Good morning, happy Tuesday. Yay for a short week. It's been pretty overcast and chilly here in the mornings. I keep wondering when the hot weather is going to make it's appearance. Today's post is definitely all about that dry desert summer heat. China Glaze released a Special Edition Collection, Desert Escape for the Summer. China Glaze Desert Escape will be available in June 2015 online at LockAndMane.com. Individual shades MSRP $7.50; Nail Design Kits MSRP $14.95, Tribal Council Micro Minis MSRP $12.00. The kits will also be available at local Sally's. You ready to take a look at this very HOT collection?! Let's do it then!
*press sample*
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What's She Dune? is a "sandy beige creme." It's soft and pretty and very sand-like in color. I found the formula a bit tricky to work with. What's She Dune? didn't want to level itself out and I ended up using 3 coats to cover up all the sparse spots. No topcoat used.
Meet Me In The Mirage is a "rose gold metallic. Of course this is one of my favorites, I love me some rose gold. So pretty and wearable. The formula and application were both great. The brush strokes (which sometimes are problematic with metallic polish) were minimal thanks to the addition of a very light touch of glittery shimmer. I used 2 coats of Meet Me In The Mirage and no topcoat.
Don't Mesa With My Heart is a "vibrant violet pink creme." The color on this polish is all win, but the formula left much to be desired. Again I had trouble with leveling and even-ness in the color. I ended up using 4 coats of Don't Mesa With My Heart for full coverage. No topcoat used.
Don't Desert Me is a "fuchsia pearl shimmer" and another one of my favorites from the collection. I know I have a drawer full of pinks, but really CAN you have enough pink? The answer surely is no. I truly love how this polish has that glow-y look to it, it just makes you want to stare at it. Don't Desert Me had a fantastic formula and it applied perfectly in 2 coats. I used no topcoat.
Rain Dance The Night Away is a "turquoise creme" that is creamy and buttery and lovely all around. I was relieved this creme had a nice formula and applied easily since the last 2 were a bit troublesome. Rain Dance The Night Away would be perfect for some turquoise stone nail art - I think I need to try that now! I used 2 coats of Rain Dance The Night Away and no topcoat.
The Heat Is On is a "sunlit red-orange creme." It's my final favorite of the bunch, though I would classify it more as a jelly or crelly than a creme. It's fairly see-thru on the nail, but builds up really well. It's also very shiny on it's own. The Heat Is On actually reminds me of a big old red tomato. The formula and application were both wonderful. I used 2 coats of The Heat Is On and no topcoat.
Here I did a very simple nail art look, using both What's She Dune? and Meet Me In The Mirage. I covered my entire nail with Dune, and using a strip of striping tape I separate my nail into even haves. I then used Mirage to paint one side of the line. So simple, but a very dramatic effect. I used a layer of topcoat here.
And one more easy art look. For this one I used both Don't Mesa With My Heart and Don't Desert Me. I started with Mesa as my base, then using a fan brush I vertically brushed on Desert. The fuchsia against the pink is stunning and that glow-y finish on Desert really translates over the creme Mesa. I finished with a layer of topcoat.
