OPI Got the Blues for Red, and the Reds That Sit Around It

OPI Got the Blues for Red, and the Reds That Sit Around It

OPI Got the Blues for Red is a blue-based deep red crème that came out of OPI's 2005 Chicago collection. Here is how I would wear it, the OPI reds and coats that go with it, and red polishes from other houses.

OPI Got the Blues for Red comes from the fall of 2005, when OPI released its Chicago collection alongside shades like Lincoln Park After Dark and Windy City Pretty. The name reads like a nod to Chicago blues, and the color has that mood: OPI calls it a blue-based deep red and a vibrant classic crème. I love a shade with an origin that clear.

The brand behind it has a good origin too. OPI began in 1981 as a dental supply company called Odontorium Products Inc., until the team noticed that dentures and acrylic nails share the same chemistry and decided nails were more fun. Suzi Weiss-Fischmann was long the person coming up with those quirky shade names, which is a big part of why I keep reaching for OPI.

Here is how the first row shakes out. The Nail Lacquer in Got the Blues for Red is the original crème, and the GelColor version is the one for weeks of wear: OPI says up to 3 weeks, a 30 second LED cure and a soak off in 15 minutes, and it is vegan and HEMA-free. Big Apple Red is a bright, shiny red, Malaga Wine is a rich wine red crème, and Color So Hot It Berns is a warm red. Bogotá Blackberry goes darker, a deep wine with pearl shimmer, and Miami Beet is listed as a purple. Dutch Tulips rounds out the row.

A quick test: hold Got the Blues for Red next to Malaga Wine in daylight. The blue undertone is what separates them.

Mood board for OPI Got the Blues for Red: red velvet drapes, a split pomegranate, dark red roses, a swirl of wine red polish, and short square and long almond wine red manicures, one resting on a saxophone
OPI Got the Blues for Red mood board

Got the Blues for Red and OPI's classic reds

More OPI reds, and the coats I wear under them

The second row is more OPI reds, and they do not all read the same. I'm Not Really a Waitress is a chianti red with pearly coverage, from the brand's 1999 Hollywood Collection. Gimme a Lido Kiss is a saucy red shimmer, and We the Female is a garnet, a burgundy red that OPI says makes a statement. Cajun Shrimp is the odd one out, because OPI calls it a spicy coral-orange, so think of it as the warm counterpoint to the blue-reds.

Two shades come back in Infinite Shine, the long-wear formula with pre-cured gel technology: Big Apple Red as a bold red crème, and Malaga Wine as a shiny red-wine crème. Malaga Wine was one of OPI's first 30 shades in 1989, so it has history of its own.

The coats matter as much as the color. OPI says its Natural Nail Base Coat goes under the Nail Lacquer shades for up to 7 days of wear, and the Top Coat seals in the color and extends wear. The base coat also leaves a clean slate for a dark red, which shows every bit of unevenness.

How to layer: one coat of base, two thin coats of color, then the top coat. Cap the free edge each time.

What I would skip: a thick single coat of a dark red. It takes forever to dry and dents easily. Thin coats win.

Big numbers collage titled GOT THE BLUES FOR RED, six products numbered one to six with each product set beside its number: OPI Nail Lacquer in Got the Blues for Red, OPI GelColor in Got the Blues for Red, OPI Nail Lacquer in Big Apple Red, OPI Nail Lacquer in Malaga Wine, OPI Nail Lacquer in Miami Beet and Chanel Le Vernis in Pirate
OPI Got the Blues for Red

More OPI reds, plus the base and top coats to wear with them

Red polish from other houses

Red polish is a house specialty for plenty of brands, so here is the row I would browse when the OPI reds feel too familiar. Chanel Le Vernis comes in two here, Pirate and 147 Incendiaire. Chanel describes the formula as long-lasting with a glossy sheen, enriched with camellia eco-ceramides, and lays out a four step manicure that runs from L'Huile Camélia to Le Gel Coat. Paint one nail in each and you will see which red suits your hands.

Hermès Les Mains Hermès Nail Enamel in Rouge H is one of 24 shades inspired by the colors of Hermès enamel. Christian Louboutin Rouge Louboutin 001 is the signature glossy red, described as the origin of the red sole. Gucci Goldie Red is a high shine varnish that debuted in Alessandro Michele's favorite colors.

For a brighter, more playful take, Londontown Lakur in Londoner Love is a true red, and the brand pairs color with its kur care. Kure Bazaar Bright Red comes from the Les Rouges collection, all about red in every shade. Nailberry L'Oxygéné in Rouge has a care story behind it: founder Sonia created the formula in her Chelsea salon, and the brand calls it breathable, 12-free and vegan.

What I would skip: buying a second glossy red from the same family. If two shades sit a hair apart on a swatch stick, pick the one closer to your skin tone and leave the other.

Red polishes beyond OPI, from Chanel to Londontown

How I would pick my red

Start with the undertone. If you want a red with a little blue in it, OPI Got the Blues for Red is the obvious place to begin, and Malaga Wine or the garnet We the Female are the, wine-leaning alternatives. If you want a bright, unmistakable red, Big Apple Red or the Rouge Louboutin will do it. Decide on wear time next: the Nail Lacquer for a weekly change, GelColor or Infinite Shine when you want the color to hold. Use a base coat and top coat either way, apply thin coats, and let each one set. Then pick the bottle whose name makes you smile, because that is half of what OPI is about.