China Glaze – The Hunger Games collection: ‘Colours From The Capitol’ (swatches & review)

I had no idea what ‘The Hunger Games’ meant, let alone that it was about to explode onto everyone’s consciousness, most probably because it’s not a story targeted to my age group – but it should be; as a matter of fact, I bought and read this best-selling book by Suzanne Collins, in preparation for this post – I wanted to be able to make all the proper connections! Just in time for the release of the sure-to-be blockbuster movie, China Glaze is set to launch twelve new shades inspired by the story, with a colour and finish to suit all tastes. All swatches are with Poshé Fast Drying Base Coat and Super-Fast Drying Top Coat, except where indicated.

A brief synopsis: Set in the post-apocalyptic country of Panem (formerly The Rockies), this is a story of human depravity coinciding with immense courage. At Panem’s core is ‘The Capitol’, a city of high technology and obscene wealth, which is surrounded by 12 districts, each specializing in a particular field/industry, however the further the district from The Capitol, the more deplorable the living conditions. As a result of a rebellious uprising, a 13th district was destroyed and as punishment, the rulers of Panem decreed that every year 1 male and 1 female child from each district, aged between 12-18, would be chosen by lottery system (for a total of 24) as “tributes” to participate in the yearly “Hunger Games” at The Capitol – a contest to the death where there can only be one winner, not to mention having this entire morbid event televised for the entire population to see.

This is the story of Katniss Everdeen from District 12, the poorest and harshest district, who through a series of circumstances, finds herself en route to The Capitol for this yearly event, and along this journey, what she comes to learn of herself and manages to teach the entire land.

In order to parallel the story, I have chosen to showcase these twelve “Hunger Games” lacquers in descending order, beginning with Katniss’ District 12, and culminating with District 1 … with a special ‘Katniss inspired mani’ at the very end!

*WARNING: This post is epically long (I needed to show all 12 shades!) and picture heavy, so go grab yourselves something to drink & eat, and sit back to enjoy!

‘Smoke & Ashes’ (representing District 12 – Mining), is a deeply colour saturated black base filled with ultra-fine green and aqua micro shimmer. This easy-flowing medium thick viscosity formula can almost be a one-coater, although I applied two here for full coverage. The shimmer is a little shy and not always that apparent, but seen in sunlight, the effect is undeniably impressive. Self levelling and gorgeously glossy, an added bonus was that there was zero staining.

in sunlight

closeup

indoors

with flash

‘Smoke & Ashes’ layered with one coat of ‘Luxe and Lush’ on top: (may look slightly overdone, but trust me that this is a killer combo)

in sunlight

sunlight/alternate view

closeup

indoors

with flash

‘Agro’ (representing District 11 – Agriculture) is a highly pigmented olive/mossy green shade in a slightly thicker formula, made even more unique with the addition of some ultra-fine glitter dust that it bears. As the finish is highly reflective – rather metallic leaning, it can be prone to some visible brush strokes, so care needs to be given in application … but so worth the extra little effort! Two coats were all that were needed for perfect coverage, giving the final look of a deeply saturated green often seen only in vibrant plantlife.

in sunlight

closeup

indoors

with flash

‘Agro’ layered with one coat of ‘Luxe and Lush’ on top: (the shimmery finish of the base shade really offsets this top coat)

in sunlight

closeup

indoors

with flash

‘Fois Gras’ (representing District 10 – Livestock) is a dusky raisin hued shade in an amazing crème formula. Flowing with incredible ease, this was a breeze to apply – only two coats needed for an ultra-smooth surface, leaving nothing but an intense glossy finish behind. Falling somewhere between known colours and rather chameleon-like as it seems to shift between looking cool or warm/dark or light, this is definitely a lacquer that will compliment every skin tone across the board.

in sunlight

indoors

with flash

‘Fois Gras’ layered with one coat of ‘Luxe and Lush’ on top: (I love the amped-up effect shown here)

in sunlight

sunlight/alternate view

closeup

indoors

with flash

‘Harvest Moon’ (representing District 9 – Grain) is a “to-die-for” true copper hue. An absolutely spectacular formula, this highly pigmented shade is absolutely filled to the brim with burnished gold flecks throughout, that stay at the surface level and never sink into the base colour, as some fine glitter has a tendency of doing. An almost baroque-looking colour, this wonderful foil gleam is easily accomplished with two coats, leaving behind a stunning cognac-coloured shine. TOTAL LOVE!

in sunlight

closeup

indoors

with flash

‘Harvest Moon’ layered with one coat of ‘Luxe and Lush’ on top: (this combination is so incredibly unique – must be seen to be believed!)

in sunlight

closeup

indoors

with flash

‘Dress Me Up’ (representing District 8 – Textiles) is a mid-range nude hue with antique-rose leanings in its base, in an excellent crème format. Wonderful coverage with even just one coat applied, I opted for two coats here to make it completely opaque. Self-levelling and a high gloss finish left behind – an incredibly easy to wear and versatile shade. Did I mention how ultra creamy it looks?!

in sunlight

indoors

with flash

‘Dress Me Up’ layered with one coat of ‘Luxe and Lush’ on top: (the prismatic flashes of the top coat really compliment this base shade)

in sunlight

closeup

indoors

with flash

‘Mahogany Magic’ (representing District 7 – Lumber) is totally delicious! A stunning, warm leaning mid-tone brown hue in an amazing crème formula, neither too thick nor too thin, this flowed like melted chocolate across the nails, leaving behind a perfectly smooth finish and mirror like shine. Two coats were all that were needed for complete and even coverage. So, so luxurious …

in sunlight

indoors

with flash

‘Mahogany Magic’ layered with one coat of ‘Luxe and Lush’ on top: (this combo makes me think of lush brocade fabric)

in sunlight

closeup

indoors

with flash

‘Fast Track’ (representing District 6 – Transportation) is a semi-sheer warm taupe/pale beige hue chock full of gold ultra-fine shimmer dust – or is it a golden shimmer with hints of colour? Either way, it is understated and sublime, with the glitter bits appearing suspended at the surface level of the lacquer. As I personally prefer the look given off with two coats (as I’ve applied here), you could always add a third for deeper coverage. Wonderfully self-levelling and a shiny formula, this shade manages to look both neutral and edgy at the same time.

in sunlight

closeup

indoors

with flash

‘Fast Track’ layered with one coat of ‘Luxe and Lush’ on top: (an interesting look, but I prefer the look of the base shade without)

in sunlight

closeup

indoors

with flash

‘Electrify’ (representing District 5 – Power) is like capturing fire in a bottle of lacquer, albeit with some slight Christmas-y undertones! This is a clear suspension-like yet still thinly flowing base, loaded with small gold and slightly larger red glitter. I applied three coats here for denser coverage since I opted to wear it solo, but two would be enough if it’s to be layered over another base colour. Needing some wait time between coats and not as glossy at the finish as the rest of this collection, I was pleasantly surprised to find that removal was actually rather painless (I still don’t know how China Glaze manages this feat!).

in sunlight

closeup

indoors

with flash

‘Electrify’ layered with one coat of ‘Luxe and Lush’ on top: (yes, overkill and redundant but I was curious just the same!)

in sunlight

closeup

indoors

with flash

‘Hook and Line’ (representing District 4 – Fishing) is a totally strange & unique pearly taupe/grey hue – and the problem child of this entire collection! A slightly thicker formula, the slightly metallic formula means you need extra care in application in order to avoid patchiness at the cuticle level, as well as keeping visible brush strokes to a minimum. With three thin coats as I applied here, full coverage was definitely reached, and while I adore this pewter colour, bear in mind that it’s not as effortless to apply as some of the others here.

in sunlight

indoors

with flash

‘Hook and Line’ layered with one coat of ‘Luxe and Lush’ on top: (AKA: a hot mess! Unfortunately, this combo did not work for me, but I still had to try)

in sunlight

closeup

indoors

with flash

‘Riveting’ (representing District 3 – Technology) is an eye-searingly beautiful vivid tangerine hue, made even more spectacular with the addition of fine golden glass flecks that appear to float at the surface level of the lacquer. A wonderfully easy flowing formula, I applied three very thin coats for the swatches, which gives a fairly decent opacity, although shorter nails can definitely get away with two coats instead. This vibrant colour is like a citrus burst along your nails! GORGEOUS!!

in sunlight

closeup

indoors

with flash

‘Riveting’ layered with one coat of ‘Luxe and Lush’ on top: (oddly enough, I totally LOVE how these two look together)

in sunlight

closeup

indoors

with flash

‘Stone Cold’ (representing District 2 – Masonry) is a deep slate hue in a killer velvet soft finish. Not fully matte, this can literally be a one-coater and THE most versatile colour of the entire collection. As it dries exceptionally quickly, you need to work fast, loading up your brush with plenty of polish in order to avoid any empty patches, although a second coat (as I applied here) eliminates any issues. A layer of base coat for prep, a layer of lacquer, and you’re out the door in seconds – perfect for those hurried moments! The following swatches all show a secondary photo with a layer of top coat applied, which really intensifies all the nuances that go into this shade.

in sunlight

in sunlight, top coat added

indoors

indoors, top coat added

with flash

with flash, top coat added

The only similar shade and finish in my arsenal, is OPI’s ‘Suzi Skis in the Pyrenees Suede’, and naturally I had to compare it to ‘Stone Cold’. The two are exceptionally close in both colour and format, with the differences being almost negligible and not overtly visible; I noticed that the OPI was slightly more sheer and had a thinner flowing formula with the base tone being a touch more silvery-leaning. The following swatches are all: index & ring fingers – OPI, middle & pinkie fingers – China Glaze.

‘Stone Cold’ – middle & pinkie fingers

with top coat added

‘Stone Cold’ layered with a coat of ‘Luxe and Lush’ on top: (even though it may look busy, the contrasting textures all seem to work)

in sunlight

closeup

indoors

with flash

‘Luxe and Lush’ (representing District 1 – Luxury) is a paradox: beautiful to behold, a trial to apply – very true to what ‘The Capitol’ stands for, indeed. This almost glue-like formula, took some manipulation to get the hang of; instead of applying it like you would regular polish, it works easier if you drop a glob of it near the cuticle line, then literally pat/dab it into place. The irregularly shaped mylar pieces it holds have the look of shards of glass, and give an incredibly reflective crystalline look to the nails. The slightly milky base is at once forgiving in nature (no visible irregularities that need cleaning up), and while care needs to be taken to avoid any overhang at the tip, it’s actually quite easy to place the flecks where you want to. The finish is rather glossy, surprisingly so, but mixing the bottle contents is basically impossible due to its rather thick format. One warning is that this does leave behind a rather rough surface, so do NOT skip the top coat. The following swatches are all with three coats, as thinly as I could apply them.

in sunlight

in sunlight/alternate angle

closeup

backlit

indoors

with flash

As Katniss is being prepared for an interview, she is given a unique “flame” nail look, to remind the populace of her spectacular fiery introduction to the Games where she became known as “the girl on fire”, and in tribute (double entendre fully intended) I decided to create my version of this mani. I began with ‘Smoke and Ashes’ as the background/base colour (in honour of Katniss’ District 12), then focusing only on the tips of the nails, I applied a scant amount of ‘Riveting’ – which also happens to be the trait that Katniss embodies throughout this entire story, ending with a few dabs of ‘Electrify’ on top – in homage of her electrifying debut. Top coat sealed everything in and brought out the sparkle of each shade.

in sunlight

with flash

Final thoughts: From the earliest promotional photos, I had a fairly good idea that I would love the shades of this collection, as they all seemed to have a unique factor to them that seemed right up my alley. The ‘Luxe and Lush’ top coat is a strange animal, to be sure, but one that can either totally enhance a base colour (case in point: ‘Mahogany Magic’) or completely obliterate it (the disastrous combo with ‘Hook and Line’). The finishes and textures are varied enough to keep this collection interesting, and I love how such obvious thought and care went into the creation of each colour, keeping it all in sync with the concept of the movie that inspired it all. My favourites here, are undeniably ‘Smoke and Ashes’, ‘Agro’, ‘Harvest Moon’, Stone Cold’, and ‘Riveting’, with ‘Fast Track’, ‘Fois Gras’ and ‘Mahogany Magic’ a close second. This is definitely a much-anticipated collection, and with good reason … not to mention China Glaze’s incredibly affordable price point to sweeten the deal.

“May these colours be ever in your favour”…!

PS: I humbly congratulate you for having made it through to the very end of my epic post!