OPI • Shanghai Shimmer • Polishes

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*TOP REVIEWER* msdi2u on 6/16/2011 5:15:00 PM more reviews by msdi2u

Age: 44-55   Skin: Sensitive, Fair-Medium, Warm   Hair: Brunette, Wavy, Fine   Eyes: Hazel    

I just got a pedicure with this and I can't stop admiring how pretty it looks on my toes. I'm not typically a mauve-type of girl, but this one just called out to me because of the green shimmer in the bottle. I don't see any green shimmer on my toe nails, but it still has the nicest shine-- almost like a silvery shine. I saw some reviews where people compared this to China Glaze Chiaroscuro, and while they may be "similar," I find OPI's version more mauve, and CG's version more coral-toned. Chiaroscuro actually looked hideous on my skintone, at least IMHO. I prefer Shanghai Shimmer for sure. :)
(I am light-olive skintone and wear MAC NW20 Studio Fix Fluid foundation.)

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valskuiken on 5/18/2011 6:34:00 PM more reviews by valskuiken

Age: 30-35   Skin: Oily, Medium, Warm   Hair: Brown, Fine   Eyes: Blue    

I love this color in the bottle....but it does not work on my skintone (NC 25, olive undertones) AT ALL. I am sad, because the way the color looks in the bottle was so promising. The green sheen doesn't quite come out. I am still giving this a 4 because:

- Apllication was very easy for me, and I am clumsy. No streaking at all.
- I think this color would be great if you are fair and cool toned....I can imagine this working very well on NC 5- NC 15 skintones.

All in all, I kept trying to make this work....applied and removed it at least 6 times over the last 6 months, but I am going to have to get rid of it.

For me, Isn't It Romantic is a better alternative for a pink with a green sheen.

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emromano on 9/10/2010 4:51:00 PM more reviews by emromano

Age: 19-24   Skin: Dry, Fair-Medium, Cool   Hair: Blond, Wavy, Fine   Eyes: Blue    

not loving this at all. maybe it doesnt go with my skin tone...i honestly think it is totally unflattering and maybe a bit old ladyish, very dissapointing

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cyberkaren on 7/21/2010 1:04:00 PM more reviews by cyberkaren

Age: 36-43   Skin: Normal, Fair, Cool   Hair: Blond   Eyes: Hazel    

I'm very pleased with this color. It is complimentary for my skin tone which is fair, and it is a color that goes with almost any type of outfit I have. The polish went on smoothly. One coat was slightly transparent, so I applied another, and that provided just the right amount of coverage for me. It has a bit of a shimmer and reflects the light very well. I used a top coat which kept the polish shiny and prevented it from chipping. My manicure looked pretty good for about a week.

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*TOP REVIEWER* cyeung71 on 6/25/2010 12:11:00 AM more reviews by cyeung71

Age: 25-29   Skin: Normal, Olive   Hair: Brown   Eyes: Brown    

Shanghai Shimmer is from OPI Far East Collection. Other than the rest of the collection, this one is not that hard to find and I guess you can still find it in some manicure place.
The color itself is dusty rose/mauve tone with subtle shimmer that radiates yellow/green/silver color. I personally a little bit disappointed with this color because I think even it has the yellow/green/silver shimmer, the color still looks quite dead of my finger nails. I think if the shimmer is a bit more intense, the color will be more interesting. The dusty rose is not prominent enough to bring out the color of the nail polish neither.
The formula is a bit thick and that's why I find the application is not that easy. It dries quickly though and the wearing power is good. It doesn't chip easily. If you like a nude tone color, go for this one but I personally won't repurchase this color again as I don't see myself reaching for this color very often.

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Sweedalicious on 6/19/2010 8:11:00 PM more reviews by Sweedalicious

Age: 19-24   Skin: Combination, Fair, Warm   Hair: Red, Straight, Fine   Eyes: Green    

This is a beautiful mauve color with greenish-gold shimmer to it. It's quite unique, and when I saw it in Ulta, I had to have it. I really like it. It's a color that could work on a variety of skin tones.

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*TOP REVIEWER* aprila220 on 4/10/2010 11:05:00 AM more reviews by aprila220

Age: 30-35   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium, Cool   Hair: Blond, Wavy, Fine   Eyes: Blue    

The color has already been described in great detail so I won't go into that. It is what's been said. I'm not crazy about it, however I just got a manicure with it today and already got a compliment on it. It's so pretty in the bottle but too nude on my nails for my taste. Even though some of the reviews said it was a color for most skintones, I think it would look better on someone with a darker skintone. It just looks too washed out on me right now. Maybe I would like it more if I had a tan.

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msCullen8685 on 10/18/2009 7:02:00 PM more reviews by msCullen8685

Age: 19-24   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium   Hair: Brunette, Curly, Fine   Eyes: Hazel    

very pretty mauve colour. can be sheer or opaque, depending how many layers you put on. great for any type of year, and lasts a long time.

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*TOP REVIEWER* missred2u on 9/26/2009 10:11:00 AM more reviews by missred2u

Age: 30-35   Skin: Combination, Fair, Warm   Hair: Red, Medium   Eyes: Blue    

This is a beautiful color for fingers or toes. On me, it's a light mauve color with gold-ish shimmer. It looks great on my pale skin...almost like a darker "my nails but better" color. I can see this working for many skin tones. Would definitely repurchase. I love OPI polishes in general, but this is close to the top of the list for me.

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*TOP REVIEWER* knics33 on 9/25/2009 2:37:00 PM more reviews by knics33

Age: 19-24   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Blue    

I recently got a pedicure with this color and I really like it! It is a pinky/purple with a kind of duochrome to it. I have pretty pale skin (especially on my feet) and I always try to stay away from colors that are too dark on my feet because the contrast is just not pretty. This wasn't too dark at all! Also- this is one of those colors that would work well on any skin tone.

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DidgeridooYourNails on 7/21/2009 8:55:00 AM more reviews by DidgeridooYourNails

Age: 25-29   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium, Cool   Hair: Brown, Wavy, Medium   Eyes: Brown    

The color is perfect if you want a pink that works if you want to wear it to work. I work in an office with a strict dress code, so brights on your nails are frowned upon. So I love this color! Wouldn't wear it for going out. A clear top coat is needed. More of a fall color tone.

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*TOP REVIEWER* mudpie1964 on 3/15/2009 6:30:00 PM more reviews by mudpie1964

Age: 44-55   Skin: Very Dry, Fair-Medium, Warm   Hair: Brunette, Straight, Fine   Eyes: Brown    

OPI's Shanghai Shimmer has got to be THE most boring pink I have ever seen. In the bottle it's a medium-light pink with silver shimmer and a light green flash. Looked amazing in the bottle under fluorescent lights in the store. However, none of that amazingness transferred to my manicure. It came out 1980s dusty rose pink on me. This was the exact same color my aged aunt wore back in the 1980s. Needless to say I used OPI's Nicole Enchantress over it (two coats) and it's now tolerable (because it's no longer dusty rose). The application on this one was very streaky on the first coat but smooth and opaque by the second. I would have done a third coat to make it completely opaque if I had liked the color. Also, this one came with the new formula and was a little gloopier than I would like. Long story short, the amazing green flash doesn't show up on the nail (in fact, in bright sunlight it was more of a yellow) and I'm adding this one to the never-use-again pile.

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*TOP REVIEWER* dtm428 on 3/12/2009 3:11:00 PM more reviews by dtm428

Age: 36-43   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium   Hair: Black   Eyes: Brown    

This has been my go-to color for as long as I can remember. I usually go clear on my fingernails, but this is a long lasting color for my toenails. I love this color. I love the pink with the shimmer in it. It lasts forever too! I don't even need to retouch. Two coats and I'm good to go for weeks - yes, weeks.

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*TOP REVIEWER* womanwarrior on 2/22/2009 10:24:00 AM more reviews by womanwarrior

Age: 36-43   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium   Hair: Black   Eyes: Brown    

I first discovered Shanghai Shimmer in 2000, it may have been part of the Far East collection long long time ago. Anyway, I recently re-discovered this in my stash, in the old formula, and it's beautiful. Shanghai Shimmer is the perfect shimmery duochrome mauve that manages to be fun and feminine, yet very neutral and not garish at all.

It's just about the same color intensity as my NC30 skin, and the slightly lavender shade doesn't look Barbie bright or pasty against my yellow undertones. The golden, slightly green iridescence is softer and more interesting than the usual silvery-white pearlescence. This one's going to in my stash forever!

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*TOP REVIEWER* gnippy on 5/19/2008 2:32:00 PM more reviews by gnippy

Age: 44-55   Skin: Combination, Fair, Cool   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Hazel    

I just rediscovered this polish in my stash & I must say that I love it! I agree w/the reviewer who described this as a pink lilac mauve w/beige shimmer. This polish has so much potential. Alone it looks great on my nails but it also has tons of layering potential. The consistency and pigmentation of the polish are both great. Two coats gives good coverage. I layered this on top of OPI Polar Bare and came up w/a clean, classic, neutral champagne beige w/pink/peach undertones. I have the old formula so this comes in the standard bottle/w the standard applicator brush. This runs about $8.50 a bottle which IMO isn't bad for a good quality polish. I would definitely repurchase this polish should I run out.

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*TOP REVIEWER* Pink_Starlette on 1/24/2008 4:41:00 PM more reviews by Pink_Starlette

Age: 19-24   Skin: Sensitive, Fair, Neutral   Hair: Brunette, Wavy, Medium   Eyes: Hazel    

It seems that a lot of the recent reviewers didn't like this color, but I love it! Its the perfect muted magenta... if that makes sense. It's a pink-lilac-mauve color with beige shimmer through out the polish. It's a nice muted way to wear a fun pink color. I actually went into the store looking to by the OPI color Aphrodite's Pink Nightie and this Shanghai SHimemr is almost identical. The only difference I notice is that SS has the wonderfully soft pretty beige shimmer, and APN doesn't. I thought this polish looked prettier and more interesting. It had the pro-brush which I like very much, and the consistency is medium, not too thick or thin. I like this polish very much and it will be great for spring and summer looks. I'll buy it again if I ever run out :)

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*TOP REVIEWER* poeticdancer on 1/5/2008 9:29:00 PM more reviews by poeticdancer

Age: 19-24   Skin: Sensitive, Fair   Hair: Brown, Straight, Fine   Eyes: Brown    

I loved this product when I first bought it. It was a beautiful colour but then about a few months later the colour faded to a very light purplish grey that hardly shows up when I apply. Hopefully my bottle was just flawed.

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*TOP REVIEWER* BunnyRabbit21 on 1/25/2007 3:13:00 PM more reviews by BunnyRabbit21

Age: 25-29   Skin: Combination, Fair, Cool   Hair: Brunette, Straight, Fine   Eyes: Blue    

This shade is kind of blah on its own (kind of a generic mauve), but it looks awesome with a glitter topcoat over it! I probably won't but it again, but I'll use up the bottle and keep wearing the glitter topcoat. Very cute!

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*TOP REVIEWER* SunriseSunset on 8/23/2006 3:18:00 AM more reviews by SunriseSunset

Age: 19-24   Skin: Combination   Hair: Brown   Eyes: Brown    

I actually didn't care for this color at all. I have it on my toes right now, and it's about the dullest pink ever. There's just no life to it at all. Boo :(

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dpoitras on 6/17/2006 2:31:00 PM more reviews by dpoitras

Age: 44-55   Skin: Combination   Hair: Blond   Eyes: Brown    

I am having a love/hate relationship with this color. I look at it and think I don't like the color but then I can't stop looking at my hands!! My nails are so think and weak that I always wear 4 or more coats of any polish. With that many coats on the color sometimes looks like a brownish purple. I just can't decide on how I feel about it. Right now I think I would buy it again...I think.

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