For Fall 2011, OPI will be taking all of us on a road trip with their ‘Touring America Collection’, a series of twelve shades made up of various finishes from shimmery to crème and colours ranging from vividly vibrant to darkly mysterious. In order for you to get a better grasp of the shades, I’ve separated my review into two parts; the six shades I bring you today are the crèmes of the collection and are all somewhat sober in appearance, but have a deep colour resonance and payoff.  All swatches are with Sèche Natural base coat, two coats of lacquer and OPI Start to Finish top coat.

 

 

 

Interestingly enough, OPI opted to include two grey shades in this collection, but they each have a different slant; ‘Suzi Takes The Wheel’ is a rather concrete shade of grey, with definite yellow undertones, lending it a warmth not usual for this hue.  As I personally love all grey tones, I was immediately drawn to this colour and while the photo taken in sunlight (top) shows there to be some “striping”, it’s really a trick of the light as this shade  actually went on quite smoothly.

 

 

 

‘A-Taupe The Space Needle’ is a rather military inspired hue; this shade appears like melted milk chocolate in the bottle, but as you can see in the photos, it actually has a more khaki-olive brown tone.  This is one of those chameleon-like shades that will definitely change up or down with the shifting light, which makes it not only versatile, but certainly one of the more unique shades of this collection.  Love it!

 

 

 

The second grey of the series, ‘French Quarter For Your Thoughts’ is more of a dove grey hue, with hints of mauve in the base tone, lending it a delicately soft coolness. Perfectly named, this shade reminds me of the elegant but time-worn statuary one sees in New Orleans’ historic cemetaries (weird, I know!) and I just know that this is the one shade I will be reaching for again & again!  Utterly Gorgeous!

 

 

 

 

‘Get In The Expresso Lane’ is a decadent shade; richly pigmented and broodingly dark, this is a perfect deep chocolate brown, the exact colour of tantalizing roasted coffee beans. While at first glance it may appear rather black, the top and middle photos clearly show its brown tint.  Not only easy to apply, but wonderfully non-staining, this shade can be almost considered “black-light”!

 

 

 

A perfect Fall shade, yet one which will easily transition to other seasons as well, ‘Uh-Oh Roll Down The Window’ (the name, the name…!!) is the second military-esque hue of the collection.  More of an army green, this also seems to have a mossy dustiness to it which makes it totally unique in my stash and a shade which will no doubt be flattering across many skin tones.

 

 

 

 

Lastly, ‘I brake For Manicures’ is a deeply saturated plum shade, with a totally sensual vampy edge to it.  Rather muted for such a dark shade, it has that dustiness I love which will give such an elegant appearance on your nails — never goth.  In the photo taken in full sun (top), you can clearly see the plum/eggplant hints of this polish on my ring and pinkie fingers, while my index and middle fingers display this lacquer’s darker side!

 

Final thoughts: While I’m only just getting myself into Summer mode and don’t even want to begin thinking about Fall, I cannot deny the appeal of these six shades.  Crème polishes are not only flattering on basically everyone, but have the benefit of drying to a wonderfully glossy finish, with these being no exception to that, all having had an easy flowing formula and were basically self-levelling.  The only drawback here might be the inclusion of two very similar shades, which I don’t quite understand, but they do need to be viewed in person to see which suits your skin tone best (might also explain why there are 2 light grey polishes).  The Touring America Collection is slated to be released July/August, and will be available wherever OPI polishes are sold.  Stay tuned for part 2 of this collection!

 

 

 

*Disclaimer: Product samples provided by the company/PR for my unbiased consideration