China Glaze Fall 2015 – The Great Outdoors Swatches & Review
China Glaze Fall 2015 – The Great Outdoors
When it comes to camping, I’m the one who would be sitting at the “indoor kids” table in Wet Hot American Summer (one of my fave films). Though, in spite of my lack of Wilderness Girl skills, I registered for “adult camp” with a group of girlfriends. We’re talking four days at an old-school camp with bunks, bug juice and tug-of-war. Since it’s adult camp, field games are infused with booze and breakfast includes a bloody mary bar. I’m sure it will be fun, but I’m already trying to figure out how many bottles of bug spray I can fit in my bag.
Even though my camp adventure is a year away, you have to sign up that early because tickets sell out in days, I’m excited about seeing my faraway friends and creating crazy fun memories. The China Glaze Fall 2015 “The Great Outdoors” collection is giving me sleepaway camp vibes with its mix of earthy neutrals, rich metallics, and nighttime darks.
Formula & Application
China Glaze nail polish is 3-Free (Formaldehyde, Toluene, DBP). The tapered cylindrical bottle has a similarly tapered cap made of textured plastic that is comfortable to hold though not easy to grip if your cap gets stuck. If that happens, grab a rubber band.
The thin, round brush is both medium in length and firmness with enough give to allow for ease of control. Given my love of thin brushes, it’s no wonder China Glaze is on my list of Top 10 Nail Polish Brushes.
There are a huge range of finishes in this collection, so the consistency and opacity varied, though my overall experience was very positive. The cremes are all thin giving full coverage in two coats, with the exception of S’more Fun, which needed three. The three duochromes are a little sheer, so I used three coats and a careful application to avoid brush marks. The two foil metallics are a little thick and barely need a second coat, but can be a little lumpy if you aren’t precise. I recommend using as few brush strokes as possible.
China Glaze Fall 2015 Swatches
China Glaze Cabin Fever is a rusty red duo-chrome that flashes greenish gold. Face forward it even has a hint of pink to it. It has a fiery underbelly yet it has a cloudy haze over top at certain angles. It’s really unique. FingerPaints What a Night has similar tones but the finish and saturation are very different. I looked for similar duo-chromes in my collection and came up empty-handed.
China Glaze Cabin Fever
China Glaze Cabin Fever
China Glaze Cabin Fever comparison
China Glaze Change Your Altitude is a warm grey creme with pink undertones. It can look a little tan in indirect light, like cement in the sunlight. I thought Essie Take It Outside would be a dupe, but you can see below that Altitude is darker and cooler.
China Glaze Change Your Altitude
China Glaze Change Your Altitude comparison
China Glaze Check Out the Silver Fox is a silver metallic foil with some darker flecks that keep it from being overly bright. As you can see below, next to China Glaze Icicle, Silver Fox is more somber with less holiday glitz.
China Glaze Check Out the Silver Fox
China Glaze Check Out the Silver Fox comparison
China Glaze Free Bear Hugs is a SUPER vampy black cherry creme. It gives Chanel Vamp a run for its money in terms of almost-black. I don’t have the original Vamp (or Rouge Noir) to compare, so you’ll have to take my word for it. I thought Deborah Lippmann Miss Independent was dark, but this takes it one step further.
China Glaze Free Bear Hugs
China Glaze Free Bear Hugs comparison
China Glaze Gone Glamping looks somewhat sage thanks to the golden shimmer over the mossy green base. It can look more intense and blue in indirect light, which I love. It’s a chameleon that way. It falls between Chanel Peridot and Zoya Aggie and is dissimilar enough for me to need all three (hoarder alert!).
China Glaze Gone Glamping
China Glaze Gone Glamping
China Glaze Gone Glamping comparison
China Glaze Let’s Dew It has a clear, shimmery base filled with purple, blue and silver glitters in varying sizes and shapes. What’s really cool is that is also has a flash to it. Straight on, it can appear rather icy blue, but at an angle the bright purple glitters pop out to make it warmer. This is two coats using my dab, dip, glide technique and it covers pretty well.
China Glaze Let’s Dew It
China Glaze Let’s Dew It comparison
China Glaze My Lodge or Yours? is a muted mauve creme that leans more blush than purple. It’s giving me chiffon dress feels. Essie Ladylike is it’s closest relative in my stash, though Ladylike is a bit brighter and warmer.
China Glaze My Lodge or Yours?
China Glaze My Lodge or Yours? comparison
China Glaze Pondering is an indigo duo-chrome that flashes purple and emerald. In the bottle, Zoya Ki looks similar but its reddish tones take over on the nail. OPI Glacier Bay Blues is darker with less apparent flash and OPI Peace, Love and OPI’s green flash dominates too much for them to be twins.
China Glaze Pondering
China Glaze Pondering
China Glaze Pondering comparison
China Glaze Sleeping Under the Stars is a dusty midnight blue with subtle reddish shimmer that looks like little fireflies trapped under the surface. The shimmer only stands out in direct light, fading into the background otherwise. As you can see, it looks less intense next to OPI Russian Navy and Essie Midnight Cami.
China Glaze Sleeping Under the Stars
China Glaze Sleeping Under the Stars
China Glaze Sleeping Under the Stars comparison
China Glaze S’more Fun is a key lime pie yellow creme. You know how key lime pies aren’t really green (naturally), they’re more yellow with a tinge of green? That is happening here. And even though I needed three coats with this one, it’s not annoyingly patchy, like a lot of yellows can be.
China Glaze S’more Fun
China Glaze S’more Fun comparison
China Glaze Take a Hike is a forest green creme. It’s a little blackened and a little greyed. This one was hard to capture on camera, you guys. It tends to look more blue than it really is. It’s dark but you can still tell it’s green. JINsoon Metaphor has a similar tone, though Take a Hike is less saturated.
China Glaze Take a Hike
China Glaze Take a Hike comparison
China Glaze Wood You Wanna? is a warm brown foil metallic. The silver flecks cool off the overall reddish tone of the mix. Morgan Taylor Now You See Me is almost a dupe, except for its gold flecks.
China Glaze Wood You Wanna?
China Glaze Wood You Wanna? comparison
China Glaze The Great Outdoors – Fall 2015
Bottom Line: There are some interesting colors in this collection that really stand out in my collection, like Pondering, Sleeping Under the Stars and Cabin Fever. I predict SUtS being in my regular fall rotation. Plus, Let’s Dew It’s flash is so unique that I’m already plotting out layering combos and Take a Hike is my kind of green. The thing is, the color palette doesn’t seem cohesive. Like what is S’more Fun and Silver Fox doing here? Neither one feels outdoorsy or that original. I’m all for a duo-chrome or shimmer come fall, so overall I like the collection, there’s just a bit of a disconnect.
The China Glaze Fall 2015 “The Great Outdoors” collection is available nationwide at Sally Beauty and ULTA and online at Amazon.com, SallyBeauty.com and ULTA.com. China Glaze nail polish retails for $7.50/ea.
Are you an outdoor or indoor kid? Have you been to adult camp? Thoughts on The Great Outdoors? Which ones do you plan to buy?
Disclosure: Product samples were provided by reps for China Glaze. Affiliate links appear in this post. When you purchase through an affiliate link, you help support this site. For more info view my Disclosure Policy.
Lisa N.
Ms Meatballhead
Birdie
Spa pediccure chairs
Its so great seeing all of these swatched!
Another Fall collection to add to my wish list!
sleeping under the stars looks awesome.
Very interesting collection, kudos to China Glaze!
Any idea why the key lime color is called S’more Fun? Most s’mores are tan, brown, and white. Sure, my s’mores have some interesting colors because I buy handmade flavored marshmallows, but even we haven’t tried to pair key lime with chocolate. Bavarian Cream and Cherry are our favorites, in case you are wondering for your camping trip.
I really like the duo-chomes and I’m a sucker for silver. But the only colors that remind me of camping are Wood You Wanna, Take a Hike, and Sleeping Under the Stars.
I was wondering the same about this sort of neon chartreuse color and the connection with s’mores.
How fun to go to an adult camp!!! Can’t wait to read about that… even though it’s in a year! Well at least you have time to plan. I really loved this collection. My fave is Take a Hike, but I was able to get it opaque in 1 coat. Same for Change Your Altitude and My Lodge or Yours. My bottles had very thick formulas not thin at all like yours. Thanks for this review
You brought up OPI Glacier Bay Blues, my absolute favorite polish ever. (Talk about hoarding every last drop…) Pondering isn’t quite there, but it’s closer than anything else I’ve seen. Might have to get it…
I love a few like Sleeping Under the Stars, Free Bear Hug and Cabin Fever.
Wow, for the first time in AGES, I want some new China Glaze polishes. These look great (not a fan of the neon gree but the rest look fantastic). Awesome swatches, thank you!
I am so not a camping person. My parents dragged us to a hunting cabin with no running water and no electricity multiple times in multiple summers, and I think that’s when I developed the view that humanity spent millenia building the indoors to get AWAY from the outdoors.
That said, I’m getting Cabin Fever, Pondering, Wood You Wanna? and Sleeping Under The Stars.
When I looked at the polishes in this collection at Sally’s, I only saw half of it and it was of no interest to me. Looking at your swatches, I’m mesmerized and now I want the whole collection. Thanks.
I really like all of these. They are great fall colors except for the yellow green and the silver ones, like you said. The first one on my wish list though has to be Cabin Fever.
I agree about the cohesiveness. I’m totally confused as to why some on them are included.
I purchased the set of minis , Pondering, and Dew it. I was most excited about Pondering, but Change your Altitude stole my heart. I do not own a dupe for it, and it applies like a total dream. I may go back for Gone Glamping. I think it was weird that Sally does not seem to carry the whole collection, in stores or on their website.
Take A Hike reminds me of OPI’s Here Today Aragon Tomorrow.
I love China Glaze, and Im crossing my fingers that multichromes are making a comeback. These combinations are gorgeous.
I haven’t bought Let’s Dew It to do a direct comparison, but it seems like a possible dupe for Essie Stroke of Brilliance. Also, thank you for all your swatching! Going to be making a trip to town today!
I got Cabin Fever (snagged the last bottle woah!), Let’s Dew It, Wood You Wanna, Gone Glamping and am wearing Pondering right now and omg is it stunning!!!
This collection is honestly a home run to me. The only odd one is S’mores. The Silver Fox works because the moon.
Cabin Fever looks a lot like Nubar Iris Dust!
Your swatches are truly the best! Good lighting, no disturbing flashes/sun, great true color display and the awesome comparisons. You make a polishhoarders life so much easier <3 Thank you for all your effort!!
Thanks for a great post!
Wow… you have THE most comprehensive swatch review of a collection I have ever seen. These pictures with the comparisons of other brands are fantastic, thank you! Enormously helpful, really appreciate the effort you must have put into this.
Found your blog looking for swatches from this collection. I love it when other people take nail polish as seriously as I do. It’s the only cosmetics that I wear on a regular basis and it makes me feel fabulous. I’m headed to Ulta today to pick up the colors I want. Thanks!
the bottom 5 pics seem like duplicates of the first few colors…am I the only one seeing this?
Sorry, I’m not seeing that.
Oh some of these are super pretty! Thanks for swatching and showing!
Disappointed that Sally Beauty does not have the full line. I’ve checked both their website and my local stores. Strange.
Tweet, Fb or email them about it. I’ve gotten responses on twitter in a day or less. I was wondering about that myself, as I didn’t see any appealing colors in the display but I see ones I’d like here.
Excellent review. It’s made me greedy. Lol. I thought I might want one or two from this collection but now I am debating wanting the whole thing. I love that you include possible dupes/similar colors right in your reviews now.