Sneak Preview: China Glaze Tis The Season To be Naughty and Nice

China Glaze Holiday Collection

Hi guys! Today I received a friggin fantastic package from China Glaze! I couldn't believe it but they sent me their entire Holiday collection. This collection exists out of 16 colors, it's huge! Since I don't have much time today, have to work this wednesday and thursday, and a press event from Catrice to attend on friday, I think I won't be able to start swatching before this saturday :(. Therefore I decided to give you a little preview of what's to come! Please excuse the quality of these pictures, since it's dark and raining non stop in The Netherlands.

From left to right: Snow, Frosty, Cheers to You, Midnight Kiss, Jingle Bells, Peace on Earth, Jolly Holly, Mistletoe Kisses, Party Hearty and Mrs. Claus.

From left to right: Sugar Plums, Mommy Kissing Santa, Phat Santa, Ruby Deer, Party Hearty, Mistletoe Kisses, Jolly Holly and Peace on Earth.

From left to right: Ruby Deer, Phat Santa, Mommy Kissing Santa, Sugar Plums, Naughty and Nice and Little Drummer Boy.

First Impression

They look nice, don't they? Expect real swatches soon though! I think I already have some favorites in this collection, especially Mistletoe Kisses, Little Drummer Boy and Party Hearty call my name. They seem to apply quite nicely, but so far I've only tried them on a nail wheel. I'm really fond of the silver caps too. Swatches and review coming soon!

What's your first impression?

The product(s) in this post were provided to me by the manufacturer or their PR company for review. For more information please read my disclaimer

Review: Fast Forward with China Glaze

China Glaze's Quick Drying Top coat - Fast Forward

The perfect quick drying top coat. I haven't found it yet. I've tried some, but I didn't really like the finish of OPI RapiDry, the cracking "David" caused, the shrinkage I got with Seche Vite and Nubar Diamont is clearly having an identity crisis because it isn't behaving as it should be. So, I decided it was time for some fresh meat!

The good.. and the bad?

I realize I'm a bit overly critical and picky when it comes to a top coat, that's probably why I haven't found my perfect match yet (Gee, this reminds me of why I'm still single). Anyway..! I want my top coat to be quick drying, manageable, glossy, smooth as glass and chip resistant. Fast Forward actually scores quite good in these departments. It dries fairly quick (not as fast as Seche but still FAST). It does an awesome job at leveling, I'd really recommend using this over gritty glitters and stuff like that. The finish is the thing I love the most, it's glassy, stays that way too and it just feels very smooth. I haven't experienced unusual cases of chipping, cracking etc. But, is it all that and a bag of crips?

Application

Application is super easy. It isn't thick or thin, it's easy to handle and almost applies itself. I'm not even halfway the bottle though so I don't know if Fast Forward tends to thicken up after a while. Also, it doesn't get streaky or bubbly, sounds good right?
There is one thing though and that's the smell. I don't mind strong smells but if you do, this is not your guy! The very strong smell of Fast Forward reminds me of peppermint candy with acetone icing. While Fast Forward is b3f, it still smells like a chemical explosion.
Unfortunately I have experienced some shrinkage too. Yup, it's there. Not always, it depends on the polish you're painting over, but yes, it can happen.

Overall

I'm really happy with this top coat and if it wouldn't cause shrinkage, I'd be in love. It's glassy, sexy smooth and stays put rather well. I'm pretty sure the smell will be a problem for some, but if you can handle it and you're still looking for a decent top coat you might want to give Fast Forward a shot!

You can get this top coat at eBay, TransDesign, Head2toebeauty and other etailers. Prices may vary - starting $3.

Superstar Nail Lacquer - Teterboro Teal

Minor Layout change

Hi everyone! As you might have noticed: I changed the header a little bit. I really started to dislike the previous header I had, so I came up with this, hope you guys like it! Anyway, onto the polish!

Superstar Nail Lacquer

A while ago I received these polishes by a, new to me, brand called Superstar Nail Lacquer.

"Superstar colors are aptly named to compliment its moniker. Each color has a title reminiscent of all things fashion and fame. “We wanted attention-grabbing names that people could relate to. Since our company is named Superstar, we chose titles that would make our customers feel like a star. Who wouldn’t feel good about wearing, ‘It Girl Orange’ or Walk The Red Carpet?” said Ariana."

Superstar Nail Lacquer recently released their fall collection, which consists out of two parts: Play in the City and Party in the City. The polish you see here is called Teterboro Teal and belongs to the Party in the City collection. Woohoo, partayy!
I'm really falling for teal lately, to me teal is a truly intriguing color! So, imagine my excitement about this pretty thing. It's an awesome metallic teal that flashes a bit of green depending on the lighting. I love how glowy it can get while strutting around in the sun. Seriously, I can't get enough of polishes like these.

Application

When I'm trying out new brands I'm always very curious to see what their application is like. And wow, this brand does not disappoint. The brush is very easy to handle and the polish just glided on, I used only 2 coats and I experienced no problems whatsoever. I wore this for four days without chips, which is pretty decent I'd say!

Matte tips

You might have seen my glossy tips on a matte polish a while ago? For this mani I decided to use China Glaze's Matte Magic to paint on some matte tips. I'm a sucker for subtle effects like these!

For more information please check the Superstar website. Superstar Nail Lacquers cost: 5 for $45 or $10 each.

The product(s) in this post were provided to me by the manufacturer or their PR company for review. For more information please read my disclaimer

China Glaze - 2Nite

Favorite

Hi everyone! You all know how I like to celebrate summer with a good holo, and this one fits the bill! There has always been one perfect blue holo that kept popping up in my dreams, but that dear OPI DS Glamour wasn't that easy to get. So I bought a lot of blue holographics to see if they could fill that void.
Now, I own several holographics from China Glaze's OMG collection, but 2NITE is my favorite! It doesn't look that much like DS Glamour but hey, I really love this gorgeous shade of almost periwinkle blue. It's so delicate and looks good against many skin tones.

Application

Some OMG holos cause me problems with application but since I'm using the Nfu Oh Aqua Base, I've said good bye to the cuticle drag altogether! I applied 2 coats, no top coat, and it actually stayed on quite well. Holographics from this collection are quite flat and dull in regular lighting though, but it's sure worth it if you catch some accidental beams of sun light..

Thank you for stopping by and have an awesome day!
- Michèle

Sneak peeks at the Holiday season

Just hear those sleigh bells jinglin', ring ting tinglin' tooooo. Wait, what? I'm chugging steam as we speak, since summer finally found its way to us. Is it to early to talk about collections for this winter? Probably, but I'm showing you this anyways ;-).

Orly - 'Tis the season

Orly comes up with six new shades, all embodying that Christmassy feel. The collection is called 'Tis The Season'. This name is actually very close to this years Christmas collection by China Glaze. So far this is all I know, if I find more information I'll update this post gladly.

China Glaze - Tis The Season To Be Naughty and Nice

Maybe you've seen this before, because China Glaze released their promo pics for upcoming Christmas collection already last february. It's called 'Tis the season to be Naughty and Nice'. Twelve new shades to celebrate Christmas in!

Naughty and Nice (deep plum crème) Sugar Plums Phat Santa (deep red crème) Ruby Deer (red crème) Mrs. Claus (red tinsel glitter in clear pink) Party Hearty (glitter top coat)

Mistletoe Kisses (green & silver glitter) Jolly Holly (green shimmer) Peace on Earth (olive green shimmer) Little Drummer Boy (rich blue shimmer) Midnight Kiss (gold shimmer) Cheers to You (silver shimmer)

What are your thoughts on these?

source: nailmail

China Glaze - Watermelon Rind

Summer Days Hi guys! I know this isn't the most recently released polish out there, but I think Watermelon Rind is so stunning I needed to post it. China Glaze's Watermelon Rind belongs to the Summer Days collection that came out in 2009. Ever since I laid eyes on swatches of this gorgeous thing I knew I had to have it. As you might have noticed I don't post a lot of China Glaze, simply because I was disappointed in some of their polishes. But I can wholeheartedly say, that this one didn't! Formula This glass flecked polish has a jelly texture, it needs 3 coats for perfect coverage and that's not half bad for a jelly. And It applied really well. Normally I wouldn't think teal would make such a perfect color for summer, but this one looks kinda... juicy. And fresh. It's perfect. What's your favorite polish this summer?

Eyeko - Vintage Polish & A Mint Green Comparison

Eyeko Vintage Polish

Hi everyone! For today I have another pretty Eyeko nail polish to show you. This is Eyeko's Vintage Polish, for jade green nails. Like all Eyeko polishes the packaging is really cute. But the formula didn't hold up really well next to the previously reviewed ones.

I applied 3 coats, and found the formula to be thick and droopy. It also was a bit streaky, but a good top coat will take care of that. This one belongs to an older collection (The Limited Edition collection) though, and their polishes have improved a lot since then.
I really like the color though, since it's a bit muted I think it would look good against a lot of different skin tones!

Mint Green

I always thought mint green was.. well, mint green. But good old Wikipedia is showing me all kinds of variations:

celadon	moss green	magic mint	mint green	mint

Mint Green Comparison

I also did a quick comparison with the light green colors I own. I've read that Eyeko's Vintage Polish and Chanel Nouvelle Vague are dupish, but I don't think they are, Nouvelle Vague is definitely more blue, but they do share some characteristics like the level of brightness and saturation.

Eyeko polishes cost £3.50 (€4.- or $5.40) for 8.5ml. Eyeko products can be bought online at www.eyeko.com. Their shipping is extremely cheap: either free (if you're in the UK or Europe) or $5.40 for all international orders.

This polish was sent to me for review by Eyeko

Matte Top Coats Compared

Hi guys! If you love matte nail polish, you're bound to love matte top coats. I love these because you can transform any polish into a hot matte finish. There are many to chose from, even with different finishes, so let's compare the few I have!

As you can probably tell there are some differences between the four. Let's break it down a bit:

	P2 - Matte Top Coat (€1,55 / $1,95 for 8ml / .27 Fl. Oz.) This one has the most satin finish of the bunch. The substance is a bit cloudy, which you definitely can tell by looking at the nail. You could say it dulls the color a bit. Application is pretty smooth! This top coat is not that easily available since P2 is a German brand, but it is relatively the cheapest of the four. Drying time: slowest of the four, definitely needs a couple of minutes. Wear: Chipped after 3 days.
	ManGlaze - Matte-Astrophe (€10,43 / $13,13 for ?) Like everything ManGlaze, this one is special! Matte-Astrophe has a crackle effect (not always), which you either love or hate. (Most likely to happen when you apply the top coat when your nail polish isn't fully dry yet). Application is seriously the best, smooth, thin and not streaky. Mattest of the bunch. Drying time: pretty quick, 30-60 seconds. Wear: Turns satin after 3 or 4 days, no chipping, will start to wear down around the edges.
	China Glaze - Matte Magic (€5,16 / $6,50 for 9,6ml / .325 Fl. Oz.) Matte Magic has a truly flat finish, no shine or effect. This one's a bit thick though, which affects the application. Drying time: super quick, 15-30 seconds. Wear: Turns satin after 1 or 2 days, no chipping, will start to wear down around the edges.
	Essie - Matte About You (€7,94 / $10,- for 15ml / .5 Fl. Oz.) This one goes on super smooth, isn't thick and isn't as cloudy as Matte Magic. The color wasn't affected as much either, which is a big plus! Drying time: super quick, 15-30 seconds. Wear: Turns satin after 3 or 4 days, no chipping, will start to wear down around the edges. Common problem: after a while it's possible you'll find white specks in the polish.
Please note, wear can be different for everyone, depending on body chemistry and activities during the day

If I had to pick only one, I'd choose Essie's Matte About You. Matte Magic is a bit too thick for my taste and the one by P2 is way too satin. I love love love Matte-Astrophe though, but I'm not always in the mood for crazy crackle ;-).
So Matte About You it is, application and wear is really good. And, not totally unimportant, it respects the original color the most. Funnily enough I don't own this one myself yet, Daphne from www.nailswatches.com lend me hers, so I was able to this comparison, thank you Daph!!

So, when I'm running out of Matte Magic, I'm going to order Essie MAY myself.
If you're happen to be Dutch, I have some good news for you! Hema just released their own matte top coat, I'm so excited. Unfortunately I couldn't find it in the stores I've been too, but I've seen swatches, and it sure looks promising.

Well this was it already, thanks so much for reading and have a great day -
Michèle

Lacquered Leopard

Hi guys! How is everyone doing? I'm enjoying my last night of the weekend: it's almost monday again! Since my last post was about animals I felt like creating this beastly look ;-). You all know I'm no Konad girl, but I do think subtle Konadicures are something I could get used to, they're cool.

I started of with H&M's Moonless Night, a black shimmery two-coater, I promise I'll show it to you some other time!
After that I applied one coat of Matte Magic by China Glaze. I don't own many different matte top coats to compare it with, but I think it's pretty good. I love how it transforms your polish into real matte hotness, instead of a cowardly satin finish.

For stamping I used plate M57 and plain old, nothing out of the extraordinary, top coat. It's probably due to the fact I'm boring, but I love how simple and subtle it looks. Leopard prints often border on tacky, but a little goes a long way, I'd say!

Thanks for reading and I wish you a great week!

Psst, yes this photo is mirrored, my fingers always pointing in the same direction bore me, lol.

China Glaze - LOL

Hi everyone! It's friday again! I'm really looking forward to this weekend, it's Easter! Do you have any plans? Perhaps you've noticed: I filed my nails down a bit. It wasn't really on purpose though! Haha. They will grow. When I showed you China Glaze's DV8 the other day I mentioned LOL too. LOL is a gorgeous purple holographic polish, from the same collection as DV8: the OMG collection. I don't wear this one as often as I'd like, because of my issues with its application. Applying LOL is really something I loathe, they should've called this one PITA, nothing to LOL about I'd say. Major cuticle drag. I find I don't have this issue when I skip base coat, not really an option for me but it may work for others! It is totally opaque in 2 coats though, and the color IS stunning, I'll give 'm that. It is one of those holographics that look really dull in normal lighting, I don't need my holos to be in your face, but a subtle rainbow makes me happy any day. So if you really like your holo to be holo, LOL is not for you. So what do you think of this polish? If you happen to own it too, please share your opinions with me?

China Glaze - DV8

I'm really on a holo streak, can you tell? Haha. There's just something about spring setting in that makes me happy and gets me in the mood for rainbows. I often get caught by people staring at me when I'm moving my fingers around in a coincidentally sunbeam. They must think I'm pretty deranged. Not that I'm not ;-D.

When we were visiting the China Glaze wholesale last week, I was able to get my mitts on this pretty thing, and for a really small price too. I've always been a bit reluctant when it comes to China Glaze because their formula is really inconsistent, at least that's my experience so far. I absolutely adore their colors, so to be honest I'm really bummed out about this. I was really curious to see how and if I'd like this polish!

DV8 belongs to the OMG collection, consisting out of 12 dense holographics in a wide color range. I'd already bought LOL a while ago, and as much as I loved the color, I couldn't get over the bad formula.

Luckily DV8 really managed to surprise me: opaque in 2 coats, no cuticle drag, everything was just A-OK. The color is really pretty too, a nice medium teal without being bland.

What do you think about the OMG collection?

Ruffian Inspired Manicure & The most awesome gift

There's this amazing manicure that I've been seeing around. The Ruffian Inspired or reversed moon mani as it's called. Since I adore moon mani's (Dita von Teese, wow), I wanted to try it! Also, I promised the lovely ladies from the Dutch boards to do a full mani, so here it is!

I've seen so many pretty ones already on the blogs, mine is a bit boring, but I like it nonetheless. It may look a bit better on shorter nails though, what do you think?
The colors I've used are China Glaze Millennium and OPI - Lincoln Park After dark matte. Only one coat of each! I never use the matte because I was so disappointed when I found out how dark it was, it's nothing like the original shade! However I think it fits well in this manicure. I'm definitely going to do this again, but with other colors.

I also wanted to show you a gift my best friend gave me today! He also got me 3 gorgeous nail polishes, but you'll see them making an appearance on my blog soon enough ;-). Look at this cute little monkey! I absolutely adore it. What (the hell) is it, you might ask? It's a nail polish dryer! When you put your hands on the banana button, the monkey will blow air at you. It's so damn cute, it makes me feel all fuzzy inside. If you're reading this: dank je wel!!

You can obtain this cute little fellow at www.freefalluk.com

This was it for today, dear readers! Take care and till next time.

China Glaze - Ruby Pumps - & Upcoming Giveaway!

Hi guys! Today I only have time for a short post, so here it goes! This probably is one of the prettiest nail polishes made! You all know her by now, but Ruby Pumps by China Glaze deserves all the attention she can get. I snatched this one from my moms Helmer, it's a beauty! Definitely a must have, so I'll have to get me one too! The formula was amazing, after 3 coats you'll have the most gorgeous red sparkly nails ever.

I also wanted to take the opportunity to thank everyone so much for reading, commenting and supporting my blog, you've all made this blog a very warm and welcoming place to be for me. I've passed 200 followers last week, which I've never expected, not even in my wildest dreams! To thank you guys I'll do a giveaway when I hit the 250 mark. Think H&M nail polish! And probably some other stuff on which I haven't decided yet! Maybe OPI's Reflecting Pool since it's not that easy to find overseas? So please stay tuned for updates about this :-).

Take care and till next time!

China Glaze - Tempest

Good morning everyone! Hope everyone is having a great day!

Today I'm sporting Tempest by China Glaze, a brand that isn't represented a great deal on this blog! Tempest is a strikingly beautiful blue & purple (slight) duochrome. Normally you'd have me at duochrome, but I'm kinda on the fence about this one. It's streaky/frosty, and it hates my regular top coat (OPI RapiDry). They always end up in a fight, leaving my nails looking like funny moonscapes. I do adore this color though!

I don't own a lot China Glaze polishes, because the few I own, aren't that great, formula-wise. But they do make such awesome colors... What's a girl to do?! I probably should give it a try anyway, what do you think?