OPI Every Month Is Oktoberfest is a deep violet nail color with red shimmer. If you want the familiar brush-on polish for a home manicure, look for the current Nail Lacquer version, NLF040, in a 15 mL / 0.5 fl oz bottle. OPI also offers the shade as professional GelColor and Powder Perfection. The shade name alone does not tell you which system you are buying.
The color debuted in OPI’s Germany Collection in 2012 and returned in the OPI’s Most Requested collection for Fall 2026. That return matters if you have been searching through old listings marked discontinued or trying to replace a favorite bottle.
What color is Every Month Is Oktoberfest?
Wella, OPI’s parent company, describes a dark violet base with reflective red shimmer. Expect a rich purple family rather than a straightforward bright red. The red reflection helps explain why product photographs can look burgundy or wine-colored, while other images emphasize plum.
Lighting, viewing angle, coat thickness and your screen can all affect the impression of a shimmery color. Use OPI’s bottle, manicure and swatch photographs together when deciding whether it suits the look you want. For a close match to a bottle you already own, compare an actual nail sample in daylight and indoor light. A similar-looking online photograph cannot establish that two shades, or two generations of a formula, are identical.
Choose the right formula and size
These are the current U.S. product identities on OPI’s own pages. The letters at the start of the product code are useful when a seller’s title shortens the name.
| Version | Current OPI code | Listed size | What it is for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nail Lacquer | NLF040 | 15 mL / 0.5 fl oz | Air-drying nail polish, including home manicures |
| GelColor | GCF040 | 15 mL / 0.5 fl oz | Professional gel service with the specified curing system |
| Powder Perfection | DPF040 | 43 g / 1.5 oz | Professional dip-powder service |
Nail Lacquer: the straightforward home option
Choose Nail Lacquer if you want to paint your own nails without a curing lamp. OPI’s lacquer guide explains that this formula air-dries. Plan for a compatible base coat and top coat as well as the color bottle. For removal, use a product intended for nail lacquer; OPI lists Expert Touch Lacquer Remover for this purpose.
GelColor: ask for the professional gel service
GCF040 is the GelColor version and is marked for professional use. It requires the matching gel base and top coats and OPI’s specified lamp-curing procedure. A bottle of color is only one part of that system. When booking, ask the salon for Every Month Is Oktoberfest in GelColor, and arrange the appropriate removal service. Do not assume a lamp works with this gel simply because it is advertised as a nail lamp.
Powder Perfection: a different salon system
DPF040 is a jar of colored dipping powder, measured by weight. Its 1.5 oz label is not comparable to the fluid-ounce measurement on a polish bottle. The Powder Perfection system uses its own liquids, clear powder and finishing steps. Wella describes it as a no-light-curing professional service. Ask your technician for this specific shade and system rather than buying the jar as a substitute for liquid polish.
Is the mini set the same purchase as a full-size bottle?
The Fall ’26 Nail Lacquer 4PC Mini-pack, DCF011, contains four different shades: Mod About You Pastel, Every Month Is Oktoberfest, Berlin There, Doin’ That, and Vodka & Caviar. The box lists four 3.75 mL / 0.125 fl oz mini lacquers.
That gives you one small Oktoberfest bottle, with one-quarter the volume of its 15 mL full-size lacquer. Choose the set if you also want to try the other colors. For repeated manicures in Oktoberfest alone, compare the full-size bottle instead. A four-piece set does not mean four bottles of the same shade.
Older listings, different codes and the 2026 return
Older retailer records list NL G18 for the lacquer and GC G18 for GelColor; you may also see these written without spaces as NLG18 and GCG18. Treat these as legacy listing identifiers: the current OPI pages above use NLF040 and GCF040. A historic code is not proof of a seller’s bottle age, condition or authenticity.
OPI’s return announcement confirms that the shade is back in its range. It does not establish that every ingredient, brush or visual detail matches an older bottle. If you specifically want the original release, ask the seller for photographs of the actual bottle and its identifying label before buying. If you simply want the current shade, start with OPI’s current product listing.
Is Vamp Champ the same shade?
Vamp Champ, ISL103, is a separate Infinite Shine color in a 15 mL / 0.5 fl oz bottle. OPI calls it a sister shade to Oktoberfest and describes ruby shimmer. Consider it if you prefer Infinite Shine and like that color direction, but do not buy it expecting an exact replacement for Every Month Is Oktoberfest. Infinite Shine also uses its own base and top coats.
Black Cherry Chutney, NLI43, is another distinct choice. OPI describes it as black-red with a pearl finish. It belongs in a comparison of dark nail colors, but its name and finish should stay separate from the violet-and-red-shimmer Oktoberfest shade.
How to apply the regular Nail Lacquer
For the NLF040 lacquer, OPI specifies a base coat, two thin coats of color and a top coat. Let each layer dry according to the product directions and allow time before putting pressure on the finished manicure. The short intervals listed between coats are not a guarantee that the complete manicure has hardened.
Follow the directions for the formula printed on your bottle. Lamp-curing instructions belong to GelColor; they do not apply to regular Nail Lacquer. If you are choosing a salon gel or dip service, leave application and removal to your nail professional.
What to check before ordering
- Shade: the selected option should say Every Month Is Oktoberfest, even if the listing groups many OPI colors together.
- Formula: confirm Nail Lacquer, GelColor or Powder Perfection on both the selection and the bottle or jar label.
- Size and quantity: distinguish a 15 mL bottle, a 3.75 mL mini, a powder jar and a mixed-color set.
- What is included: a color bottle or powder jar does not supply the whole manicure system.
- The actual seller and item: check the selected item, seller details and return terms. A picture of several shades may illustrate choices rather than the contents of your order.
For an at-home manicure in the current shade, NLF040 Nail Lacquer is the clearest starting point. For gel or dip, use GCF040 or DPF040 to help your salon identify the service you want.
