After I did a reader requested minty green nail-polish comparison post, one of my readers, Sam, asked if I could compare 2 of the glitters from OPI Oz the Great and Powerful Collection.
Since I have all 3 glitters, I thought I may as well show them side-by-side in this OPI Oz Glitter Nail-Polish Comparison post, even though I’ve done a separate review on OPI Lights of Emerald City.
I hope that you’ll find this helpful for narrowing down the one(s) you’re interested in!
OPI Oz Glitter Nail-Polish Comparison Photos
Here are the OPI Oz glitter nail polishes I compared in this post, left to right. (All were provided by PR.)
- OPI When Monkeys Fly!
- OPI Which is Witch?
- OPI Lights of Emerald City
Natural Light Photos
OPI Oz Glitter Nail-Polish Comparison Swatches
All swatches have 2 coats of China Glaze Liquid Leather (black) and no top coat. I used that black polish to help you see the glitter better since the nail wheel I used is white.
The order is the same for this entire post.
Left-Right: OPI When Monkeys Fly!, OPI Which is Witch? & OPI Lights of Emerald City
Natural Light Photos
1 coat
2 coats
Hmm…it was really weird, but my flash photos turned out almost identical to the ones I took in natural light!
Flash Photos
1 coat
2 coats
My Observations
Glitter Dispersal
OPI When Monkeys Fly! and OPI Lights of Emerald City require some glitter manipulation if you want them to show up evenly. OPI Which is Witch? went on pretty even all on its own.
Grittiness
These all have large pieces of glitter, so I wasn’t expecting any of them to be really smooth. OPI Lights of Emerald City seemed to be the smoothest, followed by OPI Which is Witch? and OPI When Monkeys Fly! respectively.
I was really disappointed to see that the hexagonal gold glitter in OPI When Monkeys Fly! curled significantly. If you wear that one, expect major texture and even some sharpness. While some of those hexagons lie flat, some will curl and the edges stick up. It’s so much so that I believe even if you use a thick top coat, it won’t be enough to smooth it out. 🙁
OPI Lights of Emerald City and OPI Which is Witch? are not scratchy at all, so you won’t have to worry about any snagging with those.
Glitter Pieces
Here’s what you’ll find in each bottle:
- OPI When Monkeys Fly! – Small holographic glitter, medium hexagonal holographic glitter & large gold hexagons
- OPI Which is Witch? – Very small & small holographic glitter, short and thin holographic bar glitter & medium holographic hexagons
- OPI Lights of Emerald City – Large white squares & smaller squares that flash green & orange
Bottom Line
Unfortunately, I think that OPI When Monkeys Fly! is “BUSTED”. The major curling you get from the gold hexagons creates sharp and awkward texture that can’t be rectified with a thick top coat.
OPI Which is Witch? has a fun look that I think is wonderful for layering. But, if you aren’t a fan of bar glitter, you may not like this. (I like bar glitter, and this one is really holographic, so it’s a great way to refresh an existing manicure with some bling!)
OPI Lights of Emerald City is my favourite out of the 3 because I don’t have many nail polishes with square glitter. This one stands out and is more reminiscent of indie nail polish than a mainstream one.
Which one of these is your favourite? Will you be picking any up? What layering combinations would you do with these glitters?
I think none of them, but if I had one I would def layer over black
Hey Icequeen81!
I’m itching to layer Which is Witch? over blue!
over blue , then is a kind a starry night , want to see that 🙂
Yeah, silver and blue always make for great combinations. Gotta love that ‘starry night sky’ effect!
I’m a bit disappointed in these glitters, Lights of Emerald City was looking really nice in the promo pics but squares aren’t my cup of tea 🙂 Never tried any of OPI’s shoft shades though, so I’m looking forward to seeing swatches of them!
Hey Tove!
Aww, sorry to hear that these glitters disappointed you. Maybe you’ll like the Soft Shades more? I’ve reviewed all 3 of them from the OPI Oz the Great and Powerful Collection on here already, in case you’re like to take a peek.
OPI Glints of Glinda: http://www.swatchandlearn.com/opi-glints-of-glinda-swatches-review/
OPI Don’t Burst My Bubble: http://www.swatchandlearn.com/opi-dont-burst-my-bubble-swatches-review/
OPI I Theodora You: http://www.swatchandlearn.com/opi-i-theodora-you-swatches-review/
Too bad about When Monkeys Fly…when I saw it inthe bottle I gasped a little. It looked so pretty! That is waaaay too much curl. I’m picky about bar glitter but Which is Witch looks awesome, like a holographic explosion. Lights of Emerald City looks pretty neat. It definitely has some potential and I love square glitter! Not sure if I will get any of them anytime soon, there’s so many other things I want more!
Hey Chandra!
Same here – in the bottle, it looks so amazing. If it weren’t for the curling, I would probably fall in love with it.
“Holographic explosion” – great description!
Great comparison. 😀 I could totally see myself getting Lights Of Emerald City if it ever went on clearance. lol
Lizzy recently posted: Sinful Colors: Ocean Side & Models Own: Freak Out
Hey Lizzy!
Glad you liked this little comparison post. 🙂 I need to layer it over other colours. I wonder what it’d look like over orange.
Bar glitter is usually one of my no-go’s, but I really like them in Which Is Witch, whereas I was sooooo excited for When Monkeys Fly, which is a total letdown from what I can tell. 🙁
Laure recently posted: Green to Blue to Black Gradient
Hey Laure!
Maybe you like the bar glitter in Which Is Witch? because the bar glitter isn’t very long. I find that the shorter bar glitter is also easier to work with and doesn’t hang over the free edge of the nail quite as much. They blend in better with other glitter, too.
Good assessment. 😉 I also like that it doesn’t take over the whole polish. Like you said, it blends in. It’s quite subtle and nice. For some reason, I feel myself getting the need to say mellow, when I see it. ;D
Laure recently posted: Green to Blue to Black Gradient
Haha, mellow bar glitter. 😉
I’m planning on picking up Which is Witch! I love bar glitter, and it looks like it would make the perfect jelly sandwich!
Christina recently posted: February Birchbox
Hey Christina!
Yay for another bar-glitter lover! 😀 I feel like most people hate it, but I think it’s really fun to have glittery nails that look ‘hairy’…hehe!
Good idea about using it for a jelly-sandwich manicure, by the way!
I usually love glitter polish. But those ones don’t look that amazing unfortunately 🙁
Hey Yolennie!
On the bright side, at least you’re saving some money. 🙂 Now you can use that toward something else that you love more!
I think I like Lights of Emerald City. 😀 I think I like it…. lol
Hey MissMidnightBlue!
Hahaha, for some reason, your comment immediately made me think of The Little Engine That Could. 😉
LOL 😀
I love these glitters. My ulta hasn’t gotten them in yet do I’m waiting patiently
Hey Ashley!
Do you think you’ll be getting all 3, or is there one you’re really itching to find?
How does Which is Witch compare to Save Me from Nicki Manaj?
Hey Nora!
That’s a great question! I did an in-depth review of OPI Save Me. You can view it here: http://www.swatchandlearn.com/opi-save-me-swatches-review-layered-over-illamasqua-kink/
Off the top of my head, I remember Save Me’s bar glitter being very long and there’s small silver glitter. Which Is Witch? has shorter bar glitter, medium hexagonal glitter, and small silvery/holographic glitter.
Of the two, I would recommend Which Is Witch? more. Save Me was a big disappointment, and the long bar glitter hangs over the edge of your nail and gets scratchy, so you have to file it down. Which Is Witch? has an easier formula to work with. Plus I feel like it’s more interesting because of the hexagonal glitter…but the decision is up to you based on your preference. 🙂
Hope that helps!