Airy Gleam

I was over nail polish for a while (which may have been evident by the lack of nail polish posts — my last one was almost 6 months ago), but since I was given the OPI "The Iconic Four" minis set for my birthday earlier in the month, I've experienced a major resurgence in interest. A recent trip to Cosmo Cosmetics unearthed a sole, pristine bottle of OPI Last Friday Night, a limited edition polish from the Katy Perry collection all the way back in 2011. I already have all the polishes from that collaboration except for Last Friday Night, which I deliberately didn't purchase as I always thought it was too sheer. But for the sake of completing my collection, and the fact I never thought I'd come across another bottle again, I ended up buying it. I figured I frequently paint 3-4 coats of a light coloured polish to achieve full opacity, so why wouldn't I do the same for a sheer glitter?

OPI Katy Perry Collection

The best way I'd describe Last Friday Night is a translucent, pale cornflower blue jelly polish loaded with glitter reminiscent of China Glaze Snow Globe. There are similar polishes that replicate or come close to achieving the iridescence in Last Friday Night (not only Snow Globe, but Revlon Heavenly, Essie Shine of the Times), but none of them have the same ethereal, barely there blue base. It really adds something extra to the polish and makes it more unique.

I painted 4 coats which I feel is the minimum required to wear the polish on its own, rather than using it as a top coat. I did try it over a navy blue polish, and while the contrast made the glitter pop, I felt it lost the character of the polish. If I wanted a glitter top coat, I'd just use any of the other polishes I mentioned that have a clear base. I get that not everyone will have the desire, patience or time to paint 4 coats (not including base and top coat), but for Last Friday Night, the result is worth it. Surprisingly, my manicure has lasted a few days without any chipping or signs of wear. I'm not sure if this is because of the base and top coat combination I used (Revlon Colorstay Gel-Smooth Base Coat and of course, Sally Hansen Insta-Dri), or whether the polish itself has excellent longevity. Probably a bit of both.