Sunday, April 6, 2014

Taking a Shine to China Glaze

Following on from my Essie nail polish collection, I thought I'd dedicate a post to my smallish stash of China Glaze polishes. To the best of my knowledge, I don't even think China Glaze is stocked in any major Australian stores or chemists. I personally have only purchased my polishes online (Luxe and Lush, IV, It's a Trap-eze!), from Paddy's Markets (Stellar, Snow Globe, Techno), or random discounted pro nail stores (Swing Baby, For Audrey). If they weren't so hard to find and buy, no doubt I'd have a lot more.






l-r: Techno, For Audrey, Luxe and Lush, Swing Baby

Techno
This was one of the first crazy glitter polishes I bought, so back then when the concept was still fairly novel, it was absolutely irresistible to me. Techno glimmers and dazzles like a billion-faceted disco ball in the bottle. On the nail however, it's a bit less exciting. Pedestrian, even. It's basically small holographic, hexagonal glitter, with holographic normal glitter in a clear base. I've previously paired it with Revlon Blue Lagoon, and while the density of the glitter grabs your attention, it's all a bit too much. With Techno, I think less is more. I'd be more inclined now to paint just one coat over a creme base for added festivity.

For Audrey
Probably among the best known China Glaze shades (if not the best known), and a polish on my wishlist for a considerable length of time before I managed to get my hands on it. I already have an entire post on For Audrey here, and my thoughts haven't changed much since. If you like the idea of wearing the iconic Tiffany & Co. blue on your nails, this is the polish for you.

Luxe and Lush
When swatches of the The Hunger Games Capitol Colors Collection started popping up, the only must-have for me was Luxe and Lush. At the time, the idea of a shredded flakie was completely new to me, so it opened my eyes up to a whole new world of layering possibilities. I tried it with a black base but the shards of glitter appeared predominately yellow, green and orange, which I didn't particularly like. I much prefer glitter/flakies that flash more pink, purple and opalescent, or at least a mix of everything. I think I might try it over a light blue base like Sinful Colors Cinderella next, as demonstrated by Jen. I find the glitter in Luxe and Lush to be very dense, almost to its detriment as it can get slightly lumpy and chunky, especially with its thicker formula.

Swing Baby
Back when I was obsessing (literally, not figuratively) over Orly Rage, I looked up reviews online and read that Swing Baby was similar. Naturally, if I frustratingly couldn't source Rage anywhere, I needed the next closest thing (because, you know, Revlon Crème Brûlée, Chi Chi Go Go Girl and Ulta3 Envy didn't cut it). Now that I have both Rage and Swing Baby, I can say that Swing Baby isn't even that close. Rage is lighter, more of a warm gold, with rose gold tones. Swing Baby is darker, more taupe and pewter, with a distinct greenish tinge to my eyes. It's not really the kind of colour I normally go for, so it now just sits in the nail polish category "Failed Polishes I Bought to Fill the Orly Rage Void".

l-r: Snow Globe, Stellar, IV, It's a Trap-eze!

Snow Globe
One of the most delicate and whimsical glitter concoctions I've encountered and very aptly named. Undoubtedly one of my favourite nail polishes ever. Snow Globe can simply be described as beautiful, though I summed up the colours I see in it before: "turquoise, peridot, amber, peach, cornflower blue, lavender". The base isn't completely clear, it's more slightly milky and white, which makes it even more reminiscent of an actual snow globe.

Stellar
I picked this up on a whim almost two years ago along with Techno and Snow Globe, and to be honest, I think I've only worn it once since. This is a nude/beige shimmer with a silver fairy dust overlay. It's not super reflective though, the overall effect is more subdued despite the metallic sparkle. I like how it looks next to IV, so I think I might incorporate the two polishes next time, perhaps in an attempt to replicate this gorgeous manicure by Ashley.

IV
I saw this on a colleague's nails one day, asked her what polish she was wearing, and pretty much ordered it off BeautyBay right after. IV is a soft pinky coral that I find really complements my skin tone. It's described as a carnation pink creme, but it leans quite peachy on my nails. According to Reika, it's very close to Chanel Morning Rose (IV is just missing the gold shimmer). A shade that I genuinely look forward to wearing and one that I'm happy found its way into my collection.

It's a Trap-eze!
Featured recently in my March Favourites and with a whole post dedicated to it here, there's not much further I have to say except that there's been no dip in enthusiasm. I'm lamenting I didn't receive this as a full bottle, because the prospect of running out is already giving me anxiety. A unique, playful and incredibly well-executed glitter that I never want to be without.

28 comments:

  1. These are all beautiful shades!! I love For Audrey and It's A Trapeze. Stellar looks lovely, too. Nice collection!!

    Jess xo

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  2. I really want to get more China Glaze nail polishes but...I think that I might be "allergic" to their formula :x My nails get super weak and tend to break after using the only China Glaze I have...Which is sad, since China Glaze actually has a really fair price here! I guess I'll have to stick with Orly and OPI TwT

    Take care, have a nice day!*

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  3. Beautiful collection of China Glaze polishes. I have a couple and they get lots amongst my many bottles. I need to dog them out & use them a little more. Their glitters are pretty
    http://www.letstalkbeauty.co.uk/

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  4. Such pretty photos! Your selections in total make a really soft and fun spring collection. :) IV is stunning on you, and now I'm eying some of the sparkly shades, even though I'm on a mission to get rid of half of my nail polish bottles. O__o I decided to keep just a few CG colours but For Audrey is definitely a keeper. It's a shade that I wear repeatedly in a year and will likely buy a new bottle of if it ever runs low.

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  5. all these colours look so pretty, really want to try the for audrey shade! xx
    mollyox.blogspot.co.uk

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  6. I seriously need and want shades like Luxe and Lush and Snowglobe! I have like only two glitter type of nail polishes out of my 30 or so polishes and I don't have any like that which can be layered over dark or light shades! I'm a huge fan of white bits like that and am just dreaming of how pretty it'd look over a pale pink or charcoal grey!

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  7. It's a Trap-eze! and For Audrey look gorgeous!

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  8. ahh these look amazing! So pretty for spring, I am obsessed with glitter polishes, and It's a Trap-eze looks so fun and girly. I'd totally grab that one if I ever saw it in the store!

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  9. Nice collection!
    I used to get excited about their seasonal collections and buy in sets. Those gorgeous colors glass specs are their signature thing.
    Having said that, I was never crazy with the formula. It is on the thicker side and takes forever to dry even with good fast drying top coat.
    Stella would be my favorite from your collection. Next to IV, it looks even prettier. These two would work great for a sophisticated accent mani. :)

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  10. Love your collection! I always think that China Glaze do some of the best glitters and I love the shape of their bottles for some random reason x

    Evelyn @ We Were Raised By Wolves

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  11. China Glaze is a brand that I have wanted to try but here in the UK I never see them in stores, I think we can only get them online from certain websites. Swing Baby is probably my favourite one here, it reminds me of a shade I have from Topshop which I adore wearing.
    Amy x | A Little Boat Sailing

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  12. Gorgeous selections of colours, you can't beat glitter and a turquoise :)
    xxx Claire
    http://wwwclairabelle.blogspot.co.uk/

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  13. Lovely collection!
    I have to say I haven't tried any China Glaze nail polishes because they're not widely available here except for some online shops..
    For Audrey and It's a Trap-eze are beautiful!! Tiffany blue is indeed a very pretty shade, no wonder a lot of brands try to 'imitate' it :-D

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  14. I love the look of Stellar and It's a Trap-eze, I've never heard of (or paid attention) to them before. So pretty!

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  15. China Glaze does glitters and shimmers so well--I love Ruby Pumps (though I can't bring myself to wear it outside the holiday season!) and my one Hunger Games polish, Smoke and Ashes. After reading this post and your earlier one, I'm convinced that I need It's a Trap-eze! as well. It's amazing how China Glaze managed to make a busy multicolored glitter look almost subtle.

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  16. For Audrey is beautiful!

    http://beccahillblogs.blogspot.com.au/

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  17. Such gorgeous colors! I have about 20 China Glaze polishes and most of them are neons. I think China Glaze does amazing neon! I still need to get For Audrey and Snowglobe though. Both are sooooo pretty. :)

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  18. Love the mint green shade!

    http://abigailalicex.blogspot.com

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  19. My oh my! There's a whole world of glitter polish variations that I didn't even know about! Some of these look and sound lovely.
    www.luluisloving.wordpress.com

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  20. For Audrey and Swing baby are my faves! I really want to try China Glaze
    Daniella x

    http://daniella-r.blogspot.co.uk

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  21. For Audrey is so pretty! I've never tried China Glaze before, but I'm hoping that will be the first one I try x

    onefiftyfour

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  22. Every colour is absolute perfection! xx

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  23. All of these colors are just simply stunning!

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  24. Love China Glaze. Have both Techno and Snow Globe, and agree with you completely on all counts. SG is one of my ultimate faves.

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  25. If these came in a set, I would totally pick one up, haha. They're gorgeous!

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  26. IV and It's a Trap-eze are two very pretty colours. I have a preference for the colours used on that hand and you could probably get away with wearing them all at once 'cause they all work so well together.

    Vanessa x

    www.vanbernadette.blogspot.com

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