OPI Hello Kitty nail polish collection
When I first heard about the OPI Hello Kitty collection last summer I sighed and thought, “Here come ALL THE PINKS!” If you know me, and by now I assume most of you do, you know pink is not my taste. That being said, the Hello Kitty universe is very much a celebration of all things adorable in pink and primary hues. In that sense, OPI embodied the Sanrio sweetheart’s spirit yet they managed to create some unique pinks that melted this pink-hater’s heart.
Formula & Application
OPI Hello Kitty nail polish is 4-Free (Formaldehyde, Toluene, DBP, Formaldehyde Resin). It’s been brought to my attention that some colors are 3-Free, and contain Formaldehyde Resin, while others are 4-Free (w/o Form. Resin). The colors in this collection are 4-Free. If you have a Formaldehyde Resin allergy it is 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.
Since there is a wide range of finishes and pigment levels in this collection, I’m going to address application individually below.
Swatches
OPI 5 Apples Tall is a bright red creme. It leans a little warm, but I would consider it a pretty true red. The formula has a good, thin flow with decent pigmentation. I was able to see a bit of my free edge through the second coat, so I used three thin coats, but those with a heavier hand may get away with less.
OPI 5 Apples Tall – Hello Kitty
OPI 5 Apples Tall comparison
OPI Charmmy & Sugar is a lavender-laced pink pearlescent shimmer mixed with small multi-colored hex glitter. The metallic nature of the shimmer base allows the sheer formula to provide decent coverage. I used three coats here, and you can still see my tips on camera, but in person it’s not as noticeable. The foil-esque quality makes it pretty reflective. As you can see below, it’s a bit a of chameleon in that the pink shimmer hides in direct light. You see it more at an angle. Also, it’s unique to my collection, with China Glaze Prism and Full Spectrum being the only thing even remotely similar, and they don’t have the same smooth glitter finish.
OPI Charmmy & Sugar – Hello Kitty
OPI Charmmy & Sugar comparison
OPI Kitty White is a semi-sheer shimmer with the same iridescent quality as Charmmy & Sugar. In the swatch picture you can’t really see that there are tiny pink and blue specks floating in the sea of icy white. I used three coats here, so pigmentation is lacking. Because the formula is so thin and smooth, I would consider this a layering color. OPI Girls Love Diamonds is Kitty White’s closest cousin with Diamonds being more pigmented. I would opt for GLD if you want full coverage, Kitty White if you want to layer.
OPI Kitty White – Hello Kitty
OPI Kitty White comparison
OPI Let’s Be Friends is a milky, cool baby pink creme. It’s thick with pigment, but I could tell on the first coat that it’s a bit streaky, so I floated a generous bead of polish over the nail to avoid streaks. In spite of that, I still needed three coats to get full coverage. Though with three coats it looks kind of thick on the nail. It looks like a neutral on its own, but next to Zoya Dot and essie Romper Room you can see how pink it actually is.
OPI Let’s Be Friends – Hello Kitty
OPI Let’s Be Friends comparison
OPI Look at My Bow! is a cool, bubblegum pink. It’s bright, but not neon, and the formula is lusciously creamy. It’s a little less pigmented than I would like, so I used three coats here. Milani Color Statement Doll Face is just as saturated, but a little warmer.
OPI Look at My Bow! – Hello Kitty
OPI Look At My Bow! comparison
OPI My Pal Joey is a true, primary blue creme. It’s really well-crafted. The formula is silky smooth and pigmented. It’s a joy to apply, delivering full coverage in two thin coats. What I love most is that it’s like NOTHING else in my stash. Zoya Sia is darker, JINsoon Cool Blue is more cobalt and intense. It’s a blue unicorn!
OPI My Pal Joey – Hello Kitty
OPI My Pal Joey comparison
OPI My Twin Mimmy is a taxi-cab yellow creme. Like most yellows, it is plagued by formula issues. It’s streaky, thick with pigment and lumpy. I used three coats here and it’s still not great, but four coats would have taken forever to dry. Deborah Lippmann Walking on Sunshine and Zoya Darcy are both pretty close to Mimmy, enough that you only need one of the three.
OPI My Twin Mimmy – Hello Kitty
OPI My Twin Mimmy comparison
OPI Never Have Too Mani Friends! is a jet black creme. It’s really saturated with pigment, barely needing two coats. In a world where a lot of blacks are sheer on the first coat, this one stands out. That’s what sets it apart from OPI Black Onyx, better coverage.
OPI Never Have Too Mani Friends! – Hello Kitty
OPI Never Have Too Mani Friends! comparison
OPI Small+Cute=♥ is a rosy pink creme. It falls between Let’s Be Friends and Look at My Bow! in tone, but is definitely on the warm side though I wouldn’t call it peachy. Just more of a soft blush. I had some issues with streaking due to the thicker feel. That meant I needed three coats for full coverage. In comparison, Nubar Cover Girl is more subdued while JINsoon Dolly Pink is cooler.
OPI Small+Cute=♥ – Hello Kitty
OPI Small+Cute=♥ comparison
OPI Spoken from the Heart is a raspberry creme. Like My Pal Joey, the formula is flawless. Thin, pigmented and so smooth. Two coats = perfection. Because it’s such a warm shade, it doesn’t have any color twins in my collection. OPI described it as a coral, but I’m not seeing that. Essie Peach Daiquiri is the closest I could find, but Spoken from the Heart is much much better. I’m kind of regretting not using this at my last pedicure. I think it will make anyone look more tan, if you like that kind of thing (my pasty self does!).
OPI Spoken from the Heart – Hello Kitty
OPI Spoken from the Heart comparison
OPI Starry-Eyed for Dear Daniel is a smooth fuchsia glitter mix. It’s a fine full-coverage glitter that looks like crushed gems. I only needed two coats and was happy to find that it doesn’t eat top coat. All of my pink glitters are either too warm or too light, so I’m showing shimmers next to it simply for color reference. I’d say the color is a blend of CND Sultry Sunset and Marc Jacobs Oui.
OPI Starry Eye for Dear Daniel – Hello Kitty
OPI Starry-Eyed for Dear Daniel comparison
OPI Super Cute in Pink is a Barney purple creme in that it leans pink. Some might call it pink on its own, but next to all the other colors it really screams purple. Like the other darker cremes in this collection, the formula has great flow and delivers on coverage, becoming opaque with two coats. While I don’t have an exact match for this one, I feel like there are a lot of close calls for this shade. Formula X Gemini isn’t far off, just more pink.
OPI Super Cute in Pink – Hello Kitty
OPI Super Cute in Pink comparison
OPI Say Hello Kitty is a special-edition color that is only sold as part of a kit with Swarovski crystal bow accents. It is a hot magenta flecked shimmer. The bottle shows that some of the particles have a golden tint, but it doesn’t really show up on the nail, except to add a hint of warmth. The formula has a squishy texture that requires a thinner application to avoid lumps or pulling the polish at the tips. It’s a bit on the sheer side, to suspend the shimmer, so I used three coats. Compared to OPI Ladies & Magenta-men, Say Hello Kitty is more sparkly and lighter.
OPI Say Hello Kitty! – Hello Kitty
OPI Say Hello Kitty comparison
Bottom Line: OPI Hello Kitty was a total surprise for me. As I mentioned at the start, I don’t really do pink, yet I found myself attracted to quite a few of them in this collection, enjoying their girly sweetness. Being a sucker for sparkle and collector packaging, Say Hello Kitty is a winner. And the uniqueness of Starry-Eyed for Dear Daniel and Spoken from the Heart with their top-notch formulas make them stand-outs. My Pal Joey is a no-brainer. It just makes me happy, to apply and wear. Charmmy & Sugar is intriguing, but a bit too cloying for me. It feels well-suited to a younger audience. The only one that definitely gets a pass from me is My Twin Mimmy. There are better yellows in nail world than this lumpy mess.
OPI Hello Kitty is available now at professional salons, including Beauty Brands, Chatters, Dillard’s, Regis, and ULTA. OPI nail polish retails for $9.50/ea. The LE Say Hello Kitty package retails for $19.95. You can find OPI Hello Kitty online at Amazon.com, JCPenney.com, SallyBeauty.com, ULTA.com. For more info, visit OPI.com.
Are you planning to snag any of the OPI Hello Kitty colors? How do you think OPI did at representing the HK world?
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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.
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