NOTD: OPI Pamplona Purple

Once upon a time, the Rabbit was almost wholly uninterested in nail varnish. She had two or three bottles, mostly picked up on a whim in Superdrug, for her toes in summer.

Then one day, a nail polish knocked on the door and changed everything. It transformed the way the Rabbit viewed polish (stuff to cover ugly toes) into a way of life.

The polish, ladies and gentlemen, was OPI's Can You Dig It? from their 2009 Psychedelic Brights collection. The quality of the polish paired with the fact that it was the most perfectly achieved purple creme, ever, totally changed my view of nail polish. What that view now is, is hard to put a finger on (ha!) Perhaps it is that the right shade and texture can complete an outfit. That looking down at your hands to see that flash of the perfect colour applied well makes you feel groomed when you might not have a scrap of makeup on. That a bright shade can lift flagging spirits, a dark one make you feel like a vamp, and glitter, absurdly happy.

Sadly, my bottle of Can You Dig It has now gone to to nail polish heaven (a few mishaps with the top hastened this, weep) and it went long before I started blogging. It's proving hard to replace but you can see a swatch here:

http://clumpsofmascara.com/2008/12/amor-de-lacquer-opis-can-you-dig-it.html

Pamplona Purple isn't a dupe by any means. It's considerably warmer and a lot less unique for it (Models Own Purple Poppy is a brighter version, and I've seen similar shades in Barry M and Boots 17). But the quality is stunning and it's a much more refined a shade than the ones I've seen in its colour family, with an inner richness and depth not seen in the cheaper purples (don't get me wrong, the high street is starting to do original nail colours well, but some just aren't quite there yet). And that's the lethal combination was what got me sucked into nail polish addiction in the first place. Unusual, well-blended shades, and a lovely application. Pamplona, you'll do. You'll more than do.

Also, I've rediscovered my love of Seche Vite. I forgot how intensely glossy it makes nails, and how much time it saves me (and how many wrecked manis!)