Emily de Molly Unleashed vs OPI Dulce de Leche: Swatch Comparison
Two caramel-toned cremes, one from a beloved Australian indie brand and one from a global mainstream giant, have been sitting on my desk for months begging to be worn back to back. Both promise that warm, milky-toffee hue that flatters every skin tone and shifts beautifully under different lights, but they arrive at that colour from very different places in the nail polish world. I finally swatched them on the same day, on the same hand, under the same Melbourne afternoon sun, and the results were more interesting than I expected.
This is not a brand loyalty showdown. Emily de Molly and OPI sit on opposite ends of the spectrum — one indie, hand-mixed and shipped from a small studio, the other mass-produced and stocked at every Priceline and chemist from Perth to Brisbane. What they share is a knack for nailing the kind of shade that disappears into your wardrobe and pairs with absolutely everything. Below, I break down how they perform, how they wear, and which one deserves a permanent spot in your collection.
Meet the Polishes
Unleashed is part of Emily de Molly's core range, a brand founded and run by Hayley in regional Victoria. The polish pours out as a soft caramel with the faintest whisper of pink in the base — the kind of nude that reads as "your nails but better" without tipping into French-manicure territory. It's sold in the brand's signature round bottle with a wide, flat brush that fans out nicely for single-stroke coverage.
Dulce de Leche lives in OPI's Infinite Shine line, the brand's long-wear gel-effect formula that cures without a UV lamp. The shade itself is a touch warmer and more golden than Unleashed, leaning into a buttery caramel that catches light almost like a satin. It comes in OPI's tall, slim bottle with the brand's iconic ProWide brush — a flat, paddle-shaped tool that some Melbourne manicurists swear by and others find a little floppy. Both labels appear in my brand archive alongside dozens of other makers I have swatched since 2011.
Bottle, Brush and First Impressions
The Emily de Molly bottle feels substantial in the hand despite its smaller 12 ml size, and the simple white-and-black label has become instantly recognisable across Australian nail forums and Instagram feeds. The brush is wide enough to cover most nails in two or three strokes and tapers just slightly at the tip, which makes it easy to manoeuvre around the cuticle line without flooding.
OPI's packaging has always been part of the appeal, and Dulce de Leche arrives in the classic tall cylinder with the colour name printed along the side in the brand's signature font. The ProWide brush is noticeably wider than Emily de Molly's and has a gently rounded tip, which helps when you are trying to paint close to the cuticle on your dominant hand. At 15 ml, the bottle also gives you more product per purchase, which is worth considering if you plan to wear this shade on repeat.
At a Glance
| Feature | Emily de Molly Unleashed | OPI Dulce de Leche |
|---|---|---|
| Brand origin | Australia (indie) | USA (mainstream) |
| Formula type | Standard creme | Infinite Shine (gel-effect) |
| Finish | Soft creme, subtle warmth | Creamy creme with golden undertone |
| Coats for opacity | 2 thin coats | 2 coats |
| Brush | Wide flat paddle | ProWide paddle |
| Price (AUD) | Around $16.50 | Around $24.95 |
| Typical availability | Emily de Molly website, stockists | Priceline, chemists, Myer, salons |
| Bottle size | 12 ml | 15 ml |
The table makes the price gap obvious — Emily de Molly works out to roughly $1.37 per millilitre, while Dulce de Leche sits closer to $1.66. Both are mid-range polishes by Australian standards, but the indie option delivers more polish for your dollar if sheer volume matters.
Formula and Application
Emily de Molly's formula has matured noticeably over the past few years, and Unleashed is one of those polishes that practically paints itself. The consistency is on the thinner side without being runny, and the wide brush picks up exactly the right amount of product for a single nail. I needed two thin coats for full opacity, and the second coat glided over the first without dragging, streaking, or bubbling — even in the humidity of a Brisbane summer afternoon when I tested it.
OPI's Infinite Shine formula is thicker and more viscous, which can be a blessing or a curse depending on your brush control. The ProWide brush is genuinely wider than Emily de Molly's, which means fewer strokes per nail, but the extra pigment load means you have to work a little faster to avoid flooding your cuticles. Two coats gave me even coverage, though I did find that the second coat wanted to pool slightly at the edges if I overloaded the brush. A quick swipe with a clean-up brush sorted it out, but it is something to watch if you are doing a rushed mani before work.
The drying time between coats is roughly comparable for both, with Unleashed drying slightly faster to the touch thanks to its thinner formula. Neither polish requires a specific base coat to perform well, though I always reach for a ridge-filling base under both to keep the caramel hue looking smooth and even.
Colour in Different Lights
This is where the two really start to diverge. Unleashed reads as a true caramel nude on my nail beds, with that subtle pink warmth that makes it look almost like a French tip in disguise under office fluorescents. Outdoors, in the kind of bright midday sun that hits the MCG during a December cricket match, it shifts slightly more peachy and loses a touch of its depth.
Dulce de Leche, by contrast, leans noticeably more golden and a fraction darker. Under the same fluorescents it looks like a buttery caramel, and in direct sunlight it warms up further into a true toffee shade that flatters tanned hands beautifully. On cooler-toned or fair skin it can sometimes read as a touch yellow, which is worth keeping in mind if you usually gravitate towards pink-leaning nudes. Both colours photographed beautifully on my swatch wheel, though OPI had a slight edge in capturing the golden warmth on camera.
Wear and Durability
I wore Unleashed on my right hand for a full five days while running errands around Sydney's Inner West — including a trip to the markets where I unpacked boxes, carried tote bags full of plants, and scrubbed my hands more times than I can count. The polish held up with only minor tip wear by day four and a single small chip on day five, which is solid performance for a non-gel creme.
Dulce de Leche, being part of the Infinite Shine line, is designed to mimic gel wear without the lamp. I expected it to outlast Unleashed by a clear margin, and it did — six full days with only the faintest tip fade and no chips until day seven. That said, the difference was less dramatic than I anticipated, and the trade-off was a slightly thicker feel on the nail. If you are the sort of person who forgets to wear gloves while doing dishes, the Infinite Shine system genuinely extends your wear time.
Both polishes removed cleanly with regular acetone-free remover, and neither stained my nail beds even after the full wear test. Top coat behaved well over both, though I found that a quick-dry top coat paired particularly nicely with the OPI formula to lock in that gel-like finish.
Price, Sourcing and Local Availability
Emily de Molly is available directly from the brand's website, with flat-rate Australia Post shipping that arrives in Adelaide, Hobart and everywhere in between within a few business days. A handful of stockists around Melbourne and Sydney also carry the brand in person if you prefer to swatch before buying, and the indie community on Instagram is a great way to find local pickup options. International shipping is offered, though it can take a couple of weeks to reach the US and UK.
OPI's Dulce de Leche is much easier to source on the spot. It sits on the shelves of most Priceline and Chemist Warehouse stores, occasionally pops up at Myer and David Jones, and is a staple at salons from Cairns to Fremantle. The wider availability means you can often grab it on sale or with a store promotion, which softens the higher per-bottle price. For international orders, OPI is also stocked on Amazon AU and several beauty retailers, while Emily de Molly still offers the most reliable shipping experience for Australian customers who want to support local makers.
If budget is the main concern, Emily de Molly is the obvious winner — especially if you already plan to buy two or three bottles from the brand's archive at once to consolidate shipping. If convenience and immediate gratification matter more, OPI wins every time.
Which One Should You Buy?
- Choose Unleashed if you prefer a pink-leaning caramel that flatters fair to medium skin, want the best value per millilitre, and love supporting Australian indie makers.
- Choose Dulce de Leche if you want longer wear with minimal chips, prefer a more golden caramel tone, and value the convenience of picking up your polish in person at a Priceline run.
- Choose Unleashed if you like to layer under glitter toppers or want a base that disappears beautifully under half-moon designs like the ones I demonstrated in my half-moon tutorial.
- Choose Dulce de Leche if you want a one-coat wonder for travel manicures, since it covers evenly without much fuss.
- Choose Unleashed if you collect Emily de Molly and want to round out your caramel and nude selections from the brand's archive.
- Choose Dulce de Leche if you already own other Infinite Shine shades and want the wear to match across your collection.
For a deeper look at how I swatch, photograph and review each polish, the about page walks through my process and the lighting setup I use for accurate colour representation.
If you are still torn, my honest recommendation is to start with Unleashed. The formula is forgiving, the colour is endlessly wearable across Australian seasons, and you are supporting a small local business that genuinely engages with its community. Save the Dulce de Leche for when you spot it on a Priceline half-price sale, and you will have both shades in your collection without breaking the budget.