China Glaze Romantique Polishes

I got some China Glaze polishes I am VERY excited about!! I missed this collection, so when I saw them for below retail I jumped at the chance to buy them. This was the spring 2009 collection. (I will be reviewing the shop I bought them from in my next post! Please stay tuned for that!)

So here we go! I have taken a picture of a swatch with the bottle in both bright sunlight and normal light, I have also provided a scruffy swatch of how it performs in konad stamping. Excuse the picture quality, I had to do them on my iPhone.

I bought Harmony, Emotion, Cherish, Devotion & Adore

Bright sunlight

Normal light

Scruffy demo of Konad stamping


Firstly, Harmony. This is a beautiful metallic deep grape purple. It covers well and is a lovely deep colour without too much silver, it isn't too frosty. It does very well with konad as it is a pigmented one coater!

Bright sunlight

Normal light

Scruffy demo of Konad stamping


Emotion. This is a lovely deep pink, not quite dusty rose, but along those lines. This is a one coater that also does very well for stamping and isn't too silver frosted, yet it maintains the metallic feel.

Bright sunlight

Normal light

Scruffy demo of Konad stamping


Cherish. This is a lovely light yellow-based green. This is has been described as mint before now, however I wouldn't say that was too accurate, as mint tends to be more blue based, whereas in person this just doesn't look too minty at all. It appears a little more frosted, however the colour pay off is still good.

Bright sunlight

Natural light

Scruffy demo of Konad stamping


Devotion. This is a lovely metallic silver shade, though in some lights it looked a little purple, though maybe that's just me going a little bit loopy! Anyway, it is a staple silver metallic that everyone needs; it is pigmented, smooth in application, and is great for Konad stamping. It's very frosted, but very gorgeous.

Bright sunlight

Normal light

Scruffy demo of Konad stamping


And Finally, Adore. This has to be one of the most beautiful blues ever! It is a bright and beautifully metallic blue, though not overly frosted. It is very pigmented and very smooth to apply, it is also thick so great for Konad stamping. Who doesn't love a blue like this? It is definitely one of the beauties of the collection.

Bright sunlight

Normal light

Scruffy demo of Konad stamping


So, my overall thoughts. I am always on the lookout for normal nail polishes that apply well, dry well, are beautiful in colour and texture, but also can Konad stamp, and these polishes tick all the boxes. They are very good quality, pigmented, beautifully metallic and very well textured polishes. If you can get your mitts on them, I say do so! :]

China Glaze Anchors Away "Sea Spray"

This is also from the Anchors Away Collection. This is a lovely unique shade. It is a shimmery greyish powder blue, quite similar to Pelican Grey, however more of a blue tinge to it (see comparison pic I have provided below, sea spray is the top finger pelican grey is the bottom finger). This was super thick in consistency and did make a fair bit of mess, hence the messy swatch, but I have found all of this collection are very thick minus the glitters. This meant the drying time isn't the quickest, but I wasn't there forever waiting for it to dry, but it isn't as quick as most of my China Glaze. The shimmer in this is like a lighter silvery colour, maybe it is a lighter blue, I don't know it is difficult to tell! This is one of the must haves from the collection, and I'd definitely recommend it!

Sea Spray on top finger (index), Pelican Grey on bottom finger (thumb)

China Glaze Anchors Away "Ahoy!"

This is from the current Anchors Away collection. Sorry about the messy swatch I didn't have much time to do it! This is a hot pink (a deeper hot pink then Limbo Bimbo) and it has pink glitter in it. The glitter in this seem really quite chunky, and so it is very obviously glittery. As soon as I saw this swatched on Temptalia I knew I had to have it, and in real life I certainly wasn't disappointed. This is possibly my favourite pink. The gorgeous bright and deep colour, the chunky glitter and the pigmentation and drying time is fantastic. Absolutely love it!

China Glaze Holiday '10 Jolly Holly

This is another shade from holiday 2010. This is a lovely shimmering deep green, and very seasonal! It is very pigmented and perfect in 2 coats. This is more yellow based then watermelon rind and a bit lighter in shade as well. It isn't the most unique green, however it is still a very pretty colour, and I do love my greens! :]

China Glaze Limbo Bimbo

This is the ultimate girly colour! Could it be any more Barbie?! It is part of the permanent line so it will be available for the foreseeable future! If you have a collection of pinks then this needs to be a part of it! It is a glossy and shimmery pink, and it is certainly eyecatching. It is pigmented and perfect in 2 coats! An ultimate hot pink, it is a brighter and less shimmery Ahoy! Ifyou want a girly nail look, look no further, here it is!

China Glaze Holiday '10 Ruby Deer

This was from the holiday 2010 collection. This is a really gorgeous and bright pinky red, probably one of my favourites! It is a plain colour, it has no sparkle in it, so for those who get sick of shimmer, this would be a good simple colour. It is thick in formula and very pigmented, so you don't need a whole lot on. This is also a very glossy colour, and I found it stayed glossy for longer then most of my varnishes! If you love your reds, I'd say it was one for your collection.

China Glaze Holiday '10 Little Drummer Boy

This is from the China Glaze Holiday 2010 collection. Little Drummer Boy is a deep and dark blue with a shimmer throughout. It reminds me a little of MAC Ming Blue. It is very much on the blackened side. If you don't like very dark varnishes then this isn't for you. The consistency of this is thick and pigmented, and it dries pretty quickly. I'd advise a top coat or it can go a little dull. I did have a little problem when removing it as it dyed the colour of the surrounding skin blue, though it was removed after a while with plenty of elbow grease, patience and nail varnish remover! Overall, it is a nice colour, but not the nicest from the collection.

China Glaze Good Witch?

This was from the Wizard of Ooh Ahz Returns collection. It is a rose pink with darker pink glitter. I love the colour and it dries super quickly. However, you need about 5 coats to get it properly opaque as it isn't very pigmented, and it isn't a very glossy colour as it isn't smooth because of the glitter, so it appears more matte. I am a lover of the glossy appearance, so I was a littledisappointed with the finish. It dries very quickly so having to do loads of coats isn't a problem. But the none glossy and slightly rough finish is not up my street. A top coat is definitely needed. The colour and glitter is really pretty, and so lovely that I put up with the negatives

Review; China Glaze Temptation Carnation

This is a very transparent colour. It is a pink colour with some iridescence to it. This is perfect if you want subtle nude nail colour with a bit of a shimmer, or if you want to jazz up a french manicure. It could also be nice over the top of another nail polish colour as a top coat with a pink iridescence. However, it will never be opaque, no matter how many coats you do.

Review; China Glaze Cowardly Lyin'

This is a nice enough colour, but it is very very sheer and needs a fair few coats to get it opaque. This goes on as it appears in the bottle, however a little sheerer then the rest of the colours from the same collection, it is a yellowy gold with gold glitter. This is definitely not my favourite from the Wizard of Ooh Ahz Returns collection, it is just too sheer for a China Glaze nail varnish and although I love yellowy gold colours, this polish just didn't wow me, it just lacked that special factor. I think it appeared more yellow then gold in certain lights and this put me off a little.

Review; China Glaze For Audrey

This is one of the nail polish shades I have been most complimented on, by both men and women, whenever I wear it. I originally bought it because my Mum is named Audrey and it is her favourite colour is turquoise, and it is also her birthstone, so it reminded me of her. The fact it is such a cult and awesome product just happened to be an added bonus. It is a beautiful green tinged blue, I wouldn't know whether to call it an aqua or a turquoise, either way it is a very bright, cheery and flattering colour! This really brightens me up when I wear it. I really like Chanel, and was GUTTED with a capital G when I couldn't get Nouvelle Vague, however this China Glaze shade is the closest you are ever going to get, and it's good quality and cheaper by about £10! I am therefore not as heartbroken :]

If you can get it, go for it, I doubt you'd regret it.