OPI My Gecko Does Tricks from the Hawaii Collection that officially launches today (February 4th) certainly is a tricky one for a couple of reasons.

This pearly, bright green is very flashy – even flashier than my photos would suggest. But that’s not why my ‘gecko’ is tricky.

The first reason is that it wouldn’t show its true beauty to the camera. Its not a hard polish to photograph…if you have decent lighting conditions. (Read the rest of my post to learn about the second reason why it’s tricky.)

The thing is that I wore OPI My Gecko Does Tricks twice as a full manicure in the hopes of capturing it properly. Unfortunately, the mornings before I left for work were very dim, and by the time I came home in the evening, natural-light photos would’ve been more grainy than organic cereal.

Since I don’t have a light box or use any fancy lighting equipment, I rely on Mother Nature, even though she likes to switch things up on a daily basis. (Hey, I love challenges!) So, after wearing OPI My Gecko Does Tricks for a few days, I did something I rarely do: I painted my nails the exact same colour right after I finished removing it. Then, I wore that manicure for a couple of days straight. (Yeah, back-to-back OPI My Gecko Does Tricks!)

During the first and second times, I snapped photos, which is why you may see that there’s tip wear in some photos and not others. All these photos spanned probably around 9 days of wear, so the lighting isn’t consistent.

Typically, I try to take the majority of my photos of a manicure on the same day to rule out major natural-light changes or very-different angles.

I even considered wearing it a third time to hope for (literally) a brighter morning where I could snap this baby. But then, as I’m sure you understand, a new nail polish caught my eye that I had to wear instead. The nailphile train just kept on rolling! 🙂

Instead of delaying this review further, I decided to post it because today is the official launch of the OPI Hawaii Collection! (From the minute I saw the collection, I secretly wanted to highlight this polish to coincide with the release date.)

P.S. Yesterday night, I published a second blog post. Check it out, if you missed it! It’s about Essie at Paris Haute Couture Fashion Week!

OPI My Gecko Does Tricks Pictures

OPI My Gecko Does Tricks Swatches

All swatches have:

• OPI Nail Envy Nail Strengthener (Used as a base coat)
• 3 coats of OPI My Gecko Does Tricks
• Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat

Natural Light Photos

Flash Photos

Claim: TRUSTED

• Bright and pearly green (Yes)

Key Notes

• Name: OPI My Gecko Does Tricks
• Collection: OPI Hawaii Collection 2015
• Press Release & Quick Look: Click here to see my OPI Hawaii Collection swatches, bottle shots & the official press release
• Media Launch Recap: I attended the exclusive OPI Hawaii Collection Media Launch. Click here to read my recap post!
• Colours Available in the Collection: That’s Hula-rious!, My Gecko Does Tricks, Do You Take Lei Away?, Is Mai Tai Crooked?, Go with the Lava Flow, Aloha from OPI, Suzi Shops & Island Hops, Just Lanai-ing Around, Hello Hawaii Ya?, This Color’s Making Waves, Lost My Bikini in Molokini & Pineapples Have Peelings Too!
• Amount: 15 mL (0.5 fl. oz.)
• Retail Price: $9.95 CAD (I paid nothing, as this was provided by PR.)
• Where to Buy: NailPolishCanada, Trade Secrets & select spas, salons & beauty-supply stores (The collection is officially released on February 4, 2015, which is the day this post went live.)

OPI My Gecko Does Tricks Review

Colour

My Gecko Does Tricks by OPI is a bright, pearly green that’s so flashy and full of energy. It’s like it drank a lot of Red Bull!

In natural light, it looks vibrant (more so than my photos would suggest and also slightly darker and greener than they’d suggest). It’s the kind of colour that really pops and is attention-getting. (If you move your hands around a lot when you talk like I do, you may notice your manicure catching people’s eyes as you do so. It’s that kind of awesome polish!)

This is a yellow-based green that’s lighter than a grassy one and more akin to a lightened lime, if it was pearlized.

It also seemed to have an extremely subtle duochrome going on. Sometimes it looks a little darker like an olive-green around the edges, but only when I looked at it at contortionist angles. 😉 (I did snap a few photos, but, they just didn’t make the final cut on here because of the poor natural-lighting condition I whined about earlier.)

Finish

My Gecko Does Tricks by OPI has a pearly finish with maximum-voltage shine! It’s really spectacular to see in-person!

The finish is so pearly on its own that even a shiny top coat doesn’t seem to add an ounce of improvement to the shininess.

Application & Formula

In the introduction to this post, I mentioned that there were two reasons why this polish was tricky. Here’s the second reason: The formula is thin, sheer, and watery.

I’m not a fan of this formula because not only does it require you use a minimum of three coats to achieve full opacity, but the thin formulation could accidentally flood your cuticles or drip off to the side more easily, if you aren’t expecting it.

My suggestion is to use thin coats instead of medium coats like I usually do. The thinner a layer you work with, the less likely the polish will be drippy, and you’ll be able to control it better with your brush.

Also, you need to be mindful about your painting technique. Keep your vertical brush movements as straight as you can. (Sometimes, when I’m rushing, I tend to not paint my nails with consistently straight strokes. With this polish, you’ll be able to see your final brushstrokes, so if they curve, they could be very noticeable.)

I paid great attention as I was painting, so I kept the brushstrokes as even and straight as possible. This isn’t a polish to use if you just want to slap something on. It needs its hand to be held and to be micro-managed. 😉

The visible brushstrokes aren’t as bad as a chrome polish, but it was noticeable enough for me that I felt the need to mention it.

From a distance, you can’t see it. It just looks very pearly. Up close, it’s shimmery and brushstroke-y.

Now, that could be a deal breaker for some, but even for someone like me who isn’t a fan of visible brushstrokes, I thought it was worth the end result.

Also, although the formula was thin (that can sometimes mean the polish won’t have great manicure mileage), I was really happy to see that the duration I wore the polish, it held up against me constantly typing on the computer at work and being hard on them in general.

Pros Bright, pearly, flashy light green Fun manicure to wear Great manicure mileage, despite having a thin formula

Cons Visible brushstrokes Thin, sheer & water formula (Could flood cuticles, if you’re not expecting it)

Final Verdict: 8/10

Truth be told, had this been any other colour than a green, I would’ve given it a 7.5 out of 10. However, this particular shade of green coupled with the pearly nature and flashy ways made this nailphile’s heart sing!

Even though you have to fuss with the formula, the finished look totally justifies it!

I recommend this to green fiends who are willing to be patient and careful during the application process. All others, you’ve been forewarned! Hehe!

What polish have you worn that has a fussy formula, but you still continue to wear it? Which OPI Hawaii Collection shades are you most excited about?