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Hi friends! I am sure if you are reading this in December when this post is getting posted you’re wondering how in the hell are talking about Valentine’s Day collections before we even get into January. I don’t have an answer for you because I am just as confused as you are. I was doing my regular doom scrolling and stumbled across this collection on sale so I said “why not?”
Not gonna lie though, I was really excited about this collection when I first saw it. I can’t remember the last time China Glaze had a full collection just for Valentine’s Day. For V-Day 2024, we have the Love & Kisses collection. This collection has it all, glitters, shimmer, and neons!
If you want to snag this release online, Beyond Polish has the collection up. Feel free to use my affiliate code, NicoleLovesNails to save an extra 10% off the polishes!
Live Swatch Video
China Glaze is a US based mainstream brand. Their polishes are in 14ml bottles, 7 free and cruelty free.
2 Hot 2 Handle
Description: a red metallic
2 Hot 2 Handle This is a very Valentine’s day appropriate red shade. It does seem to lean a little bit warm as I had the lobster hands issue with this one.
The formula and base were both fantastic. I expected coverage to be a lot more sheer than it ended up being. The shimmer in here is so pretty! It seems to be an orangey color that warms up the base color a little bit.
My photos show 2 Hot 2 Handle in 2 coats plus glossy top coat. Nothing in here is going to dry down textured but you will want top coat for a glossy finish. I think this would is a potential stainer.
Eat Your Heart Out
Description: a red jelly base with red metallic micro glitter
Eat Your Heart Out I always do a happy dance when China Glaze (or any mainstream brand really) throws in a glitter to a collection. I feel like Valentine’s Day is a perfect day for a little extra sparkle.
Eat Your Heart Out had a fantastic formula. I expected the polish to feel a little bit on the thicker side but it felt perfect to me, not too thick or too thin. The glitters are super tiny but they are top coat hungry. I used 2 coats of top coat and I still had a little bit of texture to my nails.
This polish reminded me a lot of the famous China Glaze polish called Ruby Pumps. If you’re curious, they aren’t dupes but they are similar. I have a comparison of the two in my live swatch video.
My photos show Eat Your Heart Out in 2 coats plus 2 coats of top coat. Since the glitters are in a tinted base, I felt good with only two coats. If your nails are longer than mine, you might want to add a third coat.
If you’re like me and reds tend to stain your natural nails, make sure to wear base coat with this polish. Removal will be on the more difficult side due to the glitters.
Read My Lips
Description: a bright neon red creme
Read My Lips holy macaroni is this nail polish BRIGHT!! I did not expect a neon red from China Glaze for Valentine’s Day but I also didn’t expect a Valentine’s Day collection so yeah.
The formula of this polish is pure perfection. It was so opaque, self leveled perfectly, and was oh so very creamy. It dries down just a bit more sheer than it initially applies, so I won’t call it a solid one coater.
Because this is a neon, it doesn’t photograph particularly well and also glows under blacklight.
My photos show Read My Lips in 2 coats plus glossy top coat. It does dry down pretty flat so you will want top coat for a glossy finish. Read My Lips is very pigmented so I do think it is a potential stainer, make sure to wear base coat.
Ruler Of All Hearts
Description: a topper with pink and red glitter hearts in a clear base
Ruler Of All Hearts if you know me, you know this was the polish that I was most excited for in this collection as well as most concerned about. It’s been a long time since China Glaze released a chunky glitter topper and I wasn’t sure what to expect.
Formula wise, this is a tricky polish. China Glaze did NOT skimp at all when it came to adding glitter to this polish. It’s so packed with glitters that it feels like a thick polish but the base itself isn’t thick, it’s just loaded with glitters. The base itself is on the thinner side but by no means watery.
I found that I could fairly easily get out a good amount of glitters, but applying these to the nail with a dabbing motion with your brush gets the most even payoff. Since the hearts are so big, they tend to either spread out a lot or clump together. You’ll need a little finesse to apply these glitters in a way that looks good.
My photos show Ruler Of All Hearts over Sweet Cheeks. I’ll call this one coat but it was a good amount of dabbing around my brush to spread the glitters out. Use the soak off method or a peel off base coat for the easiest removal.
Sweet Cheeks
Description: a pastel baby pink creme
Sweet Cheeks I know I always say this about pastel pinks buuuuut as someone who isn’t the biggest fan of pale pinks, this polish has a pretty nice.
Formula wise, it was better than I expect so pretty good. It starts off streaky but applies and self levels nicely. I found myself floating my brush on to try to get the most even application.
This is NOT the polish for folks who tend to overwork their polishes. If you overwork this one you’ll end up with a lot of streaks and potentially bald spots.
My photos show Sweet Cheeks in 3 coats plus glossy top coat.
XOXO
Description: a bright neon pink bubblegum creme
XOXO is the second neon in this collection. Formula wise, it was pretty good. I found it was a little bit chalky and didn’t self level as quickly as Read My Lips but it does self level well. I do think if you overwork this polish you will run in to some application issues.
Since this is a neon, it doesn’t quite photograph nearly as brightly as it appears in person and it does glow under black light.
My photos show XOXO in 2 coats plus glossy top coat. I had a few areas where I could see a dark spot on my nails but it wasn’t bad enough for me to want to add a third coat. The polish dries down dull so you will want top coat for a glossy finish.
Final Thoughts
Ok so I need to be honest, my level of excitment for China Glaze releasing a Valentine’s Day collection aka the holiday for all of us pink lovers ws very very VERY high. The fact that we have TWO of my favorite types of polishes (neons and glitters) in this surprise collection?? Just hot diggity dog!
Overall I thought htis was a pretty fantastic collection. All of the formulas were fantastic and honestly exceeded my expectations. If you’re a China Glaze fan you know it’s been an interesting couple of years. 2023 was an improvment on 2022 and I am really hoping that 2024 China Glaze knocks it out of the park.
My only pieces of critisim are 1) I wish this collection also had some gold thrown SOMEWHERE and 2) I wish Ruler All The Hearts had some smaller glitters in it so that you didn’t have to do so much glitter placement.
My top picks from this collection (not in order) are XOXO, Ruler Of All Hearts, Read My Lips and Eat Your Heart Out.
China Glaze
14ml, 7 Free, Vegan & Cruelty-Free
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Sale Information
The Love & Kisses collection hasn’t started promotion yet. Once promotion does they should be available in all of the places where China Glaze is sold.
If you would like to purchase this release at a discount as well as support the blog, consider shopping on Beyond Polish. You can use my affiliate code NicoleLovesNails to save an additional 10% on your order. You can also purchase China Glaze polishes online at the following retailers Amazon, Sally Beauty, Walmart, Rite Aid, PolishPick, Head2Toe Beauty, 8ty8Beauty and Ulta.
