Review: Awakening by China Glaze [Halloween polish set]

All three colours in this set have a jelly base. This means that the formula is semi sheer and dries with a high shine finish.
　
As the base colours for these polishes are a jelly finish two coats aren’t totally solid, but I don’t mind the semi-sheer look. Three coats will give you a solid look. The polishes are smooth to apply despite all of them containing glitter, leaving no bubbles or streaks. I was impressed with the drying time; Five minutes after application it was touch dry and after ten minutes I was rummaging through drawers, there were no chips or smudges. I hadn’t applied a top coat at that point.
　
China Glaze has to be my favourite brand of polish; The different formulas [creme, jelly, metallic, glitter,crome and holographic] are all so smooth and evenly - even the ones that contain glitter. I own 20 + bottles of China Glaze now and have yet to experience any bubbling or streaking from any finish.
　
They use different polymers and resins in their formulas; These buzz words mean nothing to me but the great results speak for themselves. The colour is always bottle true and the dried polish wears well. My bare nails are also looking healthier then they have done for years to, so China Glaze has quickly become my go-to brand.
　
　
China Glaze do not test on animals.


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The brush
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China Glaze don't use a 'pro' width brush, so it'll take up to three strokes to coat the nail, but I don't see  that as a huge problem. As the brush is thinner less polish is loaded onto the brush, so the nail doesn't become glooped with product.


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Lasting power .
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Using my usual base and top coats [I've switched to China Glaze from Nails INC] these polishes will last me around 3 days with only minimal wear [and the glitter helps to disguise the war and tear]; but I'm tough on my nails (self powered wheelchair user), so it will probably last longer on other people, for instance my sister loves China Glaze too and can get a week's wear out of it.


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The colours
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ICK-A-BOD-Y
　
This is the ultimate Halloween shade; The polish is a dark green, but the formula is packed with orange glitter. The combination of green and orange just screams "pumpkins" or "jack-o-lanterns", depending on your location. I'm not usually a orange or glitter fan, but the dark green base to the polish prevents the orange glitter from being bright and stops my nails from resembling a disco ball. While I do love the shade and find it perfect for autumn, I don't think I'll wear it for the rest of the year, so it's the least versatile shade in the set.

　
　


MUMMY MAY I
　
I'm a purple polish junkie so most of my stash is purple, yet MUMMY MAY I is still unique. It's a dark, warm, pinky plum shade with flecks of pink micro-glitter that looks so pretty when they catch the light. One thing; I'm not sure how this is a Halloween shade (aside from the name), I'll be happily wearing this all year round.
　

　


ZOMBIE ZEST
　
I'm not a fan of green nail polish, so what first attracted me to ZOMBIE ZEST was the cutesy name and the fact that it's a limited edition - honestly throw those two words at me and I'll be lemming it like nobodies business. Anyway, I'm getting sidetracked. Long story short - this shade of green is something that I've seen in polishes before; It's yellow based and has gold coloured flecks of micro-glitter in. I <3 it, it is indeed very halloweeny AND I can also see myself wearing it in the summer as the yellow base will seem cheery in the bright sun.
　

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Bonus
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This set comes with a full size bottle of China Glaze' FAST FORWARD TOP COAT.
This dries a within one minute of application and helps sets your polish, prolonging the wear. Plus it gives any polish an extra [clear] coat of shine.
　
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RRP
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The sites that offer this set charge £20, but I got mine from Ebay for £14 plus free p+p.
Individual bottle's retail for around £8 each. Sounds pricey, but these are 14 ml bottles.

[photos used property of China Glaze]