China Glaze Capitol Colours – The Hunger Games Nail Polish Collection Swatches & Review
We’re only seven weeks and two days away from the hotly anticipated opening of The Hunger Games (yes I’m counting) and the only thing more buzzed about than the actual movie is the nail polish collaboration between Lionsgate and China Glaze, The Capitol Colours Collection. Even people who haven’t read the books are exploding with excitement over these polishes.
Between the drama over whether the collection would even come out, the name changes from a character driven theme to a “Capitol” driven theme, that still represents the Districts more than the Capitol, to the debate over whether a book about a dystopian society where children fight to the death for their District’s survival should even be associated with nail polish, every nail lover has been talking about this collection.
All of that aside, it’s the colors alone that drew the majority of us in. Wanting to own a piece of a favorite book series is definitely a part of it but we wouldn’t be rabid to get our hands on the lacquers unless the colors made our pulses race. And that’s exactly what mine did when the collection landed on my doorstep. Let’s dive into the world of Panem, shall we?
Formula & Application: China Glaze is a 3-Free brand with a round brush that is both medium in length and firmness with enough give to allow for ease of control. The cap is slightly tapered and made of smooth plastic that is comfortable to hold.
The diversity of the finishes in this collection makes it hard to generalize the application as being just one thing. Overall the cremes are thin and workable. The metallics and matte are a bit on the goopy side and take some finesse to apply smoothly. The shimmer, foil and jelly polishes were all a dream to work with. I will comment on any application issues below but all polishes are shown with two coats with the exception of the glitter, Electrify.
China Glaze Agro (District 11 – Agriculture) Is a metallic olive green with flecks of gold. The base isn’t overly warm which makes it very wearable though peeps with uber cool tones may have a hard time pulling it off. Due to the metallic finish, brush strokes are an issue and the formula is kind of clumpy so apply very thin layers. Application tip: Apply to the sides first (strokes 1 & 2) then finish in the middle to blend and smooth the surface.
China Glaze Dress Me Up (District 8 – Textiles) is the color that was originally named for Primrose and given its dusty rose color, that would have been a great fit. It’s creamy with a soft, delicate nature, just like Prim.
China Glaze Electrify (District 5 – Power) is a clear-based packed with yellow gold and red glitter. The gold is the more prevalent color though the photo doesn’t show that. Unfortunately shooting in macro pulls apart the colors that your eye will naturally blend together. The overall effect looks like gold foil peppered with red sparkles. Thanks to the density of the glitter, you can get decent coverage without a ton of coats. I am showing you one, two and three coats of color.
China Glaze Fast Track (District 6 – Transportation) is a cool beige packed with gold micro-flecks. It has a similar finish as Knotty from Anchors Away except the base is cooler and more opaque and the flecks are gold instead of silver. It’s a great twist on your average neutral. I was honestly expecting this one to be pretty sheer so I was pleasantly surprised to find that it gives great coverage.
China Glaze Foie Gras (District 10 – Livestock) is a dark, moody mauve creme. I’m calling it Below Deck After Dark. It’s a member of that whole taupe-y purple family that Chanel Particuliere and SOPI Metro Chic belong to.
China Glaze Harvest Moon (District 9 – Grain) is a burnt copper foil metallic. It had the autumnal, fall feeling that represents the idea of a bountiful harvest really well. Unlike the other metallics in this collection, because it’s a foil, it applies smooth as butter and it packed with pigment.
China Glaze Hook and Line (District 4 – Fishing) is a muddied, pewter metallic. There’s a bit of taupe to its underbelly that makes me think of a fish hook that has a thin layer layer of dried dirt from years of use. It’s definitely unusual. It had the same application issues so see above for my tip to getting a smooth finish.
China Glaze Luxe & Lush (District 1 – Luxury) is the FLAKIE top coat. I know all you flakie fans have been freaking over this and since we’re in the midst of a giant flakie movement I’m sure this color will sell fast. In the bottle you can see flecks of fiery orange, blue and a lilac leaning pink in a milky base. I thought it would pair well with Dress Me Up but I wanted to show you other options so I included a black (ChG Liquid Leather) and pale blue (ChG Sea Spray). I think I expected it to explode over black but it kind of fizzled out like an expired firecracker. I love it over the other two though.
China Glaze Mahogany Magic (District 7 – Lumber) is a rich, yellow-based, brown creme. While it’s meant to have a woody feel, I look at it and see a horse mane. Can’t get that out of my mind. Undoubtedly this will rock on warmer/olive skin tones but on me, it feels wrong. Clearly I can’t wear colors this yellow.
China Glaze Riveting (District 3 – Technology) is a jelly-fied gem. A sister to two classic China Glaze jellies, Orange Marmalade and Orange-Pacific this color has one thing going for it the others lack, pigment. It’s magical. Two coats and it’s on! LOVE!
China Glaze Stone Cold (District 2 – Masonry) surprised me as I wasn’t expecting to see a matte in this collection but it makes total sense to have this graphite glitter dry with a matte finish. It’s so asphalt-esque I can’t stand it. Though very similar to Nubar Matte Midnight. Like most mattes, the formula is a bit thick and goopy so use thin coats and workly quickly since mattes dry fast.
With a top coat the silver sparkles come alive and it resembles graphite. I prefer this look over the flat matte.
China Glaze Smoke & Ashes (District 12 – Mining) is the color I’ve been looking forward to most and it does not disappoint. The love child of Blk-Bila-Bong and Glittering Garland, it has the inky base and blue micro-flecks that made BBB a star. Mix in the emerald fleck from GG and we have a rising star on our hands. It’s so much better in person, trust!
Bottom Line: Even though the association with the Districts is not something that is advertised in association with this collection (I read it on this blog) overall I feel the colors do a great job of representing The Hunger Games. Are there some dupeable shades, no doubt. But are there some legen (wait for it)… DARY must-haves? Abso-frickin-lutely. Smoke & Ashes, Riveting, Luxe & Lush, Agro and Fast Track and Harvest Moon are all keepers. If your budget allows, consider Electrify and Dress Me Up. I know I’m known for my aversion to pinks but there’s something about DMU that attracts me. Plus is looks fab under Luxe & Lush.
The China Glaze Capitol Colours collection releases mid-March 2012 at salons and beauty supply stores nationwide including Sally Beauty and ULTA. Online shoppers can head to Head2ToeBeauty.com, TransDesign.com and ULTA.com. China Glaze nail polishes retail for $3-6.50/ea, depending on the retailer, for a .5oz bottle.
Alright so spill… which colors will make your short list to buy? Which one will you wear to see The Hunger Games? Which colors exceeded your expectations based on previews? Which ones fell short?
Disclosure: Product samples were provided by reps for China Glaze. For more info view my Disclosure Policy.
With smoke and ashes on four nails, and riveting (with electrify on top) as an accent color on one nail, you could totally have girl on fire-themed nails!
good idea i Sooooo have to try it.
:-p
cant wait!!!!
Is Fast Track similar to Butter London’s All Hail (Mc)Queen? They seem similar but I don’t own either so I can’t tell.
Great question. They aren’t similar. The bL has more of a sandy tan base and the holographic glitter sets it apart.
This was my thought too. Thanks for the info.
this post made me excited for some colors that I wasn’t expecting to like! I want almost every single one of these.
Can’t tell you how jealous I am that you have these. I have been excited since I saw the original pictures and now actually seeing them makes me even more exciting. You can bet I’ll be on the China Glaze website March 1st waiting for this release!
Mahogany Magic looks great to me. I think it’d be really flattering with my skin tone.
I’ve never had a moment with a collection when I’ve actually wanted every single one. This collection is IT. I don’t know if I can go that crazy but definitely Dress Me Up, Stone Cold, Fast Track, Electrify & Smoke and Ashes will be mine! Thanks for the swatches!
those are the same exact ones i want too!
They’re sooooo fabulous ! The best one is Luxe and Lush (it’s more special, like the novel), it’s very beautiful with blue or black !! XOXO
Gurrrls. This collection is FIERCE!!! I’m loving stone cold. But overall the colors are all pretty unique,which is rare for an entire collection, there is usually 2 or 3 dupes. Luv and the movie trailer has peeked my interest in the movie.
Amazinggg Colors! As a total fan, I find these a-must-buy…if only my parents would let me get the whole set
Electrify, Riveting (the colors remind me of Chinese New Year) & Harvest Moon — I usualy stay away from brown polishes. But this is gorgeous!! Thanks for swatching!
Dear God, I hope I will be able to get my hands on some of these here… I fell in love with “fast track”!
I want every single one of these. (but I’ll pass on Dress me up and Foie Grass since I have dupes). I have been so excited for this collection since I first saw the original swatches… The two things I love the most, china glaze and the hunger games, coming together to form nail polish. YUM.
I did a reservation on Fast Track and Dress me up only based on the first pics that showed up and now feel like I chose right. Those are the two most beautiful colors!
Electrify, Stone Cold, and Fast Track are the ones that jump out at me the most. Fast Track is just…gah! I need it!
Luxe & Lush doesn’t look like a very good flakie to me, though. I dunno, it looks…chunky?
Foie Gras and Dress Me Up! love love love.
I absolutely adore Stone Cold!
If you’re from Canada – you’ll also be able to purchase at Spa Boutique and Nail Polish Canada.
Both on-line retailers will have it.
Personally I can’t wait for Stone Cold -must have for my March pedi!!
I find it funny how the two main colors I wanted were the two you said not to get. Haha:P thanks sooo much for this! Its one thing to see the bottle, but to see actual pics is amazing! Im so sad because my favorite- electrify- is sold out! Or at least it is online Hot Topic. Does anyone know where I could still get it??? I also LOVED Dress Me Up. The others were good too and I really want to buy them all but… Lets be honest: 12×7=$84 (and thats not including tax!!!!) oh well… At least I know what to tell my friends an family to get me as gifts!
I hope I can get these!! My four favourites are Riveting, Fast Track, Harvest Moon and Dress Me Up.
thanks for the awesome swatches!! ughhhh i seriously want all of these!! i am absolutely in love with the books as well! you can pre-order some from hottopic.com! 4 have already sold out…i ordered Foie Gras, Dress Me Up, and Fast Track! i’m going to be stalking other online sellers and ulta because i still want riveting, smoke and ashes, and luxe & lush!
apparently another website (www.amazingbeautysupply.com) has the collection for presale as well. anyone have experience ordering from them? i couldnt find reviews, so i am a bit skeptical.
I haven’t ordered from them but hopefully someone who has will comment.
Great swatches as always! Is Riveting that much different than Orange Marmalade (I think Riveting is gorg, but I’m trying to cut back on nail polish spending so I won’t buy Riveting if it’s really similar)? Thanks!
It’s different but it’s hard to say if it’s “that different” you know what I mean? Riveting isn’t as orange and it’s more intense. It’s got some pink in its base which makes it a cross between Orange Marmalade and the more reddish Orange-Pacific. To the average person, they probably aren’t that different but when you swatch all three side by side you can see it. I know your wallet is going to hate me for saying this but I prefer Riveting for its intensity and higher pigment level.
Ha I had a feeling you would say that! Oh well, most of these colors aren’t really my thing, so buying just one is a pretty refreshing change. Thanks!
I like just about every single one of these. Saw a couple of them at my local Sally’s & that reminded me to come back here to see what they all looked like. Def going to add many of these to my polish collection.
Are these out yet? I thought they weren’t out ’til March, but I hope I’m wrong. I love Harvest Moon and Agro even though they aren’t my usual shades.
One thing I like about Luxe and Lush is that it seems to be a flakie that looks good on light-colored polishes, unlike most flakies that seem to show up only over black or very dark colors.
I am in love with all the colors! Hopefully getting them all
I can’t wait to buy “agro”, “electrify”, “harvest moon”, “hook and line”, “luxe and lush”, “riveting”, “stone cold”, “smoke and ashes”, and kind of “fast track”! Does anyone know where to buy them and when the will be realeased?
i pre-ordered mine from hottopic.com (being released tomorrow! yay!) but now you can get them from sally beauty online as well
Thanks I’ll check Sally’s cause there’s one near me.
Hello, is Agro anything like Sephora OPI Leaf him at the Altar?
I have a huge collection of greens but this one seems pretty similar so maybe is not worth buying it, what do you think?
I don’t think they’re similar. Agro is darker and not as metallic shimmery. Plus it’s warmer in tone, especially with the gold. I think of the SOPI as being somewhat silvery.
Oh and dress me up reminds me of OPI’S kreme de la kremlin or Zoya Penelope, what do you think can you compare them?
I have just ordered the entire collection! It’s only mahogany magic that I’m not too keen on but a friend loves it so I’m planning on giving it to her. I prefer this collection ten fold to OPI’s last few collections which have just disapointed me beyond belief. Well done China Glaze, well done
Thank you!
I ordered Riveting, Agro, Luxe and Lush, and Smoke and Ashes from Sally. You have no idea how excited I am!
i love the dress me up!! i need it!
This collection looks amazing, however I were wondering if you could tell me if most of these colors would suit pl with darker skin tones. Like a NC30-40 or indian skintones. I really wanna get this collection, but siting here in Denmark I have no chances to check them out when out:) Hope someone can help me out:)
BTW great review…
Unfortunately, i don’t have darker skin tone or anyone with a darker skin tone to test them on so there’s no real way for me to know.
My ENTIRE collection just came in last night and I am so happy! After swatching them myself I realized that your pictures were right on! Supperrr acurate:)!
This is a very fantastic collection! I ordered four of them (Dress Me Up, Luxe & Lush, Electrify, and Fast Track) from eBay, and they look great on me! I can’t wait for the movie, because I just pre-ordered tickets from them. Thank you for the swatches!
Thank you so much for this!! The colors that made my list are Hook & Line, Stone Cold, Dress Me Up, and Smoke & Ashes. The others are too bright for me!
Girl, you wrote your behind off in this post – lol! I love it… I’ve never heard of the book, haven’t seen any trailers for the movie but have seen swatches of this collection and you make me want to go watch the movie and buy the entire collection. I’ve already picked up Hook and Line & Smoke and Ashes but I now want Stone Cold, Havest Moon and Fast Track because of this post.
Oh, and I absolutely ♥ the way you correlated the polish names to the Districts which tie back to the movie. Sounds like it’s gonna be a Sci-Fi box office hit… Going of to google the movie for more info now. (See what you started? LOL)
I pre-ordered the entire collection! The colors I am looking forward to most have changed now that I’ve seen some swatches! I am looking forward to Dress Me Up, Fast Track, and Smoke&Ashes! Fast Track will be going on my nails as soon as I get it and I will be wearing Smoke&Ashes to the Midnight showing! Can’t wait!
i don’t think the riveting one has very much to do with technology maybe a blue would be better but i am not saying riveting is not a nice color…
I’m so excited, I found these in a Hot Topic store today. Their site’s pre-order even says it’ll ship Feb. 29th. I don’t know if they were put out early, but I picked up Agro and Smoke & Ashes. I can’t wait to try them on!
I am definitely looking the most forward to Stone Cold. If I had to buy only one, I would get that one. The next on my list is Luxe and Lush. I don’t have any flakie nail polishes and I think now is the time to start. Also, I really like Dress Me Up and Riveting. I think those are all I am going to get.
EK! Awesome colors! I have to say, the stone cold looks really good
I think they should have a color later on for district 13!!:)
OMG! I want these all! They’re so pretty
Thanks for reviewing each of them; I am in love!
I just bought Dress Me Up, Foie Gras, Fast Track, Stone Cold, Smoke and Ashes, Harvest Moon, Electrify, and Luxe & Lush!! Been excited about this collection for awhile, and I’m glad to see for the most part it won’t dissapoint! I also want Riveting, but Head2Toe has it listed as “sold out” already! Boo!
Is fast track the one that was originally nammed Catnip?
I also pre-ordered from Amazing Beauty and I am anxiously awaiting for the order to come in. I am a tiny bit concerned about the legit-ness of the business….has anyone successfully ordered from them before?
I really shouldn’t have, but I bought the entire collection online as a birthday gift to myself. I just love them all. Thank you for this informative post!
Riveting has to be mine. I’m so surprised Luxe doesn’t work on a black. It does look kind of cool on blue.
I have got to get Stone Cold, Harvest Moon, Dress Me Up and Smoke and Ashes
Cannot wait to get my hands of these x
Got them today at Sally’s. they have the entire collection and should be pretty well stocked in the back. plus if you have a store card they’re only $5 each. So far I’ve only tried Luxe & Lush and it is fabulous.
@ Lauren: I totally agree with a future release of a district 13 polish. I would want maybe a purple like the schedules they get inked in their arms every day.