China Glaze ‘Island Escape’ Collection (swatches & review)

“Aruba, Jamaica…ooh I wanna take ya, Bermuda, Bahamas….c’mon pretty mama”….I just couldn’t resist a musical reference to The Beach Boys’ hit song, to announce this hot collection! Gearing up for Summer 2011, China Glaze introduces their ‘Island Escape’ collection, six vibrant beach-ready shades. Sold individually as well as available in a six pack, this is a collection of bold and primary colours…with a twist. The creme shades are richly pigmented and perfectly opaque, while we all know by now that no one does the glass flecked polishes quite like China Glaze, with three perfect examples of that in this collection. All swatches are with Sèche Natural base coat, three thin coats of lacquer and OPI Start to Finish Top Coat.

I have split my review up into two parts; first up are what I like to call ‘The Citrus Shades’ consisting of ‘Electric Pineapple’, ‘Papaya Punch’ and ‘Cha Cha Cha’.

Not quite a neon and certainly more vibrant that a regular creme shade, ‘Electric Pineapple’ straddles the line between both. This is an opaque creme yellowish green shade, and while it seems to bear a somewhat sickly appearance, it actually manages to be quite flattering when worn. The formula was simply wonderful and basically self-leveling, and I find it so interesting how über-bright it appears in sunlight (top photo) and yet tones down to a more buttery yellow in shaded light (bottom photo).

‘Papaya Punch’ is the other shade of this collection that has a similar almost neon look to it, much like ‘Electric Pineapple’. This is a Sunkist bright shade of orange and while I’m not usually drawn to these tones, I find that it’s such a happy shade which should also be quite flattering as a summertime pedi. Once again, the formula was perfect and it was interesting to note that whether seen in sunlight (top photo) or shaded light (bottom photo), it never quite loses any of its vibrancy.

The only shimmer polish of this collection, ‘Cha Cha Cha’ seems to just glow with an inner fire. A perky lime green shade, this has the finest gold and yellow shimmer in its base, lending it that ‘lit-from-within’ look that I absolutely love. Never fully opaque even at three thin coats, it nonetheless gives great coverage and leaves absolutely no brush strokes behind. I love how the shimmer is apparent regardless of whether its viewed in sunlight (top photo) or shaded light (bottom photo) and I find its a refreshing take on a summer green hue.

The next three shades of this collection, are what I refer to as ‘The Berry Shades’ and consist of ‘Blue Iguana’, ‘Senorita Bonita’ and ‘108 Degrees’.

Reminiscent of the mesmerizing azure hue of a tropical ocean, ‘Blue Iguana’ is a stunner. Slightly on the sheer side, this is a lovely aquatic blue shade with tons of micro shimmer and minute glass flecks swirling in its depths. While the bottle colour shows it to have a slight purple duochrome flash, it’s not very visible on the nail, except when seen under certain lights (which I couldn’t properly photograph, of course!). Seen in full sun (top photo) or shaded light (bottom photo) doesn’t really matter; this is a totally captivating shade from every angle.

‘Senorita Bonita’ is among the most flattering shades of purple I’ve seen. Slightly more opaque than ‘Blue Iguana’, this is a highly saturated shade nonetheless, chock-full of blue micro shimmer and golden glass flecks, imbuing it with such a depth of tone. I really like that the shimmer stays visible no matter which light this colour is viewed in, but that the intensity alters somewhat: a warm shade in full sun (top photo) turns to a cool shade in indirect lighting (bottom photo)…like a ‘mood’ polish!

The most obvious glass flecked finish of the entire collection, ‘108 Degrees’ is definitely fever-hot! This is a highly pigmented magenta shade, with hot pink and silvery glass flecks strewn throughout. As with the previous two, this is somewhat sheer as well, but the rich tone makes up for that, while the finish is nothing short of incredible. Seen in full sun (top photo), this polish dazzles the eyes but take a look at it in shaded light (bottom photo) and it’s like you captured stars on your fingernails. So incredibly unique and, well……hot!

Final thoughts: I have never been one to lean towards super bright (read that as neon) shades or primary colours, but I was actually surprised by how taken I was with all of these hues. Some of the credit for that has to go to China Glaze’s superb formula, the application and amazing glossy finish. Their brushes are among my favourites as well, being fine and just flexible enough to use with such ease, depositing just the right amount of polish. I also like how this isn’t an overwhelming collection in terms of how many shades are being released and love how the colours transport you to vacation mode! Available this May wherever China Glaze lacquers are sold, you can also visit their website for more information.