“She wore an itsy, bitsy, teeny, weeny, yellow polka dot bikini!” The lyrics from that old Brian Hyland song my dad used to play always pops into my head every time I see China Glaze Yellow Polka Dot Bikini.
At this point, I’m just one nail polish away from swatching and reviewing every single colour in the incredible China Glaze Poolside Collection! (It really is my favourite neon collection of all time. If you can get your hands on it, do it!)
Since yellow nail polish is notorious for being Streak City, I decided to try a trick that I usually mention to others, but never tried myself – layering over a white to build opacity faster.
For this yellow, it did the job quite well on that front, haha, but it also posed a major problem, which I’ll get into later in the post.
Note: My cuticles are super dry in all of these photos. Sorry if they gross you out, but the day I took photos, I was washing my hands a lot, and I wasn’t good about wearing lotion. :S
China Glaze Yellow Polka Dot Bikini Pictures
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China Glaze Yellow Polka Dot Bikini Ingredients
China Glaze Yellow Polka Dot Bikini Swatches
All swatches have:
- Seche Clear Crystal Clear Base Coat
- 2 coats of China Glaze Snow
- 2 coats of China Glaze Yellow Polka Dot Bikini
- Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat
Flash Photos
Natural Light Photos
Claims: TRUSTED
√ Neon yellow
Key Notes
- Name: China Glaze Yellow Polka Dot Bikini
- Collection: China Glaze Poolside Collection
- Colours Available in the China Glaze Poolside Collection: Pool Party, Flip Flop Fantasy, Sun Worshipper, Yellow Polka Dot Bikini, Kiwi Cool-Ada & Towel Boy Toy
- Amount: 14 mL (0.5 fl. oz.)
- What I Paid: $2.75 USD
- Where to Buy: NailPolishCanada, Nailsupplies, Victoria Nail Supply, Trans Design, 8ty8 Beauty & Head2Toe
China Glaze Yellow Polka Dot Bikini Review
Colour
Maybe I should’ve put a warning above the swatches. If you have sensitive eyes, they probably burned when even squinting at the searing neon yellow polish that is Yellow Polka Dot Bikini! 😉
If you think it looks bright in my photos, think again! In person, it’s even brighter. And the crazy part about it? It seems to be the brightest when you look at it in dim light – it gives the illusion that it’s glowing.
I wore this while walking down the street in the evening, and soooo many strangers were staring at my fingernails. It was amusing to see confused looks on some people. They weren’t sure where the flashes of ‘light’ were coming from, but then when they noticed the nail polish, it was as though they couldn’t take their eyes off them. Feel the force! 😉
Finish
This is a standard neon yellow creme polish, so it dries matte. If you want it to look its best, it requires a shiny top coat to really come to life.
Application & Formula
Also since this is a neon, it’s extremely sheer. And because it’s a yellow, and yellows are famous for being so streaky, I really urge you to layer it over a white base. If you don’t, you could use 3-5 coats, and it’ll still be awfully streaky.
This time around, I wore 2 coats of China Glaze Snow, which is a solid white. Then I put 2 coats of China Glaze Yellow Polka Dot Bikini on top. This made the yellow completely opaque. Unfortunately, I applied Snow too thick, and the overall manicure bubbled like a witch’s cauldron! Yikes! There were about 10 bubbles on nearly every nail, even though in my photos, you can’t really see them. In person, they looked like I had freckly nails…haha!
Sooooo…if you use a white base, don’t be impatient like me and slap on thick coats without waiting long enough in between, or you’ll be sorry.
(Hint: I put something on top of this manicure the next day to hide the bubbling issue. I’ll reveal the look in a future post.) 😉
Also important to note is that, like standard neons, this one dried super fast!
Pros
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Cons
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Final Verdict: 9/10
Despite the original formula being streaky, sheer, and needing a white base to look good, I still gave it a 9 out of 10 because this yellow is crazy and in-your-face. I just love it so much!
Haha, and the first day I wore this to work (yup, I can wear crazy stuff like this in the office), everyone noticed it and asked about it. 😉 I love how certain nail-polish colours really are conversation starters.
What’s your favourite neon yellow polish to wear? What’s a polish you wore that got everyone talking? Can you wear crazy polishes to work, or do you have to wear ‘work-appropriate’ shades?
You my Dear Mary are the reason this yellow resides in my Helmer 🙂
I have yet to try it but have a few ideas for it!
Your swatches are gorgeous and I totally feel drawn to them… I’d be one of the gawkers 😉
I will definitely layer this over a white base.
I don’t see imperfections, but we are our own worst critics right? Now I’m excited to see what you did with this shade. 😉
Marta recently posted: Pop of Colour with a Splat
Hey Marta!
Hehe, I love being a bad influence! 😉 Can’t wait to see what you come up with. You’re so creative!
The bubbling didn’t translate into the photos, but in person, it truly was the worst thing I’ve seen in a long time!
I have my feature of this shade queued up for tomorrow (friday). I wore it for just over 4 days and each time I looked down on my nails (with rain pouring outside) I thought of you 😀 I am soooo happy your nails whispered to me and made me buy this polish 😉
Marta recently posted: NEW MASH PLATES- A Review
Very cool! I’ll check it out this weekend for sure! 😀
It’s been gloomy and rainy today. I miss the sun we got earlier in the week.
P.S. So it’s NOT just me who hears my nails whispering. It’s so good to know that I’m not crazy! Hahahahhaa!
Oh my eyes!!!! LOL! That is one BRIGHT nail polish and you definitely need your shades on looking at those pics 🙂 Great colour though 🙂 I showed my fiancé and he out-right told me “no” to that colour, lol! Maybe I should try to find it anyways … *evil laugh*
Hey Erica!
Why should your fiance have the final say in nail polish? It goes on your nails, and if wearing a shocking yellow puts a smile on your face, I don’t see why anyone should rain on the parade. 🙂 Dare to wear it proudly!
Hehe, of course it’s my call 🙂 It will be the hunt to find it that will be the deciding factor 🙂 And my ability to resist if I do come across it 😉
That’s what I like to hear! 😀
I must warn you that in person, it’s reallllllllllllly hard to resist. The colour screams at you and jumps up and down. Then it gives you those sad, loveable puppy-dog eyes. 😉 Just warning ya…
Whoa!!! That’s a bright one. Definitely fun for summer though.
MariJo recently posted: KB Shimmer – Electric Plum
Hey MariJo!
Gotta wonder how many people have been blinded as a result of this polish. 😉
Could this be a dupe of Celtic Sun? They look similar, and I already have Celtic Sun. But if not I need this polish!
Hey Kassie!
I don’t have China Glaze Celtic Sun, but they look pretty similar to me, too, from what I’ve seen online.
I have this one too! I agree, the Poolside collection is so amazing! It took me like 4 coats (without any white)… Then I saw Illamasqua Rare and I debated long and hard about getting another neon yellow… but it was totally worth it, Rare is opaque in 2 coats!! Still love Yellow Polka Dot Bikini though, if only for the name!
Hey MC!
A yellow that’s opaque in 2 coats? Illamasqua knows the magic formula! 🙂
I haven’t worn yellow before. I only have Creamy by Zoya and have not got around to wearing it yet.
I can wear crazy colours to work and Pink Voltage from China Glaze certainly got quite a few comments. Love wearing neon colours!
Hey Amanda!
Yay for you also being able to wear any polish to work! 🙂 FREEEEEEEEEEEEEEDOOOMMMMMMMMM <--Braveheart reference...haha! 😉
hahah i could imagine how people would react in the street. I recently bought “Glowstick” by Orly and it’s like highlighter yellow! I’m excited to try it out. I have a base coat that’s kind of off white-ish so I’ll probably try it with that first and if that fails, i should definitely get my hands on some white polish (which I actually foolishly put back on the shelf when I bought the neon polish at the time. Clearly I wasn’t thinking :P)
Hey Lawren!
Oh my gosh, when I first saw promo pictures of that Orly collection, my eyes went straight to Glowstick! It was on my wish list, and since you’ve confirmed that it’s indeed a highlighter yellow, I want it even more. I think it may be brighter than this polish even!
I had a problem too when I layered Celtic Sun over a white for the first time…I was impatient and didn’t let it dry fully. I didn’t have bubbles but it was very squishy and didn’t completely dry for a loooong time. I’ve learned to be more patient though 🙂 I love the name of yellow polka dot bikini, but I’m trying to not buy multiple neons of the same color. So hard to resist though!
Frosso recently posted: L’oreal Silver Sparkle
Hey Frosso!
Completely understand, especially when it comes to neon yellows. A lot of them are very similar when they’re plain and don’t have shimmer of a different finish.
I just have to ask, how is it different from Celtic Sun? I was looking for an in your face sort of neon yellow and picked Celtic Sun mostly because it looked insanely bright compared to this, at least under store lighting. I have yet to rock it tho; I’m saving it for when I have to cheer the mister on when he has a softball game. It’ll be crazy under the sun!
Carmela recently posted: Hammie visits Joanne at Northern Nails with (More) Beach-y Nail Art
Hey Carmela!
I’m not completely sure since I don’t own Celtic Sun. They’re both really bright from what I’ve seen online…and they’re both streaky and sheer. So curious to hear what you think of your bottle of it.
Haha, maybe you can wave your neon nails around and confuse the other team! 😉