Czech Yourself! It’s the OPI Spring 2013 Euro Centrale Nail Lacquer Collection

They’ve taken us to Germany, Russia, Mexico, Holland, Spain, Switzerland, India, Hong Kong, and France and, now, the globe-trotting, wanderlust-stricken folks at OPI have embarked on a journey back to Europe — this time to Central Europe, with a particular focus on Hungary, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Romania, Bulgaria, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Austria. For Spring 2013, then, the brand released its Euro Centrale collection, a 12-shade range of nail lacquers with shades ranging from honeysuckle pink to paprika orange, Etruscan gold, creamy lilac, eggplant purple, and indigo blue.

The OPI Euro Centrale collection has a nice balance between warm and cool shades, as well as creamy and metallic hues, with only one shade being packed with chunky, sequin-like bits of glitter. And, as usual, the names are incredibly clever. Here’s a list of the Euro Centrale shades:

Hands Off My Kielbasa! — a bronze-y rosegold shade with an all over shimmer that’s subtle and summery

Suzy’s Hungary Again! — a medium-intensity honeysuckle pink with a creamy finish

Polka Dot Com — a clear lacquer saturated with magenta, cobalt, and turquoise glitter, as well as larger, chunkier, hexagonal sequined bits

My Paprika Is Hotter Than Yours! — a beautiful, potent vermilion shade that perfectly marries orange and red tones and boasts a creamy finish

A Woman’s Prague-Ative — a fiery copper shade with a glittery finish and swirls of golden shimmer

You’re Such A BudaPest —a light periwinkle blue with a creamy finish

Can’t Find My Czechbook — a punchy turquoise blue with a creamy finish

I Saw… U Saw.. We Saw Warsaw — a deep indigo blue with a creamy finish

Vant To Bite My Neck? — a deep eggplant purple with a creamy texture

Eurso Euro — a dark cobalt blue with a creamy finish

Oy! Another Polish Joke — a glittery Etruscan gold shade meant to be used as a top coat

My Vampire Is Buff — a creamy ecru color with grayish undertones

As you can see, there are references to some cities in these Central European countries (Warsaw, Poland; Budapest, Hungary; and Prague, Czech Republic), as well as mentions of various foods, dances, and mythologies associated with these countries — from Polish sausage or kielbasa to polka, a style of folk music and dance that originated in countries like Poland, Hungary, Latvia, and Lithuania; paprika, a spice that’s been used in cuisine for ages, dating back to 16th century Hungary; and multiple vampire references, which can of course be linked to Transylvanian lore.

Thus far, I’ve tried five of the shades in the collection, and you’ll see swatches and details of these below. I must say I’ve been trying to hunt down the You’re Such a BudaPest and Can’t Find My Czechbook shades since they were the first to catch my attention but, apparently, they’re immensely popular since they’ve been sold out everywhere! But seeing as I’m a Taurus and hence absurdly stubborn, I will continue my efforts until I finally scoop those colors up!

In the meantime, check out the shades I’ve tested below.

HANDS OFF MY KIELBASA!

Admittedly, I did not have high hopes for this shade since it didn’t look particularly unique inside its bottle. I expected a snooze-worthy, brownish pink but, to my surprise, the color was rather magical. To me, the shade looked like molten rose gold but with a slight bronzed touch. The shade has a metallic finish but it’s incredibly subtle so that it feels very demure and elegant.

SUZI’S HUNGARY AGAIN

I’ve never been much of a pink girl (never really got into Barbies as a kid, even), but it’s mainly because I’ve always had such a strong personality and didn’t care much for things that were too delicate or frilly. Pale pinks, then, have never really appealed to me, but rockstar-worthy magentas and neon pinks have attracted my inner misfit. Because of my tumultuous relationship with the color pink, I wasn’t quite sure how I’d feel about OPI’s Suzy’s Hungary Again but I was surprised by how much I liked it. The color is a true honeysuckle pink and it’s pretty opaque so that two coats will deliver full coverage. Because the texture is so creamy and the color has such warm undertones, it’s a pink that feels summery and has plenty of attitude — enough to lure in more rebellious sorts like myself.

MY PAPRIKA IS HOTTER THAN YOURS

Though its name alludes to paprika, this color doesn’t have the earthy brown undertones you’d find in this spice. Instead, the shade is a bold vermilion hue, with orange tones predominating ever so slightly over red hues. The finish, meanwhile, is deliciously creamy so that the final look is reminiscent of a cup of fresh Tabasco sauce.

A WOMAN’S PRAGUE-ATIVE

It’s rare to find a nail lacquer that’s a true copper. It always seems like, when developing metallic shades, nail polish manufacturers concentrate on gold, bronze, silver, and gunmetal. OPI’s A Woman’s Prague-Ative is one of the truest copper hues I’ve seen thus far but, of course, with a bit of a twist. For one, the copper hue is rather deep, akin to the color of an old penny, but it’s got some orange tones mixed in for a more high voltage effect. The formula, meanwhile, is saturated with golden shimmer, which makes the lacquer have an incredibly fiery feel. Every time I looked at my nails, I thought of the flaming train of Katniss Everdeen’s dress in The Hunger Games.