OPI Glam Slam collection (pt.1 - Simply Smashing)

FYI... I am sorry in advance if this post seems a bit disjointed, my spawn had me up at 5am, so I figured I'd constructively waste time by reviewing polish. LOL.

It seems like we are getting a lot of celebrity collaboration collections lately. Glam Slam is among those collections, as it's OPI's collaboration with tennis star (and nail technician) Serena Williams. Glam Slam is an 8 piece collection, but unlike most other collections, it will be released in 2-polish sets, with release dates coinciding with each of the 4 Grand Slam Tennis Tournaments (Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, and US Open). Simply Smashing is the first of those releases. It consists of one polish, Simply Smashing and one top coat, Black Shatter.

Simply Smashing - Sparkling yellow-green foil metallic. As soon as OPI sent out their PR info regarding both the Serena Williams and Katy Perry collections, this polish is the one that first caught my eye, and I really can't tell you why. I guess because it's such a unique color (it really looks like a shiny tennis ball). If you happened to like the 2 greens from OPI's summer 2010 release Shrek Forever, Who the Shrek Are You? and Fiercely Fiona, you will probably love this. It's like a perfect marriage between the two, only all glammed up. Unfortunately, while I love the color, I don't really think it works with my skin, at least not alone (see below). Pic is 4 coats, as the formula was quite sheer (though buildable).

Black Shatter - Rubbery-finish black crack top coat. I know there are several crackle topcoats now on the market and more to come, with China Glaze's upcoming Crackle collection, but this one seems to differ a little bit in the finish in that it definitely shatters more than crackles. It almost looks more like animal print rather than the cracked-window look of most crackle top coats. Black shatter is being marketed with both the Serena Williams collection and the Katy Perry collection, and I must say that I really love it over Simply Smashing. It is recommended that you apply Black Shatter over dry nails for optimum "shattering", but in all honesty, I applied it over semi-dry nails and got fine results. It dries completely matter, though with a tad bit of rubbery-ness to it, so unless you want it to flake off, you'll probably need to use a topcoat. The pic above is with TC on both my middle finger and my pinky and no TC on my ring finger.

All in all, I really like this first offering from the Glam Slam collection. In addition to using it under Black Shatter, I would love to see Simply Smashing as a base for a black and white konad design (must work on that soon). Also, I think I like this one because when I was 13-14 yrs old, I became obsessed with tennis. I blame Jennifer Capriati and Andre Agassi. LOL. I couldn't play to save my life (you need better hand-eye coordination than what I bring to the table :P), but I read the tennis magazines, knew all the stats, and watched every.single.tournament I could catch without cable. In fact, remember needing to watch Wimbledon so bad that I'd sneak into the quiet, out-of-the-way waiting rooms (at the hospital where I volunteered the summer before ninth grade) just so I could watch it.

I can't wait to see what the other 3 offerings in this collection will bring. I'm sure with Serena Williams involved, they will be great and a little on the edge (just like Simply Smashing).

I know OPI has announced there is some delay in this collection, but it should be out by the end of this month.

These were sent to me for review