OPI Metro Chic BACK IN STOCK! *UPDATED*

Though it’s been backordered for weeks, Sephora by OPI’s popular Metro Chic color is FINALLY back in stock today at sephora.com. If you’ve been waiting for this “dark smoke” color, snap it up now for $9/bottle.

Personally, I got tired of waiting and settled for OPI’s You Don’t Know Jacques, a similar smoky color with a hint of violet. As much as I do like the gray creme finish, I am now on the hunt for a shimmery charcoal gray nail polish.

So, if you have a frosted charcoal gray that you like, clue me in!

UPDATE: Now, an hour later, Metro Chic is “out of stock” again. Hope you got yours! It’s currently selling for $30+ a bottle on eBay.

UPDATE 9/26/08 9:14 a.m. CDT: Metro Chic is back again (I just ordered two bottles), but it may not be for long. So hustle, hustle, hustle: Metro Chic

UPDATE 9/27/08: …And gone again.

UPDATE 9/30/08 12:37 a.m. CDT: Got a “Back in Stock” e-mail at 12:19 a.m. By the time I started to post this, 17 minutes later, it’s out of stock again. Crazy.

UPDATE 10/10/08 10:41 a.m. CDT: Another “Back in Stock” e-mail at 12:12 a.m. And now, 10 hours later, it’s still in stock. Hurry, hurry!

UPDATE 10/14/08: It’s still in stock at sephora.com, and I actually saw it on the shelf at my local Sephora store. Is the Metro Chic madness over?

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Quick Review: MAC Illegal Purple Nail Lacquer

MAC's Illegal Purple

I picked up a bottle of MAC’s Illegal Purple Nail Lacquer ($11) from their new Cult of Cherry collection. The color in the bottle looks very dark, almost black. The MAC Web site describes the color as “creamy blackened eggplant.” There is no shimmer or glitter in the polish.

So this morning, I did a quick-and-dirty manicure, which, for me, is removing old polish, softening and pushing back cuticles, and shaping the nails with an emery board. I followed with a basecoat, two coats of Illegal Purple, and a topcoat.

On the brush and on white paper, the color is definitely purple, but on my nails, depending on the light, it could be any color from dark red to black. The purple doesn’t really show up as purple, per se. The white paper swatch at right also shows the level of one-coat coverage. Which is to say that unless you want a translucent “glaze” look, you will need to use at least two coats. (For me, even two coats isn’t really enough. After the polish dried fully, I can see some uneven spots; I should’ve done a third coat.)

VERDICT: The polish was easy to apply and wasn’t sticky or streaky. While I like the color, it’s not as clearly purple as I was hoping. And additional coats would darken the color further. If you liked Chanel’s Vamp nail polish, you will probably like Illegal Purple. And the color should pair well with fall’s black lips, if you choose to indulge that trend.

As possible alternatives, I would like to try Sephora by OPI‘s purple shades Meet for Drinks and Caffeine Fix.

In bright light, the polish looks dark red on me (should've done a third coat, though).

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Nail Disasters

Maybe I’m tame because I prefer a French manicure or a traditional red or pink on my nails (but, hey, I am wearing blue on my toenails). Maybe I should be a little more adventurous. But there is a limit to my nail adventures. Some ladies, obviously, don’t feel the same.

I wonder if this lady was a nail-biter in her youth.

Another example of copyright infringement/nail horror.

Prepared in case she needs to dig a burrow of any sort.

Thanks to (and see more pictures, if you dare, including Simpons– and Spongebob-themed nails) at Haute Concept.

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Sephora by OPI

I love OPI nail colors, but I don’t love that when I find a color I like, they discontinue it (e.g. At Your Quebec & Call and Glacier Bay Blues from their Canadian collection.)

On my toenails, but no longer in stores.

So, I probably shouldn’t get too attached to any of the new colors in the Sephora by OPI collection, exclusive to Sephora stores and Sephora.com.

For example, I should just ignore Metro Chic, a purple-gray that reminds me of the perfect shade of grape bubblegum and is ALREADY out of stock at Sephora.com. And I shouldn’t take a second look at Never Enough Shoes (it’s even the perfect name for me), which is black with multi-color glitter. And I should continuously avert my eyes from I’m With Brad, which Sephora describes as “shimmering wine over dark coffee,” an excellent shade for autumn.

No word on how quickly these will disappear and disappoint me, but for now, each shade is $9, only at Sephora.

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