Today's Word of the Shay is AWAKENING. Dictionary.com tells us that Awakening means “the act of awaking from sleep”, “a revival of interest or attention” or “a recognition, realization, or coming into awareness of something”. To that I say Wake up! Gimme your attention and become aware of these fabulous nail colours!
The China Glaze Awakening Collection contains three great shades for guys and ghouls alike (corny I know), just in time for Halloween. With sparkling finishes and fun Halloween themed names I definitely had to get my hands on these, and then these on my hands!
You can find these at many online shops (e-tailors) and in various beauty and nail stores, prices will vary. I purchased mine at my local Sally Beauty Supply for $6.49CAN per bottle.
Read on for the description of each color, my thoughts on the polishes and of course the swatches!
Ick-A-Bod-Y is a coppery orange glitterama! It’s a brown-green base that’s packed full of orange sparkle. I decided to just do two coats here to allow you to see –a little- of the base through the glitter, most predominantly on the ring and pinky fingers. I think it’s definitely wearable at two coats for those who hate to go to three. At three coats the base isn’t really noticeable and you have yourself full power glitter nails. No matter the number of coats you go with, this is a beautiful polish and perfect for Halloween and Autumn in general. The consistency here is on the thick side for sure, and gets a little goopey if you try to fuss with it too much. My advice, don’t fight with it to try to get thin coats, when you just go with it and let it do it’s thing it’s much easier to apply and works quite well.
Being so chalked full of glitter, the texture once dry is rather gritty and rough, and like a lot of super glittery lacquers this one will chip pretty easily if knocked around a little. Both of these problems are combated by sealing in the goodness with a thick topcoat (my favorite is Seche Vite), it will smooth out the top, protect against chipping, and add a nice shiny finish. For the photos, I used only two coats of Ick-A-Bod-Y and nothing else, no base or topcoat, I personally prefer it with the glossy finish the topcoat will give, but to each there own.
Mummy May I is a blackened purple base with pinky-purple glitter. Its personally what I consider the least “Halloween-ish” of the collection (purple is an everyday fav here), but it’s still very fitting with the theme because of it’s dark appeal. It has quite a bit of glitter, but nowhere near the amount of Ick-A-Bod-Y. This polish was just slightly on the thick side as well (not as much as Ick-A-Bod-Y), but you shouldn’t have a problem with the formula, it remains relatively easy to apply and should be opaque in two coats, no real need for a third. The glitter here does give a bumpy finish, so I suggest using a topcoat again. Photos are two coats of Mummy May I, no base or topcoat.
Zombie Zest is a dirty yellow-green with green and golden chartreuse microglitter. It’s like dirty olive and bright chartreuse are having a naughty romance on your nails, and the result is spectacular. This polish has a lovely depth, and so much shimmer and sparkle, it’s my favorite of this collection. Unlike the others, I did three coats here. Two coats is still pretty, but a little sheer, so I’d peg this one a 3-coater in my books. The glitter here is not chunky or large particles at all. The formula is smooth, not thick or runny, a real joy to work with and since the glitter is very fine (micro) it dries down to a smooth finish. In the above photos, I opted to use three coats of Zombie Zest, and I did top it with Seche Vite since I was planning on wearing this one for awhile.
Here’s the round up:
PROS:
-Frighteningly fun & fabulous names
-Festive fall colours
-Glitter lovers delight, 3 different variations on gorgeous glitter polishes
-2 of the 3 offerings are pretty opaque in 2 coats (All *can* be worn in 2 coats without looking bad at all, Zombie Zest just remains a little sheer)
CONS:
-All 3 lacquers have some sort of glitter effect, no non-glitter finishes
-2 of the polishes are on the thicker side (especially Ick-A-Bod-Y)
-2 of the lacquers dry with a rough texture (can be a problem for those who choose not to wear a topcoat)
-At least 1 of the selections is not as chip resistant as most China Glaze Lacquers (Ick-A-Bod-Y)
-Glitter polishes are notoriously hard to remove (That applies here with the exception of Zombie Zest since it’s microglitter, Mummy May I takes a little elbow grease, and Ick-A-Bod-Y with it’s full force chunky glitter is the most difficult)
VERDICT: BUY!
If you like glitter, head out and grab the Awakening Collection while you can, as they are indeed limited edition. If you’re not a glitter person, then pass on these shades. My favorite of the three is Zombie Zest, it’s a beautiful colour and easy to work with, but even Ick-A-Bod-Y which has the most cons, is a great polish. Most of the downfalls here apply to ANY polish which is mostly glitter, but they’re small sacrifices to have gorgeous sparkly nails. Anyone who’s familiar with using glitters shouldn’t have a problem applying these polishes, those new to glitter polishes might have a little trouble with the thicker lacquers at first, but you should get the hang of it pretty quickly. I hope that helps anyone thinking about purchasing from China Glaze’s Awakening Collection.
Leave me a comment below and let me know how you feel about glitter polishes. What’s your favorite polish finish? What are your plans for Halloween, and will you be in costume?
Have a great day and thanks for reading!
