China Glaze Light As Air Nail Lacquer
China Glaze Up & Away Collection: Light As Air
China Glaze Light As Air Nail Lacquer is is a subdued lilac with a pastel edge and maybe a little mix of gray in it. It’s definitely more of a lilac shade than a gray shade, though it may photograph either way, depending on the lighting situation.
Formula-wise, I found this one to require a little more practice and patience than the deeper shades, because it was a little finnicky and prone to streaking. It’s really important that you’re patient and let each coat dry long enough before applying an additional layer. This polish was as thick as the other shades, but it wasn’t runny nor goopy.
As always, be sure to keep hands flat while waiting for each coat to dry a bit, because the thickness of the formula can move to the sides if you hold your hand on the tilt. It also best to give each layer some time to dry and not just layer it on immediately.
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- Product: 28/30
- Value: 9/10
- Ease of Use: 3/5
- Packaging: 4/5
Recommendation: For a more subdued shade of lilac, consider Light As Air.
Availability: January 2010
China Glaze Grape Pop Nail Lacquer
China Glaze Up & Away Collection: Grape Pop
China Glaze Grape Pop Nail Lacquer is a deep, grayed-down red-based purple. It’s dark, but it’s not actually as bright/vibrant as pictured. (I ended up with about eighty photos and these were the closest to in-real-life accuracy.) The pigmentation is right on, going opaque in just about one or two coats (depending on the thickness), and the color itself is muted enough not to be in-your-face, but still a bold pick for spring.
The formula is very similar to the other deep shades in this launch, like Flyin’ High and Four Leaf Clover. It’s smooth, intensely pigmented, and is fairly easy to apply (just be patient). I liked a base coat, a thinner color coat, then a medium-thick color coat, with a top coat to finish it off.
Here’s a flat, color swatch I made in Photoshop – I think this is the closest depiction to the color in real life… the swatches in this post are close, but it’s definitely a more subdued purple tinged with kind of grayish cloud. This color swatch is the polish in the shade/indirect light (like if you were sitting at your desk) vs. the photos show the polish when it’s in the light or catches the light.
As always, be sure to keep hands flat while waiting for each coat to dry a bit, because the thickness of the formula can move to the sides if you hold your hand on the tilt. It also best to give each layer some time to dry and not just layer it on immediately.
If you want to know more about how products are evaluated, read out Rating System FAQ!
- Product: 28/30
- Value: 9/10
- Ease of Use: 4/5
- Packaging: 4/5
Recommendation: In the mood for a grayish red-purple? This might be it!
Availability: January 2010
China Glaze Something Sweet Nail Lacquer
China Glaze Up & Away Collection: Something Sweet
China Glaze Something Sweet Nail Lacquer is a soft, baby girl pink with just a smidgen of lilac creme polish. It’s just pink enough to have color, but it’s still fairly pale and pastel, thus spring-appropriate. It’s pinker in soft light/shade, but the lilac is more apparent in brighter light. I did find this one to be a little harder to apply (the paler shades I had more trouble, overall, as compared to the deeper shades). I tried two different applications, and I found doing a thinner coat first (even though slightly streaky) and then layering a thicker coat on top ended up being a better route.
The formula itself is incredibly thick and very pigmented – if you go for a thick coat, you can easily go opaque with just one layer. If you’re not used to cremes, you may find it takes an application or two to figure out what works best with you. Also, be sure to keep hands flat while waiting for each coat to dry a bit, because the thickness of the formula can move to the sides if you hold your hand on the tilt. It also best to give each layer some time to dry and not just layer it on immediately.
If you want to know more about how products are evaluated, read out Rating System FAQ!
- Product: 28/30
- Value: 9/10
- Ease of Use: 3/5
- Packaging: 4/5
Recommendation: If pastel, baby pinks appeal to you, Something Sweet is just sweet enough.
Availability: January 2010
Givenchy Elegant Pearl and Tender Pearl Gloss Interdit Ultra-Shiny Color Plumping Effect
($24.50 for 0.21 oz.) are two new, limited edition shades from Givenchy’s holiday collection. They’re sheer, pearlescent, and they pack a shimmering punch.
Elegant Pearl is a sheer, bright silver with white and silver shimmer. On lips, it gives lips a cooler, paler look with silver sparkle and a glossy sheen. It did remind me of MAC’s She-Zam Dazzleglass, which was another limited edition shade for the holiday season. Givenchy’s gloss is smoother and the shimmer much finer, which are both pluses in my book. (Oddly enough, MAC’s Dazzleglass is priced at $300/oz. while Givenchy is around $115/oz. — Dazzleglass only has 0.06 oz. of product!)
Tender Pearl is a sheer, neutral baby pink with gold and pink shimmer. It goes on as an almost milky, soft baby pink with sparkles of pink and gold – almost multicolored. It adds some color, but it’s not opaque – it really just made my lips look pinker, plusher, and paler.
This gloss formula is non-sticky and fairly hydrating with a perfume-y scent (though not as synthetic or as overwhelming as brands like Guerlain and YSL–neither of which I mind, but worth noting for those that do). It is supposed to plump up lips, but I didn’t notice any tingling or even noticeable plumping for that matter. The high gloss finish does make lips look more noticeable.
If you want to know more about how products are evaluated, read out Rating System FAQ!
- Product: 26/30
- Value: 9/10
- Ease of Use: 4/5
- Packaging: 4/5
Recommendation: If you like sheer, sparkling glosses, you might like these limited edition shades!
Availability: Sephora
Winter Wonderland: Zoya Luna Nail Lacquer
Zoya Luna Nail Lacquer ($7.00) is the third shade in Zoya’s Ultra Glitter winter collection (which also featured Nova, a raspberry pink, and Astra, a reddish pink, reviewed previously). Luna is a sheer silver shimmered base with bright and dark silver small glitter particles. It’s a very wintry, holiday-esque kind of color. It wears well, and it’s not too difficult to remove (certainly not any more so than the average glitter polish). I used Zoya’s Color Lock System for this and got a week’s wear with very minor tip wear–but considering I type all day, I was pleasantly surprised at just how minimal it was.
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- Product: 27/30
- Value: 8/10
- Ease of Use: 4/5
- Packaging: 4/5
Recommendation: Fans of bright silver AND glitter polish may rejoice over this shade!
Availability: Zoya
Guerlain Gracia Rouge G Lipstick
Guerlain Gracia Rouge G de Guerlain Lipstick
($45.00 for 0.12 oz.) is a glossy, opaque shade of plum-berry with soft gold shimmer. It applies evenly and goes on creamy without being thick.
Rouge G is a really fantastic formula (though I would love it if they lasted a solid eight hours with such a hefty price tag, but I’ll take the four to six I get), because it’s rich in color and pigmentation, feels like a dream on lips with a lightweight texture, and the shimmer is subtle but still noticeable.
Gracia is a lovely shade for both the fall and winter season, but it’s very wearable year-round, too – just because it’s dark enough to work in the cooler temperatures, yet not so dark it’s vampy.
If you want to know more about how products are evaluated, read out Rating System FAQ!
- Product: 28/30
- Value: 7/10
- Ease of Use: 4/5
- Packaging: 4/5
Recommendation: When you find that signature shade of Rouge G, you might just find yourself saying $45 was worth it!
Availability: Nordstrom
, Sephora
