China Glaze: Sundiver

Today I have China Glaze Sunfire. I have no idea what collection this one was released in. Sunfire is canary yellow with tonal shimmer AND silver glitter. This is two coats, Revlon Colorstay topcoat on top:



As you can see, the silver glitter doesn't show up on the nail, and my camera didn't really pick up the tonal shimmer. What little silver you can see actually just looks grey, but I love it anyway! I love weird, dirty looking polishes and this one fits the bill:



I had to thin this quite a bit, but once thinned and shaken, it applied well, especially for a yellow.

I think this polish is pretty cool. I don't have anything like it and I've never seen anything like it. I do wish the silver glitter actually sparkled on the nail, but oh well.

Happy painting!

Holo-y goodness

Today I have China Glaze LOL and DV8 from the OMG Collection. I was just starting my nail polish obsession when these came out so I didn't know how wonderful these polishes really were. I only ordered these two shades from the collection, and now I'm wishing I had gotten all of them. Thankfully, I've seen them at dusties in my neighborhood, so I should be able to get them all at some point.

LOL is purple with rainbow linear holo. DV8 is teal with rainbow linear holo. Both are two coats, no topcoat:

LOL (my favorite from the collection)







DV8






The formula on both was buttery smooth. I've heard that topcoat kills the holo, but I can't say for sure because I haven't done a comparison. These don't need a topcoat because they are awesome without shine.

Do you own the OMG collection? What are your favorites?

Happy painting!

Dusty Duds

I've been meaning to do this post for awhile but I got sidetracked. I'm a big fan of dustying (or dusty hunting) for old polishes. I've scored some great ones (OPI Black Tie Optional, China Glaze Grape Crush, etc.), and some duds, which I'll show you today.

When I go dustying, I generally have an idea of what I'm looking for, but I always keep my eye out for other shades. For me, it's not about getting a discontinued polish just to have it; I only buy what I like and would actually wear. I've come across countless old shades but I'm very picky so most of them get left on the shelf. If I do like the shade and I know it's discontinued, I will buy it right then because I know I may never see it again.

The last time I went dustying, I found two old China Glaze polishes...That Look and Crocodile Lounge. That Look is a purple shimmer with what looked to me to be scattered holo. Crocodile Lounge looked to be dupe-y to OPI Creme De Menthe, which is on my wishlist. Unfortunately, both ended up being duds.

First up is That Look...this is two coats, no topcoat:



As you can see, not only is it not holo, it's frosty and brushstroke-y. Gross.


Next up is Crocodile Lounge, which has a mint green base with yellow shimmer. Two coats, no topcoat:



Again, not what I expected. This one is also on the frosty and brushstroke-y side. Blech.

These were super thick when I got them home and opened them, so I added several drops of thinner. I can't speak to the quality of the original formulas, but even after thinning, the formulas were still very hard to work with. I'm willing to add more thinner and revisit these in the future, but the day I swatched them I was so disappointed that I threw them in a box and haven't looked at them since.

This is par for the course with dustying; you win some, you lose some. It's also possible that you may think you have a dud, then one day, you realize you have a treasure (i.e. my experience with ChG Nightfall). The bottom line is that the thrill is in the hunt, and you can't let one or two duds discourage you from finding great old shades.

Happy painting!

China Glaze: Midnight Mission

This shade is from the Vintage Vixen collection. I would describe Midnight Mission as navy blue with fine silver shimmer and microglitter. The shimmer is complex and it give it a nice depth and finish. Sometimes it looks foil-y, and other times it just looks very sparkly.

This is two coats, no topcoat:





The formula was a little on the thick side, but it was workable and nicely pigmented.

I didn't care for most of the Vintage Vixen collection, but this one caught my eye from the start and I'm so glad I got it. I have a way too many blues, but Midnight Mission is one of the prettiest and most unique in my stash.

Happy painting!

Grudge Match: Sinful vs. China Glaze

Today I have Sinful Colors Rise and Shine, as well as a comparison between Rise and Shine and China Glaze Turned Up Turquoise.

Rise and Shine has a blue-leaning green base with fine tonal shimmer. It's absolutely gorgeous. I wore this for five days and got tons of compliments, including one from my son's classmate who ran up to me and said, "Jaylen's Mommy! I love your fingernails!" That made my day :).

Two coats, Revlon Colorstay topcoat:







The formula was pretty darn good for a Sinful. It went on nicely and was opaque in two coats. It also wore well, with only minor tipwear after five days. The only setback is that it dries matte, so topcoat is definitely needed.

I decided to compare this to Turned Up Turquoise, a shade that was previously in my top ten polishes. I say previously because Rise and Shine has now taken its spot.





Two coats of TUT on index and ring, two coats of RAS with topcoat on middle and pinky:





RAS on top finger, TUT on bottom:




As you can see, these aren't dupes at all. The base colors are similar, but TUT leans a little more blue and has lighter, frostier, more prominent shimmer. I prefer the shimmer in RAS, which is why it has replaced TAT on my list.

RAS actually wins the formula battle as well. TUT is a little less opaque, and if you look closely, you can see a little bit of VNL under TUT. TUT dries to a satin finish, so topcoat is needed for shine on that one as well.

I apologize for the quality of these photos. I got these to about 90% color accuracy, but both of these shades were simply impossible to photograph correctly.

Anyway, I'd love to know what you guys think. Which do you prefer?

Happy painting!

Color Club: Yachty, Yachty, Yadda. And crack.

It really is addictive. I'm sure everyone is just sick to death of Crackle, but I can't stop. I saw this mani on Kendal's blog and I just had to replicate it. Mine didn't come out as good as hers, but I love the color combination anyhow.

Yachty, Yachty, Yadda was released with the Yacht Club collection a few years ago. Most of the polishes in the collection were winners for me, but this is my favorite. YYY is a bubblegum pink cream. This is two coats, no topcoat:




I then added ChG Broken Hearted (Revlon topcoat on top):



The result was sickeningly sweet looking. I think I should have used a lighter base color. At any rate, I still love the mani, although it's like pink on crack. Literally, I suppose lol.

Formula wise, YYY is pretty great. I have a lot of pink cremes, and this is one of the least streaky and chalky. It evens out nicely on the second coat. It also wears well. Can't beat that for the price.

Happy painting!

China Glaze Fault Line...yes, more crack

I took my Wet n Wild mani from yesterday and sprinkled some crack on it [/Dave Chappelle]. I used China Glaze Fault Line* on top, which is the only shimmer in the Crackle collection. It's jewel-tone purple and I think it just might be my favorite. One coat of Fault line over three coats of Wet n Wild Toss Me a LIFESAVERS, with Revlon topcoat on top:

Sunlight:



Shade:



There are several bloggers with great skills when it comes to nail art, and I really admire those ladies. I, however, am not one of them and I think Crackle is the closest I'll get to any kind of decoration. Thankfully, these polishes are foolproof once you get the hang of them. Fault Line is so pretty, and I think the shimmer sets it above the other shades in the collection. The formula on this was fine; not sticky and not too thick.

Happy painting!

*This product was sent to me for review.

Essence: Underwater...Repost

ETA: Two of my awesome readers brought it to my attention that Underwater looks grey in my pics. I wanted to repost with some indoor pics of this, because I think the sun may have washed out the blue in my sunlight pics. I didn't realize the difference was so pronounced. Here are a couple of indoor pics. Two coats, Revlon topcoat:






Original post:

Today I have Essence Underwater, not to be confused with...Essence Underwater. Nihrida discussed the difference in the two polishes here. Apparently I have the second version.

At any rate, Underwater is simply stunning. It's a dusty blue cream with subtle shimmer. The thing about the shimmer is that when you do see it, it looks like it's glowing from deep below the layers of polish, which is exactly how light looks under water. It's pretty damn cool. It didn't even need the shimmer to be beautiful though, because the base is dusty and sexy. Can you tell I love this polish? I don't have anything else like it.

The best part to me is that it only cost $.99 at Ulta. I got this and several others when I was in Cincinatti. You have to love cheap polishes that deliver like this. Two coats, Revlon topcoat.




I didn't capture the shimmer very well, but you can see it a little here:



Application on this was just fine. It's very nicely pigmented and probably could have been a one-coater if I had better skills.


And just because, this is my daughter's NOTD. One coat of China Glaze Classic Camel with two coats of Fairy Dust on top.



Happy painting!

China Glaze Summer 2011 Island Escape

ESCAPE THIS SUMMER WITH HIGH SHINE AND BRIGHT SHIMMER

China Glaze Introduces Six Sizzling Shimmers and Cremes

Los Angeles, CA – (October 2010): Take an exotic island escape with China Glaze this summer with a tropical, shimmering rainbow of brilliant bright colors! Mix and match these hot hues to add a candy-like pop to that summer manicure and pedicure. Colors in the collection include:

· Papaya Punch: Crème based vivid orange.
· 108 Degrees: Flirtatious berry pink with specks of micro glitter.
· Senorita Bonita: Passionate purple shimmer with pink micro glitter.
· Blue Iguana: Bold and daring sparkly blue.
· Cha Cha Cha: Vivacious shimmer green.
· Electric Pineapple: High intensity crème based lime green.



Escape this summer to a far away place with China Glaze. Vacation in color!

The China Glaze Island Escape collection will be available as open stock colors, 6 piece box collection, 6 piece counter display, 12 piece counter display and 36 piece rack.

China Glaze is free of DBP, toluene, and added formaldehyde.

China Glaze nail lacquers are available through salons and professional beauty supply stores nationwide. For more information, visit: www.chinaglaze.com or follow China Glaze on Twitter: http://twitter.com/ChinaGlaze

China Glaze is a division of American International Industries.


See anything that excites you? I do...a pink and a purple with micro glitter? I'm all over it.

Happy painting!

Revlon Top Speed: Jaded, and Crackle

Today I have Revlon Top Speed Jaded, which is not to be confused with Revlon Jaded, an old discontinued shade. This version of Jaded is pale mint green with very, very subtle shimmer. I don't even think my camera picked it up. Two coats, no topcoat:




The formula was streaky, but it evened out surprisingly well on the second coat. I really expected the worst with this one, but was pleasantly surprised.

Then I added China Glaze Broken Hearted*, a hot pink creme from the Crackles collection. One coat of Broken Hearted on top of Jaded, no topcoat:






I absolutely love pink and green together. LOVE. I really think I should have been an AKA. Anyway, Broken Hearted is gorgeous. I applied one thick coat and got the results above, but I plan to play around with different methods and see what I can come up with.


Happy painting!


*This product was sent to me for review.

China Glaze Tronica Collection: Laser Lime

Ok, I confess. I like scattered holo more than linear holo. I know that's not a popular opinion, but it is what it is.

With that out of the way, let me introduce you to my new love: Laser Lime, from the ChG Tronica Collection. I believe this is a limited edition Sally's exclusive, so get them now while you can so that you won't have to pay eBay prices for them one day.

Laser Lime is lime green with subtle rainbow holo. This is two coats with Revlon Colorstay topcoat:

Sunlight:






Shade:



I really hate that I bought this, because now I want them all. I went to Sally's to buy one just to try it out, fully expecting to be disappointed, but I fell in love.

Formula wise, it was a little sticky and goopy, but it wasn't thick and it still applied well. Weird. Like most holos, this dried super quick to a satiny finish, so topcoat is a must if you want shine.

What's a girl to do? I'm running out of storage, plus I'm really cheap and hate to buy things for full price. I could do without the purple and the teal since I have those colors from other collections, but the others are calling me. Decisions, decisions...

What do you think of the Tronica collection so far?

Happy painting!

Franken: Teal We Meet Again

I just kind of threw this together last night because I was feeling frustrated. Have you ever looked at your stash and thought, "I don't want to wear any of these"? Well, that was me last night. So I pulled out a half empty bottle of Color Club Naughtycal Navy and started adding stuff to it. I added ChG fairy Dust, Maybelline Going Green, Wet 'N Wild Hallucinate, and Misa Indescribable, and this is what I got. Two coats, Seche Vite on top:



Sunlight:





It's a beautiful sunny day here so I plan to clean my house. Woo hoo! Well, at least my nails will be pretty while I do it. :-)

Happy painting!

For Girls Only

In the last few years, pink has become a more neutral color. When I was younger, only girls wore pink. No exceptions. Then around the time of high school (the 90's), boys started to wear polo shirts with pink in them somewhere. In the last ten years, men have just gone all out with it. Pink shirts, pink ties, and pink cars (well, maybe just Cam'ron, the rapper).

I think it's great. I don't think any gender should be restricted when it comes to color. That said, I can't help but feel all pretty and girly when I wear pink on my nails. It just does something to me. China Glaze Strawberry Fields and Finger Paints I'm a Survivor are two colors that get me every time.

You've seen Strawberry Fields (Summer Days collection). Vivid pink with gold glass-flecked shimmer. It's one of ChG's best. I'm a Survivor was part of the 2010 Breast Cancer Awareness collection. The name always makes me think of the Destiny's Child song, which means it gets stuck in my head all day. But that's ok, because the color makes up for it. I'm a Survivor is bright pink with silver shimmer. Two coats, no topcoat in both pictures.


Strawberry Fields. I posted pics of this one before, but they were all washed out and, well, awful. These pics are much more true to how the shade looks on me.






I'm a Survivor. This one reminds me of rock candy.






The formula was good on both.

Happy painting!

Straight to the taupe!

How lame is that title? lol

Anyway, I have some taupe comparisons. I had already planned to compare Color Club Give Me a Hint from the Alter Ego collection with China Glaze Below Deck (re-release of Channelesque) from the Anchors Away collection, but I threw in Pure Ice Taupe Drawer and OPI You Don't Know Jacques just because. I already know they aren't close, but what the hell. No topcoat on any of these.

Index finger: Give Me a Hint (GMaH), 2 coats
Middle finger: Below Deck (BD), 2 coats
Ring finger: Taupe Drawer (TD), 3 coats
Pinky finger: You Don't Know Jacques (YDKJ), 2 coats







As you can see, GMaH and BD are not dupes. BD is more purple; GMaH is more grey. Formula wise, there is no comparison. BD was pretty much a one coater for me even though I did two out of habit, while GMaH needed two thick coats. If you have BD, you don't need GMaH unless you look at these pictures and see two drastically different shades.

TD is pretty sheer and not all that great to work with. YDKJ is standard OPI creme fare (smooth, creamy, pigmented, etc.).

I think I can safely say I have enough taupes. Happy painting!

Ruby Kisses: Tropical Green (and Crackle)

I was headed to the mall the other day to see what I could find at Claire's when I passed a beauty supply. I almost slammed on my breaks because the place was HUGE. Turns out, it's a new beauty supply superstore, and it's only fifteen minutes from my house. I can't tell you how excited I am about this. *does happy dance* I probably spent an hour in there just taking it all in. I came home with six new babies, including Crackle! (about a year late, right? LOL)

One of my new babies is Ruby Kisses Tropical Green, a lime green creme. Apparently this is a new shade, as evidenced by the big "NEW" sticker on the bottle. I'm not familiar with this brand, but I was pretty impressed with this, especially since it was $1.49. This is two coats, no topcoat.





Here's Tropical Green with one coat of China Glaze Lightning Bolt on top. I know you've seen this 50-11 times, but one more won't kill you.






Tropical Green was a tad on the thick side, but it was workable. I thought it would be streaky but it wasn't at all. I'm definitely going back to get more of these. Lightning Bolt was fine; this was actually my second attempt. The first was super ugly because I didn't know what the heck I was doing. The thicker the coat, the better the crackle effect.

Happy painting!

CHINA GLAZE ROCKS THE RUNWAY AT NEW YORK FASHION WEEK

Fall Fashion Shows Feature China Glaze Manicures

Los Angeles, CA – (February 2011): Always a beauty staple backstage at New York Fashion Week, China Glaze made it’s fourth consecutive appearance on the runway at the Tadashi, Ivana Helsinki and Richie Rich shows for Fall 2011. Tadashi went with his all-time favorite again, China Glaze Innocence (a sheer gauzy pink). Manicurist Josephine More said that it was perfect for accenting the understated elegance and angelic look of his Fall 2011 collection.





Ivana Helsinki’s collection consisted of rich velvets, knits, feather prints and chunky boots. While charcoal black eyeliner, beehives and an all together 60’s mod vibe was the theme for makeup and hair, clear nails courtesy of manicurist Indigo Smith and Seche Vite Fast Dry Top coat complimented the overall minimalist designs that were enhanced by different patterns and textures.



Richie Rich, who is known for his outrageous club wear and barely there ensembles, didn’t scrimp in the nail department either. Manicurist Josephine More created “Punk Looks” which consisted of China Glaze Midnight Mission with China Glaze Devotion, Nova and Solar Flare on the King Finger. She also created “Elegant Looks”, which was China Glaze Lubu Heels with China Glaze Passion and Medallion on the King Finger. The men also rocked their own personalized nail looks with China Glaze Devotion layered with Nova and China Glaze Liquid Leather on the King Finger. To top off the show, Jennifer “JWOWW” Farley of “Jersey Shore” fame closed the show with Richie Rich himself.


China Glaze is free of DBP, toluene, and added formaldehyde.

China Glaze nail lacquers are available through salons and professional beauty supply stores nationwide. For more information, visit: www.chinaglaze.com or follow China Glaze on Twitter: http://twitter.com/ChinaGlaze

China Glaze is a division of American International Industries.

Seche® is the leading global brand most trusted by professional nail technicians and the women who desire and demand superior quality, exceptional technology, unparalleled performance, and beautiful results for the care of natural nails. For more information, www.seche.com.

About American International IndustriesFor nearly 40 years, AII has been the leading manufacturer and worldwide distributor of innovative, quality beauty and skin care products for men and women. Our product lines include Ardell, Andrea, Body Drench, Bye Bye Blemish, Checi, China Glaze, Clean + Easy, Clubman/Pinaud, Duo, European Secrets, EzFlow, Fright Night, Gena, GiGi, Gypsy Lash, IBD, Jeris-Lustray, No Tweeze/Micro Tweeze, 'N Rage, Prolinc, RAW, Seche, SuperNail, Surgi-Care, Waterworks, Winning Nails, Woltra, Woody’s, and Youthair. For more information, visit our website: www.aiibeauty.com.