 'mom' colors being updated and brought back out. There is a reason orange hit so big this summer - we have not had much in corals for years. It's time again - also time for the mauves to hit again.
ReplyDelete