Oh, I am SO excited for this one…
In my opinion (and I have a feeling some of you may agree), OPI just hasn’t been the same for the past few years. I date this change to around fall of 2021. That is the season they released their very last destination themed collection – Downtown LA.
The collection didn’t pique my interest at the time, and the color story still doesn’t totally appeal to me. In fact, the only polish I have from this collection is Metallic Composition (the one on the far left) and I picked it up at TJMaxx within the last year for $5.
What followed Downtown LA however, was a series of collections themed around abstract ideas and tired social media catchphrases. The types of little sayings that would be printed on glittery t-shirts and school folders for pre-teens. Almost as if the OPI Creative Team asked AI to spit out nail polish collection names and just drew from that list for three years.
- Holiday 2021: Celebration
- Spring 2022: Xbox Collaboration
- Summer 2022: Power of Hue
- Fall 2022: Fall Wonders
- Holiday 2022: Jewel Be Bold
- Spring 2023: Me, Myself, and OPI
- Summer 2023: Summer Makes the Rules
- Fall 2023: Big Zodiac Energy
- Holiday 2023: Terribly Nice
- Spring 2024: OPI Your Way
- Summer 2024: My Me Era
- Fall: 2024: Metallic Mega Mix
- Holiday 2024: Wicked Collaboration
- Spring 2025: OPI’m Dreaming
- Summer 2025: Make Em’ Jelly
- Fall 2025: What’s Your Mani-tude?
- Holiday 2025: Good Enough to Treat
The marketing seemed repetitive and devoid of anything but corporate blandness. Gone were the destination photoshoots, creative displays, and thoughtful campaigns. I quickly stopped looking forward to what OPI would come up with next.
Compare the above to earlier collections and my point is more clear… I really don’t think it’s just my nostalgia talking.
It just felt like what made OPI special was gone. Dramatic – I know! Kim, there’s people that are dying.
Where am I going with this? Well, imagine my surprise when I caught wind of OPI’s Spring 2026 Collection… and I actually got excited. I’ve ordered the entire 12-polish collection and it’s arriving this week. It’s still not quite the OPI of the past, but I think we might be heading in a new, and much more interesting, direction.
I’ll be swatching them all and giving you my thoughts in the next one. See you then!
Katie
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