My hands and feet always get cold quickly in the winter even if I feel warm everywhere else. (My dad used to always say, “Cold hands. Warm heart.”)
While I tend to feel chilly quite quickly, I remember my father being almost resistant to the plummeting temperature.
Honestly, even when the mercury dropped so low, he’d be wearing just a short-sleeve dress shirt under his winter coat and his hands would still be warm. The only time he ever wore long sleeves in the winter was if we were hit with the rare intense blizzard!
I always wish I could be like that. Instead, I have to bundle up when Old Man Winter pays a visit!
Today I’m sharing China Glaze Frostbite with you. It hails from the old Ski Collection, and it’s one of my favourite blues to wear.
China Glaze Frostbite Pictures
China Glaze Frostbite Swatches
All swatches have:
- Nubar Foundation Base Coat
- 3 coats of China Glaze Frostbite
- Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat
Sunlight
Natural Light
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Flash
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Natural Light
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Sunlight
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Natural Light
Claim: TRUSTED
√
- Blue
Key Notes
- Name: China Glaze Frostbite
- Collection: China Glaze Ski Collection
- Colours Available in the China Glaze Ski Collection: Frostbite, Cross Iron 360, Vertical Rush, Outta Bounds, Xtreme Thrash, Avalanche & Black Diamond
- Amount: 14 mL (o.5 fl. oz.)
- What I Paid: $2.50 USD
- Where to Buy: Victoria Nail Supply, Trans Design, Nailsupplies, 8ty8Beauty & Head2Toe
China Glaze Frostbite Review
Colour
Frostbite by China Glaze is a vibrant medium blue that looks like it’s lit from within. What makes this hue stand out from many other blues is that it looks slick – very much like car paint, actually. It has this shimmer that helps the blue look lively, and it really pops on your skin in virtually every lighting.
This is a colour that’s bold and attention-getting, so those who are shy with their nail colours may be intimidated by it. But for those who love their wild colours, this one fits the bill nicely! I highly recommend it, even if you’re not normally a blue lover. (The colour is even more vivid in person than my photos would suggest!)
Finish
This is a shimmery polish.
Application & Formula
The interesting thing about Frostbite by China Glaze is that when you apply the first coat, it’s incredibly sheer. You may even start thinking that there’s no way that the opacity will improve much based on that first coat. But don’t worry – it builds up nicely. The second coat covers pretty well, but to really conceal all the bald patches, I suggest using 3 coats just to be on the safe side. Plus with 3 coats, the colour is super vibrant!
I found the formula very easy to apply because it’s very smooth. The downside, though, is that Frostbite (at least my bottle of it) is very watery, so you have to be careful not to flood your cuticles with this one.
Pros
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Cons
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Final Verdict: 9.5/10
When I wear a blue, I love it to be loud and scream at me. Frostbite by China Glaze hits the spot those days! I consider it a classic must-own shade.
Do you prefer softer blues over louder ones? What was the last blue polish you sported? Did you wear any other colours from the China Glaze Ski Collection?
This is such a pretty color! Is it shiny even without the top coat? I’m going to run down to Sally’s later andget myself a bottle. Nice pics!
Hey maddy!
Yes, it’s pretty shiny even without a top coat! 🙂 You’re going to LOVE it! (This isn’t the first time I’ve worn Frostbite solo, but I remember the first time – I was so impressed!)
I love this color!!! It’s funny bc I just painted my nails in what looks like almost an exact dupe. I used Midnight Blue by Sinful Colors. I’m going to put pics up on my blog later if you want to check them out. I only used 2 coats but after reading your post Im wondering if I should add a 3rd. It’s pretty opaque. I noticed the same thing with sinful colors, I found myself getting a little color on my skin and I usually dont. Must be the color lol.
Love your blog!!
Kelly
xo
Kelly recently posted: MONDAY NOVEMBER 21,2011 BLOG HOP!!:)
Hey Kelly!
Oh, I’ve never tried any Sinful Colors polishes before, but that’s awesome because Sinful Colors is very economical. I wish I could find that brand sold in physical stores. Right now I can only locate them at e-tailers.
Sure, I’d check it out. I’d love to see the similar polish you’ve found!
What a beautiful blue! The last blue I wore was China Glaze’s For Audrey. It’s more of an aqua or tiffany blue but it’s so gorgeous.
PinkGlitter recently posted: Handmade Love Vol. IV
Hey PinkGlitter!
For Audrey is GORGEOUS – another classic must-have shade. I’ve never seen it look bad on anyone. It’s really amazing like that because it flatters everyone!
We’re twins because my hands and feet get ridiculously colder than any other part of my body. I guess that makes us some kind of unique. This is a beautiful blue and I believe it’s one of the first ones in my collection. I loves it.
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Hey Brittany!
Hehe, so we’re freezing-cold twins. 😛 I am relieved to know that I’m not the only one!
Blue is my weakness and I love, love, love this, Mary! Too bad I missed out on the collection and only have Cross Iron 360 from this year’s Halloween set. I don’t think I have any blue that’s quite as vibrant as this! Although, I have to say this reminds me somewhat of Sally Hansen Salon Manicure in Calypso Blue only this one leans more blue and Calypso Blue leans more turquoise. Any ideas what other options/possible dupes can be had if I can’t find it? (With my luck I probably won’t as Emerald Sparkle has proven to be most elusive. I DID get Glittering Garland so it’s not all that bad :))
Carmela recently posted: Zoya Ibiza makes pre-winter blues a good thing
Hey Carmela!
Yes, I can see how it reminds you of Calypso Blue with the shimmer, too. Frostbite definitely is way bolder on the nails. Calypso is more a pretty colour.
In my stash, I don’t have anything else that’s really close to Frostbite. But another reader (Kelly) thinks that Sinful Colors Midnight Blue is quite similar. (She may blog about them later, so we can both check it out!) Haha, but I’ve had a hard time tracking down that brand in physical Canadian stores.
Love this blue! I actually initially bought it along with Last Friday Night to use as a layering combo (I really liked the pictures in your Last Friday Night review, so I decided to try it myself). I love this blue polish under Last Friday Night, but I will have to let it have the spotlight on its own one day. I think Frostbite would also look pretty good under Black Shatter!
Hey Jessica!
I’m happy to hear that you used it under OPI Last Friday Night like I mentioned in the other post! 😀 It really helps you achieve the bottle colour despite the sheerness of the glitter. YAY!
YES, definitely wear Frostbite solo once – it’s incredible! And, I agree that it would look great under Black Shatter, too, because this is a blue that POPS!
I think that Frostbite is a fantastic and very creative name for this polish. That looks like a perfect blue for me too. 🙂
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Hey Rainbowify Me!
If you try it out, please let me know how you liked it. 🙂 Although, I’m expecting you to fall in love with it like I did. (I don’t actually know anyone who dislikes it, so it was a big hit for China Glaze!)
Love it! It’s one of the first China Glaze polishes I ever bought, and still one of my favorite blues to this day. It has such glowy quailty to it that I adore. Did you notice though that it has sort of an odd smell though? Like, much stronger than all my other China Glaze polishes? Not that’s it’s a problem though, I would use it no matter how weird it smelled =)
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Hey Jacqui!
Hmm…the smell was a little stronger because my bottle was old, but it was nowhere nearly as as bad as KleanColor polishes. Now, THOSE could knock someone out! 😛
Then again, I have a habit of holding my breath for the majority of the time I paint my nails. (Heh, it comes so naturally to me that I just do it without thinking about it.)
Gorgeous color! I’ve seen it before and I didn’t think much of it, but your swatches make me think differently. I really love how vibrant it is. For me, I love any type of blue but I’ve noticed that my collection really only has dark and bright blues. The only thing I really can’t stand about blues is that it gives you smurf fingers. The last color I wore that was blue, but more of a teal, Sephora By OPI gave me some but it was mostly when I was taking it off. I didn’t realize just how pigmented blue polishes are. When it was being removed the blue dye of the polish was dying every bit of skin it touched. It was awful but worth it since the color was beautiful. The last blue I wore though was Zoya Crystal and I absolutely love it. It’s the perfect icy blue. Beautiful swatches and great review!
Melissa recently posted: Frosted Cupcakes!
Hey Melissa!
Oh, if you liked my swatches, you’ll LOVE it in person. My camera couldn’t pick up how vibrant it really is in real life.
Also, this blue didn’t leave me with Smurf fingers, so that’s another plus! I think maybe it’s because the formula is watery, so the pigmentation isn’t as intense until you build it up with multiple coats.
P.S. YAY – just saw that you started the blog you e-mailed me about! 😀 I just joined your site on Google Friend Connect – so honoured to be your very first member of MANY, I’m sure! (I expect to see many great things from you!)
I left a little thank you reply on my blog to a comment you posted, but since this would probably be a whole lot easier for you to see, I just wanted to thank you again for being my first follower. I really appreciate it! So far I’m having a great time blogging. I wish I had done it sooner! Thanks again for your support, Mary.
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Hey Melissa!
Awww, you’re so welcome! This was really sweet of you to leave this comment. 😀 I’m happy to support your new blog and I’m pleased to hear that you’ve been enjoying it. It can be incredibly rewarding!
I’m pretty sure I’ve said this before on a different post, but this would look awesome with a matte top coat!
Hey Emily!
I wonder what it’d look like with a matte top coat!
This looks like a pretty, bright blue… just my style! 🙂 It looks a little like it shows the brush strokes, although I kind of like the slight stripe-y effect. Frostbite is a perfect name because it’s a nice icy yet vibrant blue. I like it!
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Hey Nicole!
In person, you can’t see the brush strokes much – mainly because it’s blown up much larger here… 😛 I get annoyed a lot with brush strokes, so if it were really bad, I’d definitely mention it. Thank goodness it’s not because Frostbite is such a brilliant hue.