China Glaze Anchor’s Away Sneak Peek – Below Deck, Pelican Gray and Sea Spray
Ever since I used China Glaze Sea Spray, from the Spring 2011 Anchor’s Away collection, in my Emmy night manicure I’ve been counting the days til Spring.
Normally Spring nail color collections leave me yawning but I’m not so patiently waiting to get my hands on the bold brights and delicate cremes that make up the nautical inspired collection. The sailor in me can’t wait to replicate the mani/pedi combo I saw at Cosmoprof using Life Preserver (orange) and First Mate (navy). It’s a match made in nail heaven. To help pull me out of my nail polish funk I turned to the few Anchor’s Away colors I have on hand. So while we wait to see the collection in full I have a little sneaky peek at a few shades; Below Deck, Pelican Gray and Sea Spray. |
A full review including formula & application and comparisons with my collection review. For now, let’s just oogle the colors.
If you’ve been reading ALU since September you already saw Sea Spray but looking back I wasn’t overjoyed with my initial photo. Plus my nails were way too long for my liking. So here’s take 2 of sky blue-grey creme. If you look up close you’ll see the faintest hint of shimmer in Sea Spray but it dries pretty creamy, sort of like how Chanel Riva has shimmer in the bottle that basically disappears on the nail.
Pelican Gray is a slightly lighter version of one of my all-time fave pale grays, Carolyn New York Handball Courts. CNY is out of business so I’m REALLY happy to have a new dove gray that I can recommend. Someone on Twitter asked me for light gray cremes recs from the major brands and I couldn’t think of any except Pelican Gray. While the shimmer in this one is more apparent, for all intents and purposes it’s a creme.
Below Deck has been getting a lot of buzz because it’s intended to be a Channelesque dupe. Reps from China Glaze say Below Deck is the closest they could get to replicating the discontinued and beloved muddled mauve creme.
What’s funny is I remember when I first saw Channelesque on the MUA Nail Board I thought it was FUG and never bothered to buy a bottle. I always think of my MUA pal Mickster who loved it and I just didn’t get it. Over the years as my tastes have evolved my feelings have changed though I’m not sure why. I still find it kind of fugly but in a fashion-y way. Like a dog that is so ugly it’s cute.
China Glaze Anchor’s Away launches in February 2011 but I would expect to see it online and in stores, like Sally Beauty & ULTA, in late January as long as there are no production/shipping delays.
So what do we think Fanatics? Are you getting excited for the Anchor’s Away collection? What shades are you most looking forward to? What do you think of Below Deck/Channelesque? Is it a color you’re happy to see come back?
Disclosure: Product samples were provided by China Glaze. For more info view my Disclosure Policy.
Lisa N.
Ms Meatballhead
Birdie
Spa pediccure chairs
I absolutely love Sea Spray, I think it’s a truly beautiful colour. It’s too bad I can’t get my hands on so many different kinds of nail polish in Sweden without ordering from USA by internet. And then you have to pay shipping costs and without warning you have to pay a little more than you first thought.
Anyway, lovely polishes
I am digging below deck!! it’s such a pretty and creamy shade…. I love it.
Jiya
In love!
I need these in my life. I’ll probably be obsessively checking Transdesign daily until the collection goes up. I’m probably most excited about Starboard, but I really want eight of the polishes. It’s such a pretty collection!
Love these colours! You have gorgeous nails btw
can’t wait to have them
Below Deck reminds me of Essie’s Merino Cool. I wonder how close the are in person..
I’m mostly meh on the collection, but Sea Spray, Pelican Gray, Sunset Sail and White Cap have my attention.
I’ve never gotten the appeal of Channelesque. The color looks ugly to me, and then it has the nerve to be boring.
Thanks for the sneak peek!
I love them all. I have Channelesque though so I don’t need Below Deck. A new CG collection. Seems so long since we had some new collections!
I love and might have to have all three of them, but I absolutely ADORE Below Deck. That’s right up my color alley. Can’t wait to see swatches of the rest of them, too!
Below Deck is look alike Essie’s Island Hopping.
omg is that coco rocha on there? can’t wait to see the rest of the colours =)
I might get the shimmers. I’ll wait for the swatches.
Below Deck reminds me of Parlez Vous OPI?. I really love Sea Spray now and before I just “liked” it. I’m so glad you shortened your nails. They look really good. Looking forward to seeing the rest of the collection!
I love these three colors that you have swatched. I can’t wait for this collection to come out. Below Deck finda reminds me of a brand at Sally’s by Nina Ultra Nail Pro called Never Glum Plum.But from the picture that shows all the nail polishes I can’t wait to see what the green and blue look like.
I’m excited for this collection! But they should have had red, blue, and white nail art pens so you could make little anchors on your nails.
I love the muddled gray/mauve/purple colors. I already have a few, but I will probably add this one to my collection as well.
More! More!!!!
meh. These three don’t do anything for me.
I can’t wait to get my hands on this collection! Love the colors! Pelican Blue & Below Deck looks amazing!!
I am super excited! They look so pretty!!
With your nails, every color looks great!
I forgot to ask you. Can you compare sea spray with Eyeko Rain polish and Below Deck with Parlez-vous OPI ?
thanks
I love the 3 of them. I can’t wait to see (on Internet, not IRL because I’m in Europe so no China Glaze here) this new collection. I was not very excited with the latest ones but this one seems great.
I love the shape and lenght of your nails: it’s absolutely fabulous ! I try to file mine like yours but I cannot. I don’t know how to do. Maybe I should print your pic and bring it to a manucure.
I fell in love with the anchors away collection from the first day I saw the promo picture
sea spray is a total must-have for me, pelican grey and below deck will be mine as well
As for the other colors, I will most likely get the dark blue, maybe the green and possibly the silvery goldshimmery one.
I can’t wait for more swatches!
I’m now gonna write a new “must have” list for my next order ;))
I’m a little “meh” on this collection so far, but I always seem to feel that way about the spring collections at first then they start to grow on me plus I think I’m having the same issue you are in that it feels like forever since a polish truly wowed me. Last week I finally got my hands on a bottle of OPI Designer Series Glamour and it wows me more than anything I’ve seen in the last two years or more! Ginger+Liz Trance is also really wow-worthy, but I missed out on that one!
This post just reminded me, you never finished your three part post of the CG Holiday collection! You posted one and two, but you didn’t post any of the reds like you’d planned and I really wanted to see what Ms Claus and Sugar Plum looked like swatched. The other reds not so much, but those two actually seemed unique to me.
Is it pathetic that I totally remember the first time you posted about Handball Courts? God that seems like an eternity ago!
They’re all at least a little different than anything I have. I might actually end up buying the entire collection, but I could totally change my mind by the time they’re available. My favorites are Pelican Gray, Sea Spray, Below Deck and Sunset Sail.
WOW! Those three colors are actually the only ones I’m planning on getting from this collection. And they DO look awesome, just as I had hoped. Thanks!
I LOVE Below Deck. I need it, I’m buying it. I seriously cried when Channelesque wasn’t available.
Ever since I saw the first pics of this collection, I’ve wanted these three. But now that I’ve seen your swatches, I NEED them !
Thanks for the sneak peek !
I love these colors so much. I want to take them to bed and kiss them in soft, private, little places
I love sea spray, Pelican grey is also pretty
Overall, the collection looks pretty awesome 
I LOVE Pelican Gray. Really I love all greys but this something really nice about a soft grey in spring time
Just from the picture, the green looks really similar to OPI Jade is the new black… I wonder how close they actually are? Can’t wait to see swatches of the full collection! Already in love with the these three polishes, especially Sea Spray!
They’re pretty! The grey reminds me of “I Vant To Be A Lonestar” from OPI Texas though??
I have my greedy eyes on several of those shades. I am looking forward to something different for this coming Spring. Last year’s colours were lovely but I can stomach only so many pastels.
I think I like the 3 shades you have here the best out of the collection (based on bottle pics alone), although the green, blue and that pearly-looking-gold-flash color may have promise as well. Sea Spray and Pelican Gray (oh, who am I kidding, probably Below Deck as well) will be mine! I’ve been wanting Sea Spray since you first showed it months ago!
I want to get Pelican Gray from this gropu, as well as a few other colours from the collection. The Pelican Gray is very pretty. I love gray!
So SO SO excited! Have been lemming this whole collection since you posted sneeks dying over here!
Lovelovelove Sea Spray!!! I can’t wait for this collection!
I love all three of these! So pretty!
i just bought a bottle of Channelesque the other day from this little nail supply place by my house. yeah…you know places like that have like one of everything. i guess i was lucky to get it huh? i think channelesque might slightly darker…but still really close. i want ALL of them by the way. ALL OF THEM!! in the mean time sally beauty is bringing back a few famous glitters in the TREASURES collection. it should be on the shelves next month. i just bought atlantis, silver lining, and im wearing pom pom as we speak. LOVE THEM!! go get them before the girls who work there buy them all…cause i work there and as i just said, i already bought 3.
So pretty! When you get the chance, can you compare Sea Spray to Essie Sag Harbor? I LOVE the essie and am not sure if I also need Sea Spray, but I’d be happy to be convinced that there’s a reason to have both!
I second the above comment. =)
I already know I neeed this whole collection! Can’t wait, the swatches are so pretty!
How does “Sea Spray” compare to Essie “Sag Harbor?”
Cannot wait to get my paws on all of these!
The first time you posted about Sea Spray, it was love at first sight!! I can’t wait until this collection comes out. I think I will be buying at least half or more of the collection. Can’t see how anyone could be “meh” about such incredible colours. And I still haven’t worn all my CG fall colours yet:)
I can’t to own them all
I am so excited about this whole collection! I will be buying every colour I think!
Sea Spray is definitely going to be one of my faves!
Another one who wants to see how Sea Spray compares to Essie’s Sag Harbor. They look eerily similar.
Hi Michelle,
Because of your blog, I have been venturing outside of my jewel-toned nail color box. Below Deck intrigues me in a way that I never thought a muddled greyish-mauve would. My reds, blues, and purples have to scoot over and make room for this new color obsession.
I didn’t know Carolyn New York was no more! I think Below Deck is so gorgeous – can’t wait for that one.
I am heavily intrigued by every colour in the second row. I see more polish in my future…since that’s EXACTLY what I need!
Love these colors! But Sea Spray does look like Essie’s Sag Harbor. Can you do a comparison?
How does Pelican Grey compare to Zoya Harley? Is it as blue as it looks in the pic?
i’m the one who asked via twitter, thanks!
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Someone on Twitter asked me for light gray cremes recs from the major brands and I couldn
China Glaze always has such a fun collection of colors! Its hard to find in NYC
Got Sea spray on my nails now with white cap over it. White cap is 2nd row all the way to the right.
went to my supply store to get the Katy perry OPI’s that they DID NOT get yet (AAAARGGGH!) and saw they had the CG for sale already! YAY! not a wasted trip at all!
I never got my hands on sag Harbor, but after googling pics online, I see a definite shimmer/frost (whatever) to sag harbor on the nails that I do not see with Sea Spray. Sea Srya has the ever so slightest pearl effect in the bottle, probably just added to the formula for dimension but nearly undetectable on the nail. Sag harbor is a lot more noticable in the pics i saw. the color is quite similar but the finish is definitely different.
when will you show us all of the colors? you will do that, won’t you? i’m so excited about all of them, these colors are so gorgeous! i can’t wait to see swatches of all of them so i can decided which ones to get!
Doesn’t Below Deck look like Essie’s Smokin Hot?
how does below deck compare to you don’t know jacques i wonder? or parlez vous opi?
i’m still on the hunt for a parlez vous opi dupe
I am very excited about Below Deck! I bought Channelesque Last Christmas in Puerto Rico, had no clue that it was discontinued! I will be stocking up on Below Deck, as Channelesque is one of my all time faves
I just bought Starboard (the green) and Below Deck today. I haven’t tried them out yet but I’m really excited!