Yesterday, I reviewed OPI Dark Side of the Mood, and today, I’m giving you a closer look at OPI Cement the Deal, which also hails from the Fifty Shades of Grey Collection out in January 2015. (For quick swatches and bottle shots of the entire collection, check out this post.)

Now, it’s no secret that I love nail polish, but grey nail polish and I haven’t had the best relationship.

You see, for me, it’s a hit or miss, and I haven’t experimented with many greys. Hopefully the more I try, the more I’ll learn.

From what I have in my collection, I find it the most challenging to pull off lighter greys because the undertone has to complement my skin tone or it looks ‘off’. Whereas with dramatic, dark greys, there’s enough contrast, so they are easier to wear.

OPI Cement the Deal is a pale grey with just a smidgen of blue, however in some photos, it seemed to translate as having more blue than what I could see in real life. It leans more on the cement-grey side than the blue, in case you are wondering about which is accurate.

OPI Cement the Deal Pictures

OPI Cement the Deal Swatches

All swatches have:

• OPI Nail Envy Nail Strengthener (Used as a base coat)
• 2 coats of OPI Cement the Deal
• Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat

Natural Light Photos

Flash Photos

Claim: TRUSTED

• Stony cool grey (Yes)

Key Notes

• Name: OPI Cement the Deal
• Collection: OPI Fifty Shades of Grey Collection 2015
• Press Release: Click here to see the OPI Fifty Shades of Grey Collection Press Release
• Quick Look: Click here to see my OPI Fifty Shades of Grey Quick Look Post featuring swatches and bottle shots
• Colours Available in the Collection: Dark Side of the Mood, Cement the Deal, Shine for Me, My Silk Tie, Romantically Involved & Embrace the Gray
• Amount: 15 mL (0.5 fl. oz.)
• What I Paid: Nothing! (This was provided by PR. It retails for $9.95 CAD.)
• Where to Buy: Trade Secrets, NailPolishCanada & select spa, salon & beauty-supply stores (Officially released in January 2015)

OPI Cement the Deal Review

Colour

Cement the Deal by OPI is a cool-toned grey with some blue mixed in. Don’t get confused – it’s certainly not a blue. It’s clearly grey, but I do think there’s a tinge of blue.

Sometimes I feel that these types of pale, cool greys make my fingers look sickly. But if you have a different skin tone than me, it could work.

This is a polish that’s completely out of my comfort zone. Oddly enough, the softer the shade, the less of a “Mary shade” it is. (I’m a happy camper with deep hues that are crazy, wild, or even tacky. But give me a soft, muted polish? I freeze up! Hehe, I’m not sure what’s behind my logic…)

Finish

Looking at the polish in the bottle, I thought this was going to be a straight creme, but when I painted my nails with it, it ended up being like a creme-jelly (or a ‘crelly’).

Although I’m not a huge fan of this type of grey, the finish is what made me warm up to it. That’s because creme-jelly finishes add a fun element, which I think is really neat when paired with grey (a ‘serious colour’).

This polish’s finish was shiny, and it had depth, so your nails won’t have that flat, dead-grey-I-just-came-from-the-morgue look.

Application & Formula

Cement the Deal by OPI is on the thin side, but with just two coats, I felt satisfied with the opacity. And it wasn’t as watery or as streaky as OPI Dark Side of the Mood. That being said, it’s not the type of polish where you want to load up your brush. If you do, you could easily flood your cuticles.

I tend to use medium coats (and that’s what I used here), but I think if you use thin coats, it might be easier to control the polish with greater precision.

Pros Creme-jelly finish gives this polish a fun touch & lots of shine Pale grey has a bit of blue Doesn’t look flat 2 coats gives great coverage

Cons Formula is on the thin side (but you can build up opacity)

Final Verdict: 6/10

Okay, so there’s nothing majorly wrong with Cement the Deal by OPI, however, this is the type of colour that has never ‘wowed’ me. I don’t think it’s very flattering on my skin tone, but that didn’t stop me from wearing it as a full manicure to see if I’d have a change of heart. (Like peace, give polish a chance!) 😉

The reason why I’m giving a low Final Verdict is simply because it didn’t make my heart race. Yes, the finish is really cool, but the colour itself doesn’t do anything for me. Haha, and when I wear nail polish, I want it to do cartwheels, backflips, and handstands. (Yes, I’m a very demanding nailphile, apparently!) 😉

If you’re more into greys than I am, maybe you’ll fall in love with this one!

Do you have any grey nail polishes with a creme-jelly finish? How often do you reach for a grey nail polish? What’s your favourite kind of grey to wear?