China Glaze Gelaze Flying Dragon Swatch
You’re probably wondering about the wear of the Gelaze polishes. I haven’t done any wear testing as of yet, but Michelle over at Manic Talons has so you can visit her site to read the review (the results were great, BTW). I also haven’t done any fade tests on the polishes that I picked up, but I will monitor them and report back if there are any issues, though I’m hoping there’s nothing to report. I can tell you that these applied really nicely. They don’t require a base coat, so you save a step in the process. I applied three coats of Flying Dragon onto my nails and they don’t feel thick at all, but they still have the strength that can be expected from a gel polish. So far I’m really impressed with this brand.
Currently these polishes are only available for sale at Sally’s, which I know is a downer for many of you because you don’t have access to the stores or they don’t ship to your region. You can find them on their website here. I’m hoping that they will eventually make their way to other distributors as well.
I also wanted to mention that the retail price of these polishes is pretty reasonable at $12 ($11 with a Sally’s card). With the BOGO coupon, I got them for $5.50 each! The size of the bottles was smaller than I expected though at only .33 ounces (their RNP bottles are .5 ounces).
Here is a quick picture of the other colors that I picked up. For Audrey is my favorite blue in RNP, and I’m so happy to see it in gel now!
Sallys newest flyer advertises these BOGOF with the code 444870 from March 1- March 31……!
You shouldn’t have told me that. LOL
Gosh those colors are gorgeous I hope nailpolishcanada will have them soon!
You may already know this, but NPC have Gelaze now.
Gorgeous purple!
Would you happen to know when this will be available in the uk? Can’t wait to try it.x
I’m sorry, I don’t know anything about their distribution
May I please know what lamp you used to cure these China Glaze polishes? Thank you
I use a Gelish 18G lamp
Obsessed with your website and I use your swatches constantly before I order my colors :) I love this one and have to have it. Where do you get all of these good Sally coupons? I’m jealous! haha
They come in my email. Just sign up for their mailing list ;)
May I mention that you can use the BOGO coupon as well as the monthly 15% off your entire purchase coupon to get even more savings too! I do it all the time! And one question actually pertaining to this post did you use the your gelish top coat with the gelaze, and if so did it work well with this new brand of polish?
Good tip on the coupons. I did use my Gelish top coat and it worked perfectly.
Funny thing…I haven’t checked in all day but just finished my Mardi Hras mani…with Flying Dragon as the base. It is an amazing purple! Oh, and Gelaze is making its way to the distributors as best I can tell. Beauty West has a page for it now, though no colors are listed yet :)
Thanks for the review, Andrea!! I always check your reviews before purchasing any gel polish :) I’ve been DYING for the Gelaze to come out since I first heard about it in July!
And I don’t even think THEY know how many colors they have–their website used to say there would be 36, then it said 40, and now the FAQs section says there are 49. Who can possibly keep up??
My Sally’s flyer said 34, and it didn’t seem like there were that many different colors on the shelf in my local stores. They have some amazing RNP colors, so hopefully they’ll work on converting more to gel.
(Casey) haha i noticed that, China Glaze is like OPI they both took forever to release their Gel line but that means they are truly making sure the product is good, and not just rushed. Gelazes website is updated with more colors like In the Limelight and Ahoy and Splish Splash so it seems like they’re going to add more, which is exciting :) idk what colors they have at sallys in store though.
Oh my goodness I can’t wait to go check these out! I love China Glaze’s colors! Flying Dragon is probably one of the coolest purple gel polishes on the market now! :) Awesome review! Thanks a ton!
I saw your post this morning on Pinterest… So glad I did!!! I went to Sally’s & got 5 new Gelaze colors & a top coat! I even used a printable $5 off $25 coupon I found online http://www.retailmenot.com/view/sallybeauty.com#print.5414511. 6 Gelaze polishes for less than $30… WooHoo!
I bought the top coat to try with the Gelaze, but the base coat is built in. I’m interested to see how the gel polish wears without a base coat. Did you use a base coat or just apply the polish to your bare nail? I’m excited to skip a step, but I’m a little concerned that the darker colors might stain. Thanks Again!!!
I applied it directly on my nail. You shouldn’t get any staining. I’ve used other no-base gels and haven’t had an issue with staining or wear. Did Sally’s let you apply the BOGO to more than one bottle of Gelaze? I tried buying online, but it only allowed 1 free polish.
Yes, I got 3 free bottles plus the $5.00 off $25.00 coupon. I bought them in the store this morning… not sure if it’s different online. It’s such a great deal, I think I’ll head back a grab a few more :) I’ve never tried the no-base gels, so I’m glad to hear you haven’t had any problems!
Good to know. I might try to pick up a few more then. I want to get the top coat too.
They look very nice! do you know if they would work well on another gel base and with a different topcoat? i currently use Angel Pro gelly polishes (which i love btw). i would like to expand my gel polish collection but it seemed as if the orly smartgel colour i recently purchased didn’t do well with that base and top … are the gelaze gels very … euhm … *linked* with their base and top? or would it be okay to use with a different brand?
sorry if maybe the question isnt clear
Love your swatches btw :)
They don’t need/require a base coat at all. I used my Gelish top coat with it and it worked fine.
OMG YAY:) can you do bottle shots and swatches of the other shades? Is the consistency thick cause I’ve tried some other 2-in-1 systems and they appear thick. What colors are available cause online sally does not list the colors you got on their website :( Thank you for the amazing posts! :) You should do GelColor by OPI too, professionals like me need so much help and insight on colors haha
I will eventually swatch them all, just need some time ;) The consistency in the bottle seemed a little thicker than normal, but it applied really smoothly in thin layers and there wasn’t any pulling back from the edges. Is think they did their quality testing for sure. I don’t know the names of all of the colors, but the Sally’s website doesn’t have them all yet.
Thanks to your fabulous post I went out ASAP and got For Audrey and the top coat. I noticed that the color has itty bitty black specs in them, it almost looked like sand. Did I get a bad bottle, or did you know this as well? I don’t really love the Gelaze topcoat, it doesn’t apply as nicely as Gelish and there were a few spots that weren’t totally smooth. Also, my mani is quite easy to peel off, so I’m a bit un-wowed. I might try out a gelish foundation and top coat with Gelaze in between and see how it wears.
I did notice the little specks in For Audrey today as I was testing it for fading (no fading BTW). The polishes seemed to have a slightly gritty texture when being applied to my swatch sticks, but I didn’t notice that when I applied directly to my nail. I have to wonder if that’s part of what makes them adhesive and not require a base coat. I didn’t have any peeling or wear issues with mine. It couldn’t hurt to use your Gelish base and top with them.
I also had tiny black specks in my For Audrey polish, but they are not really noticeable when the polish is on. I also used my Gelish top coat and have had no peeling issues, but this is only day 3 for me of this mani.
I just applied Spontaneous for the first time, and I had the WORST shrink-back from the edges!! Don’t know if it is just that shade, or my bottle or what–because you swatched that one too and didn’t indicate it was an issue for you, and you’re always very upfront :) I’m disappointed because I was really looking forward to these coming out, but my mani took twice as long as usualy because I had to keep re-capping the edge and flash-curing. Ain’t nobody got time for that! I’ve emailed Gelaze–we’ll see what they say!
I haven’t used this on my nails yet, but I’ll report shrinkback if I get it. I only applied it on a swatch stick and it went right into the light. I didn’t have any issues with Flying Dragon which is the only color I’ve worn so far.
I did notice quite a bit of shrink back, I had to keep capping the edges compulsively. Also, when putting it on I thought they just STANK, especially the top coat, but a few hours layer it’s almost a sweet smell that lingers in the polish on the finger, very odd.
I did notice more of an odor than usual, but it didn’t seem to linger.
What do you think about the wear I’m a gelish person but I love the colors in this line
I haven’t tested the wear yet.
Does anyone know how long the BOGO is for? Someone said the 10th and someone said 31. Hopefully it’s te 31st!
Through the 31st
I looked at these when I was in Sally’s, but didn’t know if they cured in an LED light. How long did you cure this polish in your Gelish lamp?
I have the Sephora OPI LED lamp, and Gelaze cures just fine in 30 seconds for me. But on another note, I have major complaints about the shrink-back of this line so far, so there’s my two cents ;)
They are LED curable in 30 seconds
I am not sure about the product. I cap the edge of my nail and still the gel does adhere to the tip of my nails. Did you have the same problem? Your nails look perfect! Please offer some tips, because I really want to like this product. I used a LED lamp.
I didn’t notice shrink back on Flying Dragon when I used it, but I did notice it when I tried the black and the green. Whenever I have this problem I flash cure each nail for just a couple of seconds after applying the first coat.
I bought four of these on the BOGO, and used Awakening last night. The shrink back was instant and very noticeable!! I did the ends, which only helped a tiny bit, and had to use three coats of color. I can still see through them. My mom bought the Luby, and when we did hers it was just as bad. Also the polish even after shaking and chilling is inconsistent in texture…. a bit watery in some strokes, sliding down into the cuticles despite thin coats, and thick blobs in others that also run. I’ve been using gelish and ibd for 2 1/2 years, and i have only had one color in all that time from them that had shrink back. These colors are gorgeous, i just wish there was some trick to apply them neatly!
Awakening is very different from the other colors, it’s much more sheer. I am experiencing the shrink back too with some of the colors, but I also have that problem with many of my Gelish colors. Whenever I have this problem I flash cure each finger for a few seconds after applying the first coat.
Bought some of these at Sally’s in the BOGO sale. Question when finished curing last coat, can you just use the alcohol wipes to get the tacky off like you do with the Gelish? Web page indicated they sell some sort of cleansing stuff, but I didn’t buy any if that. I have a huge supply of the acetone & alcohol wipes (Amazon love them).
Hope I don’t have issues that some described, as I do notice my gels at home don’t seem to be lasting as long as the salon nails, barely getting a week before they start “catching & snaging ” on things, and start to peel off, which it know is bad, bad for the nail bed.
Love your site by the way, so many helpful tips.
Yes, you can wipe them off with your alcohol wipes.
I bought the teal color, not sure of the name. I had terrible problems getting it to stay on my nails. I had shrink back as well as the fact that it didn’t seem to cure in my RCM LED light (36 watts). When applying topcoat it came right off of my nails. I’ll be contacting China Glaze. I hope the other 2 colors I bought work.
LED lamps have different wavelengths and polishes are formulated for curing in certain wavelengths which is why not all polishes cure the same in different lamps. Most brands recommend using their lamps since they formulate them to work together, although I don’t think Gelaze has a lamp. I’d be curious to know if your other polishes work with this lamp. Please let me know.
Both RCM and Gelish work well with this lamp. It doesn’t make much sense. I’ve scoured the Gelaze site looking for what wattage lamp they recommend and there is no information on it. I used very thin coats, too. It was a very frustrating experience.
I have purchased 22 colors since gelaze was released. Of course, its because i’m taking advantage of the BOGO. Anyways, i LOVE THEM! i have put them in the freezer to aid application, although, i’m not sure if it was necessary. I’ve used 4 colors over the past 2 weeks. Frostbite and Swing baby together than Exceptionally Gifted and Purple Panic together. Both designs and colors have worked beautifully. Compliments on the nails and the colors. Returned some of my Sensationail and got a close match in Gelaze. These seem to wear better FOR ME. I’ve had no-minimal shrink back, nail pooling in the cuticle or application problems. Going to buy a few more next week before the BOGO ends. Would definitely recommend.
Thanks for sharing your experience Michelle! I’m glad they wear well for you.
Using a genetic uv lamp for 2 minutes worked for me. I gotta get cleaner with application on myself. I’m an esty so nothing stays on my nails for long so nice to be able to do a quick gel on myself. Used 50% rubbing alcohol to prep and cleanse
Desperately want to love this brand! But I’ve had major issues esp. w/pooling in the cuticle!
Tried Flip Flop F first and it looked like a 5yo did the mani. I’m no pro, but I came to gelish bc my nails always looked close to salon done at home. Love how my gelish colors even themselves out during application, cover well and last (I always get 3weeks if I don’t fiddle)! None of that was true w/fflop.
At first I was treating the application like my gelish – Medium coats. By the time I was on my 3rd finger(1st coat) the color was pooled in the cuticles on the first two (+the middle of the nail had no coverage!). So I just took it off (though cuticles still looked messy) and tried thin coats – which either didn’t apply or left major streaks/never evened out. I tried the fridge&freezer – no luck. In the end I still had pooling problems, the coverage was blotchy & after a week everything was falling apart and one finger had lifted all the way off. ugh.
This week I tried Flying Dragon(room temp.) and added Gelish phbond&foundation. Pooling was still an issue, pull back at the tips too(which I hadn’t noticed with fflop), and I was sad the coverage was a little thin (coat 2 was much brighter than coat 3 but just too transparent IMO).
This time I was able to eek out an ok looking mani with the help of some boosted power reading glasses, tons of concentration, thin coats, steering super clear of cuticles, and being super quick to the lamp. I’m glad I was able to get it to look ok and wear ok but it was not a fun experience. So sad since the colors are so pretty.
I find that flash curing prevents all of these problems. I paint a nail and then stick it in my lamp for just a few seconds, and repeat with each one and then cure the whole hand for the full amount of time.
ps. Thank you Andrea for such a great site packed with so much info!! You are toats my go to for all things SOG!!
Have you tried the Gelaze top coat with any other gel polishes? I’m out of top coat & wanting to do my nails & my amazon order hasn’t come in yet.
Yes, it works fine