Nicole by OPI Holiday 2009

At least I think these are Ulta exclusives, because I haven't seen them anywhere besides Ulta. I could be wrong, it is a little tricky to find Nicole around here. Anyone know for sure? Edit: Whew! They're not Ulta exclusives! Thanks, Sybelle!

There was a red with this collection as well, but I didn't get it... It just didn't appeal to me. Maybe when it goes on clearance I'll get it, but it didn't look drop-dead gorgeous like OPI Dreaming of Red.


Bah Plum-bug! Muted plum purple with hidden shimmer. This isn't an accurate representation of the color- it's much less blue in real life. Very soft, dusty, muted plum purple. It looks like a creme, but in certain lights, you'll notice that it has a hidden shimmer. The overall look is a greyed-out plum with a hidden reddish-goldish shimmer that only shows in certain lights.


Faux Fir. Medium blue-toned green shimmer. I think it's really shimmer bordering on frost. Not a true icky brushstrokey frost, but a really dense fine shimmer. From looking at this color in the bottle, I didn't think I would like it very much, but once I wore it I really grew fond of it. It's even better with Winter Glitterland on top. I do wish it were slightly more yellow toned.

Winter Glitterland. Okay... be nice... my nails are really stained. But, it's not like it matters normally because I never wear sheers... It just looks so gross when I swatch sheer polish! Anyway, Winter Glitterland is a combination of medium holographic hexagon glitter and small silver and holographic glitter. In the bottle, this looks like it has a golden or brownish tint to it, but that doesn't seem to transfer to the nail. It just looks like straight silver-holo glitter in a clear base to me. Great for layering, but I also kinda like the look of this solo (that is, if my nails weren't yellow!)

And now for the fun part!




Winter Glitterland over Bah Plum-Bug! Wow, this picture turned out a lot better than Bah Plum-Bug alone. Much closer to real life color. So... this is one coat of Winter Glitterland on top. How gorgeous is that? Looks like falling snow (now with 100% more power of suggestion!)

Winter Glitterland over Faux Fir. This is my favorite combination. Again, one coat. I've worn this as an actual manicure twice now. What can I say? I just love glitter. And green. And purple for that matter.


The formula on these was good. Faux Fir and Bah Plum-Bug! had a very strange consistency... it wasn't thick or too thin, but it felt... fluffy? I don't know how to describe it, actually... squishy, fluffy, unusual. It didn't give me any trouble, but I found it quite strange. I did three coats of polish in these pictures, but only Winter Glitterland needed a third coat. Decent opacity. Good formula. Drying time was average- not fast but not what I would consider long either. The only thing I don't like about Nicole is that damn melted bottle!

Overall, I think these are pretty cool. It's not total head-over-heels love but I like them enough to want to reach for them regularly. Out of all of them (the left behind red included) Bah Plum-Bug! is the most unique. I can't think of a match to Faux Fir off the top of my head, but it doesn't strike me as being one of a kind. That's not to say it's bad, it just feels like I've seen it before. I've heard that Winter Glitterland looks a lot like one of those rare Japanese OPI glitters, but I don't recall which one. Purple, green, glitter, cute winter seasonal theme... Yeah, you won't hear me complaining!

I just wish Nicole was easier to find! Meijer is carrying Nicole now, so if you have a Meijer, be sure to check there.