PURCHASED
MORE FALL. MORE FALL. MORE FALL.
I love fall collections, maybe most of all the seasonal releases (I’m sure you haven’t been able to tell at all). They’re just always vampy and cozy and bold and rich. There’s just a whole vibe around fall that I’m wild about. (It’s also probably just the fact that I can walk down the street without sweating finally).
So with that intro of absolute adoration, let’s dive on into another mainstream fall release.
As you can see from the title, we’re looking at China Glaze’s release. This is the ‘Deserted’ collection, and when describing this set, China Glaze says to “dance from dusk til dawn under the desert sunset with 6 desert-toned metallic and shimmer hues”. And I think the collection truly fits that theming and vibe! You can just feel the desert sunset here, from the beiges of the sand, the reds and oranges of the sunset itself, and the blues and purples of deepening sky.
As they say in the description, all 6 shades are in a metallic or shimmery finish, matching OPI’s recent Zodiac release as well. (Don’t worry, cream lovers, Orly’s and Essie’s fall releases have you covered).
I purchased these from polishpick.com! I’ve purchased from them so many times, I can vouch for super quick shipping each and every time! We love PolishPick here on this blog.
Now let’s get on into the swatches!
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We’re starting right out with the berry of the set. This is ‘Alpenglow’ and after googling apparently “alpenglow” refers to “indirect sunlight reflected or diffracted by the atmosphere after sunset or before sunrise”, and the google photos show a reddish hue, so it’s fitting all around! We love a commitment to the theme!
Anyways, as mentioned, this is a warm toned, lovely bright berry shimmer. It does have that warmth to it, so it feels cozy and perfect for the cooler weather.
It’s a little bit of a squishier formula – whenever I say that I always means it feels like there is some jelly added – so it’s more sheer on that 1st coat, but with an even coverage. A 2nd coat deepens up that color to match the bottle and covers any last nail line. I did notice it continuing to deepen with a 3rd coat as well – but that’ll depend on your own preferences and application.
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‘Bring the Heat’ takes us on into the oranges, and into the most metallic finish of the set. This one is a bright coppery-orange, with the most delicate of shimmer running through it, which makes it look like it’s almost glowing on the nails.
Again, this one felt like it had more jelly to it than a normal metallic formula, so it feels thinner and more squishy on the nails – with a more sheer 1st coat than you might expect. But a 2nd coat easily covers and made it fully opaque and bright on the nails. There’s the tiniest amount of brushstrokes showing in that shimmer, but in normal lighting and wear, they won’t be noticeable.
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‘Dunescape’ is the most neutral of the shades, being a warm sandy-toned beige cream filled with a larger golden shimmer.
This one feels the most like a full cream formula of the set – but still a little thinner. Like, if you’re aware of the Essie cream formula – it’s thinner than that, and can run down the brush. I did have some ridges peeking out after the 1st coat – but that often happens to me with any brand, as I have very defined ridges on my nails. Luckily a 2nd coat easily covered and smoothed those all out and made it all fully opaque. It’s easy to paint on overall, and a good neutral if you’re needing a break from the deep vampy colors.
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Now we’re starting into the 2nd half of this collection, with the blues and purples. I do notice that these 3 shades really make a great little trio as well, all having the same scattered silver glitter throughout.
First up is ‘Night Dunes’. This one is a deeper, almost dusty blue base filled with that silver glitter. It’s scattered and delicate, like the stars peeking through in the night sky after a sunset.
Again a slightly squishier formula on this one, with a touch of jelly. So there is some unevenness on the 1st coat, which is all taken care of by a 2nd. Easy 2 coats, and it’s fully opaque, and I had no issues with application.
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As you imagine by the name, ‘Sky of Lavender’ is very aptly named, being a dusty, deeper lavender base filled with that same scattered silver shimmer.
Just like ‘Night Dunes’ above, I found this one to be more sheer on the 1st coat, with a 2nd coat easily covering and making it fully opaque. However with any of these shades, if you have longer nails or are doing a thinner application, you might want a 3rd coat.
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And last up we have ‘Twilight Desert’. This is the deepest and most vampy of shades, being a deep warm-toned purple base filled with that same silver shimmer. I really loved this almost glass flecked shimmer effect, especially on these deeper blues and purples.
Just like the other 2, it’s a squishier formula, having that same unevenness on the 1st coat. But of course, it covers with that 2nd coat – though with this deeper shade especially, if you have longer nails you might want a 3rd to fully deepen and even out that shade to match the one in the bottle.
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And that’s the set! Overall I really love this color palette, and I can see the theme of a desert sunset really running through each shade and the set of the whole. There’s not a shade that feels out of place. I did notice these feeling squishier than their normal cream formulas – it could be to allow the shimmer to layer and peek through – but they were all opaque in 2-3 coats. Nothing was unworkable, and they applied easily to the nails. They’re all gorgeous shades, so I can say you won’t be disappointed with any of these shades!
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Upcoming Posts
Glam Polish Halloween Horror Shop shades • ILNP Cosmos collection • Essie Fall 2023 collection • Sally Hansen x Sesame Street collection • Holo Taco x Safiya collection
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