Swatchfest: China Glaze Fall 2012 On Safari Collection

I recently received four of the twelve shades in the China Glaze Fall 2012 On Safari Collection for review. If you'd like to see bottle shots of all twelve shades, please see my previous post here.

This collection hit stores this month, and it couldn't have come a bit too soon for me personally since I LOVE fall shades. So let's take a peek!

 Four shades from the Fall 2012 China Glaze On Safari Collection

(retail: $7 each, 0.5 oz)

The first two pics of every color were taken outdoors with no flash. The third pic was taken indoors with flash. All swatches were photographed after two coats of polish and one layer of clear top coat. All four of these polishes dry to a shiny finish (no mattes or satins here), however I love extra-shiny cremes so I couldn't resist adding a layer of top coat to each one.

 Kalahari Kiss

I can honestly say that I don't have another polish like this in my collection. It's a butter yellow with just a splash or two of beige, and I was so afraid it wouldn't work with my skintone (I can't wear certain beiges because it brings out the redness in my skin, aka lobster claws). But I think this one works! If you're looking for a little bit of an edgy alternative to your standard beige creme, I think this one's a must-have. Two coats for full opacity, and you could even get away with one coat if you were careful.

 Elephant Walk

 Here's another two-coater that could probably be a one-coater if you were careful. There is a very subtle shimmer to this elephant-gray, which you can only really see in direct or bright light like this:

 I smudged my pinky and middle finger right before I took these photos, so I apologize for how obvious it is in this photo:

 

 Prey Tell

Vampy, vampy, vampy! I'm always drawn to shades like Prey Tell because they make me feel sophisticated. This one didn't disappoint--it's perfect in two coats and even though it's super dark, it never looks black, even in dim lighting.

 Man Hunt

And finally, we have Man Hunt. Super easy to apply (two coats for perfect opacity), this one was incredibly difficult to photograph. My photos in low lighting seem to be more accurate, so pay closer attention to the following two photos. This is not a bright, eye-searing royal blue, but rather a deep, ink-blue that really looks like blue ink from a ball-point pen when on the nail.

FINAL VERDICT: all four shades I received were a dream to apply. Most were almost completely opaque after one coat. You won't need to apply three coats of any of the these shades, that's for sure--two coats is perfect. The formula of all four polishes was great, and I found none of these polishes to be thick, watery or difficult to manage. The must-have for me out of the four shades I received is Kalahari Kiss. If you love the look of butter yellows but haven't been able to find one that works for your skintone, I'd consider picking this one up because it's got just enough beige in it to make it wearable for a variety of different skintones. I'd also consider this polish if you're a beige or nude fan and want something just a little bit different for fall.

Do you already own any shades from the On Safari Collection? Thoughts?

 A sample of this product was given to Nouveau Cheap for editorial purposes, either directly from the manufacturer or from the agency that works on behalf of the manufacturer. All reviews on NouveauCheap.blogspot.com are the honest opinion of its author and editorial samples do not, in any way, affect the outcome of product reviews.