Two silver foils compared

You may remember my infatuation with Designer de Better!, a limited edition Muppets Collection color from OPI.  I loved its warm silver foil with copper and bronze flashes.  I only had a tiny bottle from the “Muppettes” mini-set and I liked the polish so much that I wanted to get a full-sized 0.5 ounce bottle.  Easier said than done!  Being both gorgeous and limited edition, it was long gone from stores.

So I went to eBay and found a bottle reasonably priced at $6.00 plus shipping.  The same vendor also had Warm & Fozzie so I ordered a full-sized bottle of that since it too was not to be found locally.  While I was at it — darn those words “add to cart”! — I also ordered a bottle of Antiquated by Color Club to compare to Designer de Better!.  It was only $3.00, a great price.

As you can see, they do look very, very similar.  Both contain 0.5 ounce (15 ml).  The handle is slightly bigger on the OPI bottle which I think is more comfortable.  Both retail for about $8.00 but as my experience shows you can buy them for less, maybe even half price or lower.  Designer de Better!, being limited edition, though, is harder to find and $6.00 was the lowest I saw anywhere online.

The formulas of both were good.  I thought Antiquated had a bit more streaking but still not bad.  I put Antiquated on my ring finger and Designer de Better! on my little finger in all photos.  This is three coats, no top coat, in indoor lighting with no flash:

And with the flash, which shows more of a difference:

I tried numerous times to get a good photo in outdoor light but it’s snowy today and the light just was not cooperating; it made everything look washed out.  Here’s a closeup:

Color and texture-wise, Antiquated has finer glitter and is slightly more gold or bronze looking.  Designer de Better! has larger pieces of glitter but they’re not big or chunky by any means, and this polish looks a little more silver.  The biggest difference to me is the copper flecks in Designer de Better!, which are so pretty and unique.

Bottom line, I like both a lot, and it’s hard to find what I’d call warm silver polish.  Most silvers are icy looking or very cool, and if you want a warm metallic polish you’re usually looking at pure golds which don’t look good on my skin tone.  If I could only pick one it would be Designer de Better! but if you can’t find it I heartily recommend Antiquated.

And yes, I realize the irony of a blog aimed at women over 40 or over 50 recommending a polish named Antiquated.  We’re not THAT old yet! 

Warm & Fozzie

Finally swatching the fourth and last color from my OPI “Muppettes” mini-set, Warm & Fozzie.  The first three are Wocka Wocka!, Designer de-Better!, and Excuse Moi!.

Warm & Fozzie, which is apparently the only one not to need an exclamation point in its name, is a golden-brown metallic that, in the bottle, reminded me a little of a teddy bear.  Probably because it’s named after Fozzie Bear.  On the nail, though, flashes of copper were very evident and made me think more of autumn leaves.

Again, the mini-sized handle and brush were a bit awkward, but application was OK.  I had an unusual problem with this bottle in that it was so full I couldn’t shake up the polish.  Didn’t want to pour any out because (a) there was so little to begin with, and (b) I was afraid I’d pour off the thinnest portion and the remainder would be too thick.

The first coat was very thin and streaky but the next two were fine.  Here are three coats with no top coat, in reflected outdoor light:

In indoor lighting, no flash:

And with a flash:

And here’s a closeup that shows all the beautiful metallic colors:

That kind of makes it look like there’s black in it, but there really isn’t.

I don’t think browns generally do my skin tone any favors but I still like this polish a lot, and while it’s probably nothing I’d wear this time of year, I can see being excited to wear it in the fall.  It would also make a nice top coat for another warm color, such as gold or red.

Also thought I’d show you a comparison of three metallics I’ve swatched so far.  Here are, left to right, OPI Warm & Fozzie, OPI Designer de-Better!, and Wet n Wild Metallica:

As you can see, Designer de-Better! is a happy medium between silver and coppery-brown, and has elements of both.

Silver with a kick

In a previous post, I told you about getting the mini-set from OPI’s Muppet Collection called “Muppettes” and I swatched the bright red “Wocka Wocka!”  I’m finally getting around to the other colors.  Took me long enough.

Today I put on “Designer-de Better!” and I have three words:  Oh.  My.  Gosh.  It’s a silver foil with unique copper/bronze sparkles, which make it look different and warmer than any other silvers I’ve tried.  I have never seen a polish color exactly like it.  Application was a little tricky only because the mini-bottle (1/8 oz.) and its brush are so tiny.

The formula was perfect — no streaking whatsoever, a great foil finish, and it dried quickly and evenly.  I really think I’m going to have to get a full-sized bottle of this color.  Curse you, OPI!

This is three coats with no top coat in sunlight:

And here in reflected outdoor light:

I didn’t need to use a flash; if I had I probably would have blinded myself.  It’s that shiny.  I’d probably use a top coat to keep it from chipping but it doesn’t need extra gloss.  To really see the copper/bronze bits, here’s a closeup:

Isn’t it gorgeous?  Color this one my new favorite.