You have probably seen OPI nail polish in just about every quality nail salon you have ever walked past. In 1981 OPI (originally Odontorium Products Inc – how catchy!) was a small dental supply business. How has it so radically changed its product base to morph into one of the worlds best-known brands?
George Schaeffer bought OPI in 1981 and soon recruited Suzi Weiss-Fischmann. Together they decided to work with a biochemist, R. Eric Montgomery, to develop a revolutionary system of acrylic nails. In the beginning, they sold the system directly to local small salons. Then in 1989 they produced their first set of nail polish and started aggressively marketing themselves and expanding.
Coty Inc
In 2010 the huge multinational beauty brand company, Coty, bought OPI and added it to their list of beauty brands which includes Bourjois, Clairol, Max Factor, Rimmel and Sassoon. With their distribution channels and brand know-how OPI expanded across the globe. They are now found in salons in over 100 different countries.
Why Is OPI Special?
The nail polishes it makes are known for their silky texture which is easy to apply and yields a lovely smooth shiny finish loved by professional nail technicians. Their colours are deeply rich and saturated and the finish is long-lasting and chip resistant. All these features taken together mean OPI is the number one choice for professional solons.
Popular OPI Gel Colours
OPI has always made sure that they have a huge range of colours, currently, they have 240 shades. They do always make sure they make great versions of the current season’s on-trend colours and these colours are always hotly anticipated and in high demand. However, the breadth of their colour range means there is something for everyone no matter the occasion or the outfit you need to match with.
Some of their best-sellers are in their nude range. The colours are subtle but you only need one or two coats for a lustrous finish. ‘Alpine White’ is a must-have for a French Manicure which you can pair with the nude ‘Samoan Sand’, ‘Tickle my France-y’ or pink ‘Mod About You’ (all three of these work well on their own too) and the sparkly pink ‘Princess Rule’ is a classic.
Alpine Snow 
The nude Samoan Sand 
Naught tickle my france y 
Mod about you 
Princesses Rule, sparkly pint
Their colour range includes brights, glitters, nudes, metallics as well as plenty of pink and red shades. No matter what your skin tone you can find an OPI pink or red that looks good. The deep red and burgundy colours are the best on the market. Who doesn’t want to use shades such as ‘I’m Not Really a Waitress’ or ‘Lincoln Park After Dark’! Check out the full colour range here.
Cajun Shrimp 
Big Apple Red 
I’m not really a waitress 
Lincoln Park After Dark 
Malaga Wine
New For 2020
OPI already had some great sparkly colours however they have now expanded this with some great new colours and different sizes of glitter particles. ‘Dream in Glitter’ is a fantastic pink with different colours of sparkles which gives it a mature finish. ‘Many Celebrations to Go’, ‘Glitter to my Heart’ and ‘Born to Sparkle’ are great nude shades which look great on their own or can be used as an overlay. We really like the icy blue ‘Let Love Sparkle’ which has a matte base and subtle small light-reflecting particles.
Born to Sparkle has big bold sparkly bits 
The lush Dream in Glitter 
The subtle Glitter to my Heart 
Warm latte colours in ‘Celebrations to go’ 
Let Love Sparkle! 
Lets Celebrate!
It isn’t all about sparkles in 2020. There is also a good smattering of new flat and matte colours. ‘Let’s be friends’ is a great new light pink, ‘A kiss on the chic’ and ‘All about the bows’ add some new options for deep red lovers and for more dramatic grungy looks ‘Hello Pretty’ and ‘My Favorite Gal Pal’ are fab.
All About the Bows 
Hello Pretty 
A Kiss on the Chic 
Lets be Friends 
My Favorite Gal Pal