In the nail polish world, crackle polish is as prevalent as Bieber fever at an eighth grade dance, with no signs of breaking (un-crackling?) any time soon. China Glaze’s latest crackle polishes, Crackle Glaze Metals Collection, take a metallic twist on the trend. (See our review of the cream crackle nail polish shades here.)

The newest crackles are available in six shades:  Tarnished Gold, Platinum Pieces, Haute Metal, Cracked Medallion, Latticed Liliac, and Oxidized Aqua. I was fortunate enough to test out three of these nail polishes, which I applied over a deep navy cream shade, First Mate (part of the Anchors Away collection from Spring 2011).

China Glaze Cracked Medallion over First Mate

China Glaze Tarnished Gold over First Mate (sorry for the out of focus shot)

China Glaze Platinum Pieces over First Mate

For the best crackle effect, I found that you really need to stick with putting a very thin coat on top of the already-dry underneath layer of nail polish. If you apply it too thick, it just kind of globs and separates rather than coming out sharply crackled. But with a thin coat, you’re golden (or silver…).

Of the three polishes I tested, Medallion was my favorite because it has an extra sparkle. Are you into the crackle trend? How do you think these new metallics stack up?