The leaves are falling, the pumpkins are out, and “Hocus Pocus” is on television nearly every day …that can only mean one thing: HALLOWEEN IS COMING! The spooktacular team over at CG has whipped up quite the treat for us this year with the China Glaze Halloween 2018 “Paint It Black” Collection, a tricked out line that’s not only perfect for the holiday, but also great for those hoping to add some (or more) drama to their nail ‘lewks’. Hey–if you’ve got it, haunt it!
Included in the 6-shade collection is a matte black, a holo black, a gold-infused onyx chrome, black with orange shimmer and one with heavy glitter–there’s even a cool black micro glitter topper. I scooped up the line to swatch and review for you all as well as the pack of fun Halloween decals for easy art with a booming effect. Check it all out below!
PRET-A-POTION Pret-A-Potion – A topper of all micro black glitter in a clear base. I decided to pair it over China Glaze “Free Love”, for that Halloween look. The coverage I got on one coat was good, but almost too much I think.
I imagine this could be built up to wear on it’s own but, because it’s all black glitter I feel it would probably just look as if you are wearing a textured polish.
NIGHT AND SLAY Night and Slay – Slay, INDEED! This black holographic glitter is amazing! Seriously, pictures do not do it justice–it is incredibly sparkly!! This is Pret-A-Potion packed with TONS of holo glitter. I’m sure you could probably use this shade as a topper, with one LIGHT coat, but I chose to wear it alone with two coats.
The formula was thicker than any other polish in the collection, but that is expected with all the glitter. I would suggest sponging it on, or waiting for the first coat to completely dry before adding another for best results. Then, of course, use a great glossy topcoat to smooth it all out.
MALIBOO-BOO Maliboo-Boo – I love when China Glaze throws a holo polish at us, and this black linear holographic is absolutely stunning! We’re talking elegance, edge and shine all at once.
I had full coverage in two coats with an easy application.
SHADIES & GENTLEMEN Shadies & Gentlemen – A black matte that finally fits in perfectly with the collection! Firstly, I love that they put this one in a “matte” bottle; I wish that was done for all the matte colors. Formula-wise, this was a lot easier to apply than other recent China Glaze matte shades. However, I suggest only using one coat; I did two coats, which created a few brush strokes. I really love it though–it’s a great look for Halloween too.
If you were hoping for a glossy black in this line, just add a top coat to this. (see below)
TIP: Don’t use a basecoat as it seems to cause a crackle-effect and break apart.
SHADIES & GENTLEMEN - WITH TOP COAT
WICKED LIQUID Wicked Liquid – This black gold chrome is the one I was most excited to try and it’s GORGEOUS! At times it almost looks like a deep olive green; it’s a very interesting shade and unlike anything I have in my collection.
The formula was super easy and covered in ONE COAT! However, I did two coats because I like to. I also added top coat as it dried a bit flat.
ASH AND BURN Ash & Burn – This black and orange glitter beauty reminds me of a more subtle version of China Glaze “Getting to Gnaw You” (from the 2014 Halloween collection, Apocalypse of Color). The formula was it was a little thicker and dried a bit gritty, so I recommend using a good topcoat. I was able to achieve full coverage with two coats.
DECALS WITH MALIBOO Halloween Nail Decals – OKAY, this is FUN! This year we get a really cool sheet of Halloween nail decals to create some nail art. These were super easy to apply as they are stickers and not water decals like I thought. There seems to be a good variety of designs, such as: bones, spiders, black cats and ghosts.
Make sure to top your design with topcoat otherwise the stickers will rub right off.
I used some of the skull and bone decals along with China Glaze “Maliboo-Boo” and “I’ll Sand By You” for this quick and easy art look.
VERDICT: I look forward to the China Glaze Halloween collection every year and this one did not disappoint in the slightest! I feel like it’s one of the best all around and would recommend grabbing every single color.
China Glaze® Paint it Black nail polish collection is available at beauty supply stores nationwide including Sally Beauty and Ulta stores. Individual shades retail for $7.50 MSRP.
China Glaze® is free of DBP, toluene, and added formaldehyde. China Glaze® nail lacquers are available through salons and professional beauty supply stores nationwide. For more information, please visit www.chinaglaze.com or follow China Glaze® on Facebook (@ChinaGlaze), Instagram (@ChinaGlazeOfficial), Twitter (@ChinaGlaze) and Pinterest (pinterest.com/chinaglaze).
