China Glaze Island Escape Collection Review

Left Hand: L to R: China Glaze Papaya Punch, Cha Cha Cha, Electric Pineapple, Senorita Bonita

Pinky – Papaya Punch – This gorgeous orange creme gives the best coverage of the bunch. It was nearly opaque in one coat, but I used 2 coats just to be thorough. This color is similar to Wet ‘n Wild Sunny Side Up (click link to see pic) if you’re looking for a cheaper way to try a bright orange nail polish. 

Ring – Cha Cha Cha – A decently pigmented green with yellow undertones. After 2 coats there was still a little bit of VNL, which you can see in the photo. A third coat is enough to make it just perfect. 

Middle – Electric Pineapple – This color was the one I was the most looking forward to, and in person it’s kind of disappointing. The formula is kind of a pain, and it’s very sheer. The formula comes out kinda thick and gloppy, and doesn’t go on very evenly. And then there’s the sheerness issue. I see a lot of VNL after 2 coats, and even still saw a little bit after 3 coats. It’s a really fun color and I’ll still wear it, but just beware it’s no picnic to apply. 

Pointer – Senorita Bonita – I was pleasantly surprised by this polish. (So much so that I managed to smudge it. Derr.) I kinda thought it’d be “just another purple”, but it’s quite pretty and unique. There’s pink shimmer in it that doesn’t translate well in photos, but it’s there in person. This one also applies like a dream, and is opaque in 2 coats.

Right Hand Left to Right: China Glaze Senorita Bonita, Blue Iguana, and 108 Degrees

Here are the other two colors of the collection that weren’t featured on my left hand! :)

Ring – Blue Iguana – This color is gorgeous. It would be my favorite if it weren’t for the formula. It also goes on a little unevenly. It’s not nearly as hard to work with as Electric Pineapple though. Also, make sure you use a base coat because this bad boy will stain your nails otherwise. But the color is sooooooooo so pretty, and I enjoy it. It’s not very opaque; still some VNL after 2 coats. 3 coats solves the issue though.

Pointer – 108 Degrees – Goodness, photos do NOT do this hot polish justice. My camera had difficulty with it because it’s so bright. It’s a reddish pink shimmer that just gleams on the nails. It’s SO bright and just screams (literally) summer! I don’t have anything like it in my collection and I love it. It would make such a fun toe color! I am going to reach for it when I do my next pedi for sure. 1 coat is very opaque, but I used 2 for good measure to make sure every bit of VNL was covered.

Overall…

Overall I thought this collection was pretty good. The color palette is definitely very summery, and very much keeps with what I would think of as “island escape”. A couple of the shades have formulation issues, and some are a bit on the sheer side, but they’re such vibrant shades that I don’t mind. Also, some of you might like sheer polishes! I could see these being pretty fun for some icy popsicle-looking gradient manicures. Hmm, that gives me an idea. ;) I like that none of the colors really feel out of place with the theme, either. The colors are all gorgeous if you’re willing to work with them. In my photos I did not use any top coat; this is just how shiny and bright they are naturally!