When Stars Collide

After having been ridiculously excited about the China Glaze Hologlam collection when it was first announced, only to be a little disappointed at the weak holo when blogger swatches started popping up, I decided to just pick up the four that appealed to me the most:

When Stars Collide was first on my list, because it seemed to be one of the stronger holos in the collection and the color is rather nice. The polish is described as a warm maroon, but it leans purple on me (and in the bottle, honestly).

The formula is fairly easy to work with, provided you apply thin coats and allow them to dry completely before starting a new coat. I used two coats over Essie Matte About You since I have yet to pick up an aqua/holo base. I can still see a few ridges, but they’re nowhere near as visible as when the polish is applied over bare nails. I avoided using a top coat for these pictures, but my regular top coat (Butter London Hardwear) didn’t kill the holo when I applied it later.

I took these photos in natural light; indirect sunlight in the two images above, and shade in the one below. The holo is definitely stronger in direct sunlight and direct indoor light, so that’s something to keep in mind.

A couple of weeks later, I wore Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure Butterscotch from the Spring 2013 Designer collection. I wanted to add a little something on the second day… and that something was a When Stars Collide chevron pattern.

(P.S. – Butterscotch is two-coat yellow perfection.)

Have you tried any of the new Hologlam polishes? Thoughts?