China Glaze Ride the Waves Nail Lacquer

China Glaze Ride the Waves Nail Lacquer ($6.49 for 0.50 fl. oz.) is described as a “dark ocean blue.” It’s a semi-sheer royal blue (not quite dark enough to be a navy blue, plus it’s brightened) with what appears to be a jelly finish. Illamasqua Force is much darker, almost purple-tinged. China Glaze Blue YEar’s Eve is more opaque and shimmery. Deborah Lippmann I Know What Boys Like is much, much darker. China Glaze Blue Iguana has shimmer and is lighter. Butter London Blagger is darker and opaque.

There’s definitely visible nail line, which is business-as-usual for a jelly finish. I swatched with two coats, and I did experiment with a third, but the nail line was still rather visible so if you wanted more opaque color, you’d have to use a base polish first. It has the lovely, squishy quality of jellies, though, but it absolutely needs a top coat to retain that shiny finish. Without a top coat, it dries down to a semi-matte finish, and it seemed to dry a bit faster than other shades in the collection. Application was also more on par with the quality I expect from China Glaze! Ride the Waves applied easily, evenly, and fluidly without bubbling or pooling along the sides. The formula wasn’t too thick or too thin.  I typically get a week of wear out of China Glaze’s formula with no chipping but minor tip wear.

China Glaze Ride the Waves Nail Lacquer

China Glaze Ride the Waves Nail Lacquer

China Glaze Ride the Waves Nail Lacquer

China Glaze Ride the Waves Nail Lacquer

China Glaze Ride the Waves Nail Lacquer