Every once in a while I fall down a rabbit hole and soon find myself searching for elusive discontinued bottles online. I keep a wishlist going in my nail polish spreadsheet that is constantly growing as I discover collection after collection.

While some polishes still exist only in my dreams (thinking of you, Eat’n Eggplant), every once in a while I find a good deal on an older polish that I’ve had my eye on.

I watched Vintage Dusties’ video 80s & 90s Essie Tour + Organization + Cats last week and before I knew it I was searching for essie Chocolate Cakes on eBay. The floodgates had opened. Over the next couple of days, I ended up ordering eight (whoops!) discontinued OPI and essie polishes for my collection. All polishes are swatched with two coats of polish and finished with essie Gel-Setter top coat. I photographed inside with flash and outside in the sun – with slight editing for accuracy on the outdoor photos.

Without further ado, here are swatches and thoughts on each polish going from most recently released to oldest…

OPI Complimentary Wine (Muse of Milan – Fall 2020)
This collection didn’t excite me much when it came out (I think we all had other things on our minds!), but since then I’ve continued to see gorgeous swatch photos of Complimentary Wine. I love dark red polishes and this one is so dark it’s nearly brown in some light. She’ll definitely be on rotation this fall.

OPI Congeniality is my Middle Name (Miss Universe – Fall 2011)
This was a last minute cart addition but I’m glad I grabbed it! Congeniality is my Middle Name is a deep berry magenta with pretty (almost flaky) shimmer. The bottle does require a good shake before use since it settles a teensy bit.

OPI Black Cherry Chutney (India – Spring 2008)
I know I had this one back in the day so I’m happy to add it back to my collection! Polishes like this one definitely come alive in the sun. (Ignore my pink background nails!)

essie Lady Godiva (Luscious – Fall 2004)
This one has been on my list for a few months (I love the name – makes me think of the Collier painting) and it doesn’t disappoint. Lady Godiva is very dark and almost black in some light – similar to 99% cacao dark chocolate.

OPI Purple-opolis (Greek Isles – S/S 2004)
I have Aphrodite’s Pink Nightie from this collection since it’s still in production. I’m 99% sure this is a bottle from 2004 due to the bottom label. Noae Nails has a post that shows the evolution of OPI bottom labels and it’s super handy! This will be a great summer polish. The flash photos reveal glowing shimmer that isn’t totally obvious at first.

OPI Kinky in Helsinki (European Collection – F/W 2002, this bottle is from Colorcopia – Summer 2009)
How fun is this name?? Originally part of the F/W 2002 collection, Kinky in Helsinki was rereleased as part of the Colorcopia line from Summer 2009. A quick look at the label below confirms it’s from 2009 – which explains the good price I got on it! I’m curious to see how this one compares to Pompeii Purple which has become my favorite toenail polish.

OPI Concord Grape (New England – Fall 1998)
If you read my post from May 7th, you know how excited I am to add this one to my collection at a reasonable price. Check out that post for more on this smoky purple shimmer!

essie Chocolate Cakes (Unknown – 1994 or 1995)
So, this one is a bit of a mystery release year. As far as I’ve learned, Chocolate Cakes was released sometime in 1994 or 1995 as part of a food related collection. Based on the colors, I’m guessing this was a fall release but I’m not certain. Polishes in the mystery collection included Brownie Points, Camel Hair (?!), Chocolate Kisses (later Chocolate Cakes), Lemon Meringue, Raisinuts, and Tiny Wine-y.

Thanks to Vintage Dusties for all of the info on Chocolate Cakes! Seriously – check out her channel if you haven’t!

Do you have a favorite eBay find? Is there a discontinued polish haunting your wishlist? Let me know!

Katie