Hey Ladies!
Happy Valentines Day! I'm still in St. Louis visiting my boyfriend and loving every minute of it. I managed to sneak some time to prepare this post since I did all the swatching before I left. I have been excited about this collection from China Glaze since I first heard of it. You have no idea how happy I am to have this in my possession. Simply amazing! Let's get started!
All swatches were done without a base coat and without a topcoat.
Below Deck - China Glaze describes this as a flirty mix of taupe and violet. I think the purple tone is a little stronger in this color than the taupe tone. This is such a yummy creme. I applied 2 coats just out of habit but it was about 98% opaque with just 1 coat! Supposedly it is a dupe (or close enough) to China Glaze's Channelesque.
Ahoy! - China Glaze describes this as a delightfully intense pink that flashes with reflective glass speck. The bottle kind of lies for this color. I thought it was going to be darker. But I wasn't disappointed with what came out of the bottle! I'd say this is an intense magenta pink. It's a jelly but was opaque after just 2 coats. Another nice shocker! There is also an awesome amount of gold shimmer. This color is definitely a stunning member of this collection! Application was perfect. (Please ignore the fact that it looks a little red. My camera REFUSED to cooperate!)
First Mate - China Glaze describes this as a sophisticated and rich navy creme. This is a perfect navy blue. Not too light and not too dark. You can still tell it's a blue! Like Hey Sailor, this is a traditional blue when you think of a nautical theme.
Hey Sailor - China Glaze describes this as a vibrant creme red. Bingo! Vibrant, check! Creme, check! Red, check! This is a traditional red when you think of a nautical theme. And it is sooooo vibrant. Firecracker red! I applied 2 coats for full coverage.
Life Preserver - China Glaze describes this as a highly pigmented and luxurious poppy creme. I'd say this is a slight burnt orange creme. Yet, its still vibrant. I applied 2 coats for full coverage.
Lighthouse - China Glaze describes this as a multi-dimensional, bright yellow glass speck. This yellow is beyond bright... It's blinding! It's a jelly and a bit on the sheer side. I applied 3 coats. I only have one issue with this color. It's perfect when the light hits it because it looks full and stunning. However, when the light doesn't hit it then you see the VNL. The bad part is that since it's yellow it makes your nails look stained underneath. Maybe I'm just weird.
Knotty - China Glaze describes this as a micro-particle beige shimmer. The shimmer is somewhat silverish. I don't think I've ever seen a color like this. It's different. I applied 3 coats. The only problem I have with this color is the same issue I had with Lighthouse. It's great when the light hits it and the shimmer pops... But when there is no direct light it can make it seem like your nails are stained. Obviously, this color doesn't do that as much as Lighthouse does. Maybe a 4th coat could have made this more opaque and solved that problem for me.
Pelican Gray - China Glaze describes this as high shine, cool toned gray creme. This is a cool light gray creme with very subtle shimmer. I think the shimmer is what makes this color so pretty, unique, elegant, etc. I applied 2 coats.
Sea Spray - China Glaze describes this as a calming pale blue creme. I'd say that this is a light pale blue creme with a gray tone to it. This color also has subtle shimmer like Pelican Gray. So beautiful. This is easily my FAVORITE of the collection. I applied 2 coats.
Starboard - China Glaze describes this as a hip and playful green creme. This is a vibrant grassy green creme. I'm not a fan of greens but this one actually works with my skin tone. I like it! I applied 2 coats for full coverage.
Sunset Sail - China Glaze describes this as a delightful peachy pink high shine creme. I'd say this is a peachy beige creme with subtle shimmer (like Sea Spray and Pelican Gray). I applied 2 coats.
White Cap - China Glaze describes this as a whimsical and sparkling multi-dimensional white. This is like a sheer milky white jelly with gold shimmer. This is Frosty's (Holiday 2010 Collection) half-sister. This is the most versatile color of the collection. I used 3 coats for this application. You can wear it alone (if you don't care about VNL). You can layer it over other colors to give it a little boost.
____________________________________
Overall View:
Application - Application for all of these were great. All of the cremes were almost 1 coaters. You could probably pull it off if you do a careful generous application. Or you can just do your standard 2 coats if you don't want to be so careful. The best part of the cremes is that none of them were chalky. Definitely a big plus for me! All of the colors applied evenly. No pull by the brush. None of the colors were watery. Overall, excellent!
Colors - This collection has an awesome range of colors. It hits just about every color on the spectrum! You are bound to find something you like (if you don't like them all). How could you not? These colors kick off the Spring season to an awesome start!
Names - I love the names of the colors in the collection. Not only are they appropriate for a nautical theme but they also somehow match the color in the bottle. Get what I mean?
____________________________________
So what do you gals think? I know you guys have seen these swatches a bunch of times but I still want to know! Which are your favorites? Personally I love Sea Spray, Pelican Gray, Below Deck, White Cap, First Mate, and Ahoy!
These were sent to us for review. Please read our Disclosure Policy (
here).
