OPI Push & Shove (Gwen Stefani) Review

Out of the entire Gwen Stefani collection, Push & Shove was the polish I was most excited for. OPI created high expectations for it, ever since they first uttered the 3 magic words "reflective mirror finish." In addition, there was so much secrecy surrounding the polish that the public didn't get to see any promo pics until a few weeks before the actual release. When the swatches start popping up online, I literally ran out of my house to buy it (the night before finals too! I thought I didn't have a hard exam the next day, but then the English exam kicked my ass -__- Karma in the form of nail polish, I guess).

I was surprised by how dull Push & Shove looked in the bottle. I was expecting a mirror finish on the bottle itself, like the gold karat top coat bottles (ex. OPI The Man with the Golden Gun), but nope!

Full review after the jump!


It comes in a mini package with a complimentary Lay Down That Base! base coat. The base coat is only 3.75 mL, compared to the full sized 15 mL OPI polishes. The package comes with simple directions, such as using the mini base coat, applying 2 thin coats of Push & Shove, and NOT using top coat. It also warns that Push & Shove is intended for "One Night Only wear," which might freak you out if you change your polish once a week. However, I didn't see it as a problem because I change my polish frequently anyways.

Just so you know, I've done 2 manis with this polish already. Yes, that's how much I love it. The first time I wore it, I was careful with my nails and didn't do many chores because I wanted to see how long it could last. The second time around, I really tested it out by doing every single hands-on thing possible. You can tell because the tip wear on the right is far greater than the tip wear on the left (both pictures were taken approximately 20 hours after their respective applications). 

Tip wear comparisons. NOTE: I have a bad habit of scratching my nails, so the scratches in the middle of some nails are NOT because of the polish!

Oh, and let me tell you girl, many of the swatches online don't capture Push & Shove's true reflective beauty. I tried my best and took many pictures in different lightings, but if you're interested in this polish, you really need to check it out in real life. Everything you see is 2 coats WITHOUT top coat:  

Indoor Lighting

OVERALL. Outdoor lighting. It's beautiful, am I right or am I right?! 

Close-up. Outdoor lighting. 

Angle. Outdoor lighting. I spy minor tip wear on my middle finger.

They seriously look like mirror nails from far away.

ISN'T IT BEAUTIFUL? Best purchase of 2014 so far.
Now, let's talk about the application itself. I was expecting a horrid formula, but to be honest, everyone overhypes chrome polish formulas negatively. Like, give it a break, it's a chrome polish - the formula is NOT going to be perfect. I can see how application can be difficult for some people, but as long as you buff your nails beforehand, use Lay Down That Base!, take full advantage of OPI's wide brush and don't go over the same spot too much, then OPI Push & Shove will probably come out nicely. The coolest thing about the application was that you could almost see the magic happening. By the time you get to the last nail on your hand, the first nail you painted on the same hand is so much more reflective than the last. The polish DOES accent any ridges (example - my pinky), but no one's gonna shove their nose up to your nails to judge.

The wear wasn't too bad either. There was tip wear by the 20 hour mark (see the first picture), but you really couldn't tell. Both times I had Push & Shove on, I took it off after 24 hours and there were no major chips. I have not gone beyond 24 hours, sorry. You can probably use top coat to extend the lifespan of the polish, but I have read from some beauty blogs that top coat slightly clouds the finish. However, I did notice that the polish came off much more easily than other polishes! In the middle of my English exam (like I said, it was hard -__-), I started lightly scratching my thumb nail with my other nails, which is something that I do when I'm nervous, and Push & Shove came right off. Wtf, it literally came off like foil - no resistance whatsoever.

The one thing I liked most about Push & Shove was that it didn't look cheap. I've noticed that metallic polishes tend to look tacky and cheap (at least to me) if they're not applied well or if they're too sheer - but not Push & Shove! It's gorgeous. It's not exactly Minx nails (so don't expect that because you'll be disappointed!), but I think it's definitely better than other silver chrome polishes in the market. In fact, it's probably the closest you can get to Minx nails with just a mere nail polish.

Overall Conclusion: I think you need this. The tip wear and the One Night Only warning? Who cares, the color's gorgeous.

(In stores now! Bought mine at Ulta for $9.)