OPI Bubble Bath is the sheer, milky pink that has sold more than five million bottles since 2001. Here it is in three formulas with Funny Bunny, four other soft polishes and the base, top coat and oils that keep the look clean.
OPI Bubble Bath and the Sheer Pinks That Look Like Your Nails, Only Better
OPI stands for Odontorium Products Inc., and it began as a small dental supply company. George Schaeffer noticed nail technicians were buying dental acrylics to make artificial nails, so he and his sister-in-law Suzi Weiss-Fischmann turned to nails, and the first 30 colors came out in 1989. Weiss-Fischmann named the shades herself, wanting names that felt personal, which is how a pale pink ended up called Bubble Bath. OPI Bubble Bath dates from 2001, and OPI's color director says it has sold more than five million bottles. It is a sheer pink with a little milkiness, the kind of polish that makes nails look healthy rather than painted. The classic lacquer takes two or three thin coats, the Infinite Shine version lasts longer with its own top coat, and Nail Envy is the strengthener in the same shade. Funny Bunny is the soft white that pairs with it for a gentle French or a layered milky look. If Bubble Bath looks streaky, your coats are too thick.
Other soft polishes
Every brand makes its own version of the look. Dior's Nail Glow gives an instant French manicure effect, from the house Christian Dior founded in 1946. Manucurist started as a Paris nail salon opened in 1996 by Fanny, the mother of current general manager Gaëlle Lebrat-Personnaz, who refocused it on vegan, biosourced polish, including this plumping pink with collagen. Gitti, from Berlin, is water-based and odorless, and its first collection sold out in two hours. Côte was founded in California in 2014 by Mary Lennon and Leah Yari, and its polish leaves out formaldehyde, toluene and a long list of other ingredients. Pick by finish, since all four stay close to bare nails.
The prep, and the skip
Sheer polish shows everything underneath, so the prep matters more than the color. Côte's strengthener base smooths the nail, and Gitti's high gloss top coat seals the color with a salon shine. L'Occitane, founded in Provence in 1976 by Olivier Baussan, makes a shea oil for nails and cuticles, and Révérence de Bastien, from the French podiatrist Bastien Gonzalez, makes an unguent that protects nails and cuticles every day. What I would skip is cutting your cuticles before a sheer manicure. Push them back instead, and the edges will look clean for longer. A drop of cuticle oil at night keeps the skin soft between manicures.
The two-coat rule
Two thin coats of Bubble Bath, or one of Bubble Bath and one of Funny Bunny, then a top coat. Let each coat dry for two minutes. Reapply top coat every few days to keep the shine. Keep the nails short and rounded, and the look reads polished in any setting. It is the rare color that works for a job interview and a wedding. If you want to keep browsing, I also put together From a Dental Supply Shop to OPI Nail Envy in Bubble Bath Pink and Bubble Moisturizer Guide.
