It’s hard to believe that the holidays are quickly approaching. To get into the festive spirit, I slicked on China Glaze Glittering Garland.
Have you put up your Christmas tree?
I have a baby Christmas tree with tiny gold and black ball ornaments on my kitchen counter. The tree also has some red berries on the tips. This year I may get a tiny angel ornament for the topper. My tree’s so small, I may have to look for an angel finger puppet, actually.
Back when I lived at home, we had a big, tall tree that I enjoyed putting up. We had so many decorations (both bought and home-made).
Sometimes it felt like opening up a time capsule because, over the years, we had a good assortment of ornaments from back when I was a baby up to when I was in high school.
Although the Christmas trees look gorgeous in the stores full of glittery and glistening decorations, I liked the one at my parents’ place more because when you looked at the tree, you saw our one-of-a-kind ornaments that reminded you of fond memories.
It used to be a tradition we had that, each year, we’d make a new ornament to commemorate that year. I miss that. I’m not sure why, but after high school, we stopped doing it.
One day, if I ever have a family of my own, I hope to rekindle that tradition. Of course, this greatly hinges upon me moving into a bigger place – I’m practically living in a shoebox now! There’s no room for a big tree, and I do miss it.
China Glaze Glittering Garland Pictures
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China Glaze Glittering Garland Swatches
All swatches have:
- Nubar Foundation Base Coat
- 2 coats of China Glaze Glittering Garland
- Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat
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Flash
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Natural Light
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Claim: TRUSTED
√ Glittery green
Key Notes
- Name: China Glaze Glittering Garland
- Collection: China Glaze Let It Snow (Holiday 2011)
- Colours Available in the China Glaze Let It Snow Collection: Glittering Garland, Twinkle Lights, Champagne Bubbles, Holly Day, Velvet Bow, Winter Berry, Ring in the Red, Poinsettia, Blue Year’s Eve, Tinsel Town, Icicle & Snow Globe
- Amount: 14 mL (0.5 fl. oz.)
- What I Paid: $2.95 USD
- Where to Buy: 8ty8Beauty, Head2Toe, Trans Design, Nailsupplies & Victoria Nail Supply
China Glaze Glittering Garland Review
Colour
Glittering Garland is mainly a deep, dark evergreen, but when the light hits it, you get golden notes that really play well together. I think the golden bits help it come to life and make it more interesting than just another green polish.
Although it was dark, you can notice the green, so it’s not one of those near-black-but-just-looks-like-black shades.
Finish
I’d have to call this one a flakie polish. At first, I thought the pieces of glitter were just standard and round, but upon closer examination, they’re actually small irregular-shaped flakes.
Application & Formula
Glittering Garland applied beautifully – no hang-ups or let-downs. It was smooth and extremely pigmented. It’s one of those almost-one-coaters! And then with two, it’s really rich and vampy.
Pros
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Cons
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Final Verdict: 9/10
This green polish was really fun to wear, and I liked how it caught the light in a mysterious way. Then again, I really love green polishes! It takes a lot for me to dislike one.
I ended up doing a frog nail-art design with this colour, and I wore it at IMATS Toronto, which I previously blogged about. I’ll share my tutorial with you in a later post sometime soon!
Edit: I’ve published my nail-art tutorial on the frog design. Please see the link above. 🙂
I took a point off only because while I really liked the colour, for me to give it a perfect score, I have to absolutely looooove it!
What do you think of China Glaze Glittering Garland? Did you already put up your Christmas tree? What are your favourite holiday decorations? Do you celebrate Christmas?
Love the color…
preciouspearl recently posted: Stila Smudge Stick Waterproof Eye Liner – Purple Tang
Hey preciouspearl!
Yeah, it’s a beauty for sure. 🙂
ooh it’s pretty! Me want! I really like the golden glitters inside, you are right it does make think of Christmas. Unfortunately I can’t put any decoration here because my cat would love to hang/break/kick it she’s 13 but half of the times she behaves like a kitten. What I do is put some Christmas music on and craft some (paper) decorations myself and put them around the house so it feels a bit decorated. But over here we only start putting up stuff after 6 December because St Nicolas still has to visit – and we can’t get them angry!:p
Hey Elyne!
Haha, your cat sounds like she has a fun personality – 13 and still acting like a kitten? Good for her, but, hehe, it’s too bad that she’d wreck havoc on your Christmas decorations!
This is pretty. It really does remind me of a garland.
Hey Marisa!
It’s such a great base for nail art, too!
Beautiful color. This color instantly reminded me of a Christmas tree. I love opening the ornament boxes every year and decorating the tree.
PinkGlitter recently posted: Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush in Amused
Hey PinkGlitter!
Do you have any favourite ornaments that you use every year for your tree?
I haven’t had much luck finding Emerald Sparkle so this one will be a lovely replacement! Plus, it’s a flakie (love me some flakies!). Can’t go wrong with that. 😀 I might end up getting this over Holly-Day then..
I’m still struggling with the process of putting the tree up and updating the ornaments. The ones the hubby has date almost 20 years old and look it. I’m trying to salvage them but I doubt all will make the cut so I need to get ornaments that will work with the existing ones. I’m a sucker for Christmas traditions so I don’t particularly like throwing out old decor that hold memories for the hubby. 🙂
Carmela recently posted: Soulstice Spa Manchester wants you to embrace gray, gloomy days.
Hey Carmela!
Really? Well, I’m not surprised that it’s always sold out – Emerald Sparkle is a must-have green. As much as I like Glittering Garland, Emerald Sparkle beats it in terms of glitz. Glittering Garland is a flakie, but the flakies are very small – if China Glaze made them bigger, it could very well rival Emerald Sparkle in terms of bling. But I definitely recommend Glittering Garland over Holly Day.
I know how you feel about not wanting to throw away ornaments because they hold a lot of meaning. Maybe you can just keep them safely in a box even if you don’t hang them on the tree.
Oh wow, that’s a pretty glittery green, I really like that. Fortunately it’s in my stash, just waiting to be worn. 🙂
Rainbowify Me recently posted: China Glaze ~ Urban Nights
Hey Rainbowify Me!
Yes, very fortunate! 🙂 It always feels great to be able to dip into colours you already have instead of having to go out and buy more.
Wow! Reminds me somewhat of a forest-green version of Emerald Sparkle. I like this color a lot, but think I’ll stick to Emerald Sparkle for my holiday manicure this year. Christmas tree greens are lovely, but I’m very drawn to deep emerald shades of green.
Hey Jessica!
Emerald Sparkle realllly sparkles way more than this polish. Glittering Garland is still really pretty, but I do think that Emerald Sparkle would steal the show if you compare them both side by side…at least for me!
Oh Mary… this post brought me to tears… the good ones.
Christmas always brings back a sackful of childhood memories (something about the spirit of the season)… and while I don’t share this with many, some aspects of my family Christmas atmosphere were awful/sad/sterile (emotion less) memories… but you, somehow, showed me that there can be warm childhood memories created and triggered by little tree decorations and that it is okay to have family character inside the house (even if it comes at the cost of the perfect catalogue-tree).
I think traditions are the ones WE create for ourselves and I know you will have a beautiful and sentimental tree for you and your future family! That is also what I hope for my three little ones! Its ok to have a misshapen santa cut out of paper and coloured outside of the lines because it is THAT santa that is most special.
Thank you for that!
ps. We will decorate our tree on December 1 (Peter and I tradition)… you know that in Poland they decorate the tree on December 23 or 24, celebrate Christmas on the 24 with Christmas carols and then keep the tree up well into January/February… just a Polish tradition tidbit
Oh, and you always rock these green shades! I can’t pull green off 🙁 You know, gold snowflakes would look killer on this shade 😉
Marta recently posted: Day 1 – “PINK NAILS”
Hey Marta!
I really appreciate you opening up like that about how Christmas isn’t always full of happiness like the Hallmark cards and songs would suggest. I’d even say that Christmas can be the loneliness and saddest time of the year for some.
My dad had his stroke in early December 2009, which made that Christmas the most stressful because we weren’t sure if he’d be able to come home for the holidays. Thankfully, he was allowed to leave for a few days to spend at home, but then after 3 days, he had to go back.
Then, when he passed away in March 2010 really suddenly because of an aneurysm (he actually was making impressive improvement recovering from his stroke), it was devastating. I remember last Christmas was the absolute worst one I’ve ever had because it was the first one without my father. You could feel the strain, and it was hard to remember that this was the season that was supposed to be bright.
Even though I’m looking forward to Christmas this year, a significant part of me still gets choked up knowing that he’s not here.
Oh, actually, I had no idea about those Polish traditions you mentioned! I think it’s cool how you keep the tree up later – it’s quite a bit of work to put up and it’s so beautiful, so it’s nice that you get to appreciate it for longer. 🙂
Marta, you can totally pull off greens! I know you can! With those beautiful nails? It’s a definite yes!
I want and need this color so bad, it’s so gorgeous. This is really the standout shade for me in the Christmas collection. I don’t have any greens like this, so it would be an awesome addition to my collection. Sometime soon I’m going to be buying online for some new polishes and this is definitely on the top of my list. Great swatches and review!
Hey Melissa!
It is a really pretty green! Hehe, and this is coming from a green-polish lover, so I have probably a few too many greens in my collection, yet this still was fun to wear. 🙂
Thanks – I’m always happy to hear when my swatches and reviews are helpful!
This color is amazing! It reminds me of the Christmas garland in my basement waiting to be hung up. Brings back great memories.
Hey maddy!
Glad that you liked it a lot, too. 😀
I love this color! I have it just haven’t tried it yet. Boy, do I need to!!! 🙂 I loved you talking about family traditions. I have tried to instill a lot of my families traditions in my marriage and my daughters. We always had a big tree covered with priceless ornaments as well. I do so miss my parents during the holidays especially since the box of ornaments went missing a few years ago. I was devastated because they meant so much to me! 🙁 So your blog today was an emotional one for me but i loved it! 🙂
Becky recently posted: NOTD: China Glaze Blue Year’s Eve and Snow Globe
Hey Becky!
Oh, I think I remember you talking about that. Was it the box that the maid accidentally threw out? Yeah, that must’ve been devastating to have heirlooms just thrown out. Irreplaceable!
It must be nice having a big family christmas tree! I’ve never had one growing up. Our family just didn’t care for festivities much… at least we didn’t skip out on the presents so I’m glad about that! lol. I love this green so much. The golden glitter is so mesmerizing. I almost didn’t buy it because their xmas collection was so extensive and and there were other colors I wanted. I gave in and bought them all. Fantastic review like usual 😀
Hey Vivian!
Yes, it was! 😀 I really looked forward to setting it all up each year.
WHOA – you bought ALL of them? *Drools* Lucky you! 🙂 After you try them, I’d love for you to tell me which one’s your favourite in the collection!
Mary, this is such a beauty! It looks so great on you and now I need it!
Maribeth recently posted: KleanColor Chunky Holo Purple Nail Polish Plus a Fantastic Franken! (Pictures, Swatches, Review)
Hey Maribeth!
Thank you! 🙂 I always feel most comfortable when I’m wearing green nail polish.
Hi.
Found your site a couple of days ago due to my new obsession with nailpolish. I really, really need to buy some new nailpolish since I currently only have one (crazy, I know), and it’s a really discrete pink (my black one has mysteriously disappeared. It’s a disaster).
First of all, do you know any good (cheap) European websites that sell China Glaze and the Kardashian Kolors? OPI and Essie are crazy expensive in DK, and I don’t even think I’ve seen China Glaze anywhere… I read a bunch of your reviews and feel a sudden need for Nicole by OPI Kendall on the Katwalk and/or Nicole by OPI Khloe Had a Little Lam-Lam (and a bunch more… sigh.), but I can’t find them anywhere.
Also, can you recommend a base and top coat that isn’t too expensive but still does the job?
Sorry for the long, long post 😉 Oh, and keep up the good work, your posts are really good, and I wish my nails were more like yours!
Charlotte.
Hey Charlotte!
Sorry, I’m really not familiar with European website that sell nail polish. I’m Canadian and typically shop from Canadian and US sites. And even on those sites, I don’t know any that sell Nicole by OPI products. You could try eBay, but I feel like especially for new collections, the price mark-up is too high.
If anyone reading this can help Charlotte out, please reply to her comment! 🙂
A great base coat is Nubar Foundation Base Coat. 🙂 It’s big-3-free, I believe. As for a top coat, I really enjoy using Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat (but it’s not big-3-free) and it’s pricey. Nubar Diamont Top Coat (the new formula) is pretty good and is cheaper than Seche. Dries your manicure fast and leaves it shiny. If you’re looking for a drugstore top coat that dries relatively quickly, I’ve only tried Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Top Coat (the one in the red bottle), but that was years ago. I remember it working really well for me back then, though.
Hope that helps!
I ended up buying a couple of nailpolishes from a site called beautybay.com, but they didn’t have China Glaze or Nicole by OPI. Which I guess is kinda good, since it might’ve killed my economy off completely and forced me to live off pasta with nothing for the rest of the month 😉
The site also advertised that I would get a free Nubar topcoat and Nubar basecoat for free if I bought two Nubar products, so how could I not?
Now I just have to wait for it to get here… Faster, faster!
Thanks for the answer 🙂
Okay, I’m glad that you found what you were looking for! 🙂 Oh, that’s a great deal with the free Nubar top and base coats. Nice incentive!
You’re welcome. 😀
Your swatch of Glittering Garland is the best I have seen so far! I really appreciate how you went the extra mile in showing how the polish looks in many different lighting conditions, and your pictures are very clear and really show off the details in the color and the flakie effects. I have this one ordered, I can’t wait to get it and see it in person. I was going to pass on it until I saw this post!
Hey Sierra!
Thank you for that HUGE compliment! 😀 There are so many beauty bloggers with swatches that I drool over, so what you said really means so much to me. And I’m glad that you appreciated how I showed the polish in various lighting.
Please let me know what you think of it when you try it out. Although, I’m sure you’re going to really enjoy it! 😀
LOVE this one! Fantaaaastic swatch pics. This CG collection had a couple of real standouts — Glittering Garland and (my fave) Tinsel Town are both really pretty in person.
Hey collier!
China Glaze’s holiday collections always get me. Actually, their fall collections are great, too. Even when I try to hold back, there’s always at least one colour that speaks to me. 😉
Glad you liked the swatch photos! I really enjoyed wearing this one. Greens are totally within my comfort zone. (Strange how I’m less comfortable wearing neutrals and nudes than bold colours.)
I haven’t tried Tinsel Town yet, but I got that one, too. From just looking at the bottle, it reminds me a lot of the silver version of China Glaze It’s Alive (which is my new favourite green of all time).
I wore this one the other day. Almost passed it up in Sally’s, but seriously…who can really pass up green polish (especially when it glitters)? Not this gal!
We don’t really do the big Christmas thing now that my kids are grown, but that won’t stop me from dressing up my nails for the occasion. 😀
Hey karen!
You sound a lot like me! *Gasp* Hehehe…it is REALLY hard to pass up a glittering green for sure. It almost makes me feel negligent as a nail-polish lover if I do. 😉
And I’m happy to hear that you’re still keeping the season bright with your manicure. 🙂
I just published a post comparing this polish to Orly’s Meet Me Under the Mistletoe. Are they dupes? Not quite, but they are so close that I think you only need one. Personally, I would say GG is the one, as it’s cheaper, more opaque and more readily available. (MMUM came out with last year’s holiday collection) I got my Orly at a Sally Beauty Supply and mostly because I was afraid it was my last chance!
another Cristina recently posted: Comparison-China Glaze Glittering Garland vs. Orly Meet me Under the Mistletoe
Hey another Cristina!
Both colours are really pretty – depends what you’re going for. Glittering Garland is a lot deeper, so I like that one when I’m really feeling the darker colours. Meet Me Under the Mistletoe is also pretty, but not as vampy on me. I can justify owning both. 😀 Then again, I’m a nail addict. Hehehe! 😉