Saturday, January 11, 2014

OPI Push & Shove Review

 This is a pretty momentous occasion here at Nerdy for Nails. I may be one of the cheapest bloggers around. I rarely buy something from a current collection because they end up on clearance so quickly and then I can afford twice as many. I also didn't own a single OPI up until now because I always seem to have a $2 bottle in a similar color so I can't justify their prices.

Push and Shove from OPI's Gwen Stefani collection is the polish that changed my mind. The swatches were gorgeous... and I had a gift card. As it turns out I did, indeed, have a cheaper version of this already in my collection, but I regret nothing. It's a beautiful polish despite its attitude. Read on for my full review and check back tomorrow to find out what mysterious 12 year old polish gives Push and Shove a run for its money.



The Push and Shove Duet Pack comes with Lay Down that Base. The base coat dries slightly rubbery and helps the chrome polish stick. I did a coat of my regular base first to help smooth out any imperfections in my nails.


Coat #1: Is this a crackle polish or am I suddenly incompetent at painting my nails??



Thankfully the second coat evened out most of the crackles and flaws. Despite the instructions on the package that say to apply two thin coats, I added a third coat on a few nails that were still patchy. This ultra-chrome polish catches the light beautifully and looks almost like foil on your nails. 

The application is a bit more difficult than a normal polish because it dries quickly and pulls up the polish if you accidentally paint over a partially dried section. I found I needed to wipe more polish off the brush before painting than I normally would to keep the coats light enough. I also had to fight my instinct to go back and smooth out any thick patches. The results are certainly beautiful enough to forgive any difficulties with the application.


I got some shots outside in the sunlight that show just how shiny this polish is.



And the question that was burning in my mind: how long will it last? The package itself says "Do not use top coat. Like all limited engagement events, Push and Shove is intended for One Night Only wear." I'm already getting good at ignoring instructions with this polish so of course I put on top coat. It didn't noticeably dull the finish which was great. 

I painted them on Saturday night and they looked great all through dinner with friends and baking cupcakes Sunday including washing dishes with no gloves (I really wanted to test it). I think I chipped the middle finger in the shower Monday morning at that started the worst for that nail. This picture was taken three days later on Tuesday night and as you can see there's the chipping on the middle finger and tip wear on the rest, but not nearly as bad as I expected.


What do you think about this one? It was different enough for a mainstream polish that I had to try it. I know ultra-chromes have been around for a while on the indie scene but I haven't seen any on the mainstream side lately. I hope ultra-chrome will be the next big thing like texture. I want more in all the colors!

6 comments:

  1. Awesome blog post and review! I'm definitely thinking of buying this! Also great to see that tc worked great on top. I'd love to have the opportunity to buy polishes on sale, but since I live in sweden I'm forced with the online prices and they keep being stable no matter what. It's the same price when (China glaze/OPI/Essie/Orly etc) are just released and a year after etc. But, sometime it's worth it.

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    1. No sales? That sounds awful. I'd buy a lot less for sure, but I think this one was worth the full price.

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  2. This is gorgeous! love that you can almost see a straight up reflection of your surroundings in the outside shot. If you were going to splurge, this is a great choice!

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    1. Thanks! That was a really great (lucky) shot. Totally shows off how mirror-like the finish can be in certain lights.

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  3. I was intrigued enough that I bought this today. Glad to hear that a topcoat worked with it. I hope they will bring out a gold and a rosegold/bronze version as well as the silver.

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    1. I would love this in a rose gold. Come on OPI...

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