Amazing Greys — OPI Fifty Shades of Grey Nail Lacquer Collection

 The big screen adaptation of the Fifty Shades of Grey, the erotic novel that sold over 100 million copies, opens on Valentine’s Day weekend and, already, controversy is brewing over the provocative contents of the film. The extended teaser, released yesterday, offers a glimpse into the S&M theme of the film, with one scene showing Dakota Johnson as Anastasia Steele, laying on a red leather surface within Christian Grey’s BDSM-themed “playroom,” her arms bound by red rope and her eyes covered by a silk tie. In another scene, she sits with her bare back facing the camera as Grey stands over her, strokes her flesh with a riding crop. The Malaysia  Film Censorship Board has chosen not to permit the movie’s release in Malaysia, with the director of the board dubbing the film “More pornography than a movie.” In the U.S., meanwhile, there are several campaigns to boycott the film, including one spearheaded by the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, with critics claiming that the film glamorizes violence against women, and another launched by the National Center on Sexual Exploitation, which has been using the hashtag #50DollarsNot50Shades to urge audiences to save the $50 they might have spent on a movie theater outing. Fans of the book, meanwhile, argue that it encourages women to play with their sexuality and explore different ways to derive pleasure within the context of sexual intimacy. Despite any backlash, the movie is expected to be a huge hit — so much so that Fandango, even before its release, has crowned it the highest-selling R-rated film in the website’s history due to the astonishing pre-sale ticket figures.

Right before the film’s release, OPI has released a limited-edition Fifty Shades of Grey nail lacquer collection using the slogan “Surrender to Color” as a cheeky nod to the submissive role Anastasia takes in her sexual romps with Christian Grey. The collection is moody and sexy, consisting primarily of grey hues (what else?!), but incorporating a few metallics and a singular red shade. Rather than fifty shades of gray, the OPI collection includes three creamy iterations of this shadowy hue, with two additional metallic colors incorporating silver tones, and the aforementioned vampy red color serving as the one vibrant tone within the six-color collection.

Below, check out swatches of all six hues within the collection. You can buy the OPI 50 Shades of Grey 6-Piece Nail Pack, which incorporates all six hues (albeit in smaller 8 fl. oz bottles) and comes in a sleek box bearing  images of the film’s title characters, for $21.95 at Ulta.com. Or, is you want to pick and choose which nail lacquers to buy, you can scoop them up individually for $9.95 each at Ulta.com.

Get ready for some titillation!

SHINE ON ME

One of two metallic shades in the collection, Shine On Me can be described as a shimmering silver with blue specks of glitter that create a dazzling effect. I love the choice of blue glitter since given the cool undertones of the silver base, the blue comes off as rather subtle and only truly surfaces in all of its majestic glory when struck by a light source. Also, the amount of glitter is just right, so that this still feels like a very grown-up and seductive lacquer as opposed to some club kid experiment. I like to think of this as the nail lacquer equivalent of Ana’s ornate mask at the masquerade ball.

MY SILK TIE

A dapper silver-toned silk tie is as much as part of the Christian Grey persona as a brown Fedora was to Indiana Jones — and with good reason! Not only did Christian Grey love wearing the sharp tie, but he employed it in his bondage play with Anastasia, tying her wrists with it. This gleaming silver nail lacquer nods to Grey’s suiting accessory of choice. What’s particularly noteworthy here is that the nail lacquer seems to perfectly mirror the color of the tie worn by Jamie Dornan for the film (at least based on the photos circulating the web). It’s the perfect light silver shade, and it has a mirror-like sheen to it that’s stunning.

DARK SIDE OF THE MOOD

The darkest shade in the collection, Dark Side of the Mood is a deep charcoal gray that borders on black, but doesn’t quite hit that echelon (and with good reason since, this is, after all, a gray-themed affair). Something about this highly pigmented, opaque, creamy shade feels slightly forbidden and taboo — and hence all the more enticing.

CEMENT THE DEAL

Described as a “stony gray,” this creamy nail lacquer shows why gray has come to be considered as versatile a hue as beige, black, camel, and mahogany but why it’s also deemed sexier than most of its neutral peers. This is the type of color you’d expect Olivia Pope to wear to work, a woman who, while not a billionaire, is clearly a power player. It’s the type of shade that might remind you of soapstone kitchen countertops and bathroom tiles (both of which make for great  settings for impromptu romps).

EMBRACE THE GRAY

Slightly darker than the Cement the Deal hue, this creme shade feels a bit more sinister and stormy. It’s virtually identical to the color of the velour robe Ana is wearing in the film’s trailer teaser, as she’s being carried along a hallway by a shirtless Christian. It’s also reminiscent of the color of the logo-emblazoned front of the Grey Enterprises helicopter.

ROMANTICALLY INVOLVED

The book and film may be called Fifty Shades of Grey, but red also plays a huge role in the plot — in fact, most of the sex scenes happen in Cristian’s Red Room of Pain. According to reports, the room, as shown in the film, will have red leather floors and a leather bed. This shade, Romantically Involved, has the dominatrix-worthy feel that you might associate with a Red Room of Pain and it certainly boasts a leather-like shine. Unlike other red nail lacquers, this one isn’t overly perky but it also doesn’t fall into the sanguine, oxblood-y realm. It’s a deep, almost maroon crimson that captures the passion we associate with the color red.