Nicole By OPI Nicole’s Nickel nail polish review

In the States, Nicole by OPI is apparently easier to get hold of than OPI itself. Not the case in Hong Kong! Its sole point of distribution here is Sasa – and even then, it’s a case of a limited number of colours in a limited number of Sasas… and as for new collections, forget it!

However, from these slim pickings, I spotted what looked like a pretty awesome glitter amongst the multitude of boring pinks and reds – Nicole by OPI Nicole’s Nickel, a Target exclusive in the States (whatever that means!). Call it the needle in the haystack, the wheat amongst the chaff or whatever other convoluted idiom you choose to come up with, Nicole’s Nickel is a winner.

Nicole’s Nickel is a super-dense glitter, definitely far too dense for layering as a top coat if you’re that way inclined. It consists of a dark charcoal base with tonnes of silver micro glitter and bigger round silver pieces, packed in tight like glittery sardines. The effect of the dark base piled thick with so much differently sized shiny silver awesomeness gives a stunning depth and texture to the polish, like chunky chainmail for the nails. Meanwhile, the colour becomes an antique pewter gunmetal that sparkles at you even in the blackest of midnights – it’s gorgeous.

Good job too, as it’s not much fun getting there. I have tried a Nicole By OPI polish before (the beautiful turquoise Diva Into The Pool) and not had any problems, but they’ve since changed their brush… to an utter monstrosity! The new brush is actually supposed to be easier to use since it’s tapered, but I found it short, squat and nothing short of a nightmare. Impossible to manoeuvre to make a nice neat line or to get stuck into the nooks and crannies of my nails, I guess my nails just aren’t tapered the right way!

Similarly, the formula isn’t great. Make sure you shake this up extremely well, as the base and glitter separate over time, and neither the glitter without the dark base nor the watery base without the glitter is a great look! [You need that base to create that fantastic depth of colour, and to make overall opacity a little bit easier.] And, like many-a-glitter, the formula is thick and it chips like a mother. I suppose a top coat would remedy that, but then you’d lose that awesome textured chainmail finish, which would be a shame.

But the overall awesomeness of Nicole’s Nickel just about makes up for its shortcomings. I love that it’s not such an obvious discoballs at dawn glitter, but rather something a bit darker, edgier, punkier and cool… which for something from Sasa (slogan: everyone’s pinking about us *balk*) is no small achievement.

So forget the small change, and hit the jackpot with Nicole’s Nickel instead!

Looks good with: black, bling, a touch of the night
Drying time: ❤ mins
Coats required: 2
Chips: 1 day

Nicole by OPI Nicole’s Nickel, Spring 2011 Collection, Sasa, $68