Sunday, January 30, 2011

Low Contrast Crack!


So by now I'm sure you have all heard of OPI Black Shatter - the "new" (read: 90's throwback. Were the 90s really long enough ago for throwbacks?) polish trend that's putting everyone in a panic. Black Shatter has been released in two OPI collections so far - the Serena Glam Slam Australian Open set, and the Katy Perry collection. I am sure that we will see different colours of shatter (red/pink, white) in upcoming Serena collections. Top secret intel.

The crackle finish...I wasn't sure how I felt about this making a return to trendiness. It can go way tacky, messy and just not wearable for me. Both of the collections this was released in suggest that you pair Black Shatter with a colourful, sparkly polish underneath. BUT I was itching to try it in a slightly different way. I wanted to keep the finishes of the polish the same (creme), and the contrast low to make the effect a little more subtle. So I wanted to show it to you with one of my favourite polishes - Essie Smokin' Hot.

OPI Black Shatter over Essie Smokin' Hot:


Another shot from another angle and with flash - I put so much topcoat on, it was so shiny and reflective it was hard to get a clear pic!


Result? I'm surprised, but I love it. Yes! I think its cool. Appropriate for all occasions? No. But I'm enjoying it. I also tried this over OPI Suzi Skis in the Pyrenees and OPI William Tell Me About OPI and I love those combinations as well. I'd also like to try it over the same colour, but a different finish - i.e. a shimmery black like Chanel Noir Ceramic.

Have you tried the crack? What's your verdict - whack/not whack?

kittytokaren


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27 comments:

TINA said...

Love your combo choices!

Jette Fromm said...

Gorgeous combo :) I love the subtle combo compared to glitters underneath, which aren't really my thing.

Unknown said...

That crack is not whack! LOL!

Lydiane Gaborieau Photography said...

Sooo nice! Can't wait to have the crackle polish in the Canadian store!! One more week... Great combo choice!

Katie said...

That looks really great. Best pairing I've seen! No Shatter for me. It sold out in the local Ulta within a day. One day I'll get my hands on it! =)

Alison said...

I really like this combo, I wasn't sure about the crackle trend but you've just sold it!

kittytokaren said...

@Tara - Thank you!

@Jette Fromm - I knew there were other like-minded people out there! I'm glad you liked it.

@R3 - Hi Maria!! Congrats on Cult Nails my friend - all I've heard so far are complete raves!! Hehe and I'm glad you think its not whack!! (And I'm glad someone got the joke!)

@Lydiane - What are you going to try it over when you get it???

@Katie - I can't believe how fast it sold out at Ulta...I got mine through a swap luckily so I avoided the madness.

@Alison - Hi lovely! It's definitely a fun trendy thing for me, but there's a couple combos that I think are pretty. LEt me know if you try it!

k2k

Dee said...

Got the polish yesterday (Bucharest, Romania). I chose to put it over a shiny light green, for starters. I soo love it. I plan to buy some yellow or peach for it :X

paint that nail said...

I would have never though to put it over a darker color like you did. I like it! I got the black shatter on Monday and I put it over a really bright hot pink! lol :)

Sia said...

I love! x

Apriltini said...

Your combo looks much better than mine. I picked up the Shatter last night, on a whim, and put it on over my existing Essie Dive Bar. The result: you can barely see it. Disappointing. I'm gonna change my polish today and choose a high contrast color.

I'm still not sure if I'm sold on this look/trend. I missed it the first time around.

Deborah - Love. Varnish, chocolate and more... said...

This looks so pretty, love the muted basecolor.

kittytokaren said...

@anais - Wow hello there in Romania!! :) Yellow or peach would definitely make the black pop.

@paint that nail - Where did you find yours?? And I think black + hot pink = classic for the shatter look!

@Sia - Thanks friend!

@Apriltini - Hmm yeah Dive Bar is so dark that might not look like much. Sorry it didn't work out for you! :( Let me know your next try and if you like it!

@Deborah - Thank you :)

k2k

Karla said...

Wow! That looks great!

I haven't gotten any shatter, and I'm not sure that I will. I like the look, but I have to do my nails late at night, otherwise the kiddos get into my stuff. I won't be able to stay awake long enough to put that crackle coat on a completely dry nail. I'll have to admire it from afar.

Apriltini said...

Karla, you could try doing your nails, use a quick dry top coat, then when that's dry, put the shatter on top. Something to think on, at least.

Honey_lili said...

Great combo choice ! It's much more original than the usual bright/crackle polish combo. Love it ! <3

kittytokaren said...

@Karla - The crackle coat actually dries very quickly!

@Apriltini - Good suggestion

@Honey_lili - Thank you :) I know some might think its boring, so thanks for your comment :)

k2k

Frankenstyna said...

I like the low contrast as well as the high contrast look! Great color combo!

Danielle said...

love this, very nice. I'm starting to like the look of the shatter polish, i wasn't so in to it before

Apriltini said...

Reporting back on my latest results. *grin* Zoya Gilda (bright pink w/microglitter), then shatter on top. I kinda cheated a bit in not letting the Gilda dry completely. It was dry to the touch, so I figured that was good enough, and I used Poshe afterward. Verdict: Wowza!

Lauren said...

i have to say i HATE this shatter polish, the way it turns out looks really dirty and not put together...BUT, the way you put another dark color on the bottom makes me love it! i would have never thought to do that!

Jenny$1983 said...

I tried it over OPI Suzi Skis in the Pyrenees too! I was inspired by jellynat's post where she put Barry M Instant Nail Effects (which is what I have too, it seems 100% identical to OPI Black Shatter) over a plain creme black! I used China Glaze Sky High-Top on my ring fingers as accent nails, it looked great over that too :) I've also used it over ManGlaze Mayonnaise, ChG Jingle Bells, ChG Peace On Earth (low contrast), and my mum wore it over ChG 2030 last week. Good stuff :)

kittytokaren said...

@Frankenstyna - So I take it you like the trend?? And thanks!

@Danielle - I'm not *super* into it either, but with the right combos I'm liking it :)

@Apriltini - Thank you!!I love when people report back about their findings. With Gilda not dry completely did your crack look different?? Glad you like it!

@Lauren - Thank yoU!! I don't like it much with a high contrast - I can't pull it off....I'm not edgy enough.

@Jenny - OOhh yeah isn't it great over SSitP??? I loved it. And wow you've tried a lot of combos - did you get it early??

k2k

paint that nail said...

I found mine at Ulta but the first one I went to didnt have it so then I went to a smaller I guess you could say less popular and found it. I agree with you on that! :)

Apriltini said...

The chunks don't look much different than anyone else's, that I've seen. I did thin coats on one hand, and thicker coats on the other. I prefer the thicker coats, because the chunks are chunkier. With the thinner coats, the chunks are a little stringy. I used Poshe over the top of it all, so it dried quickly and I had no smudging at all. I intend to experiment with different finishes and colors. This might make some colors wearable that otherwise would be shoved in the back of my storage bins.

The Postcolonial Rabbit said...

Oooh that looks fantastic! I prefer that to the spangly versions I think, it looks more like real nail art! the cracked texture of the shatters make me shiver a bit though....

kittytokaren said...

@paint that nail - ahhh gotcha. My Ulta is super popular so stuff always sells out very quickly.

@Apriltini - Ohh that;'s true. Some unloved colours might work with shatter! Great idea!

@The Postcolonial Rabbit - Hehe yeah the shatter takes some getting used to!! I like it with loads of topcoat.

k2k

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