Glam Slam

Well, I was so excited about getting Black Shatter in the mail, that I decided to try another manicure.

I read in a blog that this shatter polish is not supposed to be applied over top coat, and I realized I was wearing a glossy top coat underneath. Well, time to get rid of the old manicure and see Black Shatter work the way it was intended to work.

Another thing you should know: DO NOT apply over wet or semi-dry polish. Your base polish should be completely dry before you apply the shatter.

"Simply smashing" is a yellow-green metallic almost foil like polish, it looks different that what I had imagined, I thought it was more green. Truth is I wouldn't wear Simply Smashing by itself. It's just not my kind of shade. I had to go for 3 coats, because at 2 you could still see my nail through it.

Now, Simply Smashing + Black Shatter… WOW! See for yourself!

Shatter!

I know I'm kind of late with this post, there's been Black Shatter reviews all over the net for quite some time now, but I could barely get my hands on this puppy. This polish is HARD to get! I felt like I was trying to score some weird designer drug, seriously.  I ended up going on Amazon.com and buying OPI's Glam Slam, which is a nail polish duo by Serena Williams, very cool combo, I can't wait to try the other polish (can't remember the name).

If you don't know about OPI's Black Shatter, it is a "crackle" polish. This means, you use it over another shade, and as soon as it starts drying, the nail polish starts cracking open, and you get a very cool effect. Cover Girl first came out with a crackle polish back in the 90s but it really didn't look as cool as the new ones.

I hear China Glaze is working on a "crackle" nail polish collection, with 6 different shades. Can't wait for that one! I love China Glaze and I love their prices and availability even more. 

Anyways, a few days ago I was all over town trying to score some Black Shatter from the Katy Perry collection, but no such luck.  I ended up buying The one that got away and Not like the movies, both shades are amazing.

Now, this is my first time using a "crackle" polish, so from personal experience, my advice is to apply over a completely dry shade of your choice, and then go light with the crackle polish. If you apply it too thick, or if it takes you a long time to do it, it will not shatter.  So, light and quick is the way to go.  It works very quick! Also, it dries matte, so don't forget your top coat! 

Well, here are the nails, The one that got away with Black Shatter on top.

What's new in my stash

Hey there! I just wanted to share the polishes that I've bought lately and haven't used yet. 

Konad Special Polishes in Green and Dark Purple.
They are much darker IRL

OPI in Tease-y does it and Simmer & Shimmer,
from their new Burlesque collection

SH Xtreme Wear in Red Carpet and Emerald City. SH nail art pen in White.
I wish you could see the tiny glitter on RC, it's beautiful!

Icing- Sparkle me Happy, Icing-Bedazzled, Unnamed Orange Glitter from Hot Topic,
CG Boundless Color - Amethyst Mist and NYC In a New York Color Minute - East Village 

I saved the best for last… China Glaze - Party Hearty from their Holiday 2010 collection

I would love to hear about your recent buys or favorite picks.

A sea of purple

This look was a little bit more complicated than what I usualy do but I will explain it step by step.

I used Sally Hansen's Deep Purple from their Xtreme Wear collection as a base.  Like most of their polishes, it was very easy to apply, smooth, and opaque in 2 coats.

We are going to apply a tape diagonally to each finger and then use our base color to paint the nail.

Then, we are going to stamp our nail with a swirly design from image plate bm19 and a Silver Foil Nail Polish (Finger Paints Easel come, easel go).  Remove the tape carefully and slowly to protect your design.

Apply silver glitter to the line that divides your design and your naked nail with a fine brush.  I used Kiss Nail Art Paint in Silver Glitter.  If you are shaky like me, you need to do this slowly so you can get a straight line.  Finish it with a nice and glossy top coat, like Seche Vite.

After removing the tape

Apply a thin line of silver glitter and voila! 

Nail Polishes that I used from start to finish!

Pink Before You Leap swatch

As you guys know, my nails are currently unavailable for new polish, as I am trying out the Incoco nail appliqués (see post below), but I borrowed my sister's hand to swatch this for you guys.

She wanted a "date night" mani, she really liked the way it looked on the bottle, and we are both OPI suckers, so she went for this one.  This is from the Brights collection, and it's a shimmery, nudish pink.  Looks gorgeous on the bottle, however, it looks slightly different on the nail, because it is very sheer.  It took 3 coats to look like this!

On the positive side, it is a very forgiving shade so I suppose you can wear this for the longest time because the little chips will go unnoticed. Very flattering to all skin tones as well.

This picture above was taken with flash, the one below with natural light.

How do you guys like it? How would you wear it?