China Glaze Fall 2011 – Metro Collection “Downtown” (swatches & review)

Downtown….where all the action is, or so the song says! Whereas the ‘Uptown’ collection (reviewed here) showed us the brighter and somewhat “elite” side of life in the city, the ‘Downtown’ collection brings us deeper towards the darkly throbbing heartbeat of this metropolis. The final six shades include: ‘Trendsetter’ – a murky but reflective mustard, ‘Westside Warrior’ – a fashionably chic military green, ‘Skyscraper’ – a glittering star-filled navy, ‘Concrete Catwalk’ – a deep & creamy pavement grey, ‘Loft-y Ambitions’ – a glimmering wine hue, and ‘Midtown Magic’ – a multi-faceted deep brown. All swatches are with Seche Base Ridge Filling Base Coat, two coats of lacquer, and Revlon Quick Dry Top Coat.

While I adore city living with it’s vibrant daytime cast of characters, it’s the seamier, more mysterious side of downtown life that captures my interest. When I hear “downtown”, I instantly associate it with one of two things: Batman’s home turf of Gotham, with its darkly brooding feel, or an aerial view like the one above, showcasing the multitudes of skyscrapers, all vying for space yet looking so imposingly regal.

‘Trendsetter’ is unique, interesting and something of an eccentricity; it has the potential to be glaringly vivid, yet its dusty quality manages to keep it grounded. A muted mustard shade, it is made that much more original by the addition of ultra fine golden glitter, which peeks at you seemingly under the nail’s surface. The formula was a touch thick, yet effortlessly spreadable, leaving no brush strokes behind. While not as glossy as the crèmes of this collection, it certainly benefits by the addition of a top coat.

When viewed in full sun, ‘Trendsetter’ seems to take on a slight greenish tint, but its true ochre nature is completely revealed, as the shimmer appears to wink silver, gold, and even pink.

I included a closeup view of this shade, in order to give a better appreciation of the shimmer and the incredible depth of colour it imparts.

Seen in shaded light, ‘Trendsetter’ now takes on a much cooler cast, with the muted deep yellow now punctuated by the shadowy flecks of glitter.

I love how a view taken with flash really spotlights the intricate play of the ultra fine shimmer, showing why this varnish is so unique!

‘Westside Warrior’ is a deep, murky yet luxuriant olive green. This is the urban woman’s military polish of choice, offering the best of three worlds: a trendy hue, colour-saturated enough for the Fall, as well as the most reflective finish. Two coats were more than enough for complete opacity, and while the formula was on the thicker side, it spread so well as to be basically self-levelling. The creamy intensity of this shade has to be seen to be believed!

When seen in sunlight, not only is this shade lightened in hue, but hints at some yellow in the base, which lends it a wonderful warmth of tone.

Indirect lighting appears to add a grey veil over ‘Westside Warrior’, giving it a cooler cast and tamping down much of its creamy exuberance.

I absolutely love how shaded light adds such a densely rich layer to this shade, and serves to really highlight its intensely mirror-like finish.

As the level of creaminess is so luscious with this polish, the flash seems to be absorbed into its depths, yet still imparts a lovely reflective gleam.

Wearing ‘Skyscraper’, is like adorning your nails with fragments of the night sky, glitteringly alive with a wealth of silvery stars. This is a deep, denim blue, literally packed with silver and blue glitter, yet it paradoxically bears a thicker formula which is smooth to the touch regardless of the amounts of glitter involved, as well as finishing surprisingly glossy. The bonus to this polish is how effortless it was to remove, leaving absolutely no staining behind.

A sunlight view gives your nails the look of the sky at twilight, when the sparkling stars make their first evening appearance, yet I love how the base shade seems to take on an almost ombré appearance.

This closeup angle gives the best view of how incredibly densely packed with myriad glitter this lacquer truly is, as well as how beautifully it all works together.

Seen in indirect light, ‘Skyscraper’ take on a much cooler toned persona, with the glitter now appearing like the drifting swirls of a shaken snow-globe.

I so love how shaded light not only deepens this polish to a warmer, more indigo hue, but lends an exotic gradient effect to the nail as well…stunning!

To truly appreciate its complete reflective wonder, ‘Skyscraper’ needs to be seen (preferably in person) with flash,….seriously mesmerizing!

There have been several grey incarnations released this Fall by various brands, yet ‘Concrete Catwalk’ still finds a way to stand out, primarily due to its exceptional formula. Deeply, deeply creamy with the highest gloss quotient of the entire collection, it also bears a rather quick-drying and self-levelling finish, despite the formula being a touch thick. Intensely colour saturated, as well as sensually chic….what’s not to love?!

A view in sunlight, reveals this shade’s teal-like leanings, and while the colour appears paler in the bright light, it’s no less intense as a result.

Indirect lighting seems to throw an almost silvery mantle over ‘Concrete Catwalk’, giving it a much cooler appearance yet note how blindingly brilliant that glossy finish is!

While shaded light naturally lends this polish its deepest tone, it also serves to add a mysterious new element to the overall look.

A final view taken with flash, emphasizes this shade’s gorgeous lustre and displays a depth of tone that is simply amazing.

A complex yet utterly sophisticated hue, ‘Loft-y Ambitions’ is an absolutely perfect deep berry shade. Highly pigmented, with a smooth application and wonderfully glossy despite the addition of shimmer, it holds that “lit-from-within” look that is one of my absolute favourites. While removal was slightly messier due to it’s reddish nature, a second swipe with polish remover eliminated any traces left behind, with absolutely no staining.

When seen in sunlight, there seems to be a slight blueish tinge to this shade, which only adds to the interesting effect overall and highlights the shimmer.

A view in indirect light appear to lend a more brooding aura to ‘Loft-y Ambitions’, while banking its internal fire to a cooler level.

Interestingly enough, while shaded light gives this lacquer it’s darkest tone, it also now appear more of a deep raisin-like crème shade, adding to its complexity.

A final view taken with flash gives ‘Loft-y Ambitions’ a more wine-like hue, and spotlights the ultra fine, yet densely packed shimmer.

Every so often there comes along a lacquer that is so hard to define and pin down; ‘Midtown Magic’ is just such a shade. A deep prune base, filled with gold, amber, as well as some red ultra fine glitter, this polish had perfect opacity with just two coats, applied smoothly and easily, and while the natural finish was more satiny than gloss, its incredible 3D effect due to the varying levels of glitter, made up for that. Surprisingly easy to remove and relatively mess-free, this lacquer has completely captivated me…..insane!

Viewed in full sun, the reddish flecks become slightly more prominent, and add to this shade’s star-filled depths.

I am in awe over how indirect light reflects light off the glitter, which appears as simmering fiery points of light, just under the surface of the lacquer.

When seen in shaded light, ‘Midtown Magic’ takes on a smokier, more whisky-like persona, glowing at the tips with an almost amber light.

Ahhhh….this final view taken with flash, gives you the entire magnificence of this lacquer in one glance. Utterly original and spectacularly spell-binding….I LOVE this!!

I’ve included this short video clip of ‘Midtown Magic’ in action, which can also be found on my youtube channel (please click on the sidebar icon to subscribe – I’d love to have you join!)….enjoy!

Final thoughts: As I close up my review of this collection, I cannot help but be completely blown away. The colours overall, are all expected Fall shades, yet they still seem to bear some interesting new twist that elevates them to a whole new spectrum of hue. The quality of these lacquers is superb, the application smooth with a long tapering brush that is easy to handle, yet flexible enough to effortlessly reach all areas of the nail. The crèmes of this collections are exceptionally creamy and über-glossy, while the shimmers & glitters add a beautiful dimension of delicate sparkle. My favourites? All…although ‘Midtown Magic’ is utter genius, in my opinion. China Glaze’s vision of ‘Metro’ will leave suburbanites longing for fast paced-city living! Please feel free to visit the China Glaze website for more information on the brand.