OPI Taupeless Beach

Note: the official name of this polish is Taupe-Less Beach. I think we grasp the entendre well enough without the hyphen and additional capital letter. And you guys know how I feel about the inclusion of punctuation in polish names.

Taupeless Beach was released by OPI as part of the Brazil collection for spring/summer 2014. It is a cool light grey-leaning taupe with a touch of mauvey violet to it that keeps it from being too industrial and gives it a soft, sleek feminine vibe. And there's just enough brown in this polish to give it a bit of that creamy clay look without veering into cement territory. I really like this color, it's a versatile neutral and quite flattering on the nail.

Taupeless Beach has about as perfect a formula as you'll ever find, truly. The consistency is fluid, creamy and dense, with a fantastic balance of fluidity and viscosity for almost effortless painting with OPI's pro-wide brush. It's utterly free of any chalkiness, self-levels like a dream and doesn't pull patches. So nice! Pigmentation is excellent. With a steady hand and some brush-loading finesse, you could definitely wear this at one coat if you cared to. I used two for this manicure. It does ghost a bit at the edges if you don't align your coats perfectly, but that's the only criticism I have to offer about this user-friendly, well-behaved lacquer. Cleanup is easy and straightforward, and this polish goes on so easily you'll probably have very little, if any, cleanup to do. Taupeless Beach dries naturally in average time to a perfect match with the bottle color and a glossy finish.

Photos show two coats of Taupeless Beach over treatment and basecoat with a somewhat bubbly topcoat of Seche Vite. 

OPI Taupeless Beach

OPI Taupeless Beach

OPI Taupeless Beach

OPI Taupeless Beach

OPI Taupeless Beach

OPI Taupeless Beach

OPI Taupeless Beach

OPI Taupeless Beach

OPI Taupeless Beach

OPI Taupeless Beach

Although lots of colors can be considered neutrals, as I've learned from countless episodes of What Not to Wear, I find to taupe to be a particularly satisfying and streamlined one. It's got a balance of cool and warm, a chic stylish presence and always seems to bolster a look in a gentle and particularly graceful way. It's not a cipher. In nail polish, taupes are sometimes underrated next to brighter, bolder, more unusual colors. But there are those of us who adore taupe and find magic in it's sleek, unobtrusive presence. Finding the perfect taupe for one's complexion can be a life-long labor of love and devotion. Taupeless Beach is a little pale to be a perfect taupe for me, but I find a lot about it to admire just the same.

Here's to a terrific color that goes only like a dream, salúd!

love,
Liz