Saturday, March 8, 2014

Review: OPI Glitter Off!

Press Sample

Hello, readers! For today's post, I'll be reviewing the new peel-able base coat from OPI called Glitter Off. I've put it to the test with some Liquid Sand shades because I always have a hard time with removal of textured polishes. This is a VERY picture heavy post. Do you think it was a flop or a win? Read below to see! 



Heading back to the press release on this new base coat: 

"Glitter Off by OPI is a new, peel-able base coat that allows for the quick and easy removal of nail lacquer when applied beneath any glitter or dark nail color.  Glitter Off provides a base for quick one-step removal and protects natural nails, while simultaneously making nail colors brighter. Glitter Off is designed to leave nails polish-free and stain-free in seconds, revealing a clean nail surface without the use of lacquer remover. 

“Women love glitter nail lacquer, which adds a glamorous element to any manicure. However, it can be difficult and frustrating to remove.  Now OPI fans can fully embrace the glitter nail trend without the accompanying hassle.  Simply brush on one thin layer of Glitter Off to bare nails, wait until it dries clear and then apply as many coats of glitter lacquer as needed to get the desired look,” explains Suzi Weiss-Fischmann, OPI Co-Founder & Executive VP.  “Glitter Off is designed to last for a few days, allowing for glitter shades to be changed frequently or worn just for a special occasion or night out. It’s so easy to use – and when it’s time to remove it, peel!”

To remove, use a cuticle stick to gently push and peel the glitter lacquer off the nail. No nail polish remover is necessary for this final step. "

Here are some photos along the way. First, I applied a thin coat of OPI Glitter Off to all of my nails and let dry:

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As it was drying, which was about 10-15 minutes until it was clear, it looked like it was "shrinking" away from all of the edges. However, it was just drying from the edges inward to the center. The photo below is about 10-15 mins after application. You can see it's pretty much clear now.

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Next, I applied two coats of each OPI It's Frosty Outside and Kiss Me At Midnight. I did my normal application of these Liquid Sand shades by painting on the first coat and letting dry before adding a second coat. I took this picture after they had dried.

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Then, I went about my business and did normal things around the house. I typed up some posts, edited pictures, cleaned, played with the kids, washed my hands, made dinner (washed my hands a lot more during the dinner process since I was dealing with raw chicken), and cleaned up the kids after dinner. 

Unfortunately, about an hour after this mani had dried, I washed my hands and dried them and noticed that one of my nails had lost half of it's polish. The rest of the polish on that nail was softly moving around when I pressed on it. 

After the other things I listed above (aka: normal housewife and mom duties), I'd gotten tip wear on almost all of my nails and lost another nail's worth of polish. Apparently any contact with water was alerting the Glitter Off to start peeling off. This was within the first few hours of wearing it.

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So of course at this point, I decided to just remove them all together. I did as the bottle instructed and used a cuticle pusher to gently pry up the polish. It came up very easily in one or two sheets for the entire nails and I didn't see any nail damage at all. (YAY for no nail damage!)

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Here is what my nails looked like after just gently peeling the polish off. Hardly any polish left and I was able to use one OPI Expert Touch remover wipe for all 10 nails to clean up the excess. 

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Well, since this came off too easily to be used as a base coat for me, I thought I should try it for something else! I love gradient nails but HATE the cleanup. So, after applying one coat of polish, I painted OPI Glitter Off directly onto my skin and cuticles around my nails and let dry.

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I waited until it was clear and started sponging on my gradient. It worked pretty well protecting the skin from the polish, aside from some spots that pulled up thanks to the sponge. (I think I'll wait longer before sponging next time to see if they weren't completely dry yet.) Who wants to use Q-tips, remover, and a clean up brush to help this mess? 

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Once I was done with the gradient, I used a toothpick and gently lifted the Glitter Off from my skin. It peeled off easily and I got off the few bits that were left on my skin by rubbing my finger under warm water. I was left with only a few spots of polish to clean up with remover and my trusty clean up brush. That was SO much easier!

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Here is the final look after the tiny bit of cleanup and top coat. That was one of the least painful gradients I've done in a long time!



So there you have it! If you've gotten this far, thanks for sticking around to see my results. I appreciate the fact that OPI Glitter Off removes easily without causing damage to my nails. However, I think it's a bit too gentle and any contact with water sends the polish fleeing from your nails in sheets. It's not a practical solution for me, as a stay at home mom of two small children. I wash my hands countless times a day! I can definitely see myself using it for the gradient clean up more than a base coat.

What are your thoughts? Have you tried it yet? It smells kind of like glue, but with a more watery consistency. I had high hopes but it was a flop in my book.

Thanks so much for reading!

*The base coat in this post was sent for me to review with my honest opinion. 

Glitter Off features OPI’s exclusive ProWide Brush for the ultimate in application. Glitter Off will be available March 2014, at Professional Salons, including Beauty Brands, Beauty First, Chatters, Dillard’s, jcp Salons, Pure Beauty, Regis, Trade Secret, ULTA and ulta.com for $9.00 ($10.95 CAN) suggested retail. 

For more information, please call 800-341-9999 or visit www.opi.com. Follow OPI on Twitter @OPI_PRODUCTS and become a Facebook fan!



ABOUT OPI
As the world leader in the professional nail care industry, OPI is committed to providing high-quality products and services to both salons and their customers, along with a focus on industry safety and innovation. Known for its exceptional formula, fashionable colors and iconic names, OPI’s heavily-pigmented lacquers are super rich, long-lasting and chip-resistant – offering an affordable luxury to consumers. OPI nail lacquer is available in over 200 shades and contains no DBP, Toluene, or Formaldehyde. Each lacquer features OPI’s exclusive ProWide Brush for the ultimate in application. Currently, OPI is available in over 100 countries and retails a full line of professional items, including nail treatments, finishing products, lotions, manicure/pedicure products, files, tools, gels and acrylics.










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67 comments:

  1. I'm looking forward to trying this....but I have a feeling it won't be something I use regularly!

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    1. I can't wait to see if you have better luck!

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  2. great post & tips, I'll definitely try it for gradients!

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  3. Great review, I was wondering about this product! Doesn't seem like it would be good for me either (I also have a lot of mom duties! :) ) But great job being resourceful and using it as a "shield" for nail art...it seems like it would also be great for people not good at doing their nails! :)

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    1. Mom power!!

      thanks, and that's very true about being helpful for regular polishing on people who aren't as careful as some!

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  4. I bought Etude peel off base coat (on Amazon) because this one wasn't available yet and it works great. I got 4 days with no issues at all. No tip wear, chipping, etc. On day 5, one of my glitter polished nails popped off in one piece. No damage to the nail bed either. I love your idea of using it for easy clean up with gradients.

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    1. Thanks for the info! I hadn't heard of that one yet

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  5. Interesting; thanks for the review... at that price point, I think I'll stick to Elmer's Glue for a while! (if you wanted to do a comparison between OPI Glitter Off! and good old Elmer's, I wouldn't complain! ^_^)

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    1. I wouldn't complain about that comparison either. I have Elmer's on right now. I put it on last night and have only had an issue where I caught the tip of my thumb on something and it scratched the polish off. That would have been the case with any base coat for me though. Thanks for the great review!

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    2. I've never used elmers ON my nail. do you water it down? or straight on? glitter off is a more watery formula.

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  6. What a great idea to use it for easy gradient clean up! Thanks for this very helpful post!

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  7. Great idea to use it for gradient cleanup! I frequently use a glue base for glitter, and it definitely doesn't like water. If I leave a slightly larger gap between polish and cuticle so my top coat meets bare nail to kind of seal off the glue, I can usually get two days out of it. rarely more than that, though.

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    1. that's a GREAT idea with the top coat and gap! thanks!

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  8. I do the same thing around my cuticles, just with PVA glue. It works perfectly every time ;) In all honesty, I can't help but wonder if they haven't just watered down some PVA glue and slapped a label + hefty price tag on it :/
    Great review though, and I love your honesty. Definitely a flop in my book too :) x

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    1. Thanks! I tried that with elmers glue around my cuticles and made such a mess :/ this applied much easier but if you want to look, I posted a pic of the ingredients list on my Facebook and instagram! You may be spot on

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  9. What a fab idea for doing those stunning, but messy gradients. I can't seem to keep any polish on over a peel off top coat but its great for taking off a glitter bomb after a day.

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  10. I was so looking forward to this peel off polish base. I have tried a few others and found the same thing. I am a stay at home Mom and I wash my hands all the time! I think that I would use this for a sparkly night out mani and skip it for the daily stuff. Thank you for your review and the idea for gradient clean up is brilliant!

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    1. Good idea for the sparkly night out! thank you!

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  11. Great review, what a good idea for gradients, I may have to pick it up just for that! I really like Nail Pattern Boldness' Glitter A-Peel and was hoping the OPI would perform similarly so that I didn't have to order online- looks like it won't.

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    1. I haven't tried that one at all. Any nail damage with it?

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  12. Ahhhh, I just ordered it yesterday! Lol. I love your idea about using it for gradients/messy nail art though!! Thanks for the review and tips! xx

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    1. Let me know how it works for you though! I am going to try it with a total glitter bomb mani soon, maybe i'll have better luck?

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  13. Just as I suspected, sounds like its just glue! I'll stick with my cheap-o bottle of Elmer's. Thanks for the honest review. Gorgeous gradient!

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    1. you're welcome, and thank you! no point in me reviewing ANYTHING if I am not honest right? :)

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  14. Thanks for the new use of a peel-off base coat! I have still mine from essence but I rarely use it because of nail damage. I think, I will give it a try to avoid the clean up mess after sponging.

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    1. You're welcome! and thank you! did you notice damage with the essence one? i was really happy I didn't have that happen with this. I was SO nervous

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  15. You are a genius! Good call on the sponging clean up idea! Thanks for an hour estate and great review!

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  16. Considering the drying time is the same as the DIY/homemade peel off base coat and that the price of Elmer's glue is less than $2 compared to $9 for the OPI, I think I'll stick to the DIY version for now. I have heard of an Indy brand that works great, but for now I'm fine with my DIY.

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    1. Whatever works for you! Im sure i have some glue around here to try

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  17. Well no wonder it smells sorta like glue. It is essentially Elmer's Glue watered down. But with a nicer bottle.

    Still.. I'll probably buy it *OPIholic*

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    1. LOL "*OPIholic*"

      check out the photo i posted of the ingredients list on Facebook or instagram.

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  18. Still not sure if I'm going to pick this up or not, but that's a great idea to use it to help with clean up! I could see myself using it more often for that than as an actual base coat for glitter.

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  19. Genius. I'll be buying this primarily to do gradients!

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    1. It worked even better the second time. (my post yesterday of a pink and gray gradient). i let it dry a few minutes longer than this one and i had NO grabbing with the sponge. Super convenient

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  20. Tie nail pattern boldness one can be easily purchased on line and it is NOT glue. It works well for a night out with sparkling nails. It is just not meant to last for days. And it dries much faster. I will stick with it.

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  21. Who needs showers? Or washing your hands after using the bathroom? I had my doubts about this product. I'm glad you answered all my questions!

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  22. elmers glue is exactly the same...just much cheaper. I actually just posted a review of it a few hours ago on my blog. it is not worth spending a bunch more money for the same product in a pretty bottle :-(

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  23. I use plain old Elmer's school glue decanted into an empty polish bottle. I add a biit of water to get it to the consistency I like. It goes on and dries the same way. I usually have 3 days of great wear, and that includes showing and hair washing, before I get any lifting. The glue can be used around the outside of the nails for easy clean up also. Seems to me OPI is charging a huge amount for the same thing I get at the dollar store. Save your money people.

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    1. I never tried to put glue into a bottle before. i tried (and made a huge mess) squirting from the bottle onto my skin and painting it around the cuticles with a brush lol. this is definitely more convenient for me

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  24. It does sound like a good product but as I am the chef and pot washer in my house it is a no go for me but if I see it on offer somewhere I might get it for cleanup of gradients or watermarbelling.

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  25. It pretty much looks exactly like Elmer's glue...but I've noticed longer wear than that when I've used glue as a base coat. That's too bad that it didn't work out as a base coat, but what a great idea to use it for gradients. I LOVE them but hate the cleanup. Maybe it is worth me trying for that alone. Thanks for the post, very informative :)

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    1. It's more watery than straight glue so maybe thats why it didn't last as long? It's definitely helpful for the gradients (which i wear much more often than glitter polish anyway) and I just tried it again on another gradient mani and let it dry longer and it didn't get stuck to the sponge at all like some did in this review.

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  26. Thank you so much for the review! I wash my hands so much during the day, so I doubt I'll be spending €13 for this. I'd rather have a mani that lasts for more than a week without chipping and having to wait a couple more minutes to remove it. Too bad :/

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  27. I think I will just stick with my Essence Peel Off Base Coat, which wears well and is much cheaper than OPI. I love the idea of using the base coat to protect the skin though, makes cleanup of gradients so much easier!

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    1. Thanks! Where did you get the Essence? in the US? I haven't seen any mainstream brand have a peel off base coat in my area until this.

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  28. Great review and out-of-box thinking to use as a finger protector for gradients etc. Am glad you posted this. I have been using Nail Pattern Boldness' Glitter-A-Peel and am happy with it. It too is sensitive to water - but maybe a little less so from your experience. On average I get 36-48 hours before I notice any areas ready to peel. I do prefer this over the tin-foil method that's for sure. And GAP is completely clear and dries fast - so bonus for that. Also, it gives me some ridge-filling too. I bought the artist masking fluid from Micheal's the other day to try for the finger protection - have you ever tried that? :) Anyway - thanks for sharing with us all. :)

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    1. Oh I haven't tried GAP or the artist masking fluid before so thanks for letting me know about them!

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  29. Give it another try, this time with a regular glitter polish, not a textured polish.

    If you do the textured again you should be gentle with your nails. Don't wash raw chicken... LOL

    I use Elmer's Glue All. It does the same as the OPI and is way cheaper.

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    1. And I use NYC In a Minute Grand Central Station as a top coat and under my tips. Use this daily and you should get 3 to 4 days of glitter polish. You might get a chip, just fill it in and top coat it.

      I get bored after 2 days, then need to change my polish... I have so much of it.

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    2. Hah well i do want to try it again with glitter and a top coat. But I won't be deciding on my dinner because of my nail polish. I have a family to feed and I certainly can't order in pizza because i put on textured polish. Textures last super long on me so I figured it would be a good thing to try it out on first.

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  30. I agree with a lot of the opinions already posted. For the price I'll stick with a coat or two of Elmer's glue. Thanks for the review though! I had my eye on this when I saw the press release and was wavering between trying it out or letting it pass.

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    1. Thank you. I've never tried elmers glue on my actual nail so i can't really compare but glad i was able to help you make a decision.

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  31. Um, the essence's peel off base coat does offer this advice: "avoid hot water for 3 hours after application" - this might be the case with this one, too (since it's basically the same thing).

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    1. thank you so much for that tip. I plan to try again with a glitter polish, top coat, and I'll keep this in mind. However, i was only using cold water for my hands so i guess i can try to avoid water all together for the first few hours. (may have to wait until the kids are in bed to guarantee that haha)

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  32. Nice review. Sad to know polish peels off within few hours

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  33. Could you please list the ingredients? Am wondering if Glitter Off is 3-free. Thanks very much!

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    1. Hi Sue! I've taken a photo and posted it to both my instagram and my Facebook pages for this blog of the ingredients list for you! (Both icon links are at the top right of this blog page) hope that helps, I'm pretty sure EVERYTHING by OPI is three free these days though.

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    2. Thanks SO much! You rock!!

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  34. that;s too bad that all the glitter polish comes off so easily when you use it for what its supposed to be used for. but thats great that it worked so well for gradients!

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  35. I'd rather use the aluminum foil method.

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