I first saw this collection and thought my dreams had come true; a beautiful collection of bright summery cremes to create leaf/palm print looks with. What I got was 1 creme, 1 shimmer and 4 mattes; not what I was expecting. There are 12 shades in the entire collection but I feel like this micro set contained the 6 worst.
Cabana Fever // Matte White
At first I thought it was just my swatch wheel that made this dry matte as polishes can have a weird finish on them sometimes but this a matte polish and I don't like it. If I want it matte, I just use a matte top coat. The shade dries with a ridiculous amount of brush strokes in it and is riddled with streaks. The fact that it then dries matte highlights these flaws even more. It does dry super fast and you can sometimes see it hardening as your applying it if a thin enough layer is used but this just creates a lumpy, streaky texture. I'm wearing 3 coats and that just about covers patches but I just hate the effect; it's bumpy, uneven and amateur looking. It is a little annoying though that on camera, it doesn't look that bad.
Don't Be Sea Salty // Neon Pink Jelly with Shimmer
A sheer neon jelly silk shimmer? There's a polish description I never thought I'd say...or write. I've done two coats and it does have amazing pigment however it dries with a silk finish. Again I would've preferred a creme with the ability to become matte with a top coat. The shade itself though is kinda like a cheap highlighter felt tip...guess I am being sea salty. I much prefer this with a nice shiny top coat applied as it then becomes a nice flamingo-esque shade and the shimmery pieces stand out more.
All Sun & Games // Neon Pastel Orange Jelly with Shimmer
This is the same formula as Don't Be Sea Salty and again, it's got that same felt tip highlighter feel to it. It dries with a silk finish which once again highlights the imperfections and streaks. So far all of these shades have dried within 60 seconds which is honestly the only good thing about them. For this swatch I'm wearing 2 coats.
Boujee Board // Sheer Silk Plum
When I first applied this I thought I'd finally found a nice creme, but no! It's another matte polish. The shade itself isn't as bad as the other three and wheres it's sheer; it's not streaky. I'm wearing two coats. With a nice glossy top coat, I think it's a nice fun shade but nothing special. I had difficulty photographing this one though as the photos kept coming out as pale lilac...very strange.
Mer-Made For Bluer Waters // Sheer Sea Blue Shimmer
Finally! A nice shiny polish. This is much weaker than I was expecting though. I thought this would be a pigmented ocean blue metallic, instead it's sheer shimmer. I'm wearing three coats and it's not a terrible shade but there are many basic blue shimmers just like this. It is lovely and summery though and reminds me of a deep pool with light reflecting off the surface.
Water-Falling In Love // Sheer Baby Blue Creme
A creme! A real creme finish! It's a miracle. After the weirdness and inconsistency in formulas it's nice to be back in familiar territory. The first coat goes on quite streaky but the second evens everything out. Because it's a sheer polish you could go for a third coat but I think two is acceptable. This is my favourite shade out the set mainly because this is what I signed up for. If the other shades had been this formula I'd be singing a different song.
//Verdict
Er yeah, not great. I wish I had done some research on the set before I hastily bought it as the I don't think I'm going to use these shades again. I'm not quite sure what China Glaze were thinking with all the strange finishes. I can see why you'd have a white polish to help with the neons but why make it a matte? I don't have many polishes that dry matte for good reason; they look weird.
I've learnt my lesson though. Between this and the OMG collection, I feel like I've kinda been turned of China Glaze. I thought the Merry Whatever shade I got in the December Mani & Lola was amazing but I think I'll stick to my Cuccio and Barry M for the time being.
A creme! A real creme finish! It's a miracle. After the weirdness and inconsistency in formulas it's nice to be back in familiar territory. The first coat goes on quite streaky but the second evens everything out. Because it's a sheer polish you could go for a third coat but I think two is acceptable. This is my favourite shade out the set mainly because this is what I signed up for. If the other shades had been this formula I'd be singing a different song.
//Verdict
Er yeah, not great. I wish I had done some research on the set before I hastily bought it as the I don't think I'm going to use these shades again. I'm not quite sure what China Glaze were thinking with all the strange finishes. I can see why you'd have a white polish to help with the neons but why make it a matte? I don't have many polishes that dry matte for good reason; they look weird.
I've learnt my lesson though. Between this and the OMG collection, I feel like I've kinda been turned of China Glaze. I thought the Merry Whatever shade I got in the December Mani & Lola was amazing but I think I'll stick to my Cuccio and Barry M for the time being.
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