OPI Black Shatter

Oh, Black Shatter. You are causing the nail polish world to go into a frenzy! Black Shatter was released with OPI’s Katy Perry collection as well as in the Serena Williams Grand Slam duo. As of now it is a bit difficult to find (I went to Ulta yesterday, they started with over 20 bottles of Black Shatter and had one left). I picked up my bottle at a JCPenney salon, but I have also heard it is also available at Dillard’s salons.  That being said, I do not think it is limited edition, so no need to panic. Yet.

Black Shatter is a black top coat that crackles over dried nail polish. OPI describes it as a deep asphalt black with a “shattered” texture. As with OPI’s matte and suede finish polishes, this polish also comes with a tag of instructions. It simply reads “apply one coat of Black Shatter over any completely dry Katy shade for an irresistible ‘shattered’ look.” Obviously you can use this over any nail polish, not just ones from the Katy Perry collection. The polish will not shatter on bare nails or wet polish (if you want to use Black Shatter over almost bare nails, it does work over a clear base coat).  If you try to use it over even slightly wet polish, the shatter won’t work near as well.

There are ways to control how much shatter or crackle you get. The thicker the coat, the less of a crackle effect you will get. This polish dries EXTREMELY fast and starts crackling immediately. It does dry to a matte finish and is a bit uneven on the nail.

For this particular manicure I used one thin coat of Black Shatter over three coats of OPI Teenage Dream. I decided to try it over Teenage Dream because it is what Katy Perry is wearing in the promo pictures. I added a top coat and I do really love the combo.

I’ve been trying this over almost every manicure I put on just to see what it looks like. I definitely prefer it over the lighter colors. Black Shatter over Revlon Royal and OPI Not Like the Movies are below the jump.

So how does everyone feel about Black Shatter? Love it, hate it? Wish Cover Girl still made it?

Considering this polish is turning the nail polish world upside down, I do think drugstore brands will start releasing polishes with a crackle effect. China Glaze has a Crackle Glaze collection coming out in Spring 2011 that will include more crackling colors.