Archived Post

China Glaze Metro (Downtown) Collection Review, Photos, Swatches


China Glaze Nail Lacquer: Concrete Catwalk, Loft-y Ambitions, Midtown Magic

China Glaze Metro Collection: Downtown

China Glaze Downtown Collection ($2.99 to $5.99, depending on retailer, for 0.5 fl. oz.) contains six shades: Concrete Catwalk (steel grey crème), Loft-y Ambitions (burgundy shimmer), Midtown Magic (burgundy base with flecks of gold shimmer), Skyscraper (sparkling, glitter blue), Trendsetter (mustard yellow shimmer), and Westside Warrior (camo green crème).

  • Concrete Catwalk is a dark gray cream that was opaque in two coats. Zoya Kelly was the closest I could think of, but it is very blue-based, so it looks different when worn.
  • Loft-y Ambitions is a deep, burgundy with very subtle micro-shimmer. I used two coats for opaque color. It’s similar to Rescue Beauty Lounge Bruised with shimmer, and perhaps, a touch cooler-toned.
  • Midtown Magic is a blackened, chocolate brown with multi-colored shimmer that is dominated by gold and copper. I used two coats for opaque color. It looks a lot like Dior Czarina Gold.
  • Skyscraper is a translucent blue-violet color base with lots of silver glitter. I used two coats in swatches, and it was mostly opaque. I couldn’t think of any dupes from shades I’ve reviewed in the past.
  • Trendsetter is a mustard yellow with a hint of chartreuse in it, accompanied by a gold shimmer. I used two coats for opaque color. It’s bolder and yellower compared to MAC In the Buff–actually, it reminded me of Sun Blonde eyeshadow initially.
  • Westside Warrior is a dusty army green with a cream finish. I used two coats for opaque color. It’s greener (and less yellow) compared to Rescue Beauty Lounge No More War and Zoya Dree.

The glittery shade (Skyscraper) will be difficult to remove, like any other glitter-based polish, if worn alone and as densely as shown in the swatches, so I recommend soaking a piece of felt in remover and pressing against the nail for 15-20 seconds, then pull to remove. The creams and shimmers will be much easier, as is the norm. Like Uptown, these had a good formula with nothing being too thick or thin. The polish spread evenly without streaking and drying time was about average. I used Zoya’s Anchor and Armor for base/top coats for all swatches. I typically get a week of wear with China Glaze’s polishes.

China Glaze Metro (Downtown) Collection Review, Photos, Swatches

A
9.5
Product
10
Pigmentation
9.5
Texture
9.5
Longevity
4.5
Application
96%
Total


China Glaze Nail Lacquer: Concrete Catwalk, Loft-y Ambitions, Midtown Magic


China Glaze Nail Lacquer: Concrete Catwalk, Loft-y Ambitions, Midtown Magic


China Glaze Nail Lacquer: Concrete Catwalk, Loft-y Ambitions, Midtown Magic


China Glaze Nail Lacquer: Skyscraper, Trendsetter, Westside Warrior


China Glaze Nail Lacquer: Skyscraper, Trendsetter, Westside Warrior


China Glaze Nail Lacquer: Skyscraper, Trendsetter, Westside Warrior


China Glaze Concrete Catwalk Nail Lacquer


China Glaze Concrete Catwalk Nail Lacquer


China Glaze Concrete Catwalk Nail Lacquer


China Glaze Concrete Catwalk Nail Lacquer


China Glaze Loft-y Ambitions Nail Lacquer


China Glaze Loft-y Ambitions Nail Lacquer


China Glaze Loft-y Ambitions Nail Lacquer


China Glaze Loft-y Ambitions Nail Lacquer


China Glaze Midtown Magic Nail Lacquer


China Glaze Midtown Magic Nail Lacquer


China Glaze Midtown Magic Nail Lacquer


China Glaze Midtown Magic Nail Lacquer


China Glaze Skyscraper Nail Lacquer


China Glaze Skyscraper Nail Lacquer


China Glaze Skyscraper Nail Lacquer


China Glaze Skyscraper Nail Lacquer


China Glaze Trendsetter Nail Lacquer


China Glaze Trendsetter Nail Lacquer


China Glaze Trendsetter Nail Lacquer


China Glaze Trendsetter Nail Lacquer


China Glaze Westside Warrior Nail Lacquer


China Glaze Westside Warrior Nail Lacquer


China Glaze Westside Warrior Nail Lacquer


China Glaze Westside Warrior Nail Lacquer

38 Comments

Comments that do not adhere to our comment policy may be removed. Discussion and debate are highly encouraged but we expect community members to participate respectfully. Please keep discussion on-topic, and if you have general feedback, a product review request, an off-topic question, or need technical support, please contact us!

Please help us streamline the comments' section and be more efficient: double-check the post above for more basic information like pricing, availability, and so on to make sure your question wasn't answered already. Comments alerting us to typos or small errors in the post are appreciated (!) but will typically be removed after errors are fixed (unless a response is needed).

We appreciate enthusiasm for new releases but ask readers to please hold questions regarding if/when a review will be posted as we can't commit to or guarantee product reviews. We don't want to set expectations and then disappoint readers as even products that are swatched don't always end up being reviewed due to time constraints and changes in priorities! Thank you for understanding!

Comments on this post are closed.
Mary Avatar

I’m so excited about this collection. China Glaze did an awesome job. Looks like I’ll be getting Concrete Sidewalk, Midtown Magic, Westside Warrior, Skyscraper, and Trendsetter!

Ann Avatar

Christine, do you have an article or guide on how you put nail polish on so neatly, I’m a novice, how do you get the polish so perfect around the cuticle? Details please!

Susan Avatar

Can you do a tutorial on how you do your nails so smooth & perfect? If I could paint my nails like that I would save so much $ not going to the nail salon for a mani!

Julia Avatar

I think I’m just going to buy the whole Downtown set–the only one I don’t have to have is Loft-y Ambitions and it is still very lovely! My favorites are Skyscraper and Trendsetter–I love funky colors like Trendsetter and the shimmer just elevates the specialness for me.

Carrie Avatar

I’m seriously underwhelmed by the collection :-/

The gray isn’t bad, but I have a lot of nice darker grays as it is and the rest meh. I guess I’m not a big fan of fall colors!

Leigh Avatar

I’m quickly finding out that I’m just not impressed with a lot of the fall collections/items coming out by companies this year. I have to have Midtown Magic and I’m about to check out the Uptown polishes but none of the others here appeal to me. Oh well. I’m a nail polish addict, so I have plenty of polishes anyways. More money in my wallet I suppose! 🙂

Georgina Avatar

Love this collection … I need Concrete Catwalk, Midtown Magic, and Westside Warrior. Christine, and sorry if I simply don’t see this, do you know approximately when this collection will be available? Thanks!

Ps: On the “Concrete Catwalk” captions, you put “Concrete Sidewalk”. (:

Cait Avatar

Gah! Midtown Magic is gorgeous! Do you know where I can get it for that price, and when the collection comes out? I’d love to own it.

Laudes Avatar

Loved ChG’s summer collection (“Island Escape”?)& ended up buying it all! But I’ve really been looking forward to the fall collections. I’ll definitely buy: “Concrete Catwalk,” “Midtown Magic,” and “Skyscraper” – at least.
As usual, your reviews & multiple-view photos really help in deciding which to buy – thanks!!

Chelsea Avatar

After seeing this review I went out and bought trendsetter because it was such an amazing unique color. For some reason my trendsetter is much more khaki olive.. nowhere near as yellow and the gold sparkle doesnt come through as much. I am super dissapointed.

It doesn’t look anything like yours and I have no idea why 🙁 stupid china glaze

We try to approve comments within 24 hours (and reply to them within 72 hours) but can sometimes get behind and appreciate your patience! 🙂 If you have general feedback, product review requests, off-topic questions, or need technical support, please contact us directly. Thank you for your patience!