China Glaze is a Free 3 brand with a round brush that is both medium in length and firmness with enough give to allow for ease of control. The cap is slightly tapered and made of smooth plastic that is comfortable to hold for a superb application. Because this half of the collection has varying finishes and opacity levels, it is necessary to address the specific application issues experienced in the actual color review.
• Pelican Gray, high shine, cool toned grey crème.
• Sea Spray, calming pale blue crème.
• Below Deck, a flirty mix of taupe and violet.
• Ahoy! Intense pink that flashes with reflective glass speck.
• Hey Sailor, a vibrant crème red.
• Life Preserver, highly pigmented and luxurious poppy crème.
• Lighthouse, multi-dimensional, bright yellow glass speck.
• Starboard, hip and playful green crème.
• First Mate, sophisticated and rich navy crème.
• White Cap, whimsical and sparkling multi-dimensional white.
• Knotty, micro-particle beige shimmer.
• Sunset Sail, delightful peachy pink high shine crème.
Below Deck is a murky purple taupe crème. It’s meant to be a dupe for the discontinued China Glaze Channelesque polish that achieved cult fave status thanks to the message board communities. This is a chic playful hue with a great deal of versatility for different skin tones. The application was smooth and flawless in just two coats.
Knotty is a golden tan, semi-sheer glass fleck. Even after using three coats, one can still see through to the nail. This color is one that is best left to sheer polish lovers and layering types.
Pelican Gray is a dove grey crème with a hint of micro-shimmer. We’ve seen pale greys before but none of them tend to stick around. This is for the readers looking for an opaque pale grey, which is a fashion blessing since RBL Concrete Jungle being discontinued. Let’s just hope China Glaze keeps this beauty around. Application is flawless in two coats.
Sea Spray is a soft, grayed blue crème with the tiniest hint of pearl. The micro-shimmer doesn’t really show on the nail, it really adds depth more than anything. It keeps the polish from looking chalky. It’s a fresh look without feeling like a typical spring time pastel.
Sunset Sail is a peachy nude with an opaque crème base peppered with silver micro-glitter. It reminds me of a beloved shade OPI Skinny Dippin In Lake Michigan except, Sunset Sail is a bit more wearable. This polish applied very streaky and I needed to apply four coats to avoid patchiness and dragging at the cuticle. This was a disappointment.
White Cap is a sheer, white-based glass-fleck style polish packed with gold flecks that create a shimmer effect when the light hits it. Because it is so sheer it may be best used for layering. It would look fantastic over the orange, red, green and navy crèmes in this collection or it could be used to add warmth to a cool toned shade like Sea Spray.
The majority of this collection definitely caters to those who opt for a more neutral palette. Lighter colors in the spring are a fashion do. The application problems that plague Sunset Sail and the unflattering nature of Knotty don’t make the cut in an otherwise fashion forward collection, that it why it is on our first list of style and fashion tips for your nails.