Swatch My Stash! China Glaze #1: Some Reds and Pinks

Eeeeek! It’s time for some China Glaze swatch-o-rama goodness! I can’t believe I’ve already motored through all of my OPI polishes. I can’t believe I’ve stuck with this project for this long, either! Between you, me, and the dog … Well, I have a tendency to get sidetracked. I feel like I’m locked in on something, only to have a “squirrel!” moment. And then, off I go, onto another tangent.

Today, I’m starting off with my China Glaze reds and pinks. I’ve decided to lengthen these posts just a little. Instead of the 5 or 6 polishes I did in most of my OPI posts, I’ve decided to do at least 10 per post, when available. In the case of my pinks and reds, I have 24, so I’ve decided to split them into two posts. Let’s jump into some pinks and reds — woo hoo!!

Free Bear Hugs is from the Fall 2015 Great Outdoors Collection. It is a brown-toned, oxblood red or maroon base with a jelly finish on the nail. The formula for mine is great. It is opaque for me in 2 coats, and the application is nice and easy.

This is a gorgeous, gorgeous color. I feel like I’m starting off this post with a bang by listing this polish first. I mean … look at it! It is rich, deep, elegant, and so luxurious. I love it for Fall or Winter. It’s beautiful around the Christmas holidays or Halloween. Or, heck, just any time I want a vampy nail look. She is a keeper, for sure!

Ruby Pumps is from the 2009 Wizard of Oooh Ahz Collection. Actually, I think the 2009 collection was a re-release, with most (maybe all?) of the polishes from Oooh Ahz originally releasing somewhere around 2001. Whatever the case with the release date, I believe this beautiful lady is part of the core line now. This is a vibrant red jelly base packed with red glitters. I feel I can see a slight blue undertone in the base color. The formula is great. It is generally opaque for me in 2 easy coats.

I am not exaggerating at all when I say Ruby Pumps changed my life. The moment I put this beauty on my nails, I was all, “Wait. I do like red! I do! I do!!” It was the first time I had felt so enamored with a red polish. The first time I wore this, I was obsessed, big-time. I did not want to take it off. I think there are two types of polish junkies out there: those who love Ruby Pumps and those who find it overrated. Everyone is entitled to their opinion. But this polish-lovin’ gal is firmly in the LOVE IT camp. This is my favorite red ever. It is something of a classic. I have a tendency to buy other glittery-sparkly-jelly reds because they remind me of this one. And I hope I never have to live without this polish in my stash. Needless to say, she is a keeper for me! (Bet you couldn’t have guessed, right?)

Peppermint to Be is from the Holiday 2015 Cheers Collection. It is a blue-toned red jelly base with shimmer. The shimmer has always looked red to me, but it might be gold. The formula is great. It is easy to apply and opaque in 2 coats. I love the finish on this one, once it’s on the nail.

I haven’t worn this polish very much. Yet. But I love it. It is so, so, so, sooooo pretty. I like the deep, yet bright, tone of the red base. The shimmer sparkles all the way through every layer of the base, and it shows up nicely on the nail. Overall, this has a delicate and feminine look that I find appealing. The similarities to my beloved Ruby Pumps are probably obvious. But I find the shimmer in this polish gives it a different look. This one is a keeper.

Y’all Ready For This? is from the Fall 2016 Rebel Collection. It is a warm-toned red with shimmer running throughout. The formula is good. It is easy to work with and opaque in 2 coats. The shimmer shows nicely on the nail.

This polish is lovely and very shimmery. It has a nice glow to it, giving it a lit from within sort of appearance on the nail. I like reds, but I haven’t worn them as much as other colors in my collection. Over the last few months, I feel I have been warming to the color more and more. I think I may be starting to get out of my little comfort zone where reds are concerned, and that’s a great thing! Normally, I would feel this one was more warm-toned than I would like. But it is so pretty and delicate. I want to hang on to it for a while to see if I will wear it at all in the coming months. So, she is a keeper — for now.

The More the Berrier is from the Holiday 2016 Seas and Greetings Collection. It is a berry-toned, pinkish red. Or, maybe, a reddish-pink. The formula is good. It is smooth, easy, and opaque in 1-2 coats. It has a slightly shimmery, foil-like finish on the nail.

In some lights, this polish looks metallic on the nail. In others, it looks more foil. It reminds me of fancy foil wrapping paper. This is a beautiful polish, overall. I like the way the color rides the line between pink and red. The finish is lovely, and it doesn’t show brush strokes at all. Even so, I’m not sure how much I like the look of this on my nails. It’s also one of those polishes that, for me, would probably be something I would only bust out around Christmas. There’s nothing wrong with this, but I already have reds I love for the holidays, as well as for other times of the year. So … it might not be worth keeping this one. I’m going to hang on to it through the holidays this year to see if I wear it and how I feel about it on my nails. So, she is a keeper — for now.

Strawberry Fields is from the Summer 2009 Summer Days Collection. It is a reddish-pink (or pinkish-red?) with gold shimmer. The formula is great: opaque in 2 easy coats. The shimmer shows nicely on the nail.

This is a relatively new polish in my stash, although I have worn it. And I love it. I like the color a lot. It’s a bit of a chameleon, as the base looks pink in the bottle but more red on the nail. The gold shimmer is spectacular. It glows off the nail and gives the polish a delicate look. This one is a keeper.

Ahoy! is from the Spring 2011 Anchors Away – Knotty Nauticals Collection. It is a raspberry glass fleck with slight shimmer. The formula is good. It is even but streaky on the first coat and opaque in 2 coats.

This polish is a beauty! I’ve never considered myself much of a “pink” gal, but I have a soft spot for deep, dark pinks. This one fits that description perfectly. It is deep, dark, and rich, and I feel like it manages to be elegant and playful at the same time. I love the look of it on my nails, and I think it would be a fantastic toe color, too. This one is a keeper!

Don’t Desert Me is from the Summer 2015 Desert Escape Collection. It is a purple-leaning magenta with delicate shimmer (silver?) running throughout. The formula is fabulous. It is slick but not too much so. It goes on evenly and is opaque in 2 coats.

Wow. Just … wow. This color is Beautiful. And the formula is so, so perfect. I love the look of it on my nails. It also water marbles and stamps like a champ! This polish is one of those all-purpose wonders! I’m definitely keeping her. In fact, I’m sitting here thinking I might need a back-up bottle.

Purple Panic is from the 2005 Nervy Neons Collection. It is a vibrant, hot, blue-toned pink. I mean, of course it’s “hot”. It’s a neon! The formula is decent. It goes on kind of sheer, but fairly even. As with most neons, it dries at light speed and has a rubbery, matte finish on the nail. It is generally opaque in 2-3 coats.

I actually have 2 bottles of this polish. Not because I love it so much, but because I accidentally purchased a second one. Believe it or not, I’m pretty sure this is one of my oldest China Glazes. I purchased the first bottle before I was back “into” polish hoarding, and before I realized I don’t much like neons. Or matte polish. Aaaand, I purchased the second bottle because I have a bad habit of looking at neons in the bottle and not realizing they are neons. D’oh!! I have worn this polish, though. My first bottle is slightly less than half full. The second bottle, of course, is new. I feel a little sentimental about this one, just because it has been with me for so long. But I don’t love it. I’m going to destash both bottles.

You Drive Me Coconuts is from the Summer 2013 Sunsational Collection. It is a bright, vibrant pink. The formula is meh. It goes on sheer and is opaque in 3-4 coats.

Oh my gosh, but this is a pretty color. I’m the first to admit I’m not wild about the pinker things in polish life, and even I think it’s a gorgeous color. Just look at that bottle shot! But … I always, always struggle with this formula. No matter how careful I am, it ends up looking lumpy and ridgy on my nails. Also, the whole thing about having to use 3 or 4 coats for opacity is a deal breaker for me. If I loved the color enough, I would deal with that. But I just … don’t. Sorry, pretty pink. It’s not you, it’s me. And, well, it’s probably you, too. This one is heading to the destash pile.

Be Bright Back is from the Winter 2014 Ulta Exclusive Collection. It is a medium-toned, slightly rosy pink with a jelly/crelly finish on the nail. The formula is okay. It is thin and sheer, but it generally doesn’t run or flood on me. It is opaque for me in 2 coats with a hint of VNL, and totally opaque in 3 coats.

I like this pink. It is pretty and bright. I like the slightly rosy tint to the color, as well as the jelly appearance on the nail. Being a jelly, it does take more coats than usual to reach complete opacity. I’m not sure yet if that will end up being a deal-breaker for me, as I haven’t worn this one very much. I’m keeping her — for now.

Don’t Mesa With My Heart is from the Summer 2015 Desert Escape Collection. It is a blue-toned pink. This is what I think of as a “Barbie” pink. I think this one qualifies as a creme, but, to my eye, it has a crelly-ish appearance on the nail. The formula is good: opaque in 2 coats.

This is a nice, calm tone of pink. I like the blue undertones to it, and I actually like this one against my skin tone. I’m not sure I will ever wear it very much, but you never know. A gal can always use a nice Barbie pink in her stash, right? So this one is a keeper for me.

That will wrap up my first post for China Glaze pinks and reds! In going through my China Glaze polishes, I was surprised at how many pinks and reds I had managed to gather over the years. It’s not really a brand I immediately associate with those colors. I think most of us almost automatically think, “OPI” when we think about reds and pinks. Oddly enough, I believe I ended up destashing almost all of my OPI pinks. It was a nice surprise for me to find there are quite a few China Glaze pinks I really like and want to hang on to. (And wear!)