Happy Holiglaze!

What I'm currently wearing: Sation Holiday Spirit, a multicolor fine glitter, over Illamasqua Viridian. Before that, it was Holiday Spirit over black (the last of my bottle of Hard As Nails Jet Black - but I still have other blacks, I've been actively trying to use that one up on nail wheels and such this fall). Viridian is a really beautiful dark green and I like it, but it's beginning to chip. And I don't know what I'm wearing next, exactly, but I'm pretty sure it will be China Glaze! since I got a baker's dozen of them in the mail today.

I think I had said previously that the China Glaze holiday polishes were a set of 15, but it was 13 polishes that came in the mail. I think I just miscounted, or double-counted, when I said it was 15. I think a dozen plus the one top-coat is the full set. Anyway, they are lovely, and thanks to Jessika of Polish Insomniac for hosting the giveaway. (Yay for free stuff!) Also, I guess for once I have to do a DISCLAIMER when I talk about these: they were given to me for free, obviously - although not specifically for review - directly from China Glaze. (Even though they weren't sent for review, I'm sure I will end up telling you what I think about them anyway, because I have opinions, and usually lots of them - that's what I have a blog for, right?)

Did I say that these are the first China Glaze polishes I have ever owned? Isn't that kind of unbelievable, given how much time I spend obsessing about nail polish? They are probably about the last really major U.S. nail polish brand that I haven't tried. (Not because I have anything against them or anything - more because you can buy Orly and OPI in the grocery stores around here, but not China Glaze. You have to brave Ulta for that, and I try to avoid Ulta for fear of what I'll leave there with, if you know what I mean) So anyway, I am expecting to adore these, with the possible exception of the texture one, which I have heard very mixed things about. Some people seem to like it fine, but others seem to hate it with, well, quite a lot of passion. "Cottage cheese" is one of the more common descriptions I've seen.

Jessika kindly gave me permission to use her picture so you can see all the thumbnails:

I got a mini of Travel in Colour, the topper, plus full bottles of the other 12. (Jessika's full swatch post is here.)
(Hm. Maybe that picture is where I got the idea that there were 15, actually - 3 rows of 5. But I believe the first two and the last two are the same, there!)

Here are the names, hopefully in the same order as the picture:

1. Elfin' Around - orange-leaning red foil
2. Santa Red My List - pink-leaning red foil
3. Just Be-Claws - Christmas-red foil
4. So Blue Without You - bright blue foil
5. Bells Will Be Blinging - blue and silver glitter, including some bar glitter
6. Mingle With Kringle - gold foil
7. Your Present Required - multicolor chunky glitter
8. This is Tree-Mendous - green microglitter
9. Put a Bow On It - fuchsia/red microglitter
10. All Wrapped Up - blurple microglitter
11. Travel in Colour - color-shifting top coat
12. There's Snow One Like You - white texture
13. Be Merry! Be Bright - purple and red chunky glitter

I'm working on a nail wheel for this but I'll post that later. So far, I really adore the three microglitter ones. And while I am not a big glitter-bomb enthusiast, Bells Will Be Blinging is... interesting. This might be the thing that gets me (somewhat) over my aversion to bar glitter. And Mingle With Kringle is also lovely.