Today, I have a little taste of Nicole by OPI Love My Pups for you from the upcoming Carrie Underwood Collection that’s set to hit stores in January 2014.
This is a Quick Look post, so it’s a brief sneak peek. Hopefully this little glimpse will whet your appetite. (I plan to do this for a bunch of the Carrie Underwood polishes.)
Then, in January, I’ll be posting my full in-depth reviews, complete with lots of photos when the nail polishes are available.
First of all, Happy Thanksgiving to my fellow Canadians! I hope that you’re having a wonderful long weekend with loved ones!
If you’ve been following Swatch And Learn for a little while, you may remember me telling you on October 1st that I got to meet Suzi Weiss-Fischmann for a 3rd time.
I attended a media luncheon unveiling the Nicole by OPI Carrie Underwood Collection coming out in January 2014. At the end of the event, PR gave me an awesome swag bag with the entire collection! *Fans self with manicured hand*
Well, before I share my thoughts on the incredible experience with you (the post is coming with a special giveaway for readers!), I want to show you the 14 nail-polish shades.
There’s a nice diversity in terms of colours and finishes, so I think everyone can find at least a couple that call out to them.
I’ve already worn a few, and in the next little while, expect my full in-depth reviews and swatches of every single one on here in future posts!
For today, I’ll show you some quick swatches taken with my camera’s flash, bottle shots, and the official press release.
Back in high school, a large group of my friends and I rented a limo and went to the prom together.
It was a night that I still look back on and smile about because, as corny as it sounds, my experience was like that out of a teen movie. I was really living in the moment, enjoying every second of it!
I got my hair done, did my own makeup, and wore a blue/purple duochrome dress that had a corset top with a large layered, tulle, Cinderella-style bottom. Yes, I felt like a princess!
Interesting thing: Before I went shopping for my prom dress, I actually drew a colourful sketch of my dream prom gown. The very first place I went shopping at with my best friend, I struck gold. Literally, I found a dress that matched my drawing exactly, and it was hung on a hanger that was close to the ceiling of the store! (That never happens, so I knew it was destined to come home with me.) I half expected to see angels floating down and playing harps when I caught sight of it! My dad bought me the gown for my birthday (which was an atypical splurge), and I was ecstatic!
I danced spastic in my crazy high heels that night, slow-danced with the guys, took some photos, and felt so pampered in general. Up until that point, I had never been to such an elegant venue or treated to such attentive service from waiters! It really added to the magical experience, and being able to share it all with close friends made it even more amazing!
It was really amazing to see how great the guys looked! I couldn’t believe how they passed as gentlemen. A guy in a suit or tuxedo instantly makes you forget that just days ago, he was in the school hallway cracking jokes about flatulence! Haha!
Recently, Nicole by OPI teamed up with Prom Canada and invited me to participate in an exclusive nail challenge, which you’ll remember me blogging about yesterday.
(You can still VOTE FOR ME, by going to that Facebook link and clicking “Like” on my manicure photo! Please vote and help me to spread the word! Thank you so much!)
We were asked to choose 3 shades from a pre-selected list of Nicole by OPI nail polishes. I chose Nicole by OPI Dream Maker (shimmery pink), Nicole by OPI Please Red-cycle (creme red), and Nicole by OPI Candy is Dandy (textured pink glitter).
I came up with a look that features a prom couple and some hearts.
Come see my Prom Nail Art Tutorial with step-by-step written instructions and photos to show you how you can achieve the same look!
(If you try it out, please share your manicure with me. I’d love to see your creativity at work!)
How to Vote:
Thank you so much for your continued support!
Not long ago, Nicole by OPI’s PR privately invited me to participate in an exclusive nail contest.
There’ll be one winner who’ll enjoy a feature in Prom Canada’s first issue of their magazine plus a Nicole by OPI prize pack!
The winner will be whoever gets the most “Likes” on Facebook on their contest-submission photo on Prom Canada’s Facebook.
Nicole by OPI partnered with Prom Canada, which is a new magazine. Together, they provided a list of 8 Nicole by OPI nail polishes that participants could use. We were asked to pick 3 to use in our design.
The ones I chose:
The challenge? Create prom-inspired nails!
For this look, I employed freehand, dotting, and nail-stamping techniques.
On my index and pinkie fingers, I stamped two different heart patterns. Then, for my middle and ring fingers, I created a prom couple – a female wearing a dress with a sweetheart neckline and pearl necklace and a male wearing a bow tie and tuxedo, respectively.
Very soon, I’ll share with you my step-by-step tutorial on how you can achieve the same manicure. Stay tuned!
Until then, please vote for me and help me spread the word. Thank you! 🙂
Edit: It always makes me smile when bloggers support each other! 🙂
Nicole by OPI My Cherry Amour from the Gumdrops Collection is one of those shades that really took me off-guard.
In the bottle, it was pretty, but once I painted my nails, I gasped – it’s so flattering and bold!
Although Nicole by OPI calls this My Cherry Amour, it reminds me more of raspberries than cherries because the red has a definite pinkish undertone.
This is a colour that I know I’ll be sporting again. It really pops in real life!
The Nicole by OPI Gumdrops Collection is really impressing me! All the shades I’ve tried so far were very flattering.
Today, I have a review on another shade from the collection – Nicole by OPI Cinna-Man of My Dreams!
This is a really interesting shade that I think people will love more in the fall. It reminds me of warm spices, so that’s why I would describe this nail polish as cozy!
It’s definitely not a colour that I typically wear, but I do like it a lot! If you like shades that are fall-inspired, I think you’ll dig it, too!
Nicole by OPI Cinna-Man of My Dreams is actually pretty complex when you inspect it closer. I’ll go into further detail later on in this post.
I wore Nicole by OPI That’s What I Mint from the Gumdrops Collection quite a while ago. And let me tell you something – it is now on my list of Top 3 Favourite Textured Nail Polishes! (OPI Get Your Number still remains in first place.)
Nicole by OPI That’s What I Mint is a medium teal, which you don’t see too often in textured lacquers. I highly recommend this shade because I think it would be flattering on soooo many diverse skin tones!
It’s like The Little Mermaid was swept ashore, and she started sunbathing. I can picture the sun beating down and making the scales on her tail glimmer. It would be like That’s What I Mint.
Canadians, you’ll also be so happy to know that it’s a Shoppers Drug Mart exclusive shade! A lot of times, Canadians get the short end of the stick, but this time, we can celebrate having this gorgeous polish readily available! YAY!
Edit: According to my US readers, apparently this polish can be found exclusively at CVS! 🙂
