OPI What's Dune? (Black Label)

I got my bottle of What's Dune? for $8. EIGHT DOLLARS! Even though it's about 2/3 full (right up to the line beneath OPI on the bottle), that's a damn good deal. If you know anything about this polish, you'll know that it and the entirety of the collection it was a part of are highly sought after. I'm considering myself very, very lucky. 

This comes from the beach-themed 2003 S/S It's Summer for Shore collection (meaning it was released around the same time that my little sister was born, and she recently turned 18... let that sink in). To my knowledge, this was the first time that OPI would ever produce holographic polish. Of course, many of the well-known Designer Series polishes would utilize holographic glitter, but apart from that, I don't think OPI has ever made another entirely holo collection! These are different from your standard holo, too, featuring subtle linear holographic glitter in shimmery bases. While I'm not usually the biggest fan of holo, these are really something special!

What's Dune? (whose name I still don't really understand... is it supposed to be a pun on "what's new"?) is comprised of a shimmery white base, a blue/pink shift, and that subtle holo I mentioned... quite a lot going on with this polish! I'll be honest, I've never seen anything like this before! It's fairly sheer, with 3 coats still leaving some visible nail line, but I don't really mind -- in fact, I think it lends itself to the delicate, exquisite color. (You could layer it over black to bring out the shift and the holographic qualities, but I'm not a layering type of girl, nor do I think this polish needs altering.) I think they really nailed the beachy theme with this one, because it reminds me of a seashell... specifically, mother of pearl or white abalone. The ultrafine linear holo is reminiscent of the rainbow sheen on these shells, and it's really beautiful! 

While the holo is not quite as noticeable under regular lighting conditions, it really sparkles under my phone's flashlight! I think this blurry photo does a pretty good job at demonstrating this. Here, it looks more like a strong holo you might see from an indie brand these days.

That's one of the things that strikes me about this polish, and the rest of the collection -- for 2003, this must have been pretty special. I'm not sure exactly how prevalent holo was back then -- I know the Sally Hansen Nail Prisms line existed, some of which featured holo -- but I'm sure it was not utilized nearly as often as it is today. I'm imagining this collection could have been some nail polish fans' first introduction to what would become such a beloved mainstay in the current polish world. It also reminds me of how fun OPI used to be... of course, they still pumped out the same reds and pinks that we see in collections nowadays, but there were gems like this that are far more whimsical than what the company would dare to release nowadays. Exciting finishes & colors are usually relegated to indie polish, and that's just not my scene. 

To conclude, I really like this polish. It's a gorgeous, unique color unlike anything I own or have even seen before. Though it's quite rare and my bottle is not entirely full, I think I will be using this with some regularity... it's too pretty not to.

And until next time... PEACE! xoxo