OPI Did you 'ear about Van Gogh? review

         When the OPI Holland Spring 2012 collection was released, I knew I had to get my hands on OPI Did You 'ear about Van Gogh? nail polish. I loved the clean neutral color and the name certainly tickled my fancy! OPI Did you 'ear about Van Gogh is light and neutral stony chino creme nail polish. Depending on the lighting look more khaki or more stone. The significant khaki presence makes it more spring, as opposed to greyer 'greige' polishes. The neutral to cool color makes it easier for me to wear than nudes with warm or yellow tones. The formula is on the thicker side. It's not as smooth and dreamy as some OPI formulas, but it's not too bad. It levels out well and two coats is sufficient.

          I thought I would take a moment to discuss the color's namesake. Vincent Van Gogh was a post impressionist Dutch painter. You may know him for his vibrant paintings of Starry Night, sunflowers, wheat fields and a number of portraits and self portraits. The story of Van Gogh's lost ear is a famous one. It was originally thought that he cut it off himself during a fit of madness. More recently, historians argue that it was sliced off with a rapier during an argument with his friend (and fellow artist) Paul Gaugin. They purportedly kept a pact of silence so no-one knows the real story. You can read more about that story here. Here is a self portrait of him with his bandaged ear. Van Gogh's life story was quite tragic; his life was punctuated by episodes of madness and he died at 37 due to a self-inflicted gunshot wound. His work was appreciated by very few people until after his death.

A Van Gogh self portrait

          I've made a few comparison swatches to demonstrate the color of OPI Did you 'ear about Van Gogh. You can see that it is a far cry from last spring's OPI San Tan-Tonio. It's lighter and clearly not brown. I thought Sephora OPI Going Nude Eh? would be a close match, however you can see the Going Nude Eh? is more of a warm yellow based nude, while Did you 'ear about Van Gogh is has more khaki grey tones. However, you can see that Did you 'ear about Van Gogh is definitely not a grey when compared to Sephora by OPI Run with it.

Swatches from left to right: OPI San Tan-tonio, OPI Did you 'ear about Van Gogh?, Sephora by OPI Going Nude Eh?, Sephora by OPI Run with it

          In conclusion, OPI Did you 'ear about Van Gogh is a chic, airy, and slightly edgy neutral that will wear well for spring. I imagine that it would pair well with unabashed colors like Matisse blue or clover green. Thanks for reading! What were your picks from OPI Holland? Do you prefer neutral or bright nail colors for spring?

Love, Dovey.