OPI's Merryberry Mauve is a very weird, hard-to-describe color. It's in no way mauve (not unless you were able to actually blend the base color of medium grayed lilac/plum with the shimmer color which is a rosy-gold pink). When you first open the bottle around the neck the color actually looks blue. I knew I was in trouble at this point because I can't wear blue. The first coat does go on very sheer with a blue undertone. This blue tone actually stays around the cuticle area following subsequent coats. (Not a good look.) The actual color after four coats (which is what it took me to get total opacity and bottle color) is almost a duochrome grayed lilac/plum with a heavy rose-gold shimmery metallic finish (with the faint blue hue around the cuticles and showing through to the undersides of the nails). This is not a look that flatters my very pale skin with very, very slight yellow undertones. The rose-gold shimmer is the only thing making my hands not look corpse-like. As to the application, this is the old OPI formula. It was smooth but slightly runny. I won't comment as to wear because I believe this is coming off after a couple of days (if I can stand it that long). Not a repurchase for me.

I love this shade. I've had it for a while now and I'm not sure if it was a seasonal shade or not; hence it may not even be available for purchase anymore. Anyway, this is a gorgeous transition shade as fall moves into the colder months of November and December. The underlying tones are a mauve shade with a copper pink duochrome. The color is actually subtle, which I like. I can't stand intense nail colors.

Merryberry Mauve is a really unique color that's hard to describe. In some lights, it's a mid-tone warm purple/lilac. In some lights, it's a very purple toned mauve. In some, it's a rosy gold. Dare I say, that it's holographic? It probably isn't, but this medium warm purple-rose color with heavy gold shimmer is so much fun to look at as the light hits it. It's a little sheer, so I found that 3 coats was necessary to cover the nail and I had trouble getting adequate coverage on the edges of my tips. It looked good on me (cool-toned PPP). I didn't give it a 5 because it did take 3 coats and I thought it showed tip wear too soon...probably because I couldn't adequately paint the edges like I do with medium & darker polishes.