Cosmetic Cupcake

Today I have swatches for you of the new OPI Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides collection. I was very kindly sent the mini set and a bottle of Silver Shatter to try and I couldn't WAIT to try them out! If you've seen preview pics of this collection you'll understand why I was so eager to try them out - 6 pretty pastel cremes + the awesome Silver Shatter! Need I say more! Plus I'm a fan of the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise as I love myself a bit of Johnny Depp as much as the next girl although I'm disappointed Orlando Bloom isn't in this instalment =( I do find the choice of pastel colours a little strange for a collection inspired by pirates.. I don't recall many pastel hues in the first 3 movies but hey I ain't complaining!


What they say:

"Get your sword and parrot ready for some swashbuckling style with the creation of OPI’s Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides inspired nail lacquers featuring six limited edition cool pastel lacquer shades and the new Silver Shatter top coat.

Whilst The Pirates of the Caribbean shades will be the ‘must have’ colours for spring, the real treasure trove is the new crackling shimmery two-texture silver finish know as Silver Shatter topcoat.

OPI’s The Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides lacquers were inspired by a
world filled with mythical mermaids, gleaming treasure, and high-seas adventure, with shades ranging from sage and lavender to khaki gray and pastel pink, evocative colours within a tropical setting, with a classic nautical influence."
I haven't tried any of the OPI minis before and I think they're so darn cute! They are 3.5mls (1/8 Fl.Oz) compared to the regular 15mls (0.5 Fl.Oz).


On to the swatches! For reference, all polishes are swatched using CND Stickey as basecoat and no topcoat.

Skull & Glossbones: A gorgeous light grey with a hint of beige/khaki. My 2nd favourite out of the minis. I know the collection is supposed to be for Summer but I can definitely see myself wearing Skull & Glossbones in the cooler months! This is quite close in colour to Stranger Tides. It applied very smoothly and was surprisingly opaque and non-streaky. 2 coats pictured.


With a coat of Silver Shatter:

Planks a Lot: A lovely pastel lavender blurple!! Boy was this tricky to capture so I had to tweak the colour in my pics a little. On the nail, it's somewhat darker than the bottle colour. It's also somewhat sheer so I had to use thicker coats to elimiate VNL. Word of warning: Planks a Lot stained my skin so be careful! 2 coats pictured.


With a coat of Silver Shatter:

Sparrow Me the Drama: A cool rosy pink. Not the most unique shade but it's quite toned down and is very sweet. Just the type of pink I like ;) This would have to be my favourite of the minis because besides being very pretty it applied EXTREMELY well for a pastel pink polish - no balding or streaking whatsoever which is fantastic! 2 coats pictured.


With a coat of Silver Shatter:

Stranger Tides: A light sage or "oyster with a green hue" as it's described by OPI. It's kind of a muted khaki creme with yellow undertones. I'm not a huge fan of these shades but I didn't mind Stranger Tides on me. It applied well and easily. 2 coats pictured.


With a coat of Silver Shatter:

Overall: An awesome collection from OPI! I'm very pleased with the polishes I was sent. The formula on each of the polishes I tried was superb - they applied very smoothly and I had none of the issues associated normally with pastel hues such as balding or streaking etc. They were very opaque needing only 2 coats and minimal cleanup was required. Dry time was quick and they dried to a very glossy finish as you can see in my photos. Even though I tried the mini bottles, application was relatively easy with the smaller brushes. As I have huge nail beds, I was worried I'd have to use up half the bottle to cover my nails but I needn't have worried!

Silver Shatter - oh how I love thee! It is super blingy and textured and the perfect addition to the Shatter family. It dries to a semi matte finish and shatters within seconds. I found it a little thicker in texture than Black Shatter but still very easy to apply and it doesn't feel thick on the nail. It looks even more amazing with topcoat however for my swatches I wanted to show them without it so you know what it's like straight from the bottle. I'm strange like that ok??!

The only disappointment of this collection for me would be that the colours they chose for the collection didn't really showcase Silver Shatter to it's full potential. Just a small thing but the colours are quite light so you can't see the Shatter effect until your quite close. I've swatched it over a black creme and let me tell you it's AMAZING! Anyway, you all know I absolutely ADORE pastel colours and I think these are wonderful! The names are cute too and are a great way to tie in with the release of Pirates of the Carribean 4. I'm a girl who loves to matchy match so I am definitely going to be rocking one of these shades when I watch the movie! I am dying to get my hands on the other 2 colours in the collection Steady as She Rose and Mermaid's Tears now =)

The limited-edition OPI Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides collection will be available from May 1st 2011 at selected salons and David Jones for $19.95. For stockists contact 1800 358 999 or visit www.opi.net.au

A big thank you to Lisa for sending me the above polishes to sample! I was sent the above products for my consideration but this in no way influenced my review in any way. As always, my reviews are my 100% honest opinion.

Are you looking forward to this collection? What colours have you got your eye on? I hope my swatches have made it a little easier for you to decide! Thanks for looking as always and don't forget to enter my Glitter Gal giveaway!