OPI • Samoan Sand • Polishes

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*TOP REVIEWER* pmnixa on 7/20/2008 5:59:00 PM more reviews by pmnixa

Age: 30-35   Skin: Acne-prone, Fair   Hair: Brown   Eyes: Brown    

Where has Samoan Sand been all my life? I know - unlawfuly judged for being too tan and not suited for someone with fair skin. I was so wrong! Samoan Sand is beautiful! It's a creamy milky pinky tan. IT's not peachy at all. Similar to Malaysian Mist which was my favorite but it's hard to find - SS is just more tan. Both have the same opacity and depth of color. Really pretty for a summer nude nail.

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silkbronze on 7/14/2008 2:21:00 PM more reviews by silkbronze

Age: 19-24   Skin: Oily, Fair-Medium   Hair: Brown   Eyes: Brown    

I totally disliked the color. I am honestly impressed by how many people like this polish. I have to say that the color did not work for me. My nails looked yellow at times; and at other times the color looked like orange colored ranch dressing! Pretty funny but true. I prefer something like Dulce de Leche over this one.

2 out of 3 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

*TOP REVIEWER* ChristinaSF on 7/10/2008 10:45:00 PM more reviews by ChristinaSF

Age: 25-29   Skin: Acne-prone, Fair   Hair: Blond   Eyes: Brown    

My HG neutral nail colour!

One coat gives a shiny, natural-looking nail.

Multiple coats gives a beigy shiny opaque colour.

There's no shimmer or shine. As with all OPI, application is good, minimal streaking.

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*TOP REVIEWER* pretty_please on 7/4/2008 4:19:00 AM more reviews by pretty_please

Age: 19-24   Skin: Normal, Fair, Cool   Hair: Blond, Curly, Fine   Eyes: Blue    

I am cool and pale toned so its hard to find a non pearly, non shimmery, not to pink, not to brown your nails but better color however I found this and its perfect! 2 thin coats give me the look a natural nails but shiny and gorgeous. I would describe this as a super pale beige peach cream. Its not terribly exciting but its a classic nude / neutral. I love it as a base shade for french manis.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

melkim on 6/27/2008 12:54:00 AM more reviews by melkim

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

For me, this is the perfect nude shade. I have yellow/olive undertones but am fairly pale and two or three coats of this shade give me a flawlessly natural look. Just like the actual shade of my nails, but a little bit better. They sort of reminded me of the underside of seashells; a soft, glowing peachy pink. In my experience, OPI polishes really stay put so no complaints in that department. Price is steepish, but the bottle will last for a few months anyway.

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*TOP REVIEWER* KathleenS on 6/24/2008 7:12:00 PM more reviews by KathleenS

Age: 36-43   Skin: Normal, Fair   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Blue    

This is an OK polish color. Not the best - not the worst.. It is a pretty, nude, non-glittery, everyday kind of color that is understated and always a classic. This is peach/beige colored, but not really a sophisticated "I am choosing opaque beige polish" kind-of beige, just kind-of simple and clean, IMHO. I applied three coats and still got a few streaks so not HG but still good. It would be the perfect job interview polish that shows you care about your personal appearance - a basic.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

*TOP REVIEWER* ayngemac on 6/10/2008 4:43:00 PM more reviews by ayngemac

Age: 30-35   Skin: Oily, Olive   Hair: Black   Eyes: Brown    

I love the clean, classic look this polish gives. I think anybody can wear this color. This will never go out of style.

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*TOP REVIEWER* nnmca on 6/10/2008 4:22:00 PM more reviews by nnmca

Age: 36-43   Skin: Acne-prone, Fair-Medium   Hair: Blond   Eyes: Blue    

I hate to be one of the lone dissenters...but this shade simply did not work for me. It made my nails look yellow! Maybe it's a combo of my skintone (pale yellow-toned) and the fact that my nails yellow easily, but I really need nudes with a little more pink or mauve to them. I must admit this shade looks beautiful in the bottle, I just think it might work better for someone with more medium or olive-toned skin. I may try 3-4 coats to see if it looks better when it's opaque, as a previous poster suggested, but I can't see why I'd go to so much trouble when there are so many nudes to choose from. I'm still giving it a "4" for the usual OPI quality and because this shade seems to flatter most other people. For now, I'll stick with Passion!

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CHC on 5/28/2008 11:36:00 PM more reviews by CHC

Age: 36-43   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium   Hair: Blond   Eyes: Hazel    

Finally, the nude I have been looking for! My nails look clean and perfectly manicured. Its been 4 days too and still no chips (a first ever for me!), and even if they were chips the color is so natural you get away with it.

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*TOP REVIEWER* kschmiddy on 5/22/2008 7:48:00 AM more reviews by kschmiddy

Age: 19-24   Skin: Oily, Fair, Warm   Hair: Blond, Straight, Medium   Eyes: Blue    

YES! I've been looking for this shade for a long time. I finally find the perfect nude color for my pale, warm toned skin. It seems like everything is too pink or if it's not pink is overcompensating with too much orange or brown, yuck. Samoan Sand is so perfect and lovely, it's a sheer beige color that goes on not at all yellow (miracle of miracles) and looks polished and french mani worthy with one coat and a chic quiet nude at 3 coats. Out of all the nudes and sheers I've tried this one comes closest to true "nail color." LOVE it!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

*TOP REVIEWER* zombiekitten87 on 3/25/2008 4:42:00 PM more reviews by zombiekitten87

Age: 19-24   Skin: Oily, Olive, Neutral   Hair: Black, Wavy, Medium   Eyes: Green    

OK, yeah, sometimes even I like to go neutral. This isn't my fave for a plain color, but it's good for a french manicure. It's a pretty apricot creme that's not too plain to be ignored. I believe you can still get this in Target or Giant, but you can probably get it in supply stores, too, since it's pretty classic.

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hatsumi on 2/10/2008 7:47:00 PM more reviews by hatsumi

Age: 19-24   Skin: Dry, Fair-Medium, Warm   Hair: Brown, Medium   Eyes: Brown    

HG status. This shade flatters my skintone so perfectly! I put on two coats and it looks like I just had my nails manicured by a pro. This is sheer, but not so much so that I have to apply several layers for any color to show up. Nope, not all. Two coats is all I need. I will continue to repurchase this again and again. It looks clean and classy. Perfect for work and every day.

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airkissed on 2/10/2008 7:32:00 PM more reviews by airkissed

Age: 18 & Under   Skin: Dry, Medium   Hair: Brown   Eyes: Brown    

Love this nail polish! Its THE perfect nude color for me. It makes me feel so confident when I have it on. OPI polishes are always great quality.

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*TOP REVIEWER* thespacecowgirl on 10/14/2007 1:18:00 PM more reviews by thespacecowgirl

Age: 19-24   Skin: Sensitive, Fair, Warm   Hair: Brunette, Straight, Fine   Eyes: Green    

skinnygal immediately below me is exactly right; however, I would like to add that this polish makes my nails SHINY, so shiny I can't stop looking at them. The color, shine, and moderately opaque finish (after 2 coats) make me look like a far more skilled manicurist than I actually am. This is my first bottle of OPI polish, and I am extremely impressed with the smooth application and fast drying (3 min. per coat, even on the third coat). All this said, the polish still chipped off both index fingers the first time I showered - typical for me but still disappointing. This has the ProWide brush, which I like for manicures. US$3.98 @ 8ty8beauty.com.

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skinnygal on 10/8/2007 8:40:00 PM more reviews by skinnygal

Age: 30-35   Skin: Combination   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Brown    

This makes my nails look natural but better. Love it. Looks like I've had them professionally done.

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danig5 on 10/8/2007 9:08:00 AM more reviews by danig5

Age: 30-35   Skin: Combination   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Brown    

Samoan Sand is one of my go to colors. I like my nails on the nude side on my hands and often my feet too. This one is nude but not sheer. It looks nice with my deep skin tone.

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MZPREC1OUZ on 9/29/2007 2:22:00 PM more reviews by MZPREC1OUZ

Age: 19-24   Skin: Normal, Medium   Hair: Black   Eyes: Black    

It's a nice color, not my favorite though. It's too sheer even with 2 coats and I don't want to apply a 3rd coat because that would take forever to dry and the thicker the coat, the easier your polish will chip. Anyways, this color looks nice over OPI's "dulce de leche".

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*TOP REVIEWER* longgoodnight04 on 9/20/2007 10:15:00 PM more reviews by longgoodnight04

Age: 19-24   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium   Hair: Brown   Eyes: Green    

I really like this is. It is an opaque nude color and in my opinion, looks really classes. Although to get it to be opaque I need like 4 coats. I would NEVER EVER EVER! wear this sheer because it makes my nails look yellow...but yeah..when it is opaque it is very nice.

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*TOP REVIEWER* Sarasotagirl on 9/12/2007 6:04:00 PM more reviews by Sarasotagirl

Age: 44-55   Skin: Dry, Fair, Warm   Hair: Brown, Straight, Fine   Eyes: Green    

What Severine from "Belle de Jour" probably wore with her Yves St. Laurent. The perfect beige for pale neutral skin. Somehow both bourgeois and subversive.

3 out of 4 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

*TOP REVIEWER* gingerrama on 8/24/2007 12:27:00 PM more reviews by gingerrama

Age: 30-35   Skin: Sensitive, Fair, Cool   Hair: Red, Fine   Eyes: Green    

UPDATE (07/2008): Still going strong and going on beautifully a year after purchase... back to this, as returning to the nude after a long time spent with the perfect pink.

Verily fab. Gorgeous sheer classy beige-nude.

Colour: pale milky beige with subtlest hints of peach and pink. Shiny in a healthy buffed way, and with no shimmer, pearl, or glitter.

Excellent on short nails - somehow makes nails look longer and tidier. Actually makes one's hands look well-maintained, with a minimum of effort; and I'm all into minimum of effort.

On pale skin, one coat is YNBB. The beige tone stops your fingertips looking too pink, but it's sheer enough for your own nail and nail-bed colour to come through (my lilac undertones turn the Samoan slightly pink and stop it being too yellow). Weirdly, it works well on a range of skin-tones, enhancing different qualities in each - could be the Orgasm of nail polishes (the O polish itself being sadly disappointing, IMHO).

Application: currently using Essie 3-Way Glaze as a base coat, then a single coat of the Samoan, then 3-Way as a top coat. Applying the Samoan is easy - good size of brush, smooth creamy but light consistency, and a very consistent colour - no streakiness. Do tap the brush a little before applying: too much will produce gloops. (Then again, that's true of any varnish.) As it's such a light colour, it's easy just to wipe off any excess on skin (no special tool used - I used the end of a pen). The Samoan dried fast when left to its own devices for about 15 mins.

Wear: stays on well and doesn't chip for 2-3 days. Can be retouched with clear varnish. Used with the Essie, I find this lasts a good week.

The bottle was fiendishly expensive here in Europe, but looks like it'll last for some time. (UPDATE: indeed it has - a year on and I'm about 0.5 cm into the bottle, admittedly not using it every day, and the formula and colour haven't changed. I've duly lowered the price to a 3.)

NB: OPI have laudably decided to follow the path of virtue and removed the possibly-nasty things from their formulae (e.g. toluene), but some older stock may include them, so if you're worried, check ingredients on bottom of container.

NBB: Revlon have some nudies that might work if you're looking for a cheaper alternative to OPI (i.e. if you're in Europe): Sheer Nude is very close to the Samoan, and they have a good range of YBB pinks, peaches, and coffees that would cover most of the naked-human spectrum.

7 out of 7 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No