So I finally got a hold of some O.P.I shattered, crackle polish. Thanks to my mom of course. But I'm not so sure how I feel about it. First I tried the Cobalt Blue Shatter over a hot pink. It seemed to throw a purple cast and absorb some of the pink hue. I don't know, I wasn't thrilled with it. I feel it would be really hard to make this color look good over anything but a stark bright white lacquer. Plus it's a shimmery crackle polish, which means it won't pair well with another shimmery polish. In my opinion the two would cancel each other out. So you'd have to go for an opaque, flat color underneath.
That same evening I decided I couldn't handle the blue shatter so I swapped it for this look : Black (opaque) crackle polish over Essie's smooth Lapis of Luxury, a dreamy ocean blue. On site, I did enjoy this combination better. Once finished with a juicy topcoat, it had a very vinyl appeal. And I can't wait to wear Lapis on its own.
All in all, O.P.I's Shattered line is a fantastic, quality product. It go's on very smooth, the crackle effect is neat to watch and it dries very fast. I found the more you layer it, the less of a crackle effect you'll end up with. So the challenge is to get one even brush stroke over the entire nail or two ---without layering the product. In my humble opinion, I don't think this product should be available in shimmery colors. Shimmery colors reflect light and generally require at least two coats to build the color, otherwise you end up with a thin veil of color which can be drowned out or absorbed by other hues. So far the navy and black shatter polishes are my favs.
* O.P.I Shattered Polish can be found at any beauty supply store and costs between $7 and $8 bucks
*Essie Polish can be found at CVS and any beauty supply store and retails for about $8 bucks
