Parlez-Vous OPI is part of the La Collection de France 2008, if i am not wrong the collection includes You Don't Know Jacques, Tickle My France-y, Lourve me Lourve me Not, Baguette me Not, Crepes Suzi-ette, I'm Fondue of you, A Oui Bit of Red, Bastille My heart, Yes i Can-can..., We'll always have Paris and Eiffiel for this colour.
I was never into Purple of any sort for polishes.....and since i was in a friend's shop doing my first manicure in years (i seldom go for manicures as my line of work is a conservative one plus my manicure will not survive for long). I brace myself and decided to be bold, so there, i picked Parlez-Vous OPI which i would describe as a creamy dusty purple.
Under bright light-literally under my lights in the room.
Naturé Republic and my hand.
A closer look at the bottle and my nails for comparison.
I had this sense of deja-va when my manicurist was doing my nails, its as if i have seen this colour somewhere in my stash... and the minute i reached home i went through my humble stash of nail polishes.... so there you are..... its one of my haul from Taiwan- Nature Republic's nail polish.
Looking at the bottle itself and my nails, these 2 colours look like possible dupes for each other. However, we all know that what looks like it in the bottle might not necessary be so in reality, thus a sacrifical is required- i swatched on my sister's big toe (which silly me forgot to take a picture : ( but i will post it up again when i have the chance to.)
Basically, these 2 are not exact dupes for each other.... they are cousins by relation if i were to put it. Why? Because Parlez-Vous OPI has more colour intensity whereas NP is slightly of a lighter tone (which resembles the faded version of Parlez-Vous OPI) and secondly the underlying tone is different. Parlez-Vous is like smoky purple (muted version) while NP is like dusty violet (even more muted). So both are not that similar afterall, just that the first impression i get is that they are (if i were to have Parlez-Vous OPI side by side with Nature Republic's polish, the difference would have been more prounouced, pity i don't have it.)
Now, how does Parlez-Vous OPI wear on me?
Judging from the wear and tear on the 3rd day, it holds up quite well, a little chipping at the side for the last finger other than that so far so good (that was 2 coats of Parlez-Vous and a top coat to protect it).
Application wise, OPI's formula is superior than Nature Republic's which is smoother, NP's brush is a much wider than OPI's which makes application a skilled task (to me, maybe i am just used to OPI's brush width).
In terms of colour, i think this is a colour that suits most skin tones, i am a RMK 104 and sometimes a little darker if i do get a tan, it doesn't look dirty or awkward on me. In fact i get compliments. The fact is Parlez-Vous is a unique colour and i don't recall having seen any dupes or colours close to it, so i am drawn to it.
The colour just look like it is a colour that is more suited for winter/Fall (where i stay, Summer is here to stay 365 days- so i just heck it.)
Hm... yes, this is a colour that i am interested in acquiring it provided it is still available. It would be an interesting addition to my collection.
Priced at S$23.55 for 14ml, might be available at Metro Paragon or any Nail salons.
