I couldn’t resist getting OPI Grape Set Match after seeing all the beautiful swatches out there.  Up until now none of the Grand Slam duos have really appealed to me – I’m not much of a shatter fan and I don’t tend to go for over the top glitters either but there was just something about Grape Set Match.  About 10 minutes after I ordered it on eBay I had a lightning bolt moment…those swatches all look awfully close to OPI Ink – have I just bought a dupe whilst being blinded by gorgeous purple polish?  Take a look:

OPI Grape Set Match – Sunlight Photo

You can see slightly in this photo that Grape Set Match has a pink and blue shimmer to it.  What doesn’t show up is the pretty duochrome – have a look at the base of the bottle – do you see how it shifts to pink?  It’s so pretty in real life.

OPI Grape Set Match – Shade Photo

Same again here, the duochrome just wouldn’t show through in the photos but you can definitely see it in real life and in the bottle here.  This polish is definitely best in the shade – in the sun its a little too sparkly for me and looses all of its complexity.  In both these photos I only had a top coat on my pointer and ring finger because I wanted to see if it would amplify the sparkle but I don’t think it made much difference past giving the polish a nice glossy glass like finish.

OPI Ink (pointer and ring fingers) and OPI Grape Set Match (middle and pinky fingers) – Sunlight Photo

Here is OPI Ink side by side with OPI Grape Set Match.  GSM is definitely a much bright, mid-toned purple while Ink has a blackened base and is much more blue based.  However you can see they both feature the same pink and blue shimmer.  This photo also shows where I had some trouble with the formula on GSM – I kept getting bald patches.  This is three coats and there is a very obvious bald patch in the middle of my middle finger.

OPI Ink (pointer and ring fingers) and OPI Grape Set Match (middle and pinky fingers) – Shade Photo

OPI Ink and OPI Grape Set Match – Shade Detail Photo

The difference is very obvious once you put these polishes in the shade.  The shimmer in Ink is far more sparse and the base is far darker.  Grape Set Match is absolutely loaded with shimmer with dense small purple, pink and blue flakes.  I love both these polishes – I think Grape Set Match is great for summer while Ink is more suited for autumn and winter.  They’re both really unusual polishes so I’m happy to have both in my collection (I’ve worn Grape Set Match twice more since I took these photos!)

Im thinking I need Pros & Bronze now too – however I can’t make my mind up if the finish is more of a glitter than a foil shimmer.  I think I may have to ordered it just to find out!  What do you all think of the Grand Slam collections?  Are there any in particular that you love?