China Glaze • Nail Lacquer-Awakening • Polishes

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SMF16 on 3/29/2010 10:23:00 PM more reviews by SMF16

Age: 30-35   Skin: Oily, Dark, Warm   Hair: Black, Relaxed, Fine   Eyes: Brown    

This is a truly unique color! Very beautiful! I have had this in my stash for a while and for some reason I kept overlooking it..but finally decided to try it tonight and it is so nice on my nails! Idk why but it reminds me of Mac's expensive pink eyeshadow..love it! Will definitely repurchase!

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*TOP REVIEWER* spiderleenie on 3/25/2010 9:41:00 AM more reviews by spiderleenie

Age: 19-24   Skin: Combination, Fair, Warm   Hair: Red   Eyes: Green    

I absolutely love this color. The goldish plum really looks like and reminds me of a Summer sunset. I can see this color becoming a staple this year in the hotter months. I can see awakening as a Autumn color as well, since golds and purples tend to be associated with that season.


The coolest thing about this color is how different it looks under different lights. Sometimes the gold looks more apparent and sometimes the plum is more apparent. It's really unique; really like two colors in one.


When applying this polish, I had very little problems with streaking. Sometimes I can be a klutz when it comes to nail polish, so sometimes I tend to use a little too much polish at once. If you use too much polish, you will experience streaking. Otherwise, it should be completely fine.


One thing I've noticed with the China Glaze nail polishes is how they dry so quickly. With one coat, it takes about 3 minutes to dry. With two coats, it takes about 10 minutes. I really love that.


The polish's lasting power is pretty decent. There was no chipping at all for at least 3 days, which is the perfect time span for me, since I like to switch colors often.


Overall, I really love this nail polish. It's a very unique and pretty color!

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*TOP REVIEWER* mudpie1964 on 1/30/2010 3:51:00 PM more reviews by mudpie1964

Age: 44-55   Skin: Very Dry, Fair-Medium, Warm   Hair: Brunette, Straight, Fine   Eyes: Brown    

China Glaze's Awakening is a shimmery medium plum polish with a heavy gold flash/duochrome effect. While this makes for a stunning color in the bottle, on my pale skin with slight yellow undertones it turned a rather rose-gold color instead of plum. My guess is that on cool-toned people it's more plum than rose. The application was perfectly smooth and the drying time very fast at five minutes between coats. It was totally opaque in three coats. However, while this polish is pretty, the gold flash makes it too warm for my skin; therefore, I will not be buying this one again.

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*TOP REVIEWER* cloroxcowgirl on 12/9/2009 5:24:00 PM more reviews by cloroxcowgirl

Age: 30-35   Skin: Sensitive, Fair, Cool   Hair: Blond, Wavy   Eyes: Blue    

I almost swapped this color away after seeing it in the bottle. It looked almost brownish purple and I thought it would be way too warm toned for my skin. Thankfully, I saw the pics above and decided to give it a chance. The pics are true to the color - it goes on the nail a rose gold duochrome (I'm a sucker for anything duochrome) which flashes purple every once and awhile. The color is neutral enough that it would work with many skin tones. In a word, Awakening is gorgeous. I have had a problem with China Glaze formulas in the past, but this one went on evenly and provided enough coverage with one coat. I am not usually into pinks at all, but I love this color.

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*TOP REVIEWER* PaulaNC on 11/22/2009 1:05:00 AM more reviews by PaulaNC

Age: 44-55   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium, Cool   Hair: Brunette, Wavy, Fine   Eyes: Green    

This is exactly what I have been looking for...purple-y with tons of gold shimmer. A chameleon really. Looks gentle and harmless in some lights, then wowza in others! I love it.

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mokutou on 10/25/2009 2:46:00 PM more reviews by mokutou

Age: 19-24   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium   Hair: Black   Eyes: Brown    

My favorite Fall polish! Awakening is a beautiful rosy gold polish . It looks pink from certain angles, almost fuchsia, but when the light hits the gold shimmer it looks like the polish glows! I love this color! The staying power is excellent. Several coats plus a top coat and it resists chipping for several days, which is unheard of for me! Excellent, I would rebuy over and over!

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*TOP REVIEWER* rallu on 9/15/2009 1:16:00 AM more reviews by rallu

Age: 25-29   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium, Warm   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Brown    

What a lovely strange gorgeous color. It looks perfect on my warm skin tone, no streaks and it lasts a long time too. I can't stop admiring my nails.

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honeycreepshow on 8/1/2009 9:36:00 PM more reviews by honeycreepshow

Age: 25-29   Skin: Other   Hair: Other   Eyes: Other    

looks like a sunset. absolutely gorgeous. my favorite polish right now.

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*TOP REVIEWER* thefairestlady1012 on 5/28/2009 10:03:00 PM more reviews by thefairestlady1012

Age: 19-24   Skin: Very Dry, Fair, Cool   Hair: Brunette, Wavy, Medium   Eyes: Blue    

This color is a medium pink/rose with a slightly plum undertone and lots of gold shimmer. It would be a nice autumn/winter pink as it is more vivid than your standard milky/barely there shimmery pale pink. But also it would work for spring and summer if you are looking to add a "bit" of a deeper shade to your "warm weather" nail polish arsenal and have a hard time succumbing to those "barely there" colors. This would coordinate well with Trax Eyeshadow, Lancome's Vinage Rose Lipstick, Urban Decay's 1999 Eye Pencil and so on as this has both rose-pink and plum-mauve tones with gold shimmer and would complement these colors in any combination.

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*TOP REVIEWER* Dori319 on 5/2/2009 2:48:00 PM more reviews by Dori319

Age: 19-24   Skin: Combination, Fair, Neutral   Hair: Brunette, Straight, Fine   Eyes: Blue    

This is a perfect Autumn color. Its fuscha-y with gold chrome in light.. it looks a lot darker inside then it looks in natural sunlight but it is GORGEOUS in sunlight!! The pictures I have were taken outside and had 2 coats of Awakening polish and one coat o top coat.

Click Continue for pictures..

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*TOP REVIEWER* RedNailz on 4/5/2009 6:37:00 PM more reviews by RedNailz

Age: 36-43   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium   Hair: Blond, Straight, Fine   Eyes: Blue    

I bought this because it reminded me of a favorite L'oreal polish from long, long ago called Rose D'Or, which was a lighter rose with slight gold frost. I was surprised when I applied Awakening because there was more gold to it than I expected. Then at second glance, it was actually a darker rose than it seemed in the store! Yet in dim light, it had a purple tint. Really, I had alot of fun with this color! I never sought out an irridescent chrome, but I'm glad I bought this one! The application was smooth (I used 2 thin coats) and the wear was great considering that I used only 1 layer of top coat. This was my first try at China Glaze and I will definitely buy more!

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*TOP REVIEWER* kissjacksparrow on 3/28/2009 12:17:00 AM more reviews by kissjacksparrow

Age: 19-24   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium, Warm   Hair: Brunette, Curly, Medium   Eyes: Hazel    

I haven't worn this for a full mani yet, but I wanted to write this review before I got rid of it or forgot.

First of all, this color is usual. It is a berry color with an intense gold shimmer. I have to admit, despite it;s lovely finish, and despite the fact that these kinds of color suite my skin tone very well, I have has this a long time as an untried because it just hasn't "spoken to me." Perhaps it will when fall comes around.

Most importantly why I am writing this review is because it a close dupe for Zoya's Shivon. The differences between the two a mild. Shivon is had a more pigments base color and Akening has a more intense gold flash. Both are beautiful. Right now I am debating on which one I should keep because they are both lovely, and look great on, but I just don't wear this color enough to jusify having two so similar.

China Glaze may be more easily accessible the Zoya, so I would recommend this as a great alternative.

But back to the review of this one:
The application is wonderful. Colors with this kind of finish can tend to be streaky. Not the case here! It went on so smoothly - as I've come to expect from china glaze! It looked great in one coat, but I would agree with another reviewer on here that 2 is better. It also dried quickly. I am assuming the wear is the same as my many other ChG polishes, but again, I have yet to wear this as a full mani.

I rarely ever really by nail polishes more then once, but I so not regret purchasing it, so I am marking yes, I would by this product again.

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*TOP REVIEWER* MalibuMands on 7/9/2008 6:50:00 AM more reviews by MalibuMands

Age: 19-24   Skin: Very Dry, Fair, Cool   Hair: Blond, Straight, Coarse   Eyes: Blue    

AWAKENING is a medium plum/rose colour with a chrome finish. The colour flashes gold, changing the intensity of the base colour. Totally different to any of my other polishes.


You only need one coat of this; but I recommend two coats so you get the full benefits of the chrome finish.


The colour can be worn all year round, plus it looks great against my nw10/15 skin.




CHINA GLAZE is smooth to apply, leaving no bubbles or streaks. I was impressed with the drying time; 5 minutes after application it was touch dry & 10 minutes after application I was rummaging though drawers, there were no chips or smudges. I hadn’t applied a top coat at that point. I’m not sure what the retail should be; I haven’t seen CHINA GLAZE products in shops or salons here in the UK. But the eBay price is fantastic; I picked up 3 bottles for 99P + postage!!

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imagination3112 on 7/4/2008 7:36:00 PM more reviews by imagination3112

Age: Unknown   Skin: Combination, Fair   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Hazel    

An unusal colour - the base seems like a mid-tone pink\plum which seems to change its intensity in various lights, with a gold duo chrome finish.

Applied smoothly and gave good coverage with 2 coats.

Looks good against a PPP skintone.

Will purchase this one, ( tried DDs bottle & she isn't interested in swapping lol:)

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christendj on 7/2/2008 3:57:00 PM more reviews by christendj

Age: 30-35   Skin: Dry, Medium   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Hazel    

This is a beautiful, but hard-to-describe color. I would say a rose base with gold shimmer, that changes to gold, a darker rose, and every once in a while lavender/lilac. Application is excellent, no streakiness to mention and true to bottle in 2 coats.

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GrooveGirl on 5/14/2007 1:34:00 PM more reviews by GrooveGirl

Age: 19-24   Skin: Other   Hair: Other   Eyes: Other    

This is one heck of a unique polish! It's a rose/lilac/gold multi-chrome that changes colors in mesmerizing ways when you tilt your hand in the sunlight. On me, it looks rose/gold most of the time, with the lilac appearing only at certain angles. This should come with a warning: be careful wearing Awakening while driving. You won't want to take your eyes off your nails! If you want a polish color like no other, add Awakening to your collection. I don't know if I'll rebuy this again (I''m extremely fickle, even with lovely colors like this one), but I'll enjoy using my bottle while it lasts.

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jinxkat on 12/27/2006 7:09:00 PM more reviews by jinxkat

Age: Unknown   Skin: Other   Hair: Other   Eyes: Other    

I am absolutely delighted with this polish. So beautiful & unique. Almost mauve or rose with a gold flash. It applied well, very smoothly, no streaking issues. However with all China Glaze that I have used, dry time is extremely sloooow. That leads to dents & dings. But, the color is so unique & one of the few "gold" polishes that I can wear with my skin tone that I would not hesitate to buy it. (RIS from another sweet mua member).

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*TOP REVIEWER* DanielleWilliams on 3/8/2006 2:45:00 AM more reviews by DanielleWilliams

Age: 25-29   Skin: Normal, Fair-Medium, Neutral   Hair: Brown, Wavy, Medium   Eyes: Brown    

Awakening is gorgeous... This is MAC Rose Pigment in nail polish form - a medium rose illuminated by a copper/golden metallic sheen. In one word: stunning. As with all of their polishes, I get great wear with this China Glaze - two coats is all it takes to achieve bottle intensity... The formula applies like a dream and dries to a high-shine finish - with my favorite topcoat the finish resembles glass. Against my olive skin, my nails seem to glow. I cannot say enough good things about this polish, I imagine it looking perfect against all skintones. Do check this out, especially if you adore MAC Rose Pigment. Perfection!

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kavi484 on 2/9/2006 7:06:00 PM more reviews by kavi484

Age: 19-24   Skin: Oily, Dark   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Brown    

AMAZING. It's a plummy-fuschia-orchid base color with a bright gold sheen. Formulation is nice too -- smooth, no lumps or bubbles.

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*TOP REVIEWER* Mickster on 12/4/2005 2:35:00 PM more reviews by Mickster

Age: 30-35   Skin: Sensitive, Medium   Hair: Black   Eyes: Hazel    

I'll have to concurr with the previous reviewers. The quality of this nail polish is outstanding It applies so evenly and smoothly, as do most of the polishes from this brand. Don't know if it's the brush, the formula, or some mixture of the two.

The color is just stunning. I think that it looks a bit differently on folks with different coloring. On me it's an orchid color with glowing gold shimmer wich looks differently depending on light refraction. This polish can go from peach, to pink, to purple at the tilt of the hand.

Would buy again in a heartbeat.

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