China Glaze Capitol Colours Collection, Smoke and Ashes

Hi guys! Hope you're having a fabulous week!

Today I have my first polish from China Glaze's Hunger Games/Capitol Colours Collection, Smoke & Ashes. S&A is a blackened blue/green glass fleck, very reminiscent of Blk-Bila-Bong. I have a love for blackened blues and greens, and since this polish combines both, it was the first one I grabbed. I'll be honest with you, I have yet to see a swatch that does this color justice. In person the green and blue flecks, although muted, are much more apparent. I was mildly disappointed that the color fell flat on the nail as opposed to how gorgeous it is in the bottle, but in the right lighting it really is beautiful.  Of course, this color combo is being done to death lately, so it's really not a huge stand out for me.

Here she is in the lightbox: (Forgive my fingertips/cuticles! I tried to catch a falling cactus and paid dearly for it. I realized mid-catch that I probably shouldn't be trying to save flying pointy plants, but the damage was done. And I didn't even manage to save the damned thing! It ended up falling right out of it's little pot.)

And a couple in sunlight (still couldn't capture much of that blue/green glass fleck goodness):

I do love this polish, but I really am a bit disappointed that it doesn't translate that well on the nail.  I keep buying blackened blue/glass fleck colors and hoping this will be the one that really shines, and none of them ever translate like I want them to. So far this is the winner, but I'll still be on the lookout for one that outdoes them all!

Formula on this baby was amazing at first - thick, but not gloppy, easy to work with and no dragging or balding. However it did glop up quickly and I had to add a bit of thinner to keep it from glopping onto my nails like tar. Wear was average, with some minor tip wear and one chip on day 2.  Keep in mind that my idea of wear is pretty rough; I work with dogs for a living and have a 21 month old, so I'm incredibly hard on my polish. What wears average for me is usually really good for most.

I'm looking forward to playing with the other 2 polishes I grabbed from this collection. My Sally's only had 4 colors left, 3 of which they had to go hunt in the back for. I'm hoping that they get more in soon since I really want Agro and Electrify.  I did manage to pick up the much coveted Luxe & Lush, that I plan on using tonight. I can't wait to play with that baby!

Happy Polishing!
-Kimber