OPI Ponce de Lilac

You know, for someone who owns a ton of vintage nail polish, I really don't post enough of it on this blog. I'll end up posting something that's 5-10 years old (not old enough to be considered vintage), or some timeless shade like Essie Mademoiselle. I rarely bring out the big guns - my chemical-laden stinkbombs that are older than me. So, that's exactly what I'll be doing today.

Ponce de Lilac is one of those old OPI shades that no one really talks about. I've seen it go for big money on eBay and similar sites, but there's no excitement around it like other ancient OPIs. I got this in a little 3 for $25 sale that someone in the Vintage Polish Collectors Facebook group was running, along with two other oldies (Burnt Sugarloaf and Route Beet Float, two pretty unremarkable brown shades). It came out in 1996 and while I don't think my bottle is from the original release (the bottom label would have looked different), it's definitely from 1998 or earlier, as it has the old bottle style. You know the one, that says "PARIS • LOS ANGELES • ROME" under the OPI logo.



(Like the new nail shape? I tried to go for almond and it sort of worked.)

Here it is in 3 slightly problematic coats. There's the obvious VNL, as well as some lumps and bumps - this polish is not in the best condition. This is a WEIRD color. It's a sort of sheer grayish-blueish with purple shimmer. The closest comparison I have is Revlon Street Wear's Raw or Sinful's Japanese Violet, neither of which I own, but it looks fairly similar based on the pics I've seen. While colors like this are almost pedestrian compared to the holo-duochrome-flakie-microglitter-thermals of today, I can only imagine how this was received in '96. Had this color been done before? (Did the aforementioned similar ones come out before this?) Or were the cool girls clamoring over it? I have to wonder.

I can't capture this polish correctly on camera. It has a certain glow to it that just can't be photographed. I don't think I own anything like this, honestly, and I don't think many (if any) dupes exist. The ones I mentioned above aren't exact, only a little bit similar. You can also see that awesome old label. This style lasted from about 1998 to 2004, and I own quite a few bottles with it. I love the font! It should also be noted that the bottle has no icons on the back.

I'm thinking I should start showing off more of my vintage polish stash, especially the ones that have no/few swatches online, as many of them do. The old China Glazes are particularly elusive, and since I own 48 out of the 98 "Pre-2000" polishes on the ChG wiki, I feel it's my duty to share them with the world. I also have some from the Babes in Toeland series, as well as a couple of never before seen prototype bottles that I should totally archive here.

Well, I know what I'll be doing soon. And until next time... PEACE! xoxo