OPI Serena Glam Slam England

Good morning, Dear Reader!

Today I have one of the OPI Serena Glam Slam England sets to show you, the purple one with Grape...Set...Match and Servin' Up Sparkle.

Grape...Set...Match is a truly fantastic purple, about the same shade as Nubar Pasadena Purple, and the OPI has distinctly visible pink and blue shimmer bits.  It's very well pigmented, requiring only two coats and very easy to apply.  Here's Grape...Set...Match without top coat.

OPI Grape...Set...Match Nail Polish, Two Coats

I topped it off with two coats of Servin' Up Sparkle, which looks just like Disco Ball Sparkle, the UK exclusive from a couple of years ago, but the glitter seems to reflect more colors in Servin' Up Sparkle.

OPI Servin' Up Sparkle Nail Polish, Two Coats over OPI Grape...Set...Match

This is my favorite of the Serena Glam Slam sets so far - the purple is gorgeous, and I think Servin' Up Sparkle is just more versatile than the shatters in the previous sets.

That's the news of the day, Dear Reader, so until next time, love and nail polish to you!

OPI Simply Smash-ing & White Shatter

Good morning, Dear Reader!

I'm up bright and early so I can run off to a horrifying appointment with the dentist in just a bit.  In light of that start to the day, continuing with the sparkly shatter manicures seemed in order to counter it.

For today's mani, I figured I'd just look at stuff that's come out in the last few months and go with whatever refreshed my memory with an inspiration first.  That ended up being my first thought while wading through my disdain at Black Shatter over Simply Smash-ing, the first OPI Serena set, which I recall specifically noting upon my first proof read that my review contained the phrase "it's hideous" three times, so I spent a long time rewriting that one.  That thought was that Simply Smash-ing was like a sparkly tennis ball green, a favorite color with a favorite finish, and that with white shatter it might look cool.  I put that on the back burner until White Shatter was released, and lo and behold, that's my manicure for today.

I needed three coats of Simply Smash-ing, which would have been negotiable as a base color were it not for my one clear fake tip, then did a top coat to dry it, White Shatter, and more top coat to seal it.  This is how Simply Smash-ing with White Shatter looks.

OPI Simply Smash-ing with OPI White Shatter

You can get the whole tennis ball theme from that, right?  I don't think that one's too far a stretch.  Whether it's that or I've just warmed up to crackle polishes so much since the first time I used Black Shatter, I really love this one.

I'm having a blast with crackles lately - they're such an easy way to make a cool mani an over-the-top one.  That's what I know for now, Dear Reader, so until next time, love and nail polish to you!

OPI Serena Glam Slam France

Good morning, Dear Reader!

I swatched the two new OPI Serena Glam Slam Duos coming out for the French Open for you, so that's what's on tap today.  I only tried out the Shatters over the color each was packaged with, which really aren't what I'd put them with on my own, so there will be more to come with those.

Spark de Triomphe is tons of glitter, sort of white gold overall with specks of black, in a clear base.  The glitter is very dense but still pretty smooth, and this one is good in two coats.  It looks a little bit like I got some poppy seeds on my nails, but I really like Spark de Triomphe just the same.

OPI Spark de Triomphe Nail Polish, Two Coats

Spark de Triomphe is packaged with White Shatter, which is as thick as and about the same to apply as Black Shatter.  It's opaque white when dry.  Since I know some prefer no top coat over Shatters, I took pictures without it as well as with top coat.  I think it has a definite sidewalk chalk look to it without.

OPI White Shatter over Spark de Triomphe, No Top Coat

OPI White Shatter over Spark de Triomphe with Top Coat

That's it for the white one.  Red Shatter came with Rally Pretty Pink, which is indeed rally pretty.  It's that pigment from last year again, and it was difficult to get a good picture of it in artificial light.  Depending on the angle, the color shifts around a good bit, and my camera kept picking up more purple than really shows, but this gives you an idea of it.  It's not so much the pinky-pink I've seen in some promo pictures.  It could have used at least a third coat - this is two.

OPI Rally Pretty Pink Nail Polish, Two Coats

I added Red Shatter, which is more of a jelly than a creme.  It's also much thinner than White Shatter and easier to apply.

OPI Red Shatter over Rally Pretty Pink, No Top Coat

OPI Red Shatter over Rally Pretty Pink with Top Coat

On the package for the pink and red set, I noticed something I see as good - Serena's sporting some serious nails.



That's the update for today, Dear Reader. Until next time, love and nail polish to you!