China Glaze Spontaneous

This is the very first China Glaze nail polish I ever purchased, China Glaze Spontaneous. It's probably the second oldest nail polish I have (OPI's Kyoto Pearl being the only polish I had before that). It's a fairly basic medium purple. I did two coats, but really it deserves three. The brush was quite odd, it struck me as being oddly skinny. This polish feels so fun and summery on my nails and I'm in love with it. It will always remind me of the time in my life when I bought it and that brings a smile to my face.
Tell me what your first China Glaze polish was! Those kinds of tidbits fascinate me.

China Glaze Grape Juice

I was feeling a China Glaze mood so I decided to pull out one of my favorite summer collections from them, Summer Days from summer 2009. This is Grape Juice. In natural light, it's more of a bright purple but in low/artificial light it's definitely more of an amethyst. Grape Juice is what China Glaze calls a glass fleck, which to me just looks shimmery, almost like a foil and nice and glossy. It's a pretty color but I'm not really over the moon for it. Thankfully, I didn't really have a choice on wear time. Two days after I put this on we went to Ikea and bought a bunch of furniture. It chipped pretty bad during the marathon 8 hours we were putting things together.
Speaking of which, I got a Helmer for polish storage! I'm absolutely thrilled with how perfect it is for polish storage. We also got bedroom furniture, which I had mentioned all the way back in October. Would anybody be interested in seeing our home projects and posts similar to that one, every once in a while? All of our projects are really picking up steam (which is part of why I'm working hard on my no buy) and it's so so exciting!

China Glaze White Cap

This beautiful gem is White Cap. Not one of the most impressive colors when you see it in the bottle, but it's one of the rare polishes I've actually considered getting a backup for. Ever since high school, I've been enamored with sheer white polishes. Nothing fully opaque, just sheer polishes that have a flash of something brilliant, like an opalescence or, in the case of White Cap, a fantastic golden shimmer. This is three coats and it's obviously still sheer but I'm over the moon for the way this looks on my nails. It feels like the polish a character in a fairy tale would wear. One of the great things about these types of polishes is the way they layer over other colors. They simply transform other polishes into something magical.

Swoon! This is over First Mate. It's just so pretty it hurts. And that's why I love White Cap. It looks pretty over basically everything.
So that's it for my picks from Anchors Away. Nautical is an interesting theme for a spring collection but all the colors fit very well. I would recommend any of these if you happen to come across them. I don't know how many are in permanent displays but if you can't find them in store, you should be able to find them on transdesign!

China Glaze First Mate

I know I've said it so many times while showing you this collection but oh my gosh, I freaking love this color! This beautiful blue is First Mate. It's a slightly lighter navy with a little teeny bit of dustiness to it. In natural light, like this picture, it looks bright and almost like a blurple but in artificial light, it looks darker, like a true navy. If you were very careful and did a thicker coat, this could definitely be a one coater for you. For me, it was two. I've worn this several times and every time I do I think the formula is odd (something else I've said a few times lately). It's just messy. It's not runny or thick, it's just a little harder to control, if that makes sense. I feel like I get this all over my cuticles when I put it on. I think it's just because it is such a dark and opaque color. Overall, a nice color and definitely something different from the royal, bright and baby blues that seem to dominate spring.
I have just one last Anchors Away polish to show you and it's a very special one!

China Glaze Hey Sailor

Despite the picture, the polish you are seeing is actually much more red. This is China Glaze Hey Sailor. I'm not much of a red person but if I had to pick one, this would probably be it. It's a nice basic red cream with a super cute name. I wouldn't say this is a polish you absolutely have to have because I'm sure that there are lots of other similar colors out there but this one is definitely a welcome member in my collection. This was two coats but I still have a slightly VNL. The formula on this was much better than the others I've worn so far. It was on the thin side but much less so than the others.
I've been working on updating my collection list and it's been quite the chore. I discovered quite a while ago that about 5 polishes got deleted off the list so I'm working on hunting then down and adding them back on the list. Not a big deal to some people but I really really enjoy a nicely organized and accurate list!

China Glaze Sea Spray

Ahhh, I just love this color. Sea Spray is a pale blue with hints of gray. You can see a white opalescent shimmer in the bottle but it doesn't really show up on the nail. It's basically the blue sister to Pelican Gray. The formula on this seems to fall along the same lines as the rest from this collection - runny and hard to work with. This was three coats and it was a painful process. It didn't really matter if I did thin coats or thick coats, it just looks wonky. Is it just me on these? I realize these bottles are basically 2 years old now but they seem really runny if age is the problem.

Surprisingly, I have three polishes left from this collection, because I bought these back when I only bought my absolute favorites and not entire collections. I haven't decided if I'll finish showing you this collection or show you some favorite greens in anticipation of St. Patrick's Day.

China Glaze Starboard

Continuing on with Anchors Away, this is Starboard. Starboard is a grassy green. I really really love this color but I don't know how to describe why I love it so much. It's bright but not in your face and feels so springy and Easter-y. This was two coats, but I probably should've done three. It looks fine but three would look awesome. It's not a jelly but the cream finish with a glossy top coat looks like jellybeans to me. This would be a great polish if you are looking to show a little Michigan State spirit. I also struggled with this one on drying. I use a fast dry top coat because I'm impatient but it seems with these patience is necessary. I'll try to give myself plenty of dry time on the next one and let you know how that goes.
Anyone else as impatient as I am when it comes to polish drying? 

China Glaze Pelican Gray

Today I have for you China Glaze Pelican Gray! This polish is from one of my all time favorite collections, Anchors Away Spring 2011. It's just really hits the nautical nail on the head and I just love it. Pelican Gray is a pale gray with extremely subtle white shimmer. As in so subtle I have to really really stare at my nails to notice it. The formula on this was not fantastic. It was runny and as you can probably see from the pic, I got  a ton of indents in it because it didn't want to dry, even with a fast dry top coat. Still, this is a great color that does feel very February/early spring to me. It feels like I'm wearing a pastel. This color definitely has a special place in my heart.

Anyone have a favorite winter/spring transition shade? And please tell me your all time favorite nail polish collections!

China Glaze Below Deck

It's starting to feel more and more like fall so I decided to wear one of my favorite (kind-of) fall shades. This is China Glaze Below Deck which is from the spring 2011 Anchors Away collection. I had just discovered polish blogs and China Glaze and I knew this was the one color I had to have from that collection. Of course I ended up with 6 more but that's besides the point. Below Deck is a greyed out plummy purple color. Maybe a little bit of taupe in there? I'm not sure. I love it though! It's such a unique color that can definitely be categorized as a neutral. Easily in my top 5 of all time.
Another quick note about Revlon Colorstay topcoat. I know we've been talking about it a lot lately but this is my first time wearing it with a cream polish and I have to say it's just as shiny as Seche Vite. Wear time has been fantastic. I'm still going to look for a nice thick topcoat for glitters but Revlon has Seche Vite beat in my book.

China Glaze Electric Beat

Oh hey, I have nubbins again! Next up is Electric Beat. This is a great sky blue, not too light but not super bright. In direct sunlight, I think it has just a drop of periwinkle in it! Two coats, moderate dry time. I'm thoroughly pleased. I don't think I have anything else like this. It's just lovely. I probably could have been more careful as I've got some small dings. I know my last few have been ridiculously messy and dented. Part of it has been me trying to get a post up every other day. I'm going to start putting in more of an effort to have nice looking nails instead of prioritizing a post every other day.

26/55 polishes swatched

19 more days

China Glaze Dance Baby

Continuing on with Electropop, this is Dance Baby. It's a pepto pink. Three coats, OPI base coat and top coat. It was a little slow drying (that dent in my middle finger being evidence) but overall an easy to work with formula. I like it but it makes me wonder how many pinks I have like this. I will have to do a pink comparison eventually. I don't have much to say about it. It's nice but like I said, it seems like I have a lot of these colors.
I'd like to come up with something to do, some way to celebrate when I have finally swatched half my stash. Some way to mix things up. I have no ideas so let me know if you have one.

25/55 polishes swatched

21 more days

China Glaze Aquadelic

 

I was in such a hurry to get this picture taken, I really didn't bother with cleanup. I decided to swatch all of the polishes from China Glaze's Electropop collection. I've already done Make Some Noise and Gothic Lolita so I decided to try Aquadelic next. Slightly more green in real life, it's a lovely aqua/seafoam color.  Two coats and slightly difficult to work with. Really I should have done more cleanup with this before taking pictures. Can you tell it's bugging me? But I have so many chores to do and I know that if I wait to take pics tomorrow I risk it looking duller because I spent so much time working with my hands. Oh well.

This month is feeling exceptionally long...I'm hoping that changing my polish more often will make it feel much much shorter :)

24/55 polishes swatched

23 more days

China Glaze Prism

 

 This has turned out to be my favorite polish I have ever worn, hands down. China Glaze Prism came out with the Prismatics collection and yet again, swatches online will never do this justice. Even the best swatchers can't capture this level of awesomeness. It flashes blue and purple but it's always so multidimensional and sparkly. Three coats, with base coat and seche vite. It did eat my top coat but I really didn't care. Removal can be a pain. I used the tinfoil method and it came off easily and mess free. Not that you are going to want to take it off. Overall, if you can get your hands on these, do it. You will not be disappointed.

China Glaze Stone Cold

Lateness AND nasty cuticles...Ah well, this is China Glaze Stone Cold and my last pick from the Hunger Games collection. It's a matte, kind of metallic gray color. Formula is typical matte, easy and fast drying but sucks in the wear time department. I experimented with my Hard Candy Matte-ly in Love and that just made it a million times worse. UGH is it too much to ask for a long wearing truly matte polish?! This is 2 coats, no base coat or top coat. It stained.
I'm getting so behind in this swatching thing. I wanted to get half my collection (52) swatched before Sam came to visit at the end of July. Considering this is #16...I'm not sure if that's going to happen. After her visit, I will go back to swatching half my collection but it's going to be a much much bigger collection!

China Glaze Heli-Yum

My last random project polish! This mini polish project was fun and everything but it made me want to make my own picks. And no pinks or reds for a while. So this is Heli-Yum! It's a deep fuchsia color, a lot darker in real life than what's coming across in this picture. I'm enjoying this color. It's pretty basic but it feels summery and looks so glam. Two coats with two coats of OPI top coat. I hadn't been enjoying my OPI topcoat so I took it upon myself to do a little experiment. I cleaned the neck of the bottle very well, because that was bugging the crap out of me and then I added at least two full droppers of Seche Restore to it. It made it much thinner but I feel like it's much easier to work with and two coats are like armor over my polish. Not as glossy as Seche Vite but oh well.

China Glaze Cherry Pie

So I put this on more than a week ago, took pictures exactly a week ago and took it off at least a couple days ago. And it's just going up now? Yeah, I have no explanation. The is China Glaze Cherry Pie. It was my sister's pick from this mini project I'm doing. 3 coats and definitely VNL. Fine with me. It's an orange based red but this color is fairly accurate. This is a glass fleck, which means a jelly with teeny tiny pieces of sparkle and shimmer. It's not a jelly like what I'm used to but definitely falls into that category, if that makes sense. Overall, I'm in love and can't wait to try more of these China Glaze glass flecks. ALU's description and swatches made me buy them all so look out for more swatches from this collection (Summer Days 2009). One more polish left in my mini project!

China Glaze Dress Me Up

Continuing the fact that I was so freaking uninspired by my polish, I just moved onto another Hunger Games polish, Dress Me Up. It's supposed to be a dusty rose. There's a little peach in there but a lot more brown than I expected. It's very much a mauve color. I'm not in love with this color but I don't dislike it. It's a decent nude but certainly not my favorite nude so far. Two coats, Essie Grow Stronger underneath and OPI topcoat on the top. Some severe bubbling especially on my thumb. Overall, a nice color but the bubbling makes me eager to take this off.
I'm not so uninspired by my polish any more! I want to swatch the last Hunger Games polish I have. I also just picked up two polishes from Zoya's summer collection (and I'm eager to snap up the rest). I also chose two of the OPI Spiderman polishes and they are supposedly Chanel dupes! So lots of new posts on the way!

China Glaze Foie Gras

I was feeling so uninspired by my polish when I picked this. Nothing was even whispering pick me. So I figured let's go with a neutral. Something basic to help clear my head and let me find what it is in my stash that I'm actually looking for. So this is Foie Gras from the Hunger Games collection (or Capital Colors if you prefer). It's a purple/grey/brown color. It's pulling much more brown and lighter in this pic. I swear this is a kissing cousin of China Glaze Below Deck. BD is much lighter than FG but I love both. ALU called this Below Deck after dark, which is the best way to say it. Anyways, 2 coats, OPI base coat and top coat which are my absolute favorites lately.
I need to find something to inspire me. Maybe I'll try posting my last two Hunger Games polishes next, while I wait for inspiration to strike.

China Glaze Flip Flop Fantasy

Oh geez, look at the horrible chipping around my cuticles. Anyways, I was in the mood for something BRIGHT and Flip Flop Fantasy definitely fits that. My picture is coming off a touch more orange than it is in real life but very close. It's a neon and neons tend to dry matte or with a rubbery/plastic-y finish. Two coats of OPI Alpine Snow and two coats of FFF and a coat of Seche Vite. Honestly, this mani made me feel like I was in elementary school again, painting my nails with white out and coloring them with highlighters. FFF on it's own would take 4-6 coats. This is actually my right hand because it started chipping so bad on my left I couldn't bear to show you. I can't tell if it's because of so much polish or just a poor application on my part.
End of April and I got 5 posts in this month! I'm making it a goal for May to have more frequent and regular posts. We will see how that goes...

China Glaze Make Some Noise

What's this? Three posts in one week? It must be a miracle. Nope, I'm just taking more time to take care of me and enjoy my favorite hobby, polish. This is CG Make Some Noise from the Electropop collection. It looks so much more orange here than it does in real life. But that does answer my question. It's definitely a red in real life but I couldn't figure out if it was a coral based red or a blue based red. How could I not tell? It's just so so red. Anyways, 2 coats and OPI top coat. Some bubbling for sure but not super noticeable from arms length. I'm fairly happy with this one. I don't think I have anything else quite like it.
My next polish I'll post early next week. It's one that's near and dear to me. Have you ever had one of those colors, be it polish or lipstick or eyeshadow, that you wear for special or significant events? Yeah, that's the next polish I'll be showing.