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Professional answers to everyday questions within the hair and beauty industry.

An introduction to OPI®

Nail services are an essential part of almost every salon menu and accounts for a substantial portion of monthly treatment revenue. A periodic review of the brands you’re working with can be a worthwhile exercise allowing you to keep up to date with alternatives to the brand you’re most familiar with and which could deliver even better results for your clients and your business.

Why should I choose OPI?

Established brands inspire confidence and reassurance among clients, none more so than OPI, the world’s most recognisable nail brand. OPI is a great choice when launching or refreshing your nail service offering. With vast resources, their new product development for new colour collections and treatment technology is matchless. Across the range,  you can be confident about delivering flawless results and, with high brand recall, many clients will be familiar with the name and associate it with beautiful nails.

OPI has a wide range of nail colours and applications which meet the needs of the most demanding nail technician. Starting with 3 high-quality liquid formula categories: Gelcolor, Nail Lacquer and Infinite Shine, together with over 240 individual nail colours and a comprehensive collection of nail tools to choose from, OPI has an enviable line up.

To help guide you through the OPI range and narrow down on suitable ranges for the services you offer, we’ve compiled an easy to follow guide into OPI’s nail systems which will give you the insight to select the range that’s right for you and will help both your client's nails and your business to shine.

Which ranges best suit my business and clients?

Nail Lacquersyoure-such-a-budapest-mani

  • Price: £5.50 – £7.10
  • Size: 15ml
  • Applications per bottle: approximately 45 manicures or pedicures  
  • Wear time: up to 7 days 
  • Removal time: a few seconds per nail 


The Nail Lacquer range is OPI’s most popular type of polish which enjoys a reputation for being user-friendly. Nail technicians at every stage in their career will achieve a fabulous result for clients who want a simple, yet effective service with a short drying time of just 60 seconds.

There are three base coats which have been especially created for the range and address the different needs of client’s natural nails. Ridge filler is suitable for clients who have an uneven nail surface. Natural nail strengthening varnish is best for use on weaker, softer nails and the classic super shiny natural nail base coat is great for cllients with strong nails and also for technicians working to perfect their technique.

This manicure system is a great choice for any client who likes to change their nail colour every week, free from the disadvantages of early on-set chipping, scratching and breakage that standard nail polishes can suffer with in as little as 2 days of wear.

The nail lacquer range is very easy to apply, no curing is involved, and every set can be removed with either acetone or non-acetone nail varnish removers. You can encourage your clients to purchase an OPI nail colour or gift set from your salon to give your clients the freedom to change their nail colour as often as they wish.

Shop OPI Nail Lacquers

Infinite shinei-can-never-hut-up-mani

  • Price: £6.80
  • Size: 15ml 
  • Applications per bottle: approximately 80 sets per bottle 
  • Wear time: up to 11 days 
  • Removal time: a few seconds per nail   

 

Infinite Shine is OPI’s 3-step process: primer, application and finishing, which provides a gel-like shiny, durable finish without the need for an LED cure. The Infinite Shine range is time efficient, making it ideal for the time poor client who requires an express treatment. It’s also highly convenient for mobile nail technicians as it doesn’t require a UV or LED lamp to perform the service.

The hybrid varnish may be removed with general acetone and non-acetone removers so you won’t need to invest in an extra strong acetone soak to remove old Infinite Shine manicure before applying the new system.

This type of varnish is great for clients who seek the appearance of a gel manicure without the hassle of a traditional gel curing process. It lasts for up to 11 days, providing a longer lasting finish than OPI Lacquer. 

Shop OPI Infinite Shine

GelColor opi-red-mani

  • Price: £17.80
  • Size: 15ml
  • Applications per bottle: approximately 80 sets per bottle 
  • Wear time: up to 21 days 
  • Removal time: 15 – 18 minutes 

 

OPI’s GelColor range is loved by nail technicians around the world. With an easy, no-damage removal time of between 15 to 18 minutes, client’s nails will be ready to go for their next service. Each bottle contains a thin brush-on formula that has been designed for high performance and a glossier finish compared to regular nail polishes.

What makes OPI’s GelColor system more compelling than other gel brands is that every polish application cures within 30 seconds – a far more rapid time than the usual 120 seconds which other gel nail brands require.

Boasting up to 21 days wear without chipping, scratching or breakage OPI GelColor is perfectly suited to the physically active client or anyone who wishes to keep the same nail design for an extended period of time.

Within the collection of OPI’s gel nail colours at Ellisons, we have OPI red available, a long-standing classic gel colour for clients choosing to opt for a gel manicure. 

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Getting the most out of OPIo-suzi-mio-mani

To ensure you achieve the dazzling results OPI had in mind when they created their ranges you need to use products to their maximum potential by selecting the right ones for the job.

OPI recommends that when you select a type of varnish to use for a manicure, you should pair varnishes from the same nail system on every single set of nails you perform manicures on otherwise you may risk not achieving the results your clients want. 

Their 3-brush application method is suitable to use with any system as all of their liquid nail varnishes contain their world-renowned thin formula, which makes applying nail varnish far simpler and creates that beautiful, glossy smooth finish clients desire. You can view the 3-brush application on Ellisons Facebook page.

Shop OPI at Ellisons

Shopping online is the most convenient way to order your favourite OPI products. We offer next working day delivery across most of the UK for most orders placed before 6.00pm and delivery is free on most orders over £50.00 (excluding VAT). As our range of OPI products continues to grow, visit Ellisons to check out our core range of base coats, shiny and matte top coats and don’t forget to look for new OPI collections throughout the year. 

Facebook Live expert session

Catch up on our Facebook Live expert session hosted by OPI educator Charlotte Lowe for a tutorial on the OPI GelColor system including tips on application, removal and product insights. Watch here.

Customer support

Our friendly and informed customer service teams are available to help you. Please call us on +44 (0)345 222 8080 Monday – Friday 8.30am – 5.00pm, or email [email protected]

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