Friday, June 25, 2010

China Glaze Vintage Vixen Collection

I recently received China Glaze Vintage Vixen to review. I was so excited to try this collection and let me tell you… it certainly did not disappoint. Opening up the box was like Christmas for me. Each color had me oohing and aahing at the bottle, and I couldn’t wait to get them on my nails.


Here are the color descriptions from China Glaze:
Riveter Rouge – Deep red shimmer
Foxy – Burgundy frost with shimmer
Goin’ My Way – Brown frost with copper shimmer
Classic Camel – Khaki crème with gold micro glitter
Swing Baby – Taupe frost with silver micro glitter
Ingrid – “Greige” crème with copper micro glitter
Hey Doll – Rose frost with shimmer
Bogie – Plum frost with shimmer
First Class Ticket – Deep purple frost with shimmer
Midnight Mission – Navy blue frost with silver micro glitter
Emerald Fitzgerald – Turquoise green frost with shimmer
Jitterbug – Grey chrome with silver micro glitter















Classic Camel – I think of all the colors, I was actually the most excited about trying this one. I know that seems a little odd, but as beautiful as the reds, greens, and blues sounded (and looked in other swatches), the neutrals in this collection are the real stand-outs, and Classic Camel was no exception. It doesn’t photograph all that well, to be honest. It looks like a weird mustard color with gold micro glitter. However, in person, it’s gorgeous. It’s a very wearable khaki crème with lots of golden micro-shimmer. It doesn’t work all that well with my pink skintone, but I still see myself wearing this in the fall/winter. I had a bit of a wonky brush, so my application wasn't near perfect, but the formula itself seemed fine. It took 3 coats to reach opacity, but that also could be because it was hard to get the color even with the crazy brush.
















Ingrid – When I hear “greige”, I immediately think of something a bit lighter. So, I was a bit surprised to see this one in person. The base is a gorgeous murky color that I’m having some difficulty in describing. It’s definitely grey, and beige, but it also has a lot of olive green thrown in the mix. It’s swampy and gorgeous. LOL. The shimmer is beautiful coppery-gold. Picture is 2 coats and there were no application issues.
















Swing Baby – I know China Glaze calls this one a “taupe frost with silver micro glitter”, but IMO, this is a muted gold foil, and would fit in perfectly with Orly’s Foil FX collection. It’s a gold that actually works with my skin tone. The formula was a bit on the thinner side, but not hard to work with. Picture is 3 coats.
















Goin’ My Way – is a warm, spicy, deep golden-brown frost with copper shimmer. The shimmer is not very pronounced in this polish, unlike a few others in this collection. While it’s not what I consider to be a typical frost nail polish, you will get brushstrokes with this one. They aren’t bad, however, and do work with the color and finish of this polish. This is another gorgeous fall/winter color. Picture is 2 coats and there were no application issues.
















Hey Doll – For me, this is one of the more unique colors in the collection. The base is a brown-pink shimmer, and it is a bit frosty, so there will probably be brushstrokes, but like with Goin’ My Way, for this particular polish, it works. The base is beautiful, and incidentally, save for the shimmer, the same color as my bathroom shower curtain, and walls, but what makes this color so unique is the silver micro-shimmer flecks. You don’t even realize they are there in the bottle, but once you put the polish on, they are mesmerizing. The formula was a bit thin and yet thick all the same time, so I had to be sure to use 3 coats to reach opacity.















Bogie – is a grey-out, deep plum shimmer. Basically, if gunmetal grey and plum had a baby, it’d be this color. The finish on this one is very similar to Hey Doll. However, the micro shimmer, while pretty in shades of red, blue, and silver, is not nearly as pronounced as the micro shimmer in Hey Doll. This one had great application. It was almost opaque at one coat, though I had to do 2 to cover a few thin spots. BTW, for the names alone, if someone feels the need to do an Ingrid/Bogie konad, I think that would be totally awesome! I may just have to do that. LOL.















Riveter Rouge – After swatching about half of the collection, this color was a breath of fresh air. It’s definitely the brightest color in the collection, and if you are a lover of red shimmers, it’s a must. The red shimmer base leans slightly pink, but it’s most certainly a red. Like Hey Doll, it’s the micro shimmer that sets this one apart. It’s pink, gold, and silver. It’s a very sexy color, and I have a feeling my sister (who stole my Ruby Pumps) is going to be eyeing this one as well. I may have to hide it. LOL. While this is a fall collection, this is one that is wearable now. It would look amazing as a summer pedi color. I had no application issues. This one was perfect at 2 coats, though I applied 3 for some reason.
















Foxy – is the second of the 2 reds in this collection, and while China Glaze describes it as burgundy, it seems more coppery to me than a traditional burgundy. The shimmer is gold and in some lights, I think I see green shimmer, too, though that could be my mind playing tricks on me. This color makes me want to jump into fall. I had no application issues. Picture is 2 coats.
















Jitterbug –  Like Swing Baby, this one would fit in perfectly with the Orly Foil FXs. The color on this one is so unique. It’s a slightly-blue, gunmetal grey foil with silver shimmer. Also like Swing Baby, the formula was thin. I had to use 3 coats to reach opacity. The application was very smooth.
















Midnight Mission – this is another one that I was very excited to try. And, the color did not disappoint. It’s a gorgeous, deep blue, glass-flecked shimmer. That said, as fantastic as the color was, the application was the most troublesome of all the polishes in the collection. The formula was very thick, so thin coats may be the way to go. You could also add some thinner to it. However, if you are a blue lover, don’t let the thickness of the formula dissuade you; while the formula is irksome, the color more than makes up for it. Picture is 2 coats.
















Emerald Fitzgerald – is the green counterpart to BB Couture Blue Bahama’s blue. It’s a teal green shimmer, and as it’s labeled as a “frost” by China Glaze, there is a bit of brushstrokeyness to it. But again, it’s not much and it only adds to the finish of the polish. This one had a great formula. No issues and picture is 2 coats.
















First Class Ticket – Don’t let my picture fool you. This is as blue IRL. Instead, it’s a gorgeous deep purple shimmer which could be included with the likes of Essie Viva La Vespa, Essie Sexy Divide, and the new BB Couture Huckleberry Martini. However, it’s the shimmer in this one that makes it unique. It’s a beautiful bright blue and definitely stands out in this polish. Again, it’s labeled as a frost, but there were no brushstrokes in this one. The formula was a bit on the thicker side, but nowhere near as thick as Midnight Mission. Application was fine and picture is 2 coats.



So it should come to no surprise to you when I say I love, love, love this collection. It’s a great combination of reds, neutrals, darks, and different finishes, and it is very invocative of fall. China Glaze really knocked out of the park, IMO. There were a couple of formulas that were iffy, Midnight Mission is the main one that comes to mind. Also several of these were labeled as “frost”, though they aren’t your traditional-make-everyone’s-hands-look-like-you-are-95 frosts, and any brushstrokes you get simply add to the finish of the polish. And while I have my favorites, Ingrid, Riveter Rouge, Jitterbug, and Midnight Mission (for color only), there isn’t a single one I wouldn’t recommend.

China Glaze Vintage Vixen is due to hit US retailers in July.

These were sent to me for review.



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