China Glaze Holiday 2016 Seas and Greetings Collection Swatches & Review

This year for the holiday season China Glaze is doing things a little differently! They are taking us on a tropical escape from the snow and cold to give us "warmed up" winter in the form of bright shades, shimmer and vibrancy! Let's take a look at the Seas and Greetings collection!

Press Sample

Good Tide-ings is described as a cool blue lavender, or in other words, a periwinkle crème. This is a total one coat wonder, excellent buttery formula that is very opaque. I used two coats here, as usual.

Warm Wishes is a watermelon coral with super subtle silver shimmer. This formula was on the thin side, so it could be runny if you overload your brush. I noticed some slight streaks after two coats, so I used three layers here.

Joy To The Waves is a shimmering "serene" blue with a strong gold flash. This is thin and a bit sheer. I used three coats for full coverage. This type of shimmer can get brushstrokey so I recommend polishing with care.

Eat, Pink, Be Merry is a pale pink with subtle shimmer. Another thin formula, and a little sheer. I found that floating the brush over the nail instead of pressing down to be the best method of application to ensure a streak-free finish. This is three coats.

Partridge In a Palm Tree is an aqua green matte with silver shimmer. This is one of those mattes that dries SUPER fast. And if you put on too thin of a layer, it can crack upon dry down. I got the best results when I applied this very quickly with a good amount of polish on my brush. If you manipulate it too much you will get uneven streaks. Very opaque, this is two coats but you could get away with one if applied well.

And you know I had to show this to you with top coat. The shimmer comes out like whoa!

Let's Shell-ebrate has a clear base with purple hexes, super tiny purple microglitters and soft gold flake shimmer. I layered two coats over Eat, Pink, Be Merry. You could also layer two or three coats of this on by itself for a different look.

I wanted to show you a shot of Let's Shell-ebrate in the shade to better highlight the gold flecks, as they are quite prominent but the full sunlight photo washes them out a bit.

Snow Way! is a winter white with a strong iridescent gold shimmer flash. Pale shades can be tricky to apply, but this was pretty straightforward and not finicky. I used three coats here for full opacity.

Tis The Sea-Sun is a vibrant coral crème with a sprinkle of practically invisible shimmer. A more orangey red kind of coral, thin but not runny or difficult. I found this really easy to polish with actually! This is two coats.

Sand In My Mistletoes is a peachy nude crème. This was a little thin, but surprisingly opaque. I saw some faint streaky-ness on two coats though, so I used three for good measure.

The More The Berrier is a metallic magenta foil. A more typical holiday type shade, this reminds me of a bold party dress. This is absolutely a one coat polish, I even left it alone at one because it looked so great I felt another coat couldn't improve it any more!

Twinkle, Twinkle Little Starfish is an iridescent gold-to-green shimmer topper. I am convinced this was made to pair with Partridge In a Palm Tree, it looks perfect in my humble opinion haha. This is two coats over Partridge.

Seas and Greetings is a striking amethyst purple shimmer. This formula reminds me of the old school polishes that were full of chemicals, kinda sheer and a bit watery but when built up they look really dimensional and glowy. This is three coats.

This collection is available now at Sally Beauty Supply stores and online at www.sallybeauty.com for $6.99 each. This is a crazy refreshing color palette for me right now, being knee-deep in the usual holiday reds, greens and dark colors haha. It may not be everyone's cup of tea, but I'm really pleased with the departure from the status quo for the season. My favorite is the combo of Partridge In a Palm Tree and Twinkle, Twinkle Little Starfish. What do you think of this collection?

❤ Kellie

The products mentioned were provided for an honest review.

China Glaze Fall 2016 Rebel Collection Swatches & Review

Happy Friday everyone! Today I took a trip down memory lane with the Fall 2016 collection from China Glaze! Rebel gives us 12 shades inspired by the "quintessential juxtaposition of the 90s." I was born in '86 so I lived through the entirety of the 90s decade and it definitely left an impression on me. 90s fashion is coming back in a big way so this collection is super timely and really gave my nostalgic heart a twinge. Let's take a look at the colors!

Press Sample

photos via China Glaze, collage via me

Purple Fiction is a stunning royal metallic plum. This applied amazingly, a touch on the thin side but covered easily in two coats. And no visible brushstrokes, they seemed to melt away! I'm obsessed with this jewel-like shade. Pulp Fiction is one of my favorite movies of all time too, so I love the name.

Dope Taupe is a soft greige taupe crème. Perfect formula, opaque on one coat! I used two here. I still say "dope", I didn't realize it was 90s slang haha.

Blue-Ya is a sapphire blue jelly with gleaming blue and green shimmer flakes. Great formula, easy to apply and opaque on two coats. I couldn't stop staring at this when I put it on!

Heroine Chic is a charcoal brown metallic with flecks of red shimmer. This applied well but had a thinner formula than I expected. Still, only two coats were necessary for full coverage. This has some brushstrokes, but they look ok due to the metallic-ness of the base. I almost wish this was a crème though, and interestingly enough it was described as such in the press materials. *shrug*

Pearl Jammin' is a pale blue with a strong pearly opalescent shimmer. This was pretty thin, but was almost opaque in two coats. I used three for 100% coverage. A little brushstrokey, but such is to be expected with this type of shimmer. Reminds me of a seashell!

Y'all Ready For This? is a warm red with microshimmer that subtly reflects a blueish-purple. Nice, normal formula, two coats for opacity. This is very pigmented and it may stain your skin upon removal, so be careful. Even thinking the name of this gets that song stuck in my head haha.

Jagged Little Teal is a rich teal crème. Lovely formula, easy to apply and buttery smooth. Almost a one coater, but I needed that second layer to make it fully opaque. I really appreciate the Alanis Morissette reference, her music and lyrics fed my pseudo-angsty pre-teen soul. I probably definitely shouldn't have been listening and singing along to some of those songs at that age though haha.

Don't Mesh With Me is an iridescent lavender microshimmer in a clear base. I applied one coat over Jagged Little Teal. I would personally only wear this layered over another color, I am pretty sure it's meant to be a topper.

Buuuut, I thought I'd be a trooper and show it on its own anyway. This is three coats of Don't Mesh With Me. Not bad to build up application wise, but it'll probably never really be opaque.

Fresh Prince-ss is a baby pink crème. I found this to be streaky on two coats so I used three. This reminds me of the pink clothes worn in the movie "Clueless", which I've seen about a million times!

Combat Blue-ts is an insanely luxe looking royal blue matte crème. Mattes can be difficult to apply because they dry so quickly, so I used the three-stroke method when applying this and worked fast to get a smooth result. Opaque in one coat but I used two.

This is Combat Blue-ts with a top coat. Very pretty of course, but I think I prefer it matte for a more unique look. I didn't have any staining with this, but didn't wear it very long. I always wanted combat boots in the 90s but I never got them.

Holo At Ya Girl! is a green gold iridescent microglitter with small blue and green hex glitter in a clear base. I used one coat over Combat Blue-ts. Despite the name, there is nothing holographic about the glitter.

And this is Holo At Ya Girl! by itself at three coats. This one is wearable on its own, unlike the other glitter in the collection in my humble opinion, but it's not my favorite look. Since it's so blingy though, even though you can see through to the nail in the photo, in real life it's less apparent.

Teen Spirit is a deep inky purple with metallic shifty microshimmer. We saw a similar shade a few times last year from some other brands, but this is more purple than those. Nice, easy formula and opaque on two coats. Dries very shiny, but I always recommend a top coat. So glad they put a Nirvana reference in!

This collection is available at retailers like Sally Beauty Supply and Ulta Beauty now for around $7.50 each. What do you think of these shades? Were you a 90s chick? I am pretty pleased with the colors in this collection, and am impressed with the ease of the formulas! Let me know what you think!

❤ Kellie

The products mentioned were provided for an honest review.

China Glaze Summer 2016 Lite Brites Collection Swatches & Review

I'm back today with a summer collection from China Glaze, a "nod to the audacious spirit and outspoken style of the ‘80s" called Lite Brites! There are twelve vibrant shades in the collection, which I'm excited to show you! I was born in the late 80's but I can definitely appreciate the decade and it's bold style! Neons are notoriously difficult to capture accurately in photos, but I've tried to get my pictures as close as possible. Please make sure to consult multiple photo if you are concerned.

Press Sample

Lip Smackin' Good is a bubble gum neon pink with a smattering of subtle blue shimmer. This applied well and dried pretty quickly. It's a little thick, but that didn't hinder application but rather helped. Neons can be tricky to get in a good formula and these are good. This is two coats. Dries dull so you'll want a top coat.

Whip It Good is a brilliant banana yellow crème. This is almost but not quite a neon, more bright pastel. This one was a little thin, a little streaky at first, but leveled out nicely in three coats.

Let's Jam is an orchid purple with a strong blue shimmer flash. Fabulous formula, amazingly opaque in one coat. I did two here, as I normally do, but one is totally sufficient. Thin but very pigmented.

I'll Pink To That is a totally tubular neon fuchsia crelly. More jelly-like in formula than the other crèmes but very opaque, almost a one coater! I used two coats here. Very shiny!

Lime After Lime is a light bright neon lime crème. Another really great formula, a little thick but that makes it easy to get opaque and levels out really well. Two coats.

Papa Don't Peach is a coral orange jelly filled with iridescent copper glitter. This is sheerer than I expected, I needed three coats for full opacity. It dries to a textured finish, not sure if that was intentional or not. One coat of Seche Vite top coat was enough to cover the glitter and make it smooth though. This isn't my favorite look, but I like they did something different with glitter.

What I Like About Blue is a bright sky blue with tons of floating pale gold shimmer. This one was on the thin side and could pool if you have too much polish on your brush. I applied two thin coats. Dries quite dull so you'll want a top coat for shine. Also be careful with removal, this type of shimmer sticks to everything.

None Of Your Risky Business is an electric tangerine crème. Same formula as the green except a tiny bit thinner, basically a normal buttery crème. Excellent opacity in just two coats. Dries dull.

We Got The Beet is a warm vibrant grape purple jelly with iridescent copper glitter bits. Same formula and texture as Papa Don't Peach, three coats here with a thick top coat.

Bite Me is a crazy fluorescent warm pink neon with a glaze of gold shimmer. This was probably the thickest formula out of the collection, but covers in one coat. I used two here. Also dries the most matte, probably because of how neon it is. This is blindingly bright!

I Got A Blue Attitude is a deep blue-violet crème with the most subtle glimmer of shimmer. This has a great formula, another thicker one but that equals to being almost opaque in one coat. I used two here for full opacity. A difficult color to pin down, in some lights it looks more blue and in others looks more purple.

Hot Flash is the last shade, a crimson celly. This has the same formula as I'll Pink To That, very opaque for this type of formula, almost a one coater. This is two and it dries very shiny.

The Lite Brites collection is available now at Ulta and Sally Beauty Supply for around $7.50 each. What are your thoughts on this rad collection of summer shades? I'm head over heels! My favorites are Whip It Good, Lime After Lime, Bite Me and Let's Jam. Which ones catch your eye?

❤ Kellie

The products mentioned were provided for an honest review.

China Glaze House of Colour Collection Giveaway

Hi everyone! If you missed it, I debuted my swatches & review of the China Glaze House of Colour collection the other day; you can see my post HERE. And today I have a giveaway for a new set of the entire collection! I purchased these for the sole purpose of doing this giveaway because I knew it was going to be a big hit! (Your prize is a set of all new bottles, not the ones I used for my swatches haha.)

Purchased by Me

Rules:

• Open to residents in the US and Canada only. (Sorry international folks, shipping polish can be tricky!)
• Ages 18 and older only
• Open Feb. 21st until March 6th at 11:59pm
• Enter via the widget below, be sure to read all rules and regulations!
• Any "giveaway only" accounts will be disqualified at my discretion
• Email me with questions: kg(at)kelliegonzo.com

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Please click HERE to enter in case the widget did not load properly.

Love you all and good luck!

❤ Kellie

The prize for this giveaway was purchased by me.

China Glaze Spring 2016 House of Colour Collection Swatches & Review

Hello my friends! Happy Friday to you! I have the new China Glaze collection for Spring 2016 to show you today called House of Colour. This set of twelve shades is inspired by the eclectic tones of the 1970's. There's some great polishes for the approaching warmer season, I hope you like them as much as I do!

Press Sample

Image via China Glaze

China Glaze Sorry I'm Latte is a nude crème. Leans very neutral on me, which I love. This covered way better than I expected, it was thick but really easy to apply and I had no issues with streaking. This is two coats.

China Glaze In The Near Fuchsia is a lush fuchsia jelly crème. More squishy than a straight crème but with great coverage. A little thicker, but not difficult to use. Two coats, very shiny!

China Glaze Let's Chalk About It is a very pale, almost white, pink crème. This applied SO much better than I was expecting it to, these types of colors are usually hard to manipulate. Quite a thick formula, a little more than the others, but easy to apply. Two coats here.

China Glaze About Layin' Out is a salmony coral pink jelly crème. This had the same as consistency as In The Near Fuchsia, maybe a tad less opaque. Still, I achieved complete coverage in just two coats. This is 100% my type of shade, I love it!

China Glaze Girls Just Wanna Have Sun is a pale yellow crème. This had a very similar formula to Let's Chalk About It, but I used three coats for full coverage. Seemed a little thick on the nail at three, but dried surprisingly fast. I adore pale yellows, so this is a winner for me!

China Glaze Don't Be Shallow is a soft sky blue crelly. This is more on the sheer side, but thick at the same time. I could see this possibly getting gummy upon further use. I was very close to almost getting full coverage in two coats, but I needed a third. I didn't mind the third coat though, because it was easy to put on, unlike some three coaters can be.

China Glaze Pink Or Swim is a warm bubblegum pink crème. A classic shade, this is true, but this one just caught my attention so much when I had it on. It's very flattering! Two easy, perfect coats.

China Glaze Moonlight The Night is a glitter topper in a clear base. It features blue and purple translucent type hexes that are color reflective. You can see in the bottle the difference to how it looks over a pale base color. I put one coat over Don't Be Shallow. Although I like the combination, this was very thick after putting on a top coat. So I'd recommend a different base color that needs less layers. This would also look amazing over a dark base. I've pictured it in full sunlight and in the shade to better show off the color shifting look the glitters have.

full sunlight

shade

China Glaze Shut The Front Door! is a mauve purpley-pink metallic shimmer. This applied pretty well but I found it a tad runny. Full opacity in two coats, some visible brushstrokes. I wasn't sure I was going to like this shade at first, but it really knocked me out!

China Glaze Glitter Me This... is a glitter topper with a clear base. There are various sizes of matte white and pale pink hex glitters as well as mirror-like gold hexes in this. Stunning and pretty unique! I only needed one coat over Pink or Swim for this look.

China Glaze Come Rain Or Shine is a bold azure blue with tons of pink shimmer. This shade of blue is so different looking to me, it's matchless in my collection! The formula on this guy was really good, neither thin or thick, opaque in two coats.

China Glaze Chrome Is Where The Heart Is is a blush pink chrome metallic. Not totally a smooth chrome, kind of foil-like. Completely opaque in one coat! Shows some brushstrokes and/or imperfections in the nail bed though, so apply carefully.

This collection is available now in stores such as Sally Beauty Supply and Ulta for around $7 each. Let me know what you think about this set! I really can't pick a favorite, I love them all so much! Are you a Spring shades kinda gal?

❤ Kellie

The products mentioned were provided for an honest review.