OPI Soft Shades 2015 Swatches & Review
OPI Soft Shades 2015 Review
Sheers and bridal shades aren’t really my thing. Mainly because I hate the look of my natural nails and need full coverage. However, a couple of the OPI Soft Shades 2015 colors look intriguing in the bottle. And after reader Magda commented earlier this week that she is a fan of the pink glitter, I figured it was time to dive in and give the collection a try.
Formula & Application
OPI nail polish is 3-Free (Formaldehyde, Toluene, DBP) though it’s been brought to my attention that some colors contain Formaldehyde Resin, but not all. Since my sample bottles don’t come with retail labels, I have no idea of which shades may contain the allergen. It’s best to check the label in store before purchasing.
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 lot of variation in pigmentation and application in this collection, so I’ll address that below. And there are no comparisons in this review.
Swatches
OPI Act Your Beige! is a creamy cameo-type beige. It is sheer, milky, and applies smoothly. I built it up with three coats to give you a better idea of the color.
OPI Act Your Beige!
OPI Make Light of the Situation is a clear-based sparkly top coat. It’s a mix of fine, pearly shimmer, crystal clear glass flecks, and small, hexagonal, holographic glitters that create an eye-catching effect. I used one coat over Act Your Beige! and OMG is it stunning. Pictures truly don’t do it justice.
OPI Make Light of the Situation over Act Your Beige!
OPI Chiffon My Mind is a crystallized cream. It’s too streaky to be worn as a sheer, but needs four coats to build up. I think it’s the iridescent pearl that causes the problem. It makes the consistency a bit thicker and chalky feeling.
OPI Chiffon My Mind
OPI Put it in Neutral is a pink-y nude creme. Like Act Your Beige!, it’s intended to be worn sheer, but I found it streaky. I used three coats here to best show the color.
OPI Put it in Neutral
OPI Petal Soft is a clear-based glitter with baby pink hex glitter, tiny white round glitters and large white floral pieces. I applied two coats over Put it in Neutral and, despite some serious rolling of the bottle, had to dig for the flower.
OPI Petal Soft over Put it in Neutral
OPI This Silver’s Mine is a muddled, pewter frost metallic. To put it bluntly, it’s a giant PITA to apply. I tried it over two different base coats, waiting for them to fully dry, and it was a streaky, lumpy disaster. I’m showing it with three coats over Seche Vite and it’s still not great.
OPI This Silver’s Mine swatch – Soft Shades 2015
OPI Soft Shades 2015 swatches
Bottom Line: I’ll give myself credit for trying a Soft Shades collection since I normally pass them by. With the lone exception being Make Light of the Situation (a MUST imo), the collection is a snore-fest of poorly constructed shades. And it’s not just because they’re sheers or neutrals (aka not my style). If they were well made, I’ll be happy to recommend them. On that note, Act Your Beige! is fine for a neutral sheer, but it’s not a game-changer. The rest, don’t waste your money.
The OPI Soft Shades 2015 collection is available now at salons and mass retailers nationwide including Beauty Brands, Chatters, Dillards, Regis, ULTA and online at LoxaBeauty.com, ULTA.com and eBay.com. OPI nail polish retails for $9.50/ea. For more info, visit OPI.com.
Thoughts on the Soft Shades? How often do you were sheers or neutrals? Do you plan to get any of these? Make Light of the Situation, maybe? Say yes, it’s so good!
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.
Lisa N.
Ms Meatballhead
Birdie
Spa pediccure chairs
Well, I’ve “wasted” my money with Petal Soft, and I don’t regret it a bit, I’m actually madly in love with it. Since it arrived, not a manicure goes by without my adding a flower or two and some glitters for good measure. If OPI polishes were not so expensive I would gladly buy the Neutral and the Beige too.
Sorry, I didn’t mean that to offend you. I just didn’t have the same experience with Petal Soft as you and can be blunt when a polish disappoints me. I had to really work for all the glitters I got on my nail.
I’m not offended, sorry if I gave this impression in writing. I’m a little disappointed you didn’t like it… I love neutrals and sheers, but sure, they are not for everyone.
Also, you encouraged me to try the collection, and that was worth it to discover Make Light of the Situation.
Very beautiful colors, Petal Soft is very beautiful.
Very pretty soft shades!
I love the look of Petal Soft but I hate having to work at a polish just get a few cute glitters out! I so don’t have time for that!
OMG I want Make Light also! That is super pretty. I’m like you in that I don’t tend to like sheers much… but I am intrigued by Act Your Beige. I may have to see about picking up one of the two.
Hi Michelle!
Just recently found your blog and am in love. I may have spent an embarrassing amount of time going through your archives.
Quick question though: since my newfound nail polish obsession I’ve been wearing polish pretty constantly. Lately my nails seem to be separating from the nail bed, starting at the tips and moving towards the base. Have you ever encountered this before? I wonder if it’s some sort of reaction to the products I’m using, or something else altogether?
Thanks so much!
I thought there were two mattes a white and a pink that come as a duo?
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as a polish junkie of several years now, i take one look at this collection and run the other way lol! i applaud you for diving in and giving it your best shot! that takes guts.. from most of what i’ve seen and read over the years, it seems like the majority of us do not gravitate towards these sheer formulas, yet they always put them out every year.. idk.. i really don’t know who buys these! lol! sorry.. just being honest! that said, they all look really nice in your swatch pics, with the exception of that silver.. what a streaky nightmare, no fault of yours- of course! i’m just left wondering why they continue to make these polishes.
I love act your beige on your fingers. Despite needing extra coats, it has that french ombre look without all the dabbing and cleanup :-). Thanks for reviewing this color line. I’ve been very curious about it and lights like these are impossible to assess in the bottle!
I don’t know how it compares to OPI Bubble Bath, but Act Your Beige looks quite similar (along with Essie Mademoiselle, and a handful of other nude sheers). I love the way you describe Chiffon My Mind as a Crystallized Cream. Makes it feel unique. I just wish it had sparkles. I’m a sucker for matte glitters like Petal Soft but considering L’Oreal has Garden Bouquet, and Sinful Colors makes similar matte glitters with floral shapes I would think OPI would opt for a difft dominant shape. Like triangle. They had squares with one of their Muppet glitters last spring. Oh! Did you try This Silver’s Mine over matte top coat? Just wondering if you may have better luck that way.
Hi Michelle, I have some of the same “issues” with sheer neutrals as you do. Although I adore the feeling evoked from having soft, feminine-colored nails, I also have ridges that are difficult to cover even with pigmented polish, much less sheers. I may check out “Make Light of the Situation” as a topper, though. Thanks for your honest review! =)
Great review, as always! I’ll be honest, I was a little disappointed with OPI- very traditional stuff, with unexceptional quality-except for of course “Make Light…” which seems to well-liked across the board!
Four coats is a no-go for me. Also, if the queen of all things nail polish has trouble digging out a petal, this regular user is definitely going to get pass on the whole shebang. And not waste my money.
I LOVE Make Light Of The Situation! I have to get out and buy that one right away. I also like the Act Your Beige!, but not sure how it would look on my skin tone. I’m not partial to neutral/nudes, but those two are really pretty.
I, too, “wasted” my money on a couple of these and love them! I’d already bought Chiffon, but after this review went back and bought Petal Soft. It makes for a nice transition over medium/dark shades into the spring. But I’m glad to see you reviewing these.
I’ve seen four different reviews for the Soft Shades collection, and it confirms the same point, every time. They’re great in theory, but they’re all a pain in the butt to apply, so they aren’t worth it. I’ll be giving these a pass.
the honest reviews are hugely appreciated! i really love it when polish hounds can say not only what they liked about one, but go ahead and call the OPIs of the world out on their mis-steps.
Thank you! If I can’t call out problems, it’s a disservice to all of you.
Love the honest review! I’m buying ‘Make light of the situation’ coz of you!
Yes!! I hope you love it.
I generally come to,your site to see your reviews before I consider purchases and that is exactly what I did for OPI’s 2015 SoftShades.
In all honest, they look like a lot like earlier colors. While I occasionally will use a soft shade as a sort of “palette cleanser” they are not my most used colors and I will be passing on the collection… Expect perhaps the sparkler!
The sparkler is well worth it.
I’m not a nudes kinda person, but I like the LOOK of this collection – how coherent it is, you know?
To get the flower: shake well the bottle, then check to see if there is any in the brush (in general one or two get trapped in there). Fish it with a toothpick, and apply on the nail exactly on the spot you want it. Easy!