There are some nail polishes that are so mesmerizing, they take your breath away even from the first coat. OPI DS Extravagance is one of them.
This is a scattered holographic polish I’ve worn several times because the formula is pure perfection. It has zero application issues – flows smoothly on the nails, goes on thin and workable, dries quickly, and has great pigmentation.
Now let’s talk about the color (the most exciting part)! It’s this wonderful berry purple with holographic sparkles that flash in a rainbow of hues. It’s lively. It’s pretty. It’s a firework for your nails!
Although I tried to capture the essence of OPI Designer Series Extravagance in my pictures, this is a polish you must look at in person to really see how gorgeous it is!
OPI DS Extravagance Pictures
OPI DS Extravagance Swatches
2 Coats + Top Coat (Flash)
2 Coats + Top Coat (Flash)
2 Coats + Top Coat (Flash)
2 Coats + Top Coat (Flash)
2 Coats + Top Coat (Natural Light - It was cloudy out)
Claims: TRUSTED
√ Provides glitzy & glamorous look
Key Notes
- Name: OPI Designer Series Extravagance
- Amount: 15 mL
- What I Paid: $5.75 USD (Retail price is about $14 USD or so)
- OPI Designer Series Collection Colors Available: Extravagance, Royal, Classic, Coronation, Glow, Illuminate, Jewel, Magic, Mystery, Opulence, Radiance, Reflection, Reserve, Sapphire, Signature, Tapestry & Treasure
- Where to Buy: Trade Secrets, Trans Design & select beauty-supply stores
OPI DS Extravagance Review
You get sticker shock if you buy any of the OPI Designer Series polishes at the regular retail price. They’re significantly more expensive than regular OPIs. Why? OPI DS polishes contain diamond dust – not sure if this is just a gimmick or if it actually improves the manicure mileage. But thankfully there are eBayers and an etailer that sell them for a lot less.
OPI Designer Series nail polish even comes in a special bottle to distinguish it from your standard OPI bottle. It has a silver foily handle instead of the usual black one.
OPI Extravagance is worth every penny. The color alone sells itself – it’s a fun berry purple punctuated with scattered holographic sparkles of pink, blue, gold, silver, and red. No matter what light you wear it, it glitters like crazy. Of course, it looks best in sunlight when all the colors stand out.
The formula is excellent! It’s smooth and thin without being watery, and it dries quickly. There’s great pigmentation because even with just the first coat, OPI DS Extravagance provides awesome coverage. I used 2 coats to amp up the holographic goodness, and I really don’t think you’d need to wear any more than 2 coats.
Although it dries fairly shiny on its own, I used Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat (my Holy Grail top coat) to boost it to that glass-like glossy look us nailphiles lust after.
Pros
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Cons
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Final Verdict: 10/10
Although OPI Extravagance pulls your purse strings taut, I think that it’s totally worth it. You get a fun, breathtaking, original color that applies without a hitch. And I believe this shade is universally flattering.
Do you like this color? Have you tried any other OPI Designer Series polishes? Do you think paying more for diamond dust is a rip-off?
I adore this colour. Here in New Zealand we pay $37 (US$30) for the designer series polishes but this one, especially, is certainly worth it, if only to be able to tell people your nail polish has diamond dust in it!
I also have Mystery and I love it. And I desperately want Reflection, radiance and Magic … next purchases I think!
Kelsy recently posted: opi turquoise shatter over opi alpine snow
Hey Kelsy!
If I lived in New Zealand, I totally wouldn’t be able to afford my polish addiction! It’s not fair that you have to pay more for OPI than us in Canada. And, yes, I’m also skeptical about the formula actually containing diamond dust…haha!
But I’m glad that you managed to get a bottle of this. It’s definitely the best OPI Designer Series polishes that I own. Perfect formula = perfect application! And it sparkles like crazy! (DS Royal is beautiful, too, though…but I knock it to 2nd place because it’s mainly for layering with).
DS Mystery looks so enchanting in the bottle! I keep picking it up in stores to admire it.
Hey, not sure if you’re an Orly fan, but if you can’t get OPI DS Magic, Orly Lunar Eclipse is similar…and it’s cheaper.
O, goodness. I am not an Orly fan except for the Cosmic FX series, which I have only just managed to get in NZ – Halley’s Comet is a fantastical dupe for Catch Me in Your Net which I have wanted so badly for ages, and I picked it up for some extortionate price – but, I did just find the entire collection on a beauty supply site and I just received Space Cadet (I honestly thought that would never make it into NZ) and Galaxy Girl. Having seen them (and gone crazy over them), I have now backordered all three of the others … I think Rocket Science is the one I am most excited for.
Had no idea Lunar Eclipse was a dupe for Magic though! That’s fantastic!
Kelsy recently posted: opi turquoise shatter over opi alpine snow
Yes, Halley’s Comet and Catch Me in Your Net are both spectacular! Space Cadet is also a popular must-have, but for me, it was It’s Not Rocket Science that I really fell head over heels for – it’s one of my favorite greens ever.
Oh, Lunar Eclipse isn’t a dead-on dupe of Magic. It’s just realllly close. Here’s a blog post I found that has comparison swatches: http://evonnz.com/2010/11/09/opi-ds-magic-vs-orly-cosmic-fx-lunar-eclipse-comparison-swatch/
Hope that helps you decide if you want one or both. 🙂 I only own Lunar Eclipse or I would do a swatch comparison myself. Don’t think I’ll be getting Magic, though, since it’s really similar and way more expensive than Lunar Eclipse.
Thanks heaps for that link! I had no clue they were so similar before you mentioned them. At this stage I’ll probably just grab Lunar Eclipse, as $12.50NZ sounds a lot better than $37 … plus I’ve been looking around and I am fairly sure Magic isn’t stocked here at the moment. Ergh.
I am CRAZY for It’s Not Rocket Science! I can’t wait to get my hands on it. It looks amazing. So many people describe it as ugly pretty but I am fairly sure it’s just fabtastic.
Kelsy recently posted: opi turquoise shatter over opi alpine snow
You’re welcome! 🙂 Yes, I think it’s smart of you to go for Lunar Eclipse instead, given the crazy price difference. Unless of course you reallllllly wanted the diamond dust. 😛 Hahaha!
Yeah, it’s an ugly-pretty kind of green – I’ll agree with that. It has that….swampy quality to it, if that makes sense. Then again, I really love green nail polish in general, so I’m biased. 😉 But out of all the greens I own, this one really got my attention.
Hello! : ) They are pretty close dupes, but Lunar Eclipse’s a keeper – it’s more duocrome than Magic! Wish the brush was a bit thicker though…
And seriously, USD30 for DS polishes are really a huge OWCH! Over here we pay around $16 SGD (12 USD) for them from our local online retailers! If you need help and really want it, I could see if I can assist in purchasing and shipping it over to you : )
Hey Evonne!
Yes, $30 is way too much to pay for a DS polish unless it’s one of the reallly old discontinued ones like OPI DS Royal. (That one’s worth it!)
Thanks for the sweet offer. I’m really content with Lunar Eclipse for now. 🙂
No worries! : D Have you seen A-England’s new collection yet? They’re gorgeous!
Evonne recently posted: Accessorize Polishes (from London!)
Hey Evonne!
YES – the new collection is killer! I have my eye on Dragon and Saint George. Those are so drool-worthy!
This polish is sooo pretty! I got it for super cheap while on vacation and just now got around to wearing it. I did a little simple nail art with it and WnW Teal of Fortune with ChG Fairy Dust on top (of ToF). I don’t usually like colors like this very much but dannng is this one pretty!! Also- I only gave a quick review of the color itself so I sent people over here. I hope you don’t mind 🙂 Whenever I’m decided whether or not to get a polish, I always google “polish name swatch and learn” because I always know you’ll have the best pictures and descriptions of polishes. Thanks 🙂
Nicole recently posted: Day 1: Red Nails
Hey Nicole!
How awesome that you managed to snatch this baby up for a great price. While it’s totally worth the full price, at a discount, it’s like you found the X that marks the spot! 🙂 I really don’t know a single person who doesn’t love this polish. It’s a winner!
Aww…thanks for referring some readers over to my blog! 🙂 I really appreciate that you’re spreading the love. Haha, and oh my gosh, that’s incredibly flattering that you Google my swatches! 😀