Nicole by OPI Carrie Underwood Collection Part One!

*Sent for review*

When I first heard that Nicole by OPI was collaborating with Carrie Underwood on a collection, I was a little surprised. Carrie Underwood doesn't really jump into my mind when I think of celebrities known for their nail polish. But then again, I don't know all that much about Carrie, so I could be wrong! I have 7 of the polishes for you today and I started with Nicole by OPI American as Apple Pie. American as Apple Pie is an interesting twist on the classic blue-based red creme. For one thing, it's a little bit squishy and close to a crelly, but not quite. I think I'd still classify it as a creme. For another, it has super hidden blue-ish shimmer that is hard to see, but really adds a pretty sheen to the polish. My first two pictures were taken outdoors, so you can see the shimmer more than you can indoors and in low light (see last photo).

American as Apple Pie is nicely pigmented and needed just two coats. The formula was lovely and smooth, I think the hidden shimmer helped it go on like butter. Of the 7 polishes in this post, this has the best formula hands down.

In the promo pictures, it looked like Nicole by OPI Carrie'd Away would probably be a glitter topper, but it is actually much better than that! Carrie'd Away is a yellow gold very fine full coverage glitter. I love this variety of sugar-y fine glitter (kind of along the lines of China Glaze I'm Not Lion, etc.).

This is three coats of Carrie'd Away and in person it was totally opaque. My camera did it's lovely thing where it likes to make certain finishes appear more sheer than they are in real life. I was very satisfied with the coverage at three thin coats. This was easy to apply, but does dry slightly textured. That is easily smoothed with one coat of top coat though.

Nicole by OPI Sweet Daisy is an interesting tan peach creme. I think most peach polishes in my collection are more white-based, so they look like pastel peaches. Sweet Daisy is tan/brown based, so it reads as a peach-toned neutral. This could really function as a nude for some skin tones.

This is three coats of Sweet Daisy and I could still see a little bit of VNL. I did not find it to be streaky though, so that's a plus. The formula was good, a tad on the thin side, but not problematic.

I am excited about this next polish, Nicole by OPI Fisher Queen. Fisher Queen is what I wished Sephora by OPI Just a Little Dangerous would be. Just a Little Dangerous just comes across as too dark on me and I lose the purple. Fisher Queen, on the other hand, is a great vampy red grape shimmer. A lot of vampy purples are blue-based, and I am always looking out for a red-based one like this! Lovely!

My one complaint about Fisher Queen is that I did three coats and had some streaky/thin looking coverage, especially on my middle nail and pinky. I wish it was more pigmented, but maybe that's why other vampy purples end up looking to dark and not purple. I think next time I wear this, I'll do two thin coats and a thicker than normal third coat. The formula was a little thin, but not hard to use.

I really need another glitter topper less than I need another hole in my head, but I can't help loving Nicole by OPI Lips Are Dripping Honey! Lips Are Dripping Honey has holographic gold hex glitter and tiny holo gold glitter in a clear base. I love that all of the glitter in this is holo, it makes for a lot of rainbows!

This is two thin coats of Lips Are Dripping Honey over Fisher Queen. This was nice and easy to apply, the glitter was plentiful and came out of the bottle readily. The base was the perfect consistency for glitter, not too thick or too thin.

Nicole by OPI Southern Charm is a nude creme with a touch of gray. This is kind of what I think of when I hear "Carrie Underwood" and "nail polish" in the same sentence. I feel like she'd be the kind of celebrity to wear very understated neutrals. Southern Charm is also semi-sheer, but that may well be intentional.

This is three coats of Southern Charm and as I mentioned, it is on the sheer side. It was pretty smooth and not too streaky though, so I can imagine it being intended to be a sheer nude. The formula was good, no real problems to mention.

Nicole by OPI Color Me Country is a breath of spring air in this Polar Vortex we're in currently. This is a really nice medium pink creme that doesn't lean too blue or cool, it has a bit of a warmer undertone. I never really wear pink, but I always love seeing these colors at this time of year when it's freezing. They remind me that it won't be freezing forever!

Color Me Country was easy to apply and opaque in three coats. It seems like a crelly to me, it's nice and squishy looking in person. The bottle is sitting in front of me right now and I can see the ball, yet it built up to opacity in three coats. Sounds like a textbook crelly to me!

*Sent for review*

My Two favorites from this half of the collection are Fisher Queen and Lips Are Dripping Honey for sure. If you are a gold holo glitter fan, you need Lips Are Dripping Honey! What do you think of this collection so far? Any Carrie Underwood fans out there?

Nicole by OPI Carrie Underwood is available now for $7.99 each at retailers including select CVS, Duane Reade, HEB, Kroger, Kmart, Ulta, Walmart, Fred Meyer, Meijer, and Harmon locations.  In Canada, these shades will be available for $10.99 each at Shoppers Drug Mart, Target Canada, Walmart Canada, Jean Coutu, London Drug, and Loblaws.

For more information, visit nicolebyopi.com. Follow Nicole by OPI on Twitter @NicoleByOPI and become a Facebook fan!