Morgan Taylor Kung Fu Panda 3 Collection Review & Swatches

Kung Fu Panda 3 opened in theaters last weekend and to celebrate the newest panda on the block, Mei Mei, Morgan Taylor partnered with Dreamworks to create a feminine collection of colors to match her style and personality. This collection of six bold, girly shades embrace Mei Mei’s fun, fearless personality in a diverse range of finishes.

Formula & Application

Morgan Taylor nail polish is 5-Free (Formaldehyde, Toluene, DBP, Formaldehyde Resin, Camphor). The tapered glass bottles have a weighty, substantial feel and the smooth plastic cap has a bit of a curve at the base which rests comfortably between fingers. The brush is long, flat, dense and medium in width. The bristles are firm but can fan out to give good coverage.

The two cremes in this collection are perfection. Pigmented, smooth, almost one-coat wonders. The shimmer/frost/sparkle shades are a little more finicky. The frost (It’s Gonna Be Mei) is thick with pigment, so it can become gloopy and drag at the tip. However, it gives excellent coverage, becoming opaque in two coats. The two shimmers are are nice and smooth, though the purple needed three coats. Finally, the glass-flecked creme has a squishy, jelly-ish feel that requires three THIN coats to avoid dragging.

Swatches

Morgan Taylor Extra Plum Sauce is a vibrant grape shimmer. It’s so electric with its pinky shimmer. I was immediately smitten with it, even more so when I discovered I have no dupes for it in my collection. Everything else is either too light, dark, muted, etc. It’s completely original and that makes my day.

Morgan Taylor It’s Gonna Be Mei is a frosty rose shimmer. It’s got that chrome finish that require careful strokes to avoid brush mark madness. China Glaze Emotion is similar in tone, but a bit lighter.

Morgan Taylor Kung Fu-Chsia is a pearly fuchsia shimmer. It has a metallic feel and can suffer from brush strokes, but the color has so much depth and saturation to it. As far as similar colors, OPI Flashbulb Fuchsia is warmer and China Glaze Don’t Desert Me is brighter and more purple.

Morgan Taylor Po-Riwinkle is a pretty true periwinkle creme sprinkled with clear glass flecks. The flecks are pretty subtle so don’t expect full-on sparkle. The color is the perfect blend of cornflower blue and lavender. It’s a little cooler than OPI You’re Such A Budapest and warmer than L’Oreal Spring Showers.

Morgan Taylor Tigress Knows Best is a true red creme. As you can see below, it’s a very close match to those famous red soles. I’d say Tigress is just a bit more cherry than Rouge Louboutin, but not $40 worth of difference.

Morgan Taylor Warriors Don’t Wine is a plum creme. It’s not as blackened as a lot of wine shades tend to be, which means you won’t be playing the “almost-black” game indoors. It’s definitely plum. I also don’t own any shades that compare. They’re all too dark. Zoya Haven has a similar base color, with its shimmer being the major distinction.

Bottom Line: At first glance, this collection is not my style, but from a totally objective point of view, there are some beautifully crafted colors here. Extra Plum Sauce and Po-Riwinkle are totally worth the third coat. And if you love cremes, Tigress Knows Best and Warriors Don’t Wine are pretty flawless. The two frosts have some application challenges, so they’re not “musts” for me.

The Morgan Taylor Kung Fu Panda 3 collection is available for a limited time at salons nationwide. Morgan Taylor nail polish retails for $8.50/ea at LoxaBeauty.com. For more information visit MorganTaylorLacquer.com. The Kung Fu Panda 3 collection is also available in Gelish MINIs for $13.99/ea at SallyBeauty.com.

Are you planning to see Kung Fu Panda 3? Are you loving these Mei Mei-inspired colors? Which ones are you going to snag?

Disclosure: Product samples were provided by reps for Morgan Taylor. Affiliate links may appear in this post. When you purchase through an affiliate link, you help support this site. For more info view my Disclosure Policy.