Rescue Beauty Dead Calm vs China Glaze First Mate

Rescue Beauty Lounge Dead Calm and China Glaze First Mate (looking less navy in the photo than in person)

I love a good navy blue cream. So peaceful and calm, and honestly appropriate for any time of year. My new favorite had been China Glaze's First Mate from the Anchors Away collection, but then I received Dead Calm in a swap and thought the two looked awfully similar. Did I need both, or would they look different on the nail than in the bottle? Would Rescue Beauty's consistently easy formula sway my love for First Mate? Find out after the jump!

China Glaze Vintage Vixens Collection - Foxy

The Vintage Vixens collection from China Glaze last fall is one of my favorites. In fact, it was one of the first China Glaze Collections I wholeheartedly bought into in quite some time! I just loved the old fashioned feel of the colors, great for not only fall but any season. Foxy is hands down one of my favorite fall colors, however. A burnt red shimmer with a little bit of gold light in it, it just shouts fireplaces and changing leaves to me. It's not quite red, and not all the way coppery-brown either. Somewhere in between, and changing depending on the lights. Want to see more? Keep Reading!

China Glaze Little Drummer Boy (Holiday 2010)

Even with new holiday collections coming out already, I felt like I should give a polish from last year some love. Who says we should only break these out once a year, anyway? Especially this shade - with the denim-y blue polishes coming out from Chanel and Nubar, this one still feels so current to me! 

 Little Drummer Boy is from China Glaze's 2010 Holiday Collection, and this one really stood out to me from the others - a dark, shimmery navy. How pretty, and not that traditional for the holidays! It's bold without being in your face at all - it's deep and somewhat muted. Want to see what I am talking about? Keep Reading!

China Glaze Side Saddle

This one's from a little ways back, but I have yet to try any polishes from this Rodeo Diva collection and have been saving them for fall. Up first is Side Saddle, a plummy brown with gold sparkle. When the sun hits this color, the gold really comes through and the brown lightens up to a more red-based purple. Indoors, it looks like a pretty, warm dark brown. I love this color!

Want to see more?  Keep reading!

China Glaze Ingrid

I've had this one sitting around waiting to try until fall weather hit. Well, it hasn't hit here quite yet, but leaves are changing and with a Bath and Body Works Apple Spice candle burning this weekend, I was in the mood! I love this color - the taupe color is pretty for fall regardless, but the gold shimmer in this one makes it extra rich.

The formula on this one was pretty easy to work with, and was opaque in two coats. Topped with Deborah Lippmann's Addicted to Speed topcoat.

China Glaze Starboard

Here is China Glaze's Starboard, from the Anchors Away Collection. It's hard to get a good, true swatch of this one so I showed it in different lights. It's a relatively bright (but not super bright) kelly green. Somehow, it's almost muted and bright at the same time. I paired this with Zoya's Ivanka on my toes.


Application was pretty easy. My bottle was a tiny bit runny so I did a thin coat followed by a thicker one and topped it with CND Super Shiney and Seche Vite. My bottle of SV is super crap right now so it kind of mucked up the end product. I am thinning that sucker today!

I really love this color! It's definitely a different toned green than any others I have. Not too blue or yellow, not too grayed out. A true, fun green!