NOTD: OPI Royal Rajah Ruby

Hi Dolls!

I finally got Royal Rajah Ruby! Woo-hoo! I've been wanting this OPI polish for awhile, but hadn't seen it in ages... I was able to snag Black Cherry Chutney, released in the same collection, awhile ago, and it became a favorite. After seeing swatches of some of the other colors from the India collection, I decided I needed to get my hands on Royal Rajah Ruby as well. Granted, they are really similar, but Black Cherry Chutney definitely leans more purple/burgundy, while Royal Rajah Ruby is a blackened red shade with lots of shimmer that just makes it glow. They're both gorgeous colors, and I'd be hard pressed to choose between them; if you'd like to see my earlier review of Black Cherry Chutney, you can do so here. Sorry for the bad swatches; I think I may have gotten better at painting my nails in the last year or so! At least, I certainly hope so.

As stated earlier, Royal Rajah Ruby is a glowing blackened deep red, although it does not look black on the nails, even in poor indoor lighting. It's a gorgeously rich color. I found mine on sale for $6.00 (down from $8.50), and word on the street is this shade is being discontinued! If you've been thinking about picking up this color, now is the time to act!

Check out how gorgeous this vampy, dramatic color is! It's the sort of shade that looks great on short or long nails, and is really flattering to my skintone; it doesn't make my fingers look dirty or red. I can see this going into regular rotation come fall and winter. I love shades like this, they instantly make me feel more put together, elegant, and mysterious... Should a nail polish have this much of an impact on my perception of myself? Probably not, but I don't care!

Natural light

 I wanted to show you guys this bottle shop so you can get an idea of all the gorgeous golden shimmer that goes into this shade; I think this is what really sets it apart from other blackened reds with shimmer. Click to enlarge, and you'll see how fiery this can look in the right light!

Royal Rajah Ruby

And I got a slightly-burry shot so you can see how that shimmer really does translate to the nail. This is in natural light during a cloudy sunset, so imagine what this looks like in really bright sunlight!

*drools* 

Summary: This polish is such a beautiful color, the formula was a dream to work with, and it lasts on my nails for about 3-4 days without chips, which is on the better side of average. I know some people have even better luck with OPI wear-wise; maybe it's the poor condition of my nails, maybe it's body chemistry, but it lasts about an average amount of time on me. This just means it's not my go-to nail polish, but the colors they put out seem to be really classic and beautiful... Seriously, if you are drawn to this at all, pick it up before it is discontinued!

Do any of you have this color? What do you think of it, too "boring"? I love deep reds, plums, and burgundies... They are my favorite, even if they're not especially daring or edgy!