Comprehensive Guide On How To Spot A Fake OPI Polish

I have decided to sell a couple of OPI nail polishes through eBay just to see how they do, and I was surprised to find out how many fakes there are out there, so cue my next post.

I have done quite a lot of research on this as I wanted to be as comprehensive as possible, so here are the many ways to spot a fake:

The Front Of The Bottle

Letter "L" of "mL" is upper case and "Fl" is lower case. The font of the number "5" is also very important.

The base of the bottle should also be smooth and even. This is often the quickest way of spotting a fake, as OPI is all about quality, especially on their packaging.

The Back Of The Bottle

Apart from the clear printing of all the information, the order of the 4 lines is also a clear indication of a fake. If the order of the lines is different to the one's shown in the genuine picture below, or the safety icons or font is small then stay well clear.

Embossed Logo on Brush

The real OPI brush has an embossed logo on the top of the brush. It is quite hard to see it and I couldn't get a very decent picture. My advice is to push the paint downwards against the bottle head repeatedly. Because the logo is embossed, you can feel the rough texture.

The Brush Itself

As you can see from the picture above, the brushes are thick, with many bristles and flatten down to produce great coverage. Many copies will have a thinner brush and the poor quality is clear.

Inside The Cap

The inside of the cap isn't smooth it has gear-like ridges all around.

Code Numbers

Original OPI has some code number at the top of each bottle. It is quite hard to see it, but it is there if you take a look properly at the bottle.

There is also a more visible code number at the bottom of each bottle, and this is printed in black.

Double Layered Sticker On The Base

You can see the same code on the sticker at the bottom of the bottle and this is also where you will find the colour code. Make sure the color code matches the name of the color. You will have to refer to the OPI website for the correct code.

There is a "peel here" sign on the sticker and there should be no way of sticking that sticker back on. If you can then be wary! When you have peeled off the sticker, you will see a list of ingredients. 

Ribbed Bottle Base 

OPI bottles have a finely ribbed base. Many fakes can be spotted as there is either no ribbed base or the ribbed texture is chunkier.

Steel Balls

If you put the bottle on it's side and let it rest for a minute, you can see there are two little steel balls in the bottle. If there is only one or none then it's probably a fake. I gave up on trying to take a picture of this as I couldn't get the focus right, however it is very clear to see then when you have an authentic bottle.

Mini Bottles

The usual rules don't always apply to the mini bottles, so there are a few differences to consider.

OPI have lots of mini bottle collections, and these mini bottles don't have the sticker on the bottom of the bottle. There is however a colour code printed on the base. They also don't have the steel balls like the standard sized bottles, but they do have the OPI logo stamped into the brush arm.

Cap Seals

Not all OPI polish comes with a cap seal so if it doesn't have one then it certainly doesn't indicate that it's a fake or that it has been used. The bottles that have this seal on indicate that it has a pro-wide brush as opposed to the standard brush (which is still fabulous by the way!).

Don't Get Fooled By Good Fakes

Good fakes seem to have an embossed logo on the brush, codes printed on the top and bottom of the bottle, however the name of the colour is often incorrect and/or the code doesn't match to the name. Often the sticker looks totally wrong too.

If buying from eBay then be careful to use sellers that specify that their OPI products are genuine. Excellent feedback is not an indication that they sell genuine OPI

Summary


Essentially there are many ways to spot a fake, and using these warning signs will reduce the likeliness of buying a fake, however OPI claim that the only true way to tell a fake is to test the contents of product.


I hope that you have found this post useful and if you have any other methods for spotting a fake then please feel free to post below.

OPI I Vant To Be A-lone Star In Many Guises

I'm loving OPIs I Vant To Be Alone Star, so much that I tried it with my Rimmel Matte Top Coat and also with Save Me from the Nicki Minaj collection. 


The matte finish looked amazing, especially with the shimmer of the blue on it's own. The end result looked like silk without being too over the top and would be perfect for both the daytime and the evening.

OPI I Vant To Be Alone Star and Rimmel Matte Finish

OPI I Vant To Be Alone Star and OPI Save Me from the Nicki Minaj Collection

OPI I Vant To Be Alone Star on it's own

OPI I Vant To Be Alone Star with Rimmel Matte Finish Top Coat

L xxx

Nicki Minaj OPI Polish

I didn't think that it was possible to love nail polish any more than I already do, as I have become a little bit of obsessed...well, more like addicted, especially since OPI entered my life. That was until I realised that OPI were launching a range by Nicki Minaj. 

I waited quite patiently until 2012, and decided to order a set of minis from eBay just after the launch and they finally arrived this week! My set includes very cute mini versions of Did It On 'Em (lime green) Pink Friday (bubblegum pink), Save Me (glitter and holographic streamers) and Fly (turquoise) and I am thrilled to show you the results with the help of my 7 year old daughter and 4 year old son, who just had to get in on the action, not because he is a girly boy but because he is obsessed with the colour green and loves the lime shade.

I started with the usual OPI From Start To Finish Base Coat and Top Coat in one and then painted my daughter's nails in the three bright colours. I added two coats for depth and then added a coat of Save Me on top. If I was doing a manicure on myself then I would add a top coat as well, however I didn't feel that this was necessary on this occasion.

I love all of the colours and the pictures really don't do them justice. I can't tell you how amazing the glittery streamer effect looks and I will definitely need to buy a standard sized bottle of this as it isn't going to last 5 minutes.

I would really like to know what everyone thinks, and as usual this means positive and negative feedback. I would also love to know if anyone has this polish.

P.s You may notice that I have had to do an update on this post, as my OPI Nicki Minaj minis box has a typo - I thought that Save Me was actually Metallic 4 Life. Either someone has made a typo on the box, or the wrong mini bottle was put in. Has anyone else had the same problem? I don't really mind as I have a polish almost exactly the same as Metallic 4 Life and I prefer Save Me a million times more anyway.