Fake OPI

Hi everyone,

I'm still down with that darn flu, so I haven't really done anything on my nails. Besides, I was so in love with my penguin nails that I didn't want to remove it until it would start chipping.

So today I'll be showing you the fake OPI I bought off ebay and I'll compare it to an authentic bottle of OPI. You can find many guidelines on how to spot a fake OPI, if you google it, so you won't fall into traps like I did. However, you most probably won't know the bottle you're buying is a fake until you see it with your own eyes. But here are some comparisons, so you know what to look for, in case you doubt whether you have a fake OPI or not. Just a little note: I compared the fake OPI Mad as a Hatter with a genuine OPI Bring on the Bling bought at an official OPI dealer. Besides, all the discrepancies mentioned here, are consistent with any genuine OPI bottle I own.

1. The bottle: 

First thing I noticed when I saw the fake OPI bottle was that it didn't have that curved shape from the inside on the bottom of the bottle. As you can see in the picture below, the fake OPI on the left has a flat surface from the inside at the bottom from, while the genuine OPI on the right is curved. All genuine OPI bottles I own have this same curved bottom.

Second thing was that the cap of the fake one almost touches the bottle while the genuine one has this little gap in between.

Third thing I noticed was the print looks totally off (you can click on the picture for full size).

Fake OPI (left) vs. Genuine OPI (right)

2.  The bottom:


First difference here is the label. Look at the difference in the letter type and color! Not quite the same!
Secondly, the fake OPI has a rougher and larger ribbed edge compared to the real OPI.

Fake OPI (left) vs. Genuine OPI (right)

3. The cap:

Not much needed to say here as the picture speaks for itself. The OPI logo and texture of the lid are very different:

Genuine OPI (left) vs. Fake OPI (right)

If you open the bottle and take a closer look inside the cap, you can see a gear-like thingy that the newer OPI bottle caps have. The fake one obviously doesn't.

Fake OPI (left) vcs. Genuine OPI (right)

4. The Brush

As you can see here, the fake OPI cap and brush are longer than the genuine OPI. The fake brush isn't as wide as the famous pro wide OPI brushes and besides, when I testes it on a nail wheel, the brush stem was so flexible, bending all the time. It felt so cheap and fragile. 

Fake OPI (left) vs. Genuine OPI (right)

There are many other slight discrepancies I found on the fake OPI bottle, but these mentioned above are the easiest to spot. 

I must say I was so disappointed when I opened my package and found a fake OPI Mad as a Hatter inside. I've been lemming this polish so much and I finally had the guts to pay for the ridiculous ebay price sellers usually ask for it and I ended up with this sh#t! The seller displayed a picture of a real OPI Mad as a Hatter and the description said it 100% authenticity was guaranteed by the seller. Not to mention the thousands of positive feedback he/she received. There are so many people being fooled out there. It's sad! At least I got my money back after complaining to the seller. 

So be careful when buying OPI on ebay! Don't get yourselves fooled! If you think you got a fake OPI, ask for your money back!