Okay, so last week was crazy busy, as you probably guessed, judging from how I posted less often than I usually do.

I was preparing to paint the accent wall in my living room! (If you follow me on social media, you know that on Saturday, I painted it green – haha, no shock there, right? It was in Behr Premium Plus Ultra paint in PPU10-7 Lima Green, in case you were wondering. And, although I tried taking photos of it to show you, unfortunately, my smartphone made it look like a completely different colour. I may try with my DSLR later. I’m soooo happy with the shade. It looks even better than the paint chip.)

But, now onto today’s review! 😉

I wore OPI DS Tourmaline for over 5 days straight. (When I was Instagramming, I thought it was 5 days, but apparently it was closer to a week that I wore it!) Even more impressive because it wore for a long time, even though I didn’t wear a base or top coat. (The press release says that you can wear it with or without a base coat. Since I love textured polishes, I tried it without any nail treatments.)

OPI DS Tourmaline is 1 of 2 new shades in the Designer Series line, and it features the Polished Quartz finish, which is very sparkly and has a textured finished.

I found it very challenging to photograph this polish, especially because on the days when I had time to snap photos before heading to work in the morning, the sky was overcast. (As you may know, I haven’t yet invested in studio lighting, so I rely on Mother Nature and my DSLR camera.)

Let me tell you – OPI DS Tourmaline is an incredible nail polish that no photos can do justice! There’s way more sparkle and loads more colours crammed into this bottle than I could capture. Also, the pink is lighter than the magenta you see in my photos. (I posted a couple of photos of it on Instagram, so you can compare how my smartphone’s camera captured the shade.)

OPI DS Tourmaline Pictures

OPI DS Tourmaline Swatches

All swatches have:

• No base coat!
• 2 coats of OPI DS Tourmaline
• No top coat!

Natural Light Photos

Flash Photos

Claim: TRUSTED

• Shimmery rose (Yes)

Key Notes

• Name: OPI DS Tourmaline
• Collection: OPI Designer Series Collection
• Press Release: Click here to see the official OPI Designer Series Press Release about the 2 new shades added
• 2 Colours Available in the Collection: DS Tourmaline & DS Titanium
• Amount: 15 mL (0.5 fl. oz.)
• What I Paid: Nothing! (This was provided by PR. Retails for about $14.95 CAD.)
• Where to Buy: Trade Secrets, select spas & salons & it probably will be sold at NailPolishCanada

OPI DS Tourmaline Review

Colour

As I mentioned in my introduction, DS Tourmaline by OPI is actually a lighter pink than what my photos would suggest. Nevertheless, it’s still saturated and not like an anemic pink. It has a punchiness to it, and although pink nail polish isn’t my first choice, this is a pink that I absolutely didn’t want to remove!

Haha, in fact, as I’m typing this review, I’m still wearing it! (It just started chipping on Sunday, and considering how I’ve worn it for over 5 days straight without a base or top coat, that’s certainly impressive. I’m not the type of woman who goes easy on my nails. I’m actually very hard on my nails!)

Normally, I can wear a pink for a day and then feel the need to change my manicure the next day. But this one is just so different than anything I have. It’s like the polish fairies are trying to convert me or something! (No worries – green will always have my heart.)

This girly pink is very flashy because it sparkles like a disco ball…and it’s a multicoloured disco ball at that! 😉

I could see orange, which is such a fun twist that I enjoy and don’t see paired with pink too often. Also, there was purple, green, blue, and probably even more colours, depending on how the light hit my nails and what angle I looked at them.

The magic of this polish really was beyond my amateur photography skills. You have to see it in person to really pinpoint all the colours and to see how glittertastic it is!

I really enjoyed how it overall was a pink, but when you look closer, there are lots of other colours sprinkled in with stealth!

Finish

Featuring OPI’s new finish, Polished Quartz, OPI DS Tourmaline is semi-matte with loads of sparkle and noticeable texture.

With tons of glitter, it caught the light, and sometimes, it took on an almost metallic appearance, which was really cool!

It dries with intentional texture. I actually like textured nail polishes, but if you’re not a fan, just slick on a thick, glossy top coat for a smoother finish. (However, if you do, note that it probably is the type of polish that will eat top coat up over time. This means that when you first apply the top coat, it’s smooth, but then a day later, you may notice that the glitter’s grittiness comes out again.)

Application & Formula

Application of DS Tourmaline by OPI was a breeze. I didn’t have to manipulate the glitter at all to get a uniform appearance. I just painted my nails like usual, put on two coats, and got full opacity.

The formula was easy to control, and I found that it dried very quickly, which is typical of glitter and textured finishes.

By the time I was done painting the last finger on my second hand, I was ready to apply the second coat to the first finger on my other hand.

Value

OPI Designer Series nail polishes are always more expensive than regular OPIs. In the past, they justified the price because there was diamond dust in the ingredients, but in recent years, I don’t think that has always been the case.

Pros Gorgeous pink with multicoloured glitter Catches the light & sparkles like crazy Textured finish (May be a Con for some.) Dries fast Easy-to-apply formula Saves time (You can wear it without a base or top coat.)

Cons Textured finish (May be a Pro for some. If you don’t like the finish, you can add a glossy top coat to smooth it out a bit.) More expensive than regular OPIs

Final Verdict: 9/10

Could this be the highest score that I’ve ever given a pink nail polish? It’s quite possible!

OPI Designer Series Tourmaline is a Barbie pink that’s so creative and fun to wear! I felt like my nails were having a party and throwing sprinkles and cupcakes in the air! 😉

I can see little girls absolutely falling head over heels for this nail polish, but even adults who love playful manicures will also really enjoy this.

Would you wear this with or without a shiny top coat? What is a nail polish you wore that blew you away? What is the fastest-drying nail polish you’ve ever tried?