Hello, hi, me again! Once again she ended up on an extended break with a lack of posting, and this time I swear we have an excuse, and that excuse’s name is Huey. We got a dog! I’ll talk about him more in my OPI Spring 2024 collection post. But we’re getting him settled in and on a good routine, and I’m slowly getting back to mine. I do always miss posting.

So with that, let’s continue with the 2023 catch up!

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Alright, I’ll admit, I’m a sucker for a fun collaboration, especially when it leads to a mainstream brand trying and experimenting with different colors and finishes. Or at least some sort of cute matching bottles. So when the new Wonka movie released, and it was a whimsical colorful and fantastical time, of course companies were ready to jump onto that inspiration.

Along those lines, BEHOLD, we have this collection. Today we’re looking at the China Glaze release for Winter 2023, and it features 6 shades all inspired by the movie, the origin story of Wonka, a character we all know well. Of course we have the essential chocolate brown and gold, but we also have some new unexpected colors, just as the Wonka movie introduces us to new characters.

These shades are available from polishpick.com – which is still my favorite place to buy discounted China Glaze polishes. They’re also available on Beyond Polish – if you shop there, you can use my code GINGERLYPOLISHED for 10% off individual items. It is affiliated, which means I get a small percentage back if you use it, so no pressure at all!

Alright you’ve been waiting patiently long enough, let’s get on into the swatches!

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We start right out with ‘Totally Taffy’. This one is one of just two creams in the set, and it’s that quintessential bubblegum pink shade – yes I know it’s named after taffy, so fine it’s taffy pink too. It does pull a little cooler as well, with maybe even the tiniest bit of lavender purple to it.

Now formula-wise, this was just average and okay for me. I definitely still had streaks after 2 coats – that were partially caused by my very ridged nails, so yes most people will be good with just 2 coats. Overall it just didn’t feel as thick of a cream formula that we’ve seen from China Glaze before, so it’s just me being nitpicky. (I’ll be forever chasing the high of the formulas in their Hey Sugar collection, those were just incredible).

Totally Taffy – Live Swatch

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Next up we have ‘For the Dreamers’. This one is a deeper, almost purple toned fuchsia pink jelly base filled with larger metallic pink glitters. We got a little bit of a “chonky” texture with this one, one might say.

With that jelly base, it is just about building up that base to full opacity on the nails. It does feel a touch thicker, but I had no issues painting on a smooth coat, and distributing all of those glitters evenly on the nails. It builds up well and is pretty well opaque in just 2 coats – though depending on your application and length of nails, you might need a 3rd coat to cover any last nail line. With those larger glitters, there is a tiny bit of texture, but nothing too sandy, and a coat of top coat will smooth it all out.

For the Dreamers – Live Swatch

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The next polish, the namesake ‘Wonka’ then gives us that classic and essential gold – one might say, the color of a golden ticket (even though that’s not a thing in this movie). It’s brighter, and with that silver shimmer running through it, it leans more into platinum gold than true yellow gold.

This was more of a dense shimmer formula, so I did have some uneven coverage after that 1st coat. But the 2nd coat builds up on itself so well and makes it all opaque and covered. It painted on so smoothly and even with a more metallic finish, I didn’t notice any brushstrokes peeking through.

Wonka – Live Swatch

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Now we get to my favorite shade of the set. This is ‘Noodle’ (named after his sidekick in the movie) and it’s a teal base just filled with the most gorgeous silver shimmer for a glass fleck finish.

This has a lovely formula as well! It was an easy 2 coats to opaque and was so smooth to paint on. I loved the shine of it, and it just truly looks so glassy on the nails. This type of finish is always so stunning.

Noodle – Live Swatch

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Of course, we have to have a shade named ‘Pure Imagination’, it would be a crime if we didn’t. It finishes out the shimmers of the set with a warm-toned bright purple jelly base just packed and filled with a pinky-golden shimmer. It’s got so much sparkle contained in it, it’s perfect for evoking the idea of imagination.

Since it is more of a jelly base, it was sheer on the 1st coat, but gave even coverage. A 2nd coat builds up the color and easily makes it all opaque and covers any nail line. It’s lovely to paint on and I had no issues.

Pure Imagination – Live Swatch

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And last but certainly not least, we have to finish out this set with the perfect chocolate brown cream. This is ‘Secret Recipe’ and it’s a warmer toned brown cream, and it just feels like you dipped your nails into the chocolate river.

This felt like a squishier cream formula, like there’s jelly in that “secret recipe” so the 1st coat was more sheer and uneven. But I found it built up so well with a 2nd coat, and was then fully opaque. It painted on nicely, and I had no complaints!

Secret Recipe – Live Swatch

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And that’s the set! I do always love when we get a more whimsical movie release, especially when it inspires some gorgeous new polish colors and shades. I had no issues with formulas here – the pink was one that I was just expecting more from, but overall it’s not a bad formula.

Did you pick any of these shades up?

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Upcoming Posts
Whats Up Nails x Clionadh Cosmetics trio • ILNP Home for the Holidays collection • Glam Polish Over the Pastel Rainbow collection • Pleasing Twinkle Toes collection

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