Fun With the New China Glaze Mobile App

Disclosure: Although I did not get "product" in return for this review, I did want to disclose that I found out from a press release that was sent to me by the company.

          When I saw that China Glaze had released a mobile app, I wasn't sure I was ever going to download it. The reason being is because I usually have so much on my phone as it is, that a nail polish app was the last thing I needed. However, upon receipt of the press release, I saw mention of a Color Match feature. Now, I must admit that I've unfortunately not had the budget to buy new polish for a while but I still wanted to see how it did and show you some screenshots.

          I first decided to test what would more than likely be a common usage for the color match feature, matching colors on clothing! I chose a sundress with some amazing turquoise flowers and yellow-green leaves for this test. So to give an idea on the steps involved in color matching:

1. When you are in the color match feature, it will come up with an in-app camera. You can take a photo here or use one that you previously took with your mobile device's camera. This is a common functionality with mobile apps that use the camera.
2. After you take the photo and approve it by clicking 'Yes' when it asks you if you want to use that photo (Make sure it is as clear as possible). You want to touch your finger to the area whose color you want to match.
3. Then you will see something similar to the screenshot above.
4. If you see a polish circle you like, you can click on it and get the color name, set, and item number!

          How simple is that? Here is what the product info looks like:

         So as you can see, one of the colors suggested for matching the deep turquoise is Custom Kicks from the "Kicks" set which is Item # 80902. Now, you may be wondering, are all of these colors currently available or will I run into some that are discontinued? This was the first e-mail I sent to the PR representative to be sure because I didn't want to make a whole long wishlist of insanely hard to find colors. She assured me that all of these colors are available on ChinaGlaze.com. That was probably some of the best news I had heard on this front. Below you will find the other colors from the deep turquoise match that I attempted:

          Another thing I would like to point out with the above screenshots is that there are a variety of finishes. Not only will it suggest solid colors but glitters, crackles, and other assorted special effects or texture polishes that the company may currently have out. Also, if you look at Electric Beat, it's not a turquoise but it is very complimentary to wear with the dress. So the goal isn't to give you everything matchy matchy (although that usually comes up as an option) but something that compliments whatever you are trying to put polish with.

         There are two geeky themed match sets that I decided to do and I wanted to share with you. The first is from a piece of cel artwork from The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass that I have on my wall so I decided to have a try at matching Link's hat and hair as well as Ciela the Fairy's body.The second is from a promotional still of a walker (zombie) from The Walking Dead.  I have chosen one screenshot of each color sample just to give an example of how well it works.

         All in all, as you can probably see, I am having tons of fun with this app. I think it is a great resource for China Glaze fans who love all things geeky as well as love nail art. I think this is an invaluable way to find the closest match as possible for specific nail art and to add it to your collection. I love how all of the information is at your fingertips. There are a few spelling errors but that is to be expected for a brand new release such as this. The only thing that I would add if I were the developer is allowing people to click on the color and purchase it from their phone. This would make it even easier for people to find the color that they want rather than calling around to various stores to see if they have it.

Final Word: 4.0/5

         Do you have any ideas on how you are going to use the app? Do you have an occasion coming up or just have a fun way to find new polish colors? Let me know! I'd love to hear from you!

Movie Tie-Ins: Awesome or Gimmick?

So, with the advent of movie tie-in sets for cosmetics, and more specifically nail polish, I wanted to take a moment to look at some of the recent sets and put my thoughts on how well they embody a movie's themes while still releasing a quality product. I've found that when shopping for nail polish especially, this is a difficult task. Some companies put together an amazing set overall that really fits the themes and some only partially do it with some off the wall colors. Luckily, I have yet to see a set that entirely misses the mark. This relieves me because a lot of these tie-ins are movies or general subject matter that I love.


From L to R: Steady As She Rose, Mermaid's Tears, and Stranger Tides.

One of the first movie tie-ins that I bought polishes from was the Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides set from OPI. This set comprised of true pastels (a hue with both white and black  mixed in) and ended up to be some great subtle shades. I use this a lot for zombie themed nails where I put the Silver Shatter on top. The reason I still love this collection? I have yet to see the colors duplicated which is something that OPI is infamous for doing.


From L to R: Gettin' Piggy With It, Excuse' Moi, Divine Swine, Fresh Frog of Bel Air, Gone Gonzo, Rainbow Connection.

From L to R: Wocka Wocka, Meep Meep Meep, Designer... De Better, Warm and Fozzie, Pepe's Purple Passion.

The Muppets collection is one that I fell head over heels for. There is only one thing that I found out later that has me a little irked that I hurried out to buy it. One of the more popular colors, Rainbow Connection, is available in the Nicole by OPI set Kardashian Kolor under the name Rainbow in the S-Kylie. You can find swatches here at Polish-A-Holic's blog.

Even then, it's nice to know when a polish can possibly be replaced but there should be a line drawn. These collections weren't even released 6 months apart. I also just purchased most of the colors out of the Amazing Spider-Man collection and I am very happy with them so far. Now the color Your Web or Mine? doesn't necessarily fit the theme, but I think the color is a great one when not associated with Spider-Man (more to come in my upcoming review).

From L to R: Metallic 4 Life, Fly, Pink Friday, and Save Me

Some of these thoughts not only apply to the movie tie-ins but to pop culture tie-ins in general. There was one color of the Nicki Minaj set (pictured above except Superbass Shatter and Did It On 'Em) that was too close to one of the Shrek Forever After colors for comfort. Comparison shots show differences between the two but it also was a strange color for me (Fiercely Fiona being a yellow and Did It On 'Em being a warm yellow-green). Yukie has done some awesome side-by-sides here.

China Glaze's Capitol Colours set was probably one of the only ones where I haven't found myself disappointed and finding dupes. I personally own Fast Track, Stone Cold, Agro, Harvest Moon, Riveting, Electrify, and Luxe and Lush. Even after the change in marketing, names, and inspiration, I felt that most of the colors were spot on and the set itself was balance between bright, glittery, cremes, mattes, and neutrals.

All in all, I think it is wise to do as much research on colors as possible before you rush out and buy a limited edition collection. Also, buying partial sets is something that everyone can and should do. With my blog being so focused on geek oriented items, it's so hard to figure out what's worth my money going toward. How do you feel about movie tie-in sets? Do you love them? Hate them? Let me know!

NotD and Review: China Glaze's Optical Illusion

So I decided on a simple mani today. I decided to go with China Glaze's Optical Illusion which is a part of their new Prismatic Chroma Glitters collection.

In the bottle, the nail polish looks absolutely stunning. At rest, it looks aqua/turquoise with plenty of silver glitter mixed in but when I lifted the bottle up, the glitter shifted to highlight the purple. Photos really do not do this polish justice at all.

While the shift is a lot more subtle on the nail, I wasn't disappointed. The formula took only 2 coats (although 3 are on my nails for swatching purposes) in order to get a solid glitter look to it. The glitter stays in place, but you still want to wait 1-2 minutes for the polish to set before adding another coat. This ensures that the glitter won't shift.

I initially had a couple of problems getting the nail polish smooth (no lumps in the middle of my nail) but now, after some practice, it's a smooth formula and goes on a lot easier.

As you can see, in natural light, the shifting quality is captured just a little better.

On the Left is Optical Illusion... On the Right is Prism

Girl on Fire Week - Review - China Glaze Capitol Colors - Fast Track

No flash, indoors.

Today's edition of Girl on Fire Week is a review of China Glaze's Fast Track from their Capitol Colours collection.

Although this color is now supposed to represent District 6 for Transporation, it will always represent what it originally was supposed to, Katniss Everdeen. Some of you may know that China Glaze changed the marketing strategy for this set, and I'm absolutely okay with that as the new marketing appeals to a wider audience.

With that aside, this has got to be one of my favorite colors out of the entire set. It's a sandy brown packed with gold glitter. The perfect every day color for someone who wants a little bit of pizazz. It reminds me of how Katniss came from The Seam which are the slums of District 12 but as she becomes the Girl on Fire, there's another side to her.

The color itself is a two coat color so a good formulation. My only complaint is that even with a base and a top coat, my polish tends to chip on certain fingers. I am very hard on my manicures as I type at a computer a lot and my phone is a touch screen so if you want this to last, a few touch ups will be in order. Luckily, though, the chips aren't that apparent if they're small due to the neutral nature of the polish, so I've not really had an issue with letting it chip a little bit. With that in mind, it stayed for about a week.

Overall, one of the best colors if not the best color.