China Glaze Awakening Halloween Collection

Ahhhhhhh, finally, a polish collection that lives up to my exceedingly high expectations—China Glaze Awakening. I was pretty excited about this one when I saw the preview pictures awhile back, and my excitement has only grown since then. Fortunately, these “ghoulish glitters”, as China Glaze calls them, did not disappoint.

Zombie Zest, three coats, no flash

First up we have Zombie Zest. Zombie Zest is a swampy green jelly base polish with super fine glitter. In this polish, the glitter is almost suspended under then surface, so it has a very smooth finish. Aside from being one of those ugly/beautiful colors that I happen to looooove, Zombie Zest is one of the coolest polish names FULL STOP. I have read that one of the Orly Cosmix polishes is a dupe for this. You know why I bought this one instead? Because it’s named Zombie Zest. It’s also cheaper, but mostly because it’s named Zombie Zest. The formula was good, nice and even on the application. There is a little VNL, but the base is really a jelly, so VNL is kind of unavoidable.

Zombie Zest, three coats, no flash

Zombie Zest, three coats, no flash

Mummy May I, two coats, no flash

Next up is the beautiful Mummy May I. Another fabulous polish, another fantastic name. Mummy May I is a deep purple crème with hot pink medium-sized glitter. The glitter comes out pretty evenly spaced, so that no one spot seems bare. Application was good. I suggest using only three stokes to apply this polish though. It seemed like it was drying so quickly that if you went back over an area, the polish ended up streaky. I love this kind of dark, vampy color in the fall. The fact that it contains hot pink glitter makes it that much better.

Mummy May I, two coats, no flash

Mummy May I, two coats, with flash

Ick-A-Bod-Y!, two coats, no flash

Last, but I think possibly my favorite of this collection, is Ick-A-Bod-Y!! I say possibly my favorite, because I love them all so much! I guess a lot of people don’t get the name of this, but I think it’s another awesome name. The classic Legend of Sleepy Hollow, featuring Ichabod Crane, was always a Halloween favorite of mine. The other reference here is more amusing, as in “Ick! A body!” LOL. So I think this might be my favorite name of the three actually. Now, about the actual polish! This is a green crème base loaded with medium-sized orange glitter. The glitter really takes over the polish, not that I mind, of course. Application was great, and it was perfect glitter packed in only two coats! If you’re thinking this sounds similar to last year’s Sally exclusive, Fortune Teller, think again! I took a comparison picture for you. Fortune Teller has two different sizes of orange glitter, a black base, and less glitter than Ick-A-Bod-Y! Ick-A-Bod-Y! clearly has a green base and TONS more glitter!

Ick-A-Bod-Y!, two coats, no flash

left to right: Fortune Teller, Ick-A-Bod-Y!, Fortune Teller, Ick-A-Bod-Y!

Overall, this is my favorite collection of the fall. No questions about it. I think I mentioned before how much I love Halloween, so naturally the names are great for me. The colors are also exactly what I like to wear in the fall- a weird swamp-like green, a vampy color, and plenty of glitter. I know some of you might be cringing about the removal process for these, and to you, I say, GO BUY ZOYA REMOVE+. Seriously. I soaked a cotton pad, let it sit on the nail for 10 seconds and all the glitter just wipes right off. This whole Awakening set is a MUST HAVE!!!!! for me personally. By the way, if you buy this collection as a set, it comes with China Glaze Fast Forward Top Coat, which is really great! I hadn't tried it before getting this set, but I really like it so far. Expect a review on it soon.

China Glaze Awakening is available online at Victoria’s Nail Supply and should be arriving at Sally Beauty Supply stores sometime in September.