China Glaze Crackle Glaze Swatches, Review, Photos (Part 1)
China Glaze Crackle Glaze: Black Mesh, Cracked Concrete, Lightning Bolt
China Glaze Crackle Glaze: Part 1
China Glaze Crackle Collection
($6.49 for 0.50 fl. oz.) consists of six shades, and I wanted to break it into two parts because of how many photos the collection ended up being. Crackle nail polish is just that, polish that cracks. It’s a layering polish, so it is something you apply after you have applied your base color/coat. All the shades dry to a matte finish, so if you want a shiny finish, just use a shiny top coat (I used Seche Vite for swatches).
- Black Mesh is a matte, deep black. This was the easiest shade to work with out of the six, and it cracks really well. The formula was thin but very pigmented.
- Cracked Concrete is a matte, medium-dark gray. It’s definitely the color of freshly poured concrete. The formula was thin but pigmented and cracked well without having to trial it.
- Lightning Bolt is a matte, bright white. I recommend using a medium-thick coat of this if you want it to look more opaque, as thinner coats, while they will show more splintering, also show a lot of the base coming through, so it has a streaky look to it. I used a a fairly thick coat for swatches, and while it splintered, it didn’t do as much as I’d like.
Half of the fun of these Crackles is finding good base colors to layer underneath one of the Crackle Glazes. I can’t compare the formula to any other brands, past or present, as I really don’t have any experience with them. I vaguely remember CoverGirl Crackles, but I don’t think I owned any (I wasn’t allowed to wear nail polish until I was in my late teens). I like these, and they were easy enough to work with–hey, the look itself is edgy and a little messy, so minor mistakes are easily forgiven. Lightning Bolt might take one or two attempts, but I think I just went too thick.
Tips
- Do 2 coats maximum of your base color and let it dry completely.
- Apply the Crackle Glaze in one coat and as quickly as possible as it dries down very fast!
- Use a thicker coat of Crackle Glaze for more opaque color or thicker cracks (but less of them).
- Use a thinner coat of Crackle Glaze if you want a very crackled, piece-y look.
P.S. — I’ll be posting a video later today showing the polish as it crackles, because I found it pretty cool.
If you want to know more about how products are evaluated, read out Rating System FAQ! 🙂
- Product: 27/30
- Value: 8/10
- Ease of Use: 4/5
- Packaging: 4/5
final thoughts: If you dig the effect, definitely worth picking up a couple of shades. I think Black Mesh performed the best out of the six, followed by Cracked Concrete.
where to buy: Sally’s
China Glaze Crackle Glaze: Black Mesh, Cracked Concrete, Lightning Bolt
China Glaze Crackle Glaze: Black Mesh, Cracked Concrete, Lightning Bolt
China Glaze Crackle Glaze: Black Mesh, Cracked Concrete, Lightning Bolt
China Glaze Crackle Glaze
China Glaze Crackle Glaze
China Glaze Black Mesh Crackle Glaze over Rescue Beauty Lounge Yellow Fever (No top coat)
China Glaze Black Mesh Crackle Glaze over Rescue Beauty Lounge Yellow Fever (No top coat)
China Glaze Black Mesh Crackle Glaze over Rescue Beauty Lounge Yellow Fever
China Glaze Black Mesh Crackle Glaze over Rescue Beauty Lounge Yellow Fever
China Glaze Black Mesh Crackle Glaze over Rescue Beauty Lounge Yellow Fever
China Glaze Black Mesh Crackle Glaze over Rescue Beauty Lounge Yellow Fever
China Glaze Cracked Concrete Crackle Glaze over Rescue Beauty Lounge Plie
China Glaze Cracked Concrete Crackle Glaze over Rescue Beauty Lounge Plie
China Glaze Cracked Concrete Crackle Glaze over Rescue Beauty Lounge Plie
China Glaze Cracked Concrete Crackle Glaze over Rescue Beauty Lounge Plie
China Glaze Lightning Bolt Crackle Glaze over Rescue Beauty Lounge Drifter (No top coat)
China Glaze Lightning Bolt Crackle Glaze over Rescue Beauty Lounge Drifter
China Glaze Lightning Bolt Crackle Glaze over Rescue Beauty Lounge Drifter
China Glaze Lightning Bolt Crackle Glaze over Rescue Beauty Lounge Drifter
China Glaze Lightning Bolt Crackle Glaze over Rescue Beauty Lounge Drifter
Amazing….!!!
I love the grey one the most…white looks a little weird to me.
The grey and black one are lovely!
I LOVE the combo you did with the white lightening but I see what you mean where it didn’t crack as well.
Did you try the OPI Shatter? Is this better? Does it apply better?
Hi Rachael,
As I mentioned in the post, I haven’t tried any other crackle polishes. 🙂
Oh sorry. I didnt see that you posted that.
I have both polishes and I personally find the China Glaze one easier to work with.
I have both China Glaze and OPI crackle polishes, I have them very similar. I think OPI is a bit thicker, but the larger brush helps with application. It depends on what you like working with really.
You can check out my blog posts for suggestions and more of my comparisons
They look so cool, but Lightning Bolt looks like it had trouble cracking! Not sure I like that one…
When does the collection come out? I called one of my Sally’s and they never heard of it! :/
I know some readers have picked theirs up from Sally’s already – and it is available online at Sally’s, too, along with other etailers (but sold out at many of those). I’d probably keep calling every few days 🙂
My local Sally’s said they got it in stock but weren’t allowed to put it out yet. The sales lady was saying she couldn’t put it out til March!
Yea that’s what another Sally’s told me! So lame haha
I found the whole collection on Amazon. There are quite a few different people selling them, either separately or the whole collection. I found the whole collection for $31 including shipping. 🙂
I bought the whole collection online for the same price. Just waiting for it to show up next week 🙂
Wow! Thanks for the swatches. I really like the black and grey one.
I think I like the white the best. I think overall the look of the crackle is messy, I don’t think I’ll be buying
The black one is amazing! Definitely gonna get it.
I just got mine in the mail yesterday from Amazon. I have to try the yellow and black combo. Looks gr8. My Sally’s didnt have them either on last Tuesday.
I bought all of these and I’m very disappointed with the white crackle and I feel that china glaze should have made the brushes a little wider.
I am so anxiously awaiting for my collection to arrive. I plan on using Cracked Concrete over a lighter shade of gray base color.
I like the whole concept in general. Good for people like me who suck with Nail art…Also, it can disguise crappy nail polish application…:)
I find these crackle nail polishes really ugly, the white one especially looks awful.
the white one looks weird, like white-out… we’ve had crackle polish in Sweden for a year or two so they’re not as fun anymore 🙂
The appeal of crackle polish is beyond my understanding. I can’t see how a woman who wants to be taken seriously can wear something like that on her nails.
Ahahah… Great comment! 😉
I agree with you in regards to wearing it for work or professional settings, but I do think it looks fun for weekends, vacation, or other non-professional settings 🙂 I think it’s supposed to be a fun polish.
I think it depends on the color combinations used. I’m currently wearing Cracked Concrete over OPI’s Panda-monium Pink (light violet-toned pink) and it is a fairly subdued look. It’s fun without being too flashy.
why the judgement?
The crackle look isn’t for me, but love how you paired them with RBL’s underneath. Too bad the Lightning Bolt covered most of the Drifter.
I want these so much, but I can’t find China Glaze near me!
I ordered mine from http://www.amazon.com, all 6 colors for $30 with shipping! Can’t wait for them to get here.
For the main color before the crackle coat, could you use any brand any color or does it only have to be these crackle colors? Hope this make sense.
You can use any color as your base coat.
wow the white didnt crack well but it DOES look like a lightning bolt…haha
The gray one is the only one that’s worth half a crap. The rest of them are horrible.
Eh…I ordered all of these except the grey one. Now I wish I would have ordered it! It looks like it crackles the best along with the black.
Looks interesting! Like it.
I love your colors combination. They’re awesome! :]
My fav is grey over pink <3
Ps. Have ya ever tried MATTE polish? They're quite cool too 😀
I thought I’d like these, but some of the colors are really creepy to me for some reason. The brighter colors are sort of fun, but when there isn’t enough contrast it just makes it look like the nails themselves are shattered and splitting. D:
Right now I’m wearing Lightning Bold over MAC Ming Blue. I did a medium thick coat and it cracked really well; I think it just takes some playing around with. I bought the whole collection on Amazon for $31 including shipping; I called my local Sally and they said they wouldn’t have it for a month and I didn’t want to wait that long. The colors are so cool and I’m so glad I bought all of them. Can’t wait to start playing with them! 🙂
I’m currently wearing Cracked Concrete over OPI’s Panda-monium Pink and I absolutely love the way it looks. I also have the pink, purple and aqua crackles, but haven’t used them yet. I did buy the OPI Black Shatter when it came out and I think the Cracked Concrete ‘cracked’ better that Shatter. I also found the China Glaze brush to be much easier to use than the wide OPI brush. These shatter/crackle polishes dry so fast that I find it hard to be quick without making a big mess when using the wide OPI brush. The China Glaze brush makes it easier to be more precise while being quick as well.
Hope that all made sense and that someone out there finds it helpful!
LOVE THEM!
Hi Christine..
Are they limited edition?
I ordered the black mess, but i think I will love the Cracked concentrate and lightening bolt too.
Unfortunately, they’ve been out of stock.. I wonder if they’ll be back in stock again..
Yes, they are LE!
I recently purchased the black china glaze crackle nail polish and I have to say its not nearly as good as it looks. Its very hard to apply smoothly and it ends up looking like a streaky mess instead of crackled. I wouldnt recommend the product.
I clearly prefer the way Black Shatter crackles than them! They are just… Ugly! Thank you for the photos, because without you, I would probably have bought them! :S
It´s work… is amazing. I love the gray with the pink one, the combination look very nice. I saw the video and the reaction is gorgeous. I can´t belive it.
The China Glaze Crackle collection also release three kits. I was able to pick up only one of the three kits at my supplier since they’re having a hard time getting a good stock.
Broken Hearted Crackle Glaze Kit – 3 pieces include
1 – .5 oz Liquid Leather nail lacquer
1 – .5 oz Broken Hearted Crackle Glaze
1 – .5 oz fast forward top coat
Black Mesh Crackle Glaze Kit – 3 pieces include
1 – .5 oz White on White nail lacquer
1 – .5 oz Black Mesh Crackle Glaze
1 – .5 oz fast forward top coat
Crushed Candy Crackle Glaze Kit – 3 pieces include
1 – .5 oz Liquid Leather nail lacquer
1 – .5 oz Crushed Candy Crackle Glaze
1 – .5 oz fast forward top coat
Hey Beauties! I’ve got some more info on the Crackle Glaze. I mentioned this on my blog as well, the individual polishes are sold at Sally’s but the BEST thing about it is that it’s on SALE!
Retail sale: $5 each
Beauty Club member: between $4 and $4.50
Pro price: Even LESS (I won’t say how much here.)
The downside is that to become a Beauty Club member you have to pay $5 but your purchase price is less than retail.
The other downside is that the Crackled collection is limited and I was told by the local managed that once sold out that’s it, no more.
Also on sale for $5 (less for Pro and Beauty Club members) is the TRONICA collection. So if you’ve been hunting for those as well it’s now available at Sally’s. Not sure if it’s also limited but $5 is still a great price.
why cant u mention the price?