See what I mean?
The Quick Take
Brand/Name: China Glaze Lighthouse
Color: Sunshine yellow with a metallic gold sparkle
Formula: Jelly-like yellow base with gold microglitter and glass flecks
Finish: Glitter/Glass-flecked
Price: $6.00 - $7.75 CDN for 15mL
Seen at: Sally Beauty, Trade Secrets, Nail Polish Canada and various salons
Note(s): Lighthouse is from the nautical themed Anchors Away Collection from the Spring 2011 release from earlier this year.
The Fun Facts
Token bottle shot.
Label at the base.
Average China Glaze brush.
Doesn't it look positively gold in this photo?
Lighthouse is such a bright sunshine yellow! I can't help feeling cheery while wearing it, never mind that it clashes so badly with my skin. It reminds me so much of one of my favorite Care Bears, Funshine Bear. Forget all the sallowness, this definitely brought with it the cheer that the holiday season always brings to mind. I was pretty surprised by how much I ended up liking this yellow. I love the jelly feel of it. I probably could've used another coat for more depth, but as it is, I really enjoyed how the glass flecks looked in the sheer base. Definitely added the bling factor to this vibrant yellow. The finish was smooth to the touch with just enough shine if you need to skip top coat, considering all the glass flecks and microglitter.
***All nail swatches were done with Orly Bonder Base Coat and three coats of China Glaze Lighthouse unless stated.
Eek, visible nail line!
I have to admit, I really liked the depth of this polish.
Yay, sparkles!
The formula on this leans more on the watery side of the spectrum. You definitely have to be careful with this as it can easily flood cuticles if too much product is applied. That does make for a good flowing polish that's also pleasantly self-leveling. Even though it's a sheer polish, it actually makes more sense to use thinner coats. This allows you to layer more to get the most depth out of this polish, as well as to help lessen dry time despite the numerous coats you'll need to use for complete opacity. The brush is your typical China Glaze brush with nice pliable bristles that fan out very nicely to give you a smooth and even application. Despite needing more coats, this does dry fairly fast. Definitely a plus in my book.
I thought it impossible but top coat made it even more sparkly!
Hammie says: Shiny is always a win!
Hammie sings: "Fiiiive golden rings..!"
Top coat really made it sparkle and shine while emphasizing the depth of color.
The Lowdown
Availability shouldn't be an issue as this is a fairly new release. But in the event that you're thinking about whether you really need this yellow to add to all the other yellows in your stash, frugal me is a little sad to say you might. I tried to find a dupe but the interwebs tell me there's no exact duplicate. For the closest in base color, it would have to be either the older (and possibly harder to find) China Glaze Cowardly Lyin' or China Glaze Champagne Bubbles from the new Let It Snow Holiday 2011 collection. Both have frosty bases with different kinds of glitter that sets Lighthouse apart from the two. I thought Fingerpaints Psychedelic Sunshine would be pretty close but Lighthouse leans warmer and more golden. Love and Beauty Golden Yellow seemed viable but it had too much green in it. Nicole by OPI Yellow It's Me is the closest I could find, but even then, it was a much lighter yellow and had a pearly sheen to it that Lighthouse lacks. So if you're a huge fan of yellow, yes, you need this polish.
I got this for a fairly decent deal as Sally Beauty had a $1 off if you buy 2 China Glaze polishes promo going on. This brought the price I paid for it to $6.00 with a Sally Beauty Club card. Not bad for a polish that usually retails at $7.00 - $8.00. Every dollar saved is a dollar towards your next polish purchase, right? Now, I'm generally not a fan of yellow as I know they look horrible on me. I did, however, enjoy wearing this as it was such an unusual color for me to sport. Let's not forget the glass flecks that made it so much more interesting and the jelly like finish which complemented it so very well.
Hammie can't stop singing The Twelve Days of Christmas, much to my chagrin. I think he's particularly savoring the "five golden rings" part. The more-watery-than-usual formula puts him off but his love for all things shiny and sparkly redeem this polish in his eyes. He says he's not particularly happy with how it clashes with my skin tone so he took that into consideration. The surprisingly unique color also influenced his score for Lighthouse which is:
Are you a fan of yellow? Do you prefer yellow gold or white gold? What Christmas carols do you usually find yourself singing in the shower the closer it gets to Christmas?
