Can I per-suede you?

Ooh la la! So chic! I was talking about the new OPI Suede polish on twitter last week and it seems like lots of you are interested in it! Being the good citizen I am, I tried out two different colours in a whole host of ways - no base, with base, with colour base, with top, without top...there was lots of painting and repainting while sitting in front of the TV.

OPI Suede comes in 6 colours and I tried two of them - Suzi Skis In The Pyrenees (deep blue-grey) and You Don't Know Jacques (the so-hot-it-hurts taupe). It also comes in Russian Navy (deep-sea indigo), Lincoln Park After Dark (dark purple meets midnight), OPI Ink (violet-blue) and We'll Always Have Paris (coffee-plum, very tasty). These are all existing OPI colours that have been given a make-over (or suede-over. so clever!)

First up I painted on You Don't Know Jacques (YDKJ) without any base or top coat. It has a really cool chalky texture which is very similar to matte polish but even more exaggerated. Without any top or base though, it chipped within 12 hours.

Next up I did Suzi Skis In The Pyrenees (SSITP) with and without a top coat. The nails without a topcoat chipped pretty easily, but the ones with a topcoat stayed chip free and ready to party. However, it changed the look and feel of the polish - it took away the texture and made it shiny, which in turn made it look more like a glitter polish. I quite liked the shiny look though, and will definitely add it to my repertoire, even though that wasn't really the intended purpose.

I think I may have figured this out though - YDKJ with a base coat seems to be the winner. It maintains the suede effect and texture but there is definitely less chipping, although still some rubbing on the edges. I actually did a finger with a coat of regular YDKJ first but it didn't change the look or colour at all, so I think regular base coat should be sufficient. I'm up to day three now with only one small rub so far.

I really adore the effect these polishes give off, even though they're a bit painful. You have to make sure you shake the bottle every couple of fingers to keep the polish thick, otherwise the suede sediment settles at the bottom of the bottle and it becomes thin and watery. Definitely a fun trend though, and one I will be pulling out for big occasions this winter (and day to day with a top coat).

Price: $19.95
From: David Jones
Why you need it: Suede polish IS a fun trend. Suede polish IS NOT an easy trend to maintain. Suede polish IS an attention seeking compliment thief. Suede polish IS NOT very tasty.