I feel like this post is kind of falling into the “all the other kids are doing it” category at this point. But … what the heck! I’ve had most of this collection for a while, and I’ve had this post planned for a while. And, by “a while”, I mean at least a month. That’s an eternity and a half in “blogging time”. I grabbed up most of the collection as soon as it came out, but there was one “problem child” polish that was consistently sold out in my stores. So, my mom bought that one for me, which meant I had to wait until I went to Texas to get it. Then, once I got to my parents’ house, I realized I couldn’t get a consistent swatch photo because the light is so different down there. As you can see, one excuse after another after another …

And, here we are! Finally posting about this collection in here about a gazillion years after everyone else. What can I say? My plans don’t always work out.

THE OBLIGATORY BACKGROUND INFO:

According to the (minimal) internet sleuthing I did in preparation for this post, the original OMG Collection released in 2008. It consisted of 12 polishes, and, from what I’ve seen in my online wanderings, it was a wildly popular collection. In celebration of the 10 year anniversary, China Glaze decided to release this Flashback Collection, which contains 6 of the original 12 shades.

I was not hot and heavy into nail polish in 2008. It’s so weird to think this, because polish is a huge part of my life now. But, in 2008, I was struggling with depression in a big way. It was pretty much all I could do to keep putting one foot in front of the other in order to face each new day. Nail polish was the last thing on my mind, and I would have never been aware of the OMG Collection if not for this Flashback release.

THE COLORS:

*All swatches shown with glossy top coat. These polishes dry slightly dull on their own, so a top coat is needed.*

2Nite is a denim blue linear holographic. I found this polish had a good formula. It was an easy application, but the formula on my bottle was a bit sheer. It was still opaque in 2 coats, and I’m not mad about that at all. But some of the other polishes in this collection could be done in 1, which makes this one sheer in comparison.

Are you going to be surprised when I tell you this one was my favorite? Oh wait … what was that thud I just heard? Was it the sound of you falling out of your chair in shock? *ahem*

So … yeah. This was my favorite, which, I am sure, comes as no huge surprise to anyone. I love the soft blue color tone, which seems to have a nice bit of gray to it at certain angles. This is the color I think of when I think of a “steel blue”. It is so perfect to me, and I loved seeing it on my nails. I was impressed with how well the holographic performed, too. It’s more subtle than an indie. And, from pictures I’ve seen, it seems more subtle than the Color Club linear holographics, as well. But there was something I really liked about the soft and gentle look of it.

BFF is a magenta-toned linear holographic. This polish has a great formula. It was easy to apply and nicely pigmented. I’m calling it a 1-2 coater. I had full opacity in 1 coat, but I did a second one to make the polish look a little more “plump” on my nails.

I like this polish! I really enjoy the color tone, which falls between pink and purple to my eye. The formula was easy-peasy, and I was impressed with the holographic performance. My photos are all indoors with indirect natural light, which might be one of the worst ways to photograph holographic polish. Even under these lighting conditions, you can see the holo sparking off my nails as the light falls across them. I found the holographic took on a beautifully warm tone with this base color.

DV8 is a blue-green (teal? turquoise?) linear holographic. This one had a slightly difficult formula for me. I found that all of these polishes dry quickly as you are applying them. But DV8 seemed to dry faster than usual. I tended toward lifting the polish up off my nail as I was applying it, leaving low spots behind. This might not be a problem for everyone. I tend to overwork the brush, and I’m sure that contributed to my issues. Even with the slightly tricky formula, I was happy with opacity on this one at 2 coats. Truthfully, if I hadn’t overworked my brush, I think it would have been opaque in 1.

This color! Wowza!! It is so stinkin’ PRETTY!! I can’t get over how bright and vibrant it is, and it packs a beautiful visual punch. Again, the holographic performed nicely on this polish, although I’m thinking the rainbow effect was the most subtle with this one. I didn’t make a note of this in my swatching notes, but it’s coming back to me as I look at my swatch photo. Again, my photos are with indirect natural light, which doesn’t show holographic to its most ideal. You can still see the rainbow color shift here, particularly on my middle nail. But it is quite subtle. This polish is super pigmented. I didn’t have any staining from it on my nails or cuticles, but I only wore it for my swatch. I haven’t manicured with this one yet. I have seen other reviews that talked about how it stained.

IDK is a grape-toned purple linear holographic. This polish has a good formula. It is basically opaque in 1 coat and I was really happy with it in 2.

Believe it or not, I think this might be my second favorite from the collection. And this is the only polish I have worn (so far) in a full manicure. I really, really like the color tone of this one. It was an easy application for me. I can see this being a great polish to use when you are in a hurry to get out the door and just need a quick manicure. One coat of this, plus a quick-dry top coat, and you are good to go! I found this polish to have the strongest holographic effect out of the collection. It was rainbow-rific out in direct sunlight, but it also popped tons of rainbow goodness under regular indoor lighting.

OMG is a silver linear holographic. This polish has a good formula. I found it a little sheer, but easy to apply. It was nicely opaque in 2 coats.

Do you guys remember how much I hated I Sea Ponies from the MLP Collection? I hated that polish with a passion, because I couldn’t see any holographic in it at all. Well, once burned and twice shy, as they say. I was really, really unsure about this one. Would I feel cruelly duped? Would I love it? Would I hate it? Would I love to hate it?

I’m happy to report that I don’t hate it. I’m not sure if I love it, but let’s say I have a strong feeling of “like” for it. It’s a nice and bright silver that doesn’t look dull or dirty. It has a pretty and delicate look, which I quite like. And, even better, I can actually see the holographic in this polish! Yaaaassss!!! Victory!!

TTYL is a coppery or reddish-brown linear holographic. (Really, I sound like a broken record typing “linear holographic” after every polish. I mean … Duh! They are all linear holographics. What can I say? Habits. Ha, ha.) I thought this polish had a good formula. It was rich and easy to apply and a little on the thick side. I think it could be opaque in 1 coat, although I used 2.

This is such an unusual color. It almost doesn’t seem to fit with the rest of the collection. And yet, I like it. I like the pinky-red tones I can see at certain angles. And the holographic, which was nicely visible in most lighting, brings out a beautiful coppery glow. I think it’s a nice neutral. This one was another favorite for me.

THE WRAP-UP:

Overall, I liked this collection. I wasn’t sure what to expect from it, given my past experience. I liked the mix of colors in here. I think this is a collection that you could wear all the way from Spring and into Fall. A couple of the colors would even work nicely for Winter manicures. (And yes, I am definitely thinking of the icy-blue look 2Nite has!) I found the formulas pretty consistent across the board with these polishes, which was another nice surprise for me. I love China Glaze as a brand. But they can be hit or miss with their formulas. So, yeah … a good collection, overall.

All is not roses and birdsong, however. I have a couple of minor complaints with these polishes. While I liked how consistent the formulas were, I also found them to be a little too quick-drying for my taste. I like a tad more time to work the polish over my nail without fear of lifting what I’ve already applied. This wasn’t a deal-breaker for me. I found I was able to adjust my application technique enough to work around the fast drying time. My other minor complaint is that these are not forgiving polishes. If you have any imperfections in your nails, I feel like these polishes will highlight them. I have some ridging in my nails. It’s not severe, and I use a ridge-filling base coat. Even so, I thought these polishes made my slight nail imperfections more noticeable.

I don’t know how these polishes compare to the original OMGs. As I mentioned in the beginning of this post, I don’t have anything from that original collection. I have seen pictures of the originals, and I wish China Glaze had re-released all 12 polishes. There were a couple from the OG collection that I would love to have. Maybe, if this flashback collection proves popular enough, they will re-release the last 6. A polish addict can hope!