OPI Love.Angel.Music.Baby and 4 In The Morning

I decided to post my picks from OPI's new (well...new last month) Gwen Stefani collection in two posts instead of one.  Since I did a fairly big chrome polish comparison when I reviewed Push And Shove, I figured the two satins should get their own post.  Not that I wasn't tempted by I Sing In Color and In True Stefani Fashion...I'd have snagged them too if I'd found them at the nail supply.  No such luck.  I had to get them at Ulta instead, which meant that the budget mattered more.  Phooey.  I did a lot of sighing and picked them up and put them down many times, but I wound up sticking with the ones I knew I wanted.  Right now, if it's a satin, I want it!  I know that their next few collections won't have anything with this awesome finish, but I'm holding out hope for the fall and winter ones.  At any rate, there was no question.  Love.Angel.Music.Baby and 4 In The Morning had to be mine!


Love.Angel.Music.Baby is a yellow-gold foil that dries to a satin finish.

So that's what L.A.M.B. stands for?  Anyway...gorgeous.  I'm not sure if it's the lighting or the wearers, but it looks a bit different on me than it does in Nichole's photos.  It looks different in the bottle between her photos and mine too, so I'm guessing it's the lighting.  On me, in indirect sunlight, the shimmer looked softer and less yellow than the base.  It gives it a nice dimensional look.  Where she needed two coats and had a bit of bubbling, it was very well-behaved for me and this is two coats.  It's dry to the touch very quickly, but does take a little longer to dry completely.  It's still faster than glossy polishes.

I've said it in almost every review I've done for a satin polish, but photos really never do this finish justice and you need to see it for yourself.  It's not a hard, flat, shineless finish like regular mattes.  It manages to be matte and shimmery at the same time.

Nichole said in her review that she regretted adding top coat.  I can't say I agree.  It loses its satiny specialness when it's glossy, but it becomes a very flattering foil instead.

with top coat

I prefer it without topcoat, but this...I can't argue with this...

with top coat

4 In The Morning is a dark gray satin with a fine gunmetal shimmer.

I had a little bit of trouble here, and I think it shows.  Two coats went on just fine, but my cleanup method caused problems.  While I do a gap along the cuticle line, I like to get the polish as close as I can to the skin along the sides of my nails.  4 In The Morning had other plans and I wound up with a gap down the sides too.  Blah.  I also got an inexplicable dent on my pinkie nail.  I have no clue.  I don't mind though...I love it!  I'm hoping that some brand or other will come out with a satin that's actually black at some point, but the finish does make 4 In The Morning look black enough until someone does.  I'm completely in love with the finish too!  Look at this perfect soft shimmer!

I glossed it too, because I felt like I had to know.

with top coat

The shimmer gets toned down and somehow almost looks metallic.  I'm a sucker for variations on black and almost-black, so I like it a lot this way too...but it's also way better when it's left as a satin.

Bottom line: Both are beautiful and apply nicely, but I had trouble with my cleanup method on 4 In The Morning.  That's my fault and not the polish's, I'm sure.  I'd absolutely recommend both without any hesitation...but leave them satiny.


I should be buying my picks from OPI's new Brazil collection this week.  I'm never completely sure what I'll buy until I see the bottles in person, but as of right now I might wind up buying half of the collection.  So many tempting creams!