After wearing China Glaze Modify Me, the next Tranzitions polish I wore as a manicure was China Glaze Split Perso-Nail-ity.

I was hasty with my application and didn’t fully wait for the polish to dry. Yup, I was too excited to transform the colour with my clear top coat.

Patience is a virtue.

In this post, you’ll see what can happen if you don’t wait for the polish to fully dry before adding your top coat like China Glaze recommends.

Yeah, I’m such a badass. I don’t always floss my teeth, I stay up late, and now I add top coat too early. Bad. To. The. Bone. Oh yeah. 😉

China Glaze Split Perso-Nail-ity Pictures

China Glaze Split Perso-Nail-ity Swatches

All swatches have:

• Nubar Ridge Filler
• 2 coats of China Glaze Split Perso-Nail-ity
• Light Nails: No top coat
• Dark Nails: 1 coat of Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat

Flash Photos

Natural Light Photos

Claim: TRUSTED

√ Dusty pink shifts to fuchsia

Key Notes

• Name: China Glaze Split Perso-Nail-ity
• Collection: China Glaze Tranzitions Collection
• Press Release: Click here to see the China Glaze Tranzitions Collection press release
• Colours Available in the Collection: Split Perso-Nail-ity, Duplicity, Modify Me, Altered Reality, Metallic Metamorphosis & Shape Shifter
• Amount: 14 mL (0.5 fl. oz.)
• What I Paid: Nothing! (This was provided by PR.)
• Where to Buy: NailPolishCanada, Trans Design, Head2Toe & 8ty8Beauty  – Available in beauty-supply stores starting January 2013

China Glaze Split Perso-Nail-ity Review

Colour

I was quite impressed with the dramatic colour change. It started off as a pale, sweet pink and then transformed into a rich berry. (My photos with the camera’s flash are more accurate than the dim natural-light ones.)

Of the two colours, the darker one is more up my alley because it’s strong and because it provides more contrast against my skin tone.

Finish

The finish of China Glaze Split Perso-Nail-ity is very subtly pearly. I could see slight shimmer, and in the places where I applied the polish thicker, you could see very-minor brush strokes.

Application & Formula

The formula was easy to work with and went where I wanted it to.

I noticed that if you get some shrinkage after using a fast-drying top coat with this, the light colour can show through.

I wanted to see what would happen if you don’t wait for the polish to completely dry before applying a clear top coat. After this experience, it’s safe to say that you must wait for the polish to fully dry. China Glaze knows best!

You’ll notice in my above photos that the nails with the darker polish (i.e. the ones with a clear top coat) are extremely streaky. You’ll also notice polish on my cuticles. That’s partially because the clear top coat picked up colour, which I wasn’t expecting, and partially it’s due to my hasty application.

I do love the concept of having two shades in a single bottle of polish. In theory, this is great for travelling…especially if you’re like me and tend not to pack light.

However, I’m so used to wearing a fast-drying top coat, so it was strange not applying it to all of my nails. Seche Vite has been a lifesaver because I nearly always paint my nails very late at night, wait 10 minutes or so, and then go straight to bed. I could never do that without my miracle top coat.

Imperfections

You can clearly see indentations on the lighter nails (i.e. the ones without a clear top coat). So, if you wear Split Perso-Nail-ity, make sure you set aside enough time to let your nails dry fully.

When it comes to manicures, I’m more interested in happiness than perfection. That being said, it doesn’t mean I’m happy with a sloppy manicure, either. I do have a threshold. Indentations on a manicure don’t make me happy, but I didn’t allow my nails to dry adequately before going to sleep, so it’s not the lacquer’s fault.

For a second, I considered redoing it, but then I decided that there’s value in showing you what could go wrong. Sometimes you need to see the imperfections because it might help you to avoid some problems. (This blog is called Swatch And Learn for a reason – I’m learning along with all of you, and I’m not ashamed to show you my imperfect manicures! Owning your mistakes and learning from them help you improve. I believe that applies not just to manicures, but to life in general.)

Also, I wore this manicure for a couple of days, and not a single person commented on the streakiness or the indentations. (It could’ve been that I was just fortunate not to run into a harsh critic!) 😉 I did get one compliment on the colours, though! (See, sometimes imperfections in our manicures aren’t as big of a deal as we think, ladies! Haha, not everyone who sees your nails in person will blow them up so large like the photos on your blog.)

Pros Light pink shifts to a bold berry Two colours in one polish (just requires any clear top coat to transform it)

Cons If you get shrinkage from a fast-drying top coat, the first colour can show through Must wait for nail polish to completely dry before applying a clear top coat or you’ll get streakiness

Final Verdict: 6.5/10

I like the bold berry, but I found the lighter pink to be hard for me to pull off with my skin tone. (Hehe, nothing new there!)

I applaud China Glaze for putting something really fun on the market. This is a great idea because it makes nail polish even more affordable! Good stuff!

Of the two shades in Split Perso-Nail-ity, which do you prefer? Are you comfortable wearing manicures with indentations, streaks, or other imperfections in public or posting photos on the internet?