Saturday, May 11, 2013

China Glaze Keep Calm, Paint On... with Polka Dots!

Good morning everyone! Happy weekend!

I usually don't post on the weekends, but for some reason I really wanted to today! The polish I have to show you is called Keep Calm, Paint On by China Glaze, and was released as part of their Spring 2013 Avant Garden collection. I only picked up a few shades from this collection, and I'm very happy with all of them! Eventually I'll be posting all of them on here, but for now, let's just start off with this lovely shimmering mint! Click on the link below to see more photos, a review, and some polka dots!


First I want to take about this shade itself. It's so beautiful! I really truly love it. It's a very light yet a little bright minty polish with subtle shimmer in it that makes it feel ethereal and delicate. We've seen so many mint polishes out there, but I've personally never seen one quite like this, especially because that shimmer gives it something special. This is another polish that made me continually stare at my nails, especially when I was out in the sun because the shimmer was more prominent. The name is perfect... the color of Keep Calm, Paint On is definitely calming and serene, not in-your-face like a lot of other mint polishes. Of course I like those too, but this one is different, and I appreciate that!

The formula, on the other hand, left something to be desired. I've seen a lot of different reviews of this polish, and it seems like the formula is quite variable from bottle to bottle. I've heard from some people that the formula of their polish was great, while others had similar complaints to mine. My bottle of Keep Calm, Paint On was really goopy. The polish was thick yet paradoxically thin and streaky once applied to the nail. Mine also had that awful spring-back tendency that made it difficult to get nice and smooth. Also, this is one that cannot be manipulated too much, or else it will bubble. I had to apply really thin, careful coats to prevent bubbling. 

The first time I used this, my experience was frustrating. Then I tried adding a few drops of Zoya Renew polish thinner, and it definitely helped! After applying the thinner, there was no more spring-back effect and definitely less goopiness. The formula was still a little difficult to work with, but was much better than before.

For all my photos, I used 3 coats of Keep Calm, Paint On without topcoat. Of course my photos highlight all of the imperfections, but they weren't noticeable at all in real life. Also, for some reason my skin is looking kind of red here, but this polish is so soft and light that in reality it didn't really give me lobster hands, so just ignore the red haha.












To spice things up I added some polka dots! Polka dots are such a fun easy way to spice up any manicure, so that's what I did here. I was originally going to use plain white, but I liked the antique feel of OPI My Vampire is Buff (clearly a favorite of mine) over the mint.





Anyways, that's it for now! Have any of you tried Keep Calm, Paint On? Has anyone else experienced trouble with the formula like I did?

I hope that you have an amazing weekend! Thanks for stopping by =)

 

16 comments:

  1. Love this creation! You wouldn't be able to tell that you had issues applying Keep Calm Paint On because it looks beautiful!

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    1. Thanks so much, Dani! I'm glad all my little imperfections and frustrations aren't too noticeable haha =D

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  2. What a beautiful color! It's a shame about the formula, but it looks great on you. The off-white dots look so 1960's gorgeous! :)

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    1. Thanks so much, Melissa! The formula was pretty disappointing, but I've heard from others that their bottles weren't like mine at all, which is strange! I'm happy I went with the off-white too, definitely a delicate retro feel =)

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  3. Great color from China Glaze! Love the manicure you did too. I'm crazy about polka dots :)

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    1. Thank you!! It really is such a great shade. I love polka dots too, they really spice up any manicure!

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  4. I love love love a good polka dot! Great job :)

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  5. That one is one of the two I didn't manage to get from the Avant Garden collection even though I adore the color! Such a shame about the formula.

    Love the polka dots!

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    1. Thank you Melody! It's definitely a beautiful shade, and with the thinner the formula is definitely doable, although it is a shame that CG got it so wrong

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  6. I love the colour and it looks great with the polka dots. It's a shame about the formula, but the end result still looks good!

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  7. Super pretty! I love the color of that base polish! Sorry to hear about the formula though...

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    1. It's so pretty isn't it? Damn formula though. But at least I was able to fix it a little bit!

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  8. Hey, when the inspiration strikes, you've got to go with it :) This is a lovely color and your polka dots are so perfectly delicate :)

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    1. Haha exactly! Sometimes I just want to add polka dots to everything but I have to consciously resist the urge lol

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