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OPI San Francisco for Fall 2013 Blues & Browns Nail Polish Swatches & Review

By on October 29, 2013
in Blue, Brown, Duochrome, OPI, Sand/Texture

I’ve never been to San Francisco but I’ve eaten my fair share of Rice-A-Roni over the years. Does that count? San Francisco is one of those cities I almost don’t want to visit because I fear I may love it so much, I’ll never want to leave. Do you know what I mean?

OPI San Francisco nail polish collection for Fall 2013

OPI San Francisco - Blues and Browns

Affiliate Link|Press Sample

Clearly, OPI shares my long distance love affair with the city as its the subject of their Fall 2013 collection. Though, this year they have expanded their usual twelve color offering to introduce three new Liquid Sand shades. Today I’m showing you the first half of the collection which consists of blue and brown hues, including the three textured nail polishes. One of which I’m simply swooning over.

Formula & Application: OPI is a 4-free brand. The OPI Pro Wide brush is flat, wide and medium in length. It’s of average stiffness and easily spreads out on the nail when pressed. The only downside to the Pro Wide brush is that it can be too wide for slim fingers or little toes.

There is a range of finishes and textures in this collection but one thing they have in common is pigmentation. All eight of these shades provide full coverage in two coats. The cremes all flow well on the nail and dry nice and glossy while the textures are thin enough to easily control. Note: Liquid Sand is meant to be worn sans top coat and they dry somewhat matte.

The only really issue I had was with Dining Al Frisco. The pearl in this polish made for a brush marked finish and it kept pooling on the nail no matter how much I wiped off my brush. In short, it was bother.

OPI A-Piers To Be Tan is a golden brown creme that feels reminiscent of horse hair or cowboy boot leather. It’s unusual color to my collection, as I don’t normally wear shades like this. If you’re looking for a color reference, China Glaze Desert Sun is a lighter version.

OPI A-Piers To Be Tan nail polish swatch

OPI A-Piers To Be Tan

OPI Dining Al Frisco is an icy sky blue shimmer. This was such a promising shade in the bottle. The silvery swirls of pearl, the tiny light blue sparkles peeking out at me. A shame it was such a pain to apply. I redid one nail FOUR times. That’s just too much for me.

OPI Dining Al Frisco nail polish swatch

OPI Dining Al Frisco

OPI Incognito in Sausalito is an inky, midnight blue creme with the slightest hint of teal. It doesn’t cross the line to say, RBL Teal territory, but it definitely has that blackened seawater undertone.

OPI Incognito in Sausalito nail polish swatch

OPI Incognito in Sausalito

OPI Keeping Suzi At Bay is a kicky blue creme with a jelly-ish texture. It’s also the most sheer polish in the collection though it still covers in two coats. I liken it to China Glaze Manhunt, though they’re certainly not twins, and it has the texture of OPI Dating A Royal.

OPI Keeping Suzi At Bay nail polish swatch

OPI Keeping Suzi At Bay

OPI Peace & Love & OPI is a multi-chromatic shade that flashes teal and magenta over a silvery browned base. It’s a dead-on dupe for Essie For The Twill of It and has the same brush-stroke issues that come with most metallics. Though I love this shade so much, they’re worth it.

OPI Peace Love OPI nail polish swatch

OPI Peace & Love & OPI

OPI Alcatraz Rocks is a ridiculously gorgeous Liquid Sand polish. Its indigo base is packed with a carnival of sparkling glitters in gold, pink, purple and blue. If any color screamed, “party nail!” it would be this one.

OPI Alcatraz Rocks Liquid Sand nail polish swatch

OPI Alcatraz Rocks

If you’re looking at OPI It’s All San Adreas’s Fault and thinking the color looks familiar, you’re not alone. The base is a pretty close match for OPI Over The Taupe only in Liquid Sand form. This is a creme based texture so the particles look like miniature Nerds candy on the nail.

OPI It's All San Andreas's Fault liquid sand

OPI It's All San Andreas's Fault

OPI Wharf! Wharf! Wharf! Liquid Sand has a rich blue base that reminds me of one of my all-time fave shades, China Glaze Bermuda Breakaway. While I’m not as much of a fan of the creme-based Liquid Sand polishes, the vividness of the shade draws me in.

OPI Wharf! Wharf! Wharf! liquid-sand

OPI Wharf! Wharf! Wharf!

Bottom Line: Alcatraz Rocks has to be one of the best textured polishes I’ve seen thus far (and you know how I love me some PixieDust). Peace & Love & OPI gets my thumbs up the same was Essie For Twill of It did but you only need one or the other. The rest of the shades are nice but they don’t exactly curl my toes. Though Wharf! Wharf! Wharf! will make it into my regular manicure rotation.

OPI San Francisco is available now at salons nationwide including Beauty Brands, Beauty First, Chatters, Dillard’s, jcp Salons, Pure Beauty, Regis, Trade Secret, and ULTA. They are also available at the first authorized online seller ULTA.com. OPI nail polish retails for $9/ea for a .5oz bottle. For more info visit OPI.com.

Which of the San Francisco shades are calling your name? Are you still into Liquid Sand or ready to move on?

Disclosure: Product samples were provided by reps for OPI. Affiliate links appear in this post. When you purchase through an affiliate link, you help support this site. For more info view my Disclosure Policy

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There Are 15 Brilliant Comments

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  1. Elicia says:

    I bought Alcatraz rocks and WWW a few weeks ago at a local supply store. When I wore Alcatraz Rocks, 4 different people asked me what it was! I LOVE it (even wore it for 5 days , which is a record for me!) with a topcoat it looks even better!

  2. Amy Myers says:

    I bought Keeping Suzi at Bay and adore it. My five year old loves to wear it too. It’s a great TARDIS blue in my opinion. I really want Alcatraz Rocks too. It’s so pretty!

  3. Rose says:

    I LOVE reading your reviews, and I’m so glad you posted this collection. I’m compelled to write only because I was surprised that you had difficulty applying Dining Al Frisco. I had no problems whatsoever with the formula, brush, etc. Do you think it might just be a “bad” bottle, perhaps damaged by heat or sun exposure? As for the rest of the colors, I have to say that I like the entire collection but Alcatraz really is something special. Thanks.

    • Michelle Mismas says:

      I don’t know what it is. I hope it was a bad bottle because I was so frustrated I almost gave up on it altogether.

  4. Lorraine says:

    I live in SF and am nail polish obsessed. So I am happy OPI SF collection did not disappoint! I collected most of the shades. My faves were the reds and the shimmers, but I also picked up Incognito and Alcatraz Rocks- my very first Liquid Sand. It is gorgeous!

  5. Risu says:

    I picked up Alcatraz Rocks and Incognito in Sausalito when my local Trade Secret had a going out of business sale and ohhhhhmygod, most beautiful textured polish EVER. I was going to pick up Peace&Love&OPI, but when I saw it and the Essie were dupes, I went with the Essie for the smaller brush. I love me some blues but I already have shades similar to the other two.

  6. Danii says:

    I haven’t seen Alcatraz Rocks in person, but WOW. I already wanted Peace, Love & OPI and now want Incognito in Sausalito too because I love dark shades, but now I NEED Alcatraz. Stunner!

  7. theresa says:

    I love Alcatraz and Incognito. Do you have top coat on Incognito? It look so shiny!

    • Michelle Mismas says:

      Hi Theresa! Yes, I do have a top coat over Incognito. I wear top coat over all my polish swatches unless they intended to be worn without it. If I don’t have top coat on, I tell you. :)

  8. Heidi says:

    I bought the first two that you mentioned. Love the Alcatraz!

  9. nailpolishcolor says:

    Alcatraz Rocks made me gasp when I put it on my nails. Best color of the bunch!
    and I hear you there, Pixidust 4eva haha

  10. Lesa says:

    I adore Alcatraz Rocks but I am having a lot if chipping. I applied it over CND Stickey base coat. Help!

    • Michelle Mismas says:

      Bummer about the chipping. I’m not sure why that’s happening. Are you using thin coats? And are your nail beds free of residue? I swipe my nails with white vinegar before polishing to remove any oils.

  11. jen says:

    I stopped at an Ulta on a business trip and had to ask a sales clerk to look in the back for Alcatraz Rocks. I cannot wait to try it tomorrow night. Looks amazing!

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