Peek Inside: OPI collection Iceland

It's as if it happened yesterday. I was standing in front of the OPI counter in Madrid airport, busy deciding which nail polishes to buy. There were wonderfully many nail polishes and it felt like the kaleidoscopic display was going to absorb me. I was in full swing picking them until I told myself to stop because I'd just come from the new OPI collection launch event, I had 15 new nail polishes in my suitcase and I wasn't going to buy any more. I pinched myself and left the OPI counter.

That's something that happened four years ago. I got a golden invitation to Madrid where the OPI San Francisco collection and I had the chance to interview OPI's creator Suzi. I've always stayed with OPI, treated myself with new nail polishes and I was exceptionally pleased when I was sent a selection of polishes from their autumn/winter collection called Iceland. Having hoarded plenty of OPI polishes at home, I got a question when I was looking at Island collection - what is it that pulls me towards them? Why OPI? When I'm writing the blog, I think the headline is as important as the photos. As a journalist, I sometimes take a whole day to get the headline straight. Of course I don't sit at the desk with a pen in my mouth, pondering about the headline. Quite the opposite. I let my mind run free, take the article with me metaphorically and play with words until I find the right headline. The one and only. There has to be something that speaks to me in the headline, and there's no doubt that it will also speak to the reader if you work on it. Thinking about all that, I also figured out why I like OPI so much. Yes, there's no doubt they're good quality products. With base and top coats, they stay on for a whole week. But there's something about them that others don't have - each nail polish has a fun name. If you happen to be someone with a lively imagination, you will surely get inspired by those names. At the end of the day, it's not just a nude polish with a number underneath the bottle, but a nail polish that has a cool name. For years, OPI's Sand In My Suit was my signature nail polish. It wasn't just the perfect shade, but also had a lovely name.

The Iceland collection is no exception. There are lighter and darker shades in the collection, but they're all wonderfully charming. When looking at each of those shades, it seems that someone has thrown a drop of milk in each bottle, and that's how their dark grey polish Suzi & the Arctic Fox isn't oppressive, but instead a lovely dark shade. Those who prefer lighter shades, find a collection of beautiful shades - Check Out The Old Geysirs is a charming light blue, and I'll Have a Gin & Tectonic is a bit darker, but still a nude and much lighter than orange. Those who prefer berry shades, can go for a mix of purple and pink called Aurora Berry-Alis.

But the way a nail polish shade can inspire, is astonishing. I noticed the shade This Isn't Greenland in the Iceland collection - it was love at first sight. If until now nude shades and OPI I'm Soooo Swamped (here) had been my signature nail polish, then this one made history and became the new signature. I greeted autumn with this nail polish. I often walked in the garden and observed the nature turn yellow, and also took this photo for Instagram (have a look here). With this nail polish, I was on the catwalk of Tallinn Fashion Week - a little detail, but for me it was important to have impeccable nails. Inspired by this nail polish, I bought a jumper in the same shade, as well as camouflage trousers. One nail polish can do a lot when it wins your heart. There are plenty of other desirable shades in the Iceland collection, but I have brought out my favourites. So if you're planning on buying a new nail polish, make sure you have a look at OPI's Iceland collection - perhaps you'll find an equally strong connection as I did, with some shade.

See oleks juhtunud justkui eile. Ma seisan Madridi lennujaamas OPI küünelakkide leti ees ja valin hoogsalt lakke, mida plaanin osta. Küünelakke on võrratult palju ja mul on tunne, et nende kaleidoskoopiline väljapanek lausa tõmbab mind endasse. Valin hoogsalt lakke, kuniks ütlen endale: "STOP! Sa tulid just OPI uue kollektsiooni ürituselt, sul on kohvris 15 uut küünelakki ja sa ei osta endale hetkel mitte ühtegi!" Ma näpistan ennast ja lahkun OPI leti eest.

See on tõesti sündinud lugu, mis juhtus minuga neli aastat tagasi. Just toona sain kuldse kutse Madridi, kus esitleti OPI San Fransisco kollektsiooni ja mul oli võimalus intervjueerida OPI loojat Suzi Weiss-Fischmanni. Ma olen alati OPI juurde jäänud, premeerinud end aina uute küünelakkidega ja nii olin iseärnis õnnelik, kui mulle saadeti nende uuest sügis/talvisest kollektsioonist "Iceland" valik küünelakke. Olles ostnud endale OPI küünelakke koju lausa lademetes, tekkis mul "Iceland" kollektsiooni vaadates küsimus: "Mis on see, mis mind nii väga nende poole tõmbab?" Miks just OPI? Kirjutades blogi, pean ma piltide ja tekstiga võrdselt oluliseks postituse pealkirja. Ajakirjanikuna näen ma pealkirjaga vahel terveid päevi vaeva. Mõistagi ei istu ma päevade viisi laua taga, pastakas suus ega mõtle pealkirjale. Vastupidi. Ma lasen mõtte vabaks, võtan artikli endaga justui kaasa ja mängin sõnadega seni, kuni leian pealkirja. Selle ainsa ja õige. Pealkirjas peab olema miski, mis kõnetab mind ennast ja pole kahtlust, et kui sellega tööd teha, kõnetab see päris kindlasti ka lugejat. Mõeldes oma tööle, mõtlesin ka välja, miks armastan nii palavalt OPI lakke. Jah, pole kahtlust, et nad on kvaliteetsed. Koos alus- ja pealislakiga püsivad nad küünel terve nädala. Või veelgi kauem. 

Kuid midagi on nendes sellist, mida teistes pole. Nimelt on igal küünelakil tohutult lustakas nimi. Ja kui sa oled juhuslikult lendava fantaasiaga inimene, siis saab sinu fantaasia küünelakkide nimesid vaadates kõvasti hoogu juurde. Lõpuks ei laki ma küüsi lihtsalt tavalise nude lakiga, mille all on kõigest number, vaid lakiga, mis kannab ägedat nime. Aastaid oli minu signatuurküünelakiks OPI "Sand In My Suit". See polnud mitte ainult perfektne toon, vaid ka väga ilusa nimega lakk. 

Iceland kollektsioon pole erand. Kuigi selles on nii heledamaid kui ka päris tumedaid lakke, on nad kõik kuidagi malbelt võluvad. Toone vaadates jääb mulje justkui oleks keegi igasse pudelisse visanud ühe piimja piisa ja nii tundub nende tumehall lakk "Suzi & the Arctic Fox" mitte sünge, vaid sulnilt tume. Need, kes otsivad heledamaid toone, leiavad endale valiku  kauneid toone: "Check Out The Old Geysirs" on võluv helesinine ja "I’ll have a Gin & Tectonic" on pisut tumedam, kui nude ja tunduvalt heledam kui oranž toon. Need, kes soovivad leida marjast toone, võiks heita pilgu lillaka-roosaka lakile, mis kannab nime "Aurora Berry-Alis". 

Kuid see, kuidas üks küünelaki toon võib inspireerida, on lausa hämmastav. Nimelt jäi mulle Iceland kollektsioonist kõige esimesena silma "This Isn’t Greenland". Armumine esimesest silmapilgus! Kui siiani on minu signatuurküünelakiks olnud nude toonid ja OPI oivaline roheline toon "I'm Soooo Swamped" (vaata siit), siis värvist "This Isn’t Greenland" sai minu uus lemmikute lemmik. Selle küünelakiga koos kõndisin ma vastu sügisele - jalutasin sageli aias ja vaatasin, kuidas loodus kolletub. Selle lakiga astusin ma Tallinn Fashion Feekil modellina lavale - väga väike detail, kuid mulle oli tähtis, et küüned oleks perfektselt värvitud. Sellest küünelakist inspireerituna ostsin endale pika sarnast värvi kampsuni ja camouflage püksid. Küll üks küünelakk suudab ikka palju, kui ta südame võidab! Iceland kollektsioonis on veel palju ihaldusväärseid toone, kuid tõin välja enda lemmikud. Seega, kui sul on plaan osta endale uus küünelakk, siis vaata kindlasti OPI "Iceland" kollektsiooni - ehk kõnetab mõni toon sind sama tugevalt, nagu mind.