Dune It Well — China Glaze Off Shore “Dune Our Thing” Nail Lacquer Collection
Last month, I raved about China Glaze’s “Stoked to Be Soaked” collection, half of its two-part Off Shore range of nail lacquers for Summer 2014. The six nail polishes within the Stoked to Be Soaked grouping were mainly fluorescent cream colors with a fun, surfer vibe (click here for details and photos). Today, we’re going to focus on the second part of the Off Shore collection, dubbed “Dune Our Thing.” Whereas the shades in the Stoked To Be Soaked family all had warm, sunny undertones, these six nail lacquers have cool, breezy, sometimes aquatic undertones. The bleached neons, the lime greens, oranges, and yellows of the Stoked to Be Soaked range are now complemented by the lavender-based pinks, magentas, purples, and cobalt blues within the Dune Our Thing family.
Let’s dive in and check out all six shades!
WAIT N’ SEA
What would summer be without a touch of turquoise? This particular take on turquoise is rather stunning because it’s so saturated. It’s almost a turquoise and azure hybrid, and it conjures up images of the Mediterranean Sea and the blue feathers typical of macaw birds in tropical regions. Simply stunning!
FEEL THE BREEZE
This creamy, cool-toned, opaque pink reminds me of strawberry-flavored chewy Starburst candies (not the slightly darker wrapper, but the square candy itself). Normally, lavender-toned picks can be tricky — they can go tacky real fast! — but this one feels fun and chic. It doesn’t have so much of a blue base as to feel toothache-inducing in its powdery sweetness, but somehow it manages to have the perfect balance between cool and warm undertones.
I SEA THE POINT
It was love at first swipe with this intense cobalt blue shade! My son pointed out that it reminded him of Sonic the Hedgehog’s hair — a totally legitimate comparison — while I countered that it reminded me of blue tarantulas. Needless to say, he’s as fascinated with this shade as I am and has now demanded that Crayola make a cobalt blue shade (oddly enough, they have Cerulean Blue, Cornflower Blue, Cadet Blue, and so forth, but we couldn’t find a Cobalt crayon anywhere!).
X-TA-SEA
This purple shade makes me think of the Grimace since it has some reddish undertones that make the color border on plum. It’s actually a pretty fine replica of the web color purple so if you do a Google search, you’ll likely come across this shade as the epitome of purple. I’m wearing three coats in the photo above, but you can actually achieve full coverage with two coats.
FLOAT ON
I’d describe this shade as a perky, super saturated, flamingo pink that reminds me of pink tulips and princess party decorations. The color is clean, bright, and crisp, and it just makes you smile.
DUNE OUR THING
This magenta shade reminds me of the hair color of so many Japanese anime characters and, of course, of the strapless Marchesa dress Sofia Vergara wore to the 2012 SAG Awards. It’s not a revolutionary shade, but it’s pretty and versatile.
