Today I'm wearing a favorite layered polish combination, OPI Hollywood Blonde topped with OPI Twinkling Lights. I knew I needed redemption after yesterday's manicure, and that was on my mind when I came across a little plastic box of long-lost polishes that included these two. The little box is like a time capsule from the era when I was married - I'd use the little box to bring out some polishes for the week, and I guess it just got stashed with computer stuff when we split up household stuff. Finding things stashed is far more common in this home than you'd expect - the ex was big on packing random stuff together when I wasn't looking. I recall one that was clothes on top, then framed family pictures and breakable memorabilia under that, and about seventeen million coffee cups and and kitchen knives under that (none of those things would even go in the same room!).
Anyhow, Hollywood Blonde, which was part of OPI's Holiday in Hollywood Collection (2007, I think), is a delicate sparkling blonde. My bottle has a Trade Secret price tag of $7.50, and that release was right about when that price increase came, and that's the point that I decided that retail was far too much. I begrudgingly paid it for Hollywood Blonde because she's a beauty. Here's Hollywood Blonde in low natural light.
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| OPI Hollywood Blonde Nail Polish, Two Coats |
The only way to improve upon Hollywood Blonde is to make it sparklier, and that's just what I did when I added two coats of OPI Twinkling Lights to it. Twinkling Lights and her sisters were my cruel introduction to the world of OPI's Japanese releases. You know the six reds in OPI's Holiday in Hollywood Collection? Well in their place, Japan got more like Hollywood Blonde and some amazing glitters (I don't recall how many of each kind offhand, but my hope that I might find them around here has been renewed). I'd commented on a message board that they were gorgeous and it was a mean joke that they weren't available to us, and a really lovely Japanese woman contacted me to do a trade that was my all-time best and coolest. My side was the six Japanese Hollywood shades, which she bought for me at her local beauty supply for just under $9 each including shipping (wow, I just turned into my mother, citing deals from years ago!), her side was several Tazo teas and a bunch of American cookies aimed at kids (Nutter Butters, Chips Ahoy, shopping for her was like my parents were out of town). Everything went perfectly, and as a result I have Twinkling Lights here and I was able to provide the woman who sent them lots of happy snacks of fun teas and cookies.
Twinkling Lights is about the same hue as Hollywood Blonde, but it's a base that seems to be between a sheer and a jelly that is full of fine holo glitter and cool hex glitter. I added two coats to Hollywood Blonde, and this is what it looks like in sunlight.
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| OPI Twinkling Lights over Hollywood Blonde, Two Coats Each |
What I particularly love about this pairing is the unexpected nature of the combination of this really safe shade and all that glitter. Hollywood Blonde provides more opacity and adds depth with shimmer that shows through Twinkling Lights, and although it's not especially eye-catching in indoor light (the glitter shows and all, I just mean it's not flashy), in the sun the fine glitter explodes with a bunch of light and colors and the hex glitter starts shifting color. It's great!
That is my OPI Hollywood Blonde and Twinkling Lights redemption manicure, so until next time, Dear Reader, love and nail polish to you!
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