2014 China Glaze haul

Today I finally found time to swatch some new China Glaze polishes and can't wait to share their coolness! I received these about four days ago and have been staring at them ever since. I have:
• Rest in Pieces (Apocalypse of Color 2014 collection)
• Choo Choo Choose You (All Aboard 2014 collection)
• Mind the Gap (All Aboard 2014 collection)
• Carpe Diem (Celebrate Courage 2014 collection) 
• Sheer Bliss (Celebrate Courage 2014 collection)
• Life is Beautiful (Celebrate Courage 2014 collection)

I thought these were the picks (well, my picks) of each collection. Judging from some online research; I found that a lot of the colours of the collections were near dupes to others and I just didn't need them. In time, I will use these in manis, but for now swatch sticks will have to do!

First up is Rest in Pieces. This is from their 2014 Halloween collection "Apocalypse of Color". Altogether there are six shades, but one is the glow-in-the-dark top coat and there are two pink-toned ones. I am always up for new groovy glitters and this does not disappoint. The base is clear with copper, gold and black flecks plus holographic bars. Copper is the dominant metal and that is a nice change from all the golds out there. I applied one thickish layer over a nude and I think this would look really good over other brown and gold tones.

I have two polishes from the 2014 All Aboard collection. That is a massive collection of twelve or so polishes and most – to me – were fairly non-eventful. I chose two that I thought were different and something I did not have.

mind the gap

choo choo choose me

Top we have Mind the Gap. This is a olive green golden shimmer that leans towards beige. A very pretty tone and opaque in two coats, but a third would not hurt. There is a bit of Princess Sabra going on but this is much darker and the quality is not as silky. Below is Choo Choo Choose Me – a very groovy and unique shade. The bottle looks purple in the direct dun, dark green in the shade. You have some Ozotic-esque type duochromes going on. And then again a bit of bronze. Definitely opaque in two coats.

I thought this could be close to OPI Peace & Love & OPI so I did a comp. OPI has much more purple tones to it. Choo is a bronze based duochrome.

L>R: life is beautiful, carpe diem, sheer bliss

L>R: sheer bliss (3 coats), carpe diem, life is beautiful

Then I have three polishes from the 2014 Breast Cancer Awareness collection called Celebrate Courage. I really like the fact that these three dry matte! The other three are red glossys – really not that exciting.

L>R: carpe diem, life is beautiful, sheer bliss (2 coats)

Carpe Diem is a pink tinged white. In the bottle it looks white but it is not. It rather has the colour of white wash when you add red sox!!! Very dainty, good consistency, two coats opaque. Life is Beautiful is a classic bubblegum pink, but in matte. Same consistency, opaque in two. Sheer Bliss is a vanilla tinged white. This has a much runnier consistency and you need three coats for opacity. I tried with two but you will note non-coverage on the swatch. All three are gorgeous and I can imagine them on bridal nails or as a good base for art.

Blue skies and acrylic painted waves

This post is late as I have been tiki-touring with my son who is visiting! These are blue nails as his favourite colour is blue. I really like how this mani turned out and in the end, it was not that complicated. I am still wearing it at the five day mark - they look no different than these pics taken on day one.

I started with a one coat base of white (I used China Glaze White on White) and top-coated that for a quicker dry time. Then I sponge-gradiented a two-tone blue all over the nail. Not as a typical flowing gradient, but more of a botched look. I used piCture pOlish sky and OPI Can't Find my Czechbook. I alternated between the light and dark colours being on the top and bottom of the sponge. Then I top-coated again.

I mixed light blue and white acrylic paints and using a flat brush in a one-stroke technique I painted waves on the tips of my nails. This was really just drawing stripes with the flat brush in two tones. I tried to only go over once to keep the saturation but had to top up a couple of places. Then I drew simple orange half-flowers on the side of the nail and highlighted with white dots and reflections, and blue lines. Thumbs got two flowers! One last coat of Out the Door brought it all together.

Clean-up was a bit more involved as the sponge work was messy (though I applied Vaseline around my cuticles first). But I got there in the end. I have gotten heaps of compliments on these. They have a pastel look to them as the background is a mellowed blue. The sponge work created a nice canvas that has depth but is not over-powering. Even the Mr liked it!

right hand

Coral-red-caramel color block ruffian design with striped tips and flowers

Wow! Had no idea what to call or how to concisely describe this mani. I guess I have been going to SEO school too much as that is what it reads like. I wanted to personally use my new Zoya Cashmeres (that I won - thx Zoya NZ). I have used four of the six colours on clients already, but I wanted a turn at it. My next mani will probably be blue based (to celebrate my son coming to visit!!), so I wanted something very non-blue.

The base is a two-tone. I started with one coat OPI Live.Love.Carnaval over the whole nail. This is an absolutely fab summer coral - bright and carefree. My fav from the Brazil collection. I applied a second coat only on the cuticle end and up the one side. Then I applied two coats of Zoya Livingston on the one side, steady Freddy in a line up the middle. Livingston is a good dense red. A tad orange-toned vs blue-toned but still red. Doing your own nails is goofy as you approach your hands at an angle (well, I do) so some of my middle lines are slanted. Funny enough, my right hand looks leveler than my left.

Using Zoya Flynn I created a ruffian on each nail. Two coats here. Flynn is a beautiful shade and very cashmere-y. A camel caramel latte light brown. Definitely opaque in two coats with the red and coral underneath. I can imagine this being a really good year-round base for glitter and nail art. I top coated with Out the Door and started mixing acrylic paints.

The tips were painted using four shades of red, orange, coral and rose pink. I used a long thin striper brush, alternating colours between the nails. I think I started with coral and worked from there. When done I placed some white dots randomly around the tips. I think this would be a good idea for the entire ruffian as well – but I was too lazy to do that and left it with the tips. The tips almost look like sugar spun, kind of. From a distance.

I thought I was finished but the nails needed more, of something. So I painted petals with Livingston and using black acrylics added wisps and lines. In the middle of the flower I applied a dot of China Glaze Blonde Bombshell, a really thick micro gold glitter. Another idea was to apply rhinestones but that would be a waste as I am sure I will redo my mani Sunday night. Another coat of top coat and done. Also, I only did my left hand  and my accent right as time - and patience – was running out.

right hand without accent done but with harvey

This is a very warm soft feeling mani. The caramel shade looks like tanned summer skin and the coral and red together just give a Caribbean vibe.

My Ripponburn ladies 13:14

Back in the saddle with my wee ladies!!! There had been a bit of sickness so my original day was pushed till yesterday. It was all very exciting to see them all again. I had eleven waiting! Plus the odd man (heehee) and two who ended up leaving. One story is a tad sad as her dementia has gotten worse since July and, oh well, she left the room - and that's how it is. I brought them all a giftie - I hand-painted flower hair clips during my study in Thailand - and some wore them in their hair, others as a brooch. So fun!

ina

janice

I've upped the experience and each lady now receives full base-polish-top coat and cuticle oil (all pics taken before cuticle oil application). In the times to come I will need to arrive earlier as we were pushing the wire, way after five. Probably takes 15 - 20 minutes a lady as you chat and talk and do this and that. Everyone gets their turn and it is important to be there for each lady. And each will want something different. Ina started and chose a newbie (Zoya Cashmere collection) and I added a ruffian glitter. The nude caramel creme of the Zoya (Flynn) was very luxurious. Janice was next and I must remember for next time to get Janice, Joyce and Helly (who left) in as early as possible. Janice has to go back to the ward as she gets treatments so she needs to go early. She loves blue and selected a beaute of teal blue. Simple, easy.

gladys

nellie, also top blog pic

Gladys and Nellie allowed me to do whatever. In fact, Nellie liked Gladys' so much she wanted that, but I changed it a bit. Gladys is doing extremely well in not biting her nails. On both I did alternating accent glitters (pinkie, index, thumb, ring) whereas Gladys has the same base throughout, Nellie has a different one under the glitter. Nellie has really beautiful hands!

joan

margaret

lillian

Miss Joan was the best, as always. Without telling her beforehand she chose the dusty rose. I bought that colour especially for the ladies and both she and Margaret chose that. I knew it!!! Just a wee hint of light silver glitter made both mans very elegant. Lillian chose bubblegum pink - she felt like something bright and cheerful. She usually goes with reds and darks, but not today!

lena

dorothy

It was getting later and later and Jenny decides she wants nail art!!! She's the one who always starts knitting before the nails dry. I looked at the clock and asked what she had in mind. First she said a white stripe on black, then she saw my own nails and wanted intricate flowers – but I talked her out of that! No black except for paint so I asked her if chocolate brown would do? So started her with that while I went on to almost blind Lena and her red nails. In rolls Dorothy and she wants red, too. So that was kind of easy!!

joyce

Now it is patient Joyce's turn and she usually goes with pink. Shocker today!! Let's go with teal glitter. No base colour, just the glitter. I only did one coat here otherwise it would have been too overpowering. This brings us to Jenny and her chocolate brown nails (another Zoya Cashmere-y). It was getting dark (hence pics out-of-focus) and the cafeteria ladies kept coming in to see where she was. But I got the white lines done (not the best effort). Jenny loved it, I think they look like a Hostess cupcake! Whew! That was a great afternoon – just need to allocate more time next visit.

jenny

Mani breakdown:
all had Seche Clear as a base, two coats of base polish and Out the Door as a top coat.

Ina: Zoya Flynn, ruffian in China Glaze I Herd That
Janice: Manshong teal blue
Gladys: BYS Drop in the Ocean, glitter accents in China Glaze Your Present Required
Nellie: BYS Drop in the Ocean, glitter accents in China Glaze Your Present Required over Zoya Sailor
Joan & Margaret: Kyo Kyo dusty rose topped with BYS Cold as Ice
Lillian: Thai Flower Pot pink
Lena & Dorothy: Zoya Livingston
Joyce: LA Colors Treasure Island
Jenny: Zoya Louise, white acrylic paint