China Glaze
I’m In The UK Nail Magazine – Scratch
Wow kids, check me out! UK Nail Magazine, Scratch, wrote about my meet-up with the gals from China Glaze. How very fun is that? I know I’ve been doing this whole blogging thing for a while now but I can’t help but be amazed when media or brands take notice of what I do. Heck, I’m shocked as all get-out over how many of you keep coming back for my pics and ramblings. So thanks for your loyalty and HI to the Scratch readers just discovering me!
China Glaze Immaterial Gurl
You know that we are living in a material world
And I am a material girl
A material, a material, a material, a material world
Material Girl lyrics by Peter Brown & Robert Rans
Even though Madonna’s song was about materialism and not fabric, it’s hard for me not to look at the imMaterial Gurl collection from China Glaze without hearing those lyrics in my head. I can’t sing to save my life but in the comfort of my polish room, I was belting it out like a champ while testing these shades.
A collection of six textile themed cremes, the imMaterial Gurl nail polishes are a girly change of pace compared to their bolder Spring/Summer offerings, Ink and Ecollection. With a diverse range of hues to flatter most skin tones, rich pigmentation and a high gloss shine, these are not what I’d call “must have” colors but they’re definitely good staple shades to round out your collection.
For the most part the formula was spot on. Two coats for perfect, even coverage. The only notable exceptions are Second-hand Silk and Heirloom Organza. The consistency was a bit thicker and not as flowy so, I had to use three coats. All shades are shown without a top coat, just their natural glossiness.
The imMaterial Colleciton is available now and can be purchased online from 8ty8Beauty.com and Head2ToeBeauty.com. China Glaze is also carried in ULTA and Sally Beauty Supply stores but call for seasonal collection availability.
China Glaze Fall 2008 Preview
Talk about your polar opposites. For Fall 2008 China Glaze is going geek chic and country wild with two new polish collections that will appeal to your inner cowgirl or fangirl. In total 18 new shades are coming our way in a range so varied, there’s a little something for everyone.
Saddle up your horses with China Glaze® Rodeo Diva, a new collection of western-inspired polishes that gives nails a reason to ride. Rodeo Diva features twelve Old West hues to hit the trail or the treadmill. Do it Western style.
Can I get a Yee Haw?? A little, “I got spurs that jingle jangle jingle?” OK maybe not but you don’t have to be able to wield a lasso or ride a bucking bronco to enjoy these colors. And can you guess which ones I’m most excited about? Hello! Just check out the descriptions; plum, forest green, purple, blue/green. I’m in!
The Rodeo Diva Collection comes in two palettes, Hay Ride & Flannel Fixation
Hay Ride includes:
Wagon Trail – Dark Brown/Gold Shimmer
Side Saddle – Deep Plum/Gold Shimmer
Lasso My Heart – Rose/Gold Shimmer
Yee-Ha! – Peach/Gold Shimmer
Prize Winning Mare – Neutral Brown/Gold Shimmer
Golden Spurs – Light Brown/Gold Shimmer
Flannel Fixation includes:
Branding Iron – Deep Maroon Shimmer
Cowgirl Up – Burgundy Shimmer
Red Stallion – Tomato Red Shimmer
Midnight Ride – Dark Purple Shimmer
Gussied Up Green – Deep Forest Green Shimmer
Rodeo Fanatic – Blue/Green Shimmer
The Story of the Quest for Color
Violet Glaze is the color-championing heroine of Operation Colour, a new collection from China Glaze. Entering the world from her Pink Underground, Violet (code name Agent Lavender) plans to launch a Revolution, one bottle of polish at a time against hue-hating villains, The Removers. They want to draw the shades on …shades, while Violet struggles to set things bright. She sees a Golden Opportunity when a Secret Peri-Winkle is passed to her: The Removers are on the move and Violet is right behind them, leaving color in her wake. Code Orange! Color is coming!
Doesn’t that make you want to slip on a catsuit and kick ass? I want to join the revolution against The Removers. Ha! I’m not bona-fide comic book fan or anything but I had Wonder Woman Underroos as a girl and consider that horrifying monstrosity, Supergirl, with Helen Slater a guilty pleasure. Crazy-eyed Faye Dunaway, come on you have to secretly love it! So I’m totally down with the graphic art vibe of the Operation Colour Palette.
Operation Colour includes:
Revolution – Red Crème
Code Orange – Orange Shimmer
Golden Opportunity – Gold Shimmer
Pink Underground – Pink Shimmer
Secret Peri-Winkle – Purple/Blue Crème
Agent Lavender – Lavender Crème
Rodeo Diva will hit the retail trail in late August with Operation Colour flying on shelves in October.
China Glaze Summer 2008 – INK
Tattoos are a controversial topic. You either love or hate them. They’re regarded as both beautiful and tacky, depending on who you ask. But no matter what your opinion is, tattoos are extremely personal; a memorial, an artistic expression, a memento of a wild escapade, a drunken regret, a terrible reminder of past events or loves. Inspired by this colorful body art, China Glaze has put together a collection of neons that you can use to create your own tattoo-like nail designs.
Tattoo art has moved out of back alley parlors onto the couture collections of fashion’s top designers. INKâ„¢ by China Glaze is a collection of neons for brilliant self expression. Customize and personalize
…Ink My Nailâ„¢.
INK includes six bold new shades, a set of nail decals and rhinestones, a black nail art lacquer with fine tipped brush, a limited edition bottle of their yummy smelling Orange Cuticle Oil AND the six existing neons from the WOW collection. Now that’s a lot of neon.
A quick word about the finish. As with other neons I’ve used, these all dry to a semi-matte finish. It must have something to do with the type of pigment used to create neon shades. So if you’re looking for high gloss you’ll have to add a shiny top coat. Therefore I’ve shown all the lacquers with two coats of color on the nail and no top coat; exceptions are noted.
Blue Sparrow is a royal blue peppered with light blue glitter. The glitter leaves a gritty feel to the dried polish so between that and the matte finish you really need to use a coat of a thick glossy top coat to bring out the lacquer’s true brilliance. I’m showing you the color without top coat but I included an up close swatch with a coat of Seche Vite.
Celtic Sun is a neon yellow with a hint of green undertones. The polish is shown with three coats on the nail yet the smile line still shows through. I personally prefer a more lemony yellow. This color has a very 80s retro feel to me. It’s a shade right out of the Wham! Wake Me Up Before You Go Go video.
Japanese Koi is the shade of a perfectly ripe tangerine. It’s got a slightly pink base that keeps it from being day-glo orange.
With it’s hot pink base Rose Among Thorns is no average rose. I found this image of the beautiful Cerise Rose and thought this could have been the inspiration for the shade. 
Sacred Heart is a dusty red that is unlike any red I own. There’s something about the satin finish on this one that reminds me of the skin on cherries. Odd reference I know, but it keeps popping in my mind. 
Flying Dragon is my personal favorite from the collection. It is a deep purple that has a reddish tone to it in person. The red and blue glitter really makes this polish unique. Like I mentioned above, the finish is my only real issue with both glitters. For some reason this seems to be a bigger problem with Flying Dragon. According to a rep for China Glaze it is the unfortunate downside of blending neon with glitter. Their suggestion, two coats of Seche Vite to avoid a rough finish. 
The INK collection is available now in salons and online at 8ty8Beauty and coming soon to Head2ToeBeauty.
So who’s going to be sporting bold, bright neons this summer? Which colors are standouts?
China Glaze Spring 2008 – Ecollection
It seems like “going green” and focusing on the environment is on everyone’s minds and it is affecting every aspect of our daily lives. And if it’s not everyone, it certainly should be. Now more and more beauty companies are starting to get on the “green” train and China Glaze is no exception. This Spring they introduce the ecollection a set of polishes with an earth conscious theme that comes in recycled paper packaging.
To preserve the beauty of our world’s colors, tread lightly and leave only footprints. In Blahniks or Birkenstocks, going green is always fashionable.
Overall I’m a fan of this collection. I’ll admit the grouping is odd in terms of shade until you read the names and reflect on the theme. So let’s talk formula. As you may already know this new Big 3 Free formula that was introduced last summer is thicker than the old formula and therefore requires a bit of getting used to. I’ve found that it applies best in two medium coats. Too thin and it pulls/drags on the nail, too thick and you get bubbles. All the manicures pictured below were done with two medium coats of lacquer.
Tree Hugger reminds me of a green apple but with multi-tonal green shimmer. It’s like the perfect spring shade for me. Just looking at it makes me happy. I could go on and on about how gorgeous this polish is but it really speaks for itself.
Solar Power can only be described as “taxi cab yellow.” It is a loud and proud shade and with the yellow trend popping back up for spring/summer Solar Power, with it’s golden shimmer, fits right in. I have to admit that I prefer the jelly finish of last year’s Yell-O-Neil from the Surf collection. Simply because its glass like look is so completely unique.
Shower Together is a slightly lighter version of the oh so popular Aqua Baby from the Patent Leather collection. It’s like Aqua Baby and For Audrey had a baby which makes this blue green stunner is a color I could just swim in. Doesn’t it look like pool water?
Unplugged isn’t a shade I normally think of when I look towards Spring but it adds a nice balance to the collection. A red based brown with ribbons of gold shimmer running throughout, the overall color is that of a deep bronze with flecks of gold.
Hybrid is a pinky beige with silver shimmer. In other lighting it’s a dusty nude rose. So hard to describe which is what makes it stand out. Does anyone else think it’s similar to Chiaroscuro but without the green shimmer? I’m just not sure I love this on me. What do you think?
Recycle is a shade a lot of us have been longing for. A mid-tone gray creme that reminds me of rubber wire coating. Even though some of the MUA nail girls have franken’d their own gorgeous grays, I love being able to get it without the muss and fuss. Gray is going to be the next big shade in polish, especially in fall so, I’d get this one now before gray becomes a scarce commodity.
The China Glaze ecollection is available now in salons and online at 8ty8Beauty and Head2ToeBeauty
Thoughts? Questions? Comments? Weigh in lovelies!
Lisa N.
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