China Glaze Poolside collection

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The Easter Bunny delivered something beautiful in our basket this year; the China Glaze Poolside Collection. So right after my daughters and I colored our eggs, we got to paint our nails! I am a huge fan of nail lacquers that come in fun colors, especially when they’re free from icky things like DBP and Toluene, because I like to share the mani-pedi routine with my little ones.

Much like our thoughts on the China Glaze Up & Away collection, these shades can awaken anyone from a gray mood. And despite arriving pre-Spring, these neon polishes couldn’t be any more summery!

(from left: Flip Flop Fantasy, Sun Worshipper, Kiwi Cool-Ada, Pool Party, Towel Boy Toy, Yellow Polka Dot Bikini)

Towel Boy Toy is a medium neon blue with a slight shimmer (the only polish from the collection that has any). It gives a deep rich color with just two coats. The look and the color reminds me of the blue highlighters I used in college, but more saturated. I used neither a top coat nor a base coat, which I’m glad because it would have taken away from cool texture. I was able to wear it for just two days before it started to chip, but the drying time is so quick that a reapplication would be a cinch.

Flip-Flop Fantasy is the neon coral-pink nail polish of my dreams. The color is much brighter and pinker than the swatch on the China Glaze website implies. It goes on immediately opaque, and also dries quickly. If you insist on doing two coats, do it immediately or your mani-pedi will look slightly lumpy or streaky. (I learned the hard way. *frown*)

(You can see Stef, the rabbit eater above, in Sun Worshipper, a bright, pure orange)

Sadly, the Easter fun ended quickly, as I spent the following Monday through Wednesday in the hospital after suffering a severe Asthma attack (not polish-related!) Throughout the ordeal, I did receive several compliments on my “fancy nails” from both the male and female medical staff. It is nice to know that although I was feeling a sickly, hot mess; China Glaze had all 20 of my nails looking pretty.

I’m looking forward to trying their other colors, specifically Yellow Polka Dot Bikini since I have yet to find the perfect opaque yellow nail polish. I have sneaky suspicion that China Glaze will not disappoint.

You can get the Poolside shades on Amazon for only $4 bucks!

Disclosure: This review includes products that were provided by the manufacturer/PR firm for our consideration. It also contains an affiliate link, a link that gives us a small commission if you purchase the item. For more info, or any questions, please see our disclosure policy.

Author

  • brooklynshoebabe

    Mom of two girls and married for 17 years. A librarian with a love for red carpet shows, make up blogs, romance novels, fashion days on QVC and HSN, plus-size protaganists, and pedicures.

8 Comments

  1. This pic of @stef eating a chocolate bunny with fab nails is AWESOME. (@stef, Sun Worshipper looks gorgeous on you, btw.)

    @Rakisha, I loved your review, but I am so sorry that Easter ended up taking a bad turn for you. :( But I’m glad you got so many compliments in the ER! :)

    I received Pool Party for review, which is a perfect shade of bright-as-it-gets neon pink. If you want your fingers or toes to be noticed at your next pool party, this is the shade to wear! I love it because, not only does it take me back to the neon fad of the 80s, but it also makes me think of the gals in Mad Men, and a color that Betty might wear on her toes while lounging poolside in Paris, full of malaise, while trying to convince Don that everything’s perfect.

    Whew! Sorry for the tangent.

    Pool Side applies perfectly on the first coat and dries almost instantly (I don’t even think you’ll need a second coat, which makes it even more handy for applying to your toes just seconds before the pool party). My only complaint is that this shade dries matte, so you will definitely need to apply a nice, shiny top coat when you’re done. But after that, you’re good to go and ready for a dip!

  2. Oh no, @brooklynshoebabe , that’s terrible! Well, at least you had the saving grace of good nails while in the hospital. I always seem to end up in the ER with the rattiest bra I own and terrible makeup, LOL!

    Good to know you’d only need one coat. I’m an automatic 2-coater and I would hate to have clumps! Great write up :)

  3. You said it @brooklynshoebabe – if you’re feeling bad, it always helps to look good!

    As you can see from the pic, I chose Sun Worshipper to test. I simply couldn’t resist it’s cheerfulness! And I love orange.

    Like most neon shades, it is a tad streaky, dries kind of matte, and needs a top coat to reach it’s full beauty. I also need 3 coats for it to be full coverage.

    So, yeah-neons are kind of a pain to work with. But, oh the results! This is pure, summer, bright and fun. I get totally distracted by my nails when I wear this. As a matter of fact, the first time I wore it my husband said “those nails are ridiculous!” I said “Oh, really? I like them.” He said “I don’t mean that in a bad way!” So I think he likes it?

    4 stars from me. Fab colors, a bit of work.
    .-= Stef´s last blog ..The Magnificent 7: Lip Balms =-.

  4. Ha ha! Poor chocolate bunny. That sunny color looks great on you Stef! @amanda, don’t feel bad, I am normally tore down-looking when I visit the ER. Once a long time ago I was in a car accident (not serious). I cried, my leg hurts and the *hot* fireman rips the leg open on my jeans to reveal mismatched socks and unshaven legs. lol.

    China Glaze Pool Collection really is great. Makes me want to wear flip-flops all the time!!!!

  5. I got to try Kiwi Cool-Ada. Boy howdy do I like it! At first I wasn’t too sure, thought maybe it would look like a real bad fungus. But I love this. Like @Stef I had to use 3 coats for full coverage. But the results are great. When it dries it’s the exact color of a kiwi, beautiful green. I like the look of the matte so I didn’t put a top coat on.

    Besides the color, I love how fast this polish dries! Seriously, I just put on my 3 coats not even 5 minutes ago. And I’m typing without messing up my nails! Score! I have zero patience to sit around and wait for polish to dry, so this is huge in my book!

  6. Love the pic as usual @Stef!! Too cute! I really love China Glaze. I picked up Towel Boy Toy. It is so gorgeous!! What a stunning shade of blue. These types of colors always seem to require multiple coats no matter what brand you use. But as others have said it dries so quickly that it is not a huge pain. Beautiful colors, beautiful application, and a can’t beat it price!! Yay!

    4 stars only because no one has really invented streak free neon yet and because it chips a tad too soon.

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