Swatches of the OPI Malibu collection for Summer 2021 (Part 1)

Yes! I have swatches! I was able to find OPI’s Malibu collection in one of my local nail salons, and let me tell you this: It’s great! As a first start, I picked up four new shades, but four more are coming my way! Because I don’t want to keep you waiting, I will share the swatches of these four first. If you missed out on the announcement of the Malibu collection, check out this post first. Update: The other shades finally arrived. You can find the swatches over here.

OPI From dusk til dune

OPI calls this shade ‘a light tone baby pink’. I agree with them when it comes to the base color. What they don’t tell you is that From dusk til dune is packed with tiny iridescent flakies. I wish I was able to capture them better, but it is also subtle in real life! The base color is a bit sheer. I am wearing three coats in the pictures, and you can still see the whites of my nails. I personally don’t mind and it really suits this polish, but it is something I would have loved to know before I purchased it. Also, I would recommend using a topcoat, since the polish on its own dries a tiny bit bumpy. I just know I am going to wear this shade a lot it’s the perfect combination of a neutral shade with a tiny bit of shimmer.

OPI From dusk til dune, Essie Glow and arrow, Essie bonbon nuit

Obviously, this shade is quite unique. Compared to Essie Bonbon Nuit (from the Winter 2020 collection), OPI From dusk til dune has just a completely different finish and shimmer. Essie Glow and arrow is much more purple and cool, but the concept is similar: shimmer in a sheer base. I find that the shimmer in Glow and arrow is much finer and a bit more prominent than the shimmer in From dusk til dune. On the other hand, From dusk til dune really seems to contain tiny flakies, which also makes it interesting.

If you are looking for From dusk til dune, I recommend Beyond polish. You can find From dusk til dune over here on their website for 7.35$ (affiliate link).

Affiliate disclosure: This blog post contains affiliate links, meaning that if you buy a product through one of these links, I might receive a small compensation at no additional costs to you. I marked all affiliate links clearly with the label “affiliate link”.

OPI Pear-adise Cove

Pear-adise cove is such an interesting shade! It definitely reminds me of my Grandma’s kitchen from the seventies! The formula is perfect and covered nicely in two coats. I was really afraid that I was not going to like this shade when I saw it in the bottle, but once I applied it, I completely changed my mind. I definitely appreciate it now. It is not your regular shade of chartreuse green, but definitely a bit dustier. When I removed this shade I noticed that you have to be a bit careful, or scrub a little harder than with other shades: it left a yellow glow around my cuticles.

Comparison of Essie Chillato, OPI Pear-adise cove, Essie Come on clover, Feelin’ just lime and Essie on the roadie

When I ordered Pear-adise cove, I though it would be close to Essie’s Come on clover. I was only partially right. Essie Come on clover is a bit less yellow than Pear-adise cove and a bit muted. I would say that Come on clover is maybe the safer option, although on the other hand, the yellow is what makes Pear-adise cove unique!

You can find Pear-adise cove over here on Beyond polish (affiliate link).

OPI Mali-blue shore

Honestly, I think Mali-blue shore is the kind of color that everyone loves. The shade was so easy to apply, and the color is just perfect. Especially if you don’t have a similar shade in your stash: you need this in your life. I am pretty sure OPI has done shades like this before (like The I’s have it from the Alice through the looking glass collection), but I sadly don’t own them and can’t compare them.

OPI Tile art to warm your heart (OPI Lisbon 2018), Essie Juicy details, OPI Mali-blue shore, Essie Blue-la-la and Essie Salt water Happy

Essie’s Blue-la-la is one of my favorite colors ever. It is close to Mali-blue shore, but it is just a tiny bit lighter. No wonder I like Mali-blue shore so much! I would say that the formula of Mali-blue shore is better than that of Blue-la-la. Both shades are great. The rest is obviously not even close to Mali-blue shore. Salt water happy is too purple, and Juicy details and Tile art are too dark.

You can find Mali-blue shore over here on Beyond polish (affiliate link).

OPI The sound of vibrance

Another perfect shade! The sound of vibrance is definitely very vibrant. It is a purple with blue shimmer and tiny pink sparkles. In the bottle, the color has a bit of a pink undertone, but this goes away when applied to the nail. The shade is a bit sheer and I required three coats to reach the coverage you see in the picture. However, it is definitely worth it! The blue shimmer is even more beautiful in person. If an indie brand would have sold this shade, I would have believed it!

Essie Friends forever, OPI the sound of vibrance, OPI Turn on the northern lights!, OPI Leonardo’s model color

OPI The sound of vibrance is Essie friends forever on steroids! The concept of both shades is very similar, but the execution is completely different. The sound of vibrance is a bit darker and less pink. The shimmer is much stronger than the Essie one! OPI turn on the northern lights and Leonardo’s model color have a different type of shimmer, but they are also blue-based, which is more obvious in real life. In the OPI Tokyo Spring 2019 collection there was a similar color called Samurai breaks a nail. Unfortunately I don’t own that shade, but my impression is that it is lighter than the sound of vibrance, but I am not entirely sure!

You can find The sound of vibrance over here on Beyond Polish (affiliate link).

Conclusion

I’m more than impressed by these shades! If I had to pick a favorite it would be Mali-blue shore or The sound of vibrance, but the other two are gorgeous too! You can find the swatches of Marigolden hour, Strawberry waves forever, Coastal Sand-tuary and PCH love song over here. I’m not sure about the official release date of this collection in the US. I have seen everything ranging from May until June, and honestly, I’m not even sure about that! If you are trying to find it earlier yourself: try your local nail salon that works with OPI, they usually have it earlier than bigger stores. OPI has announced on Instagram that this collection will be officially released on the first of June. However, I have already spotted the complete collection (including the Infinite shine and Gel version) on Beyond polish over here (affiliate link).

Update: You can also find them over here on Amazon now (affiliate link), and I’ve also spotted the collection in more stores!

As an Amazon affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

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