If there’s one thing that I NEVER do, it’s wear chipped nail polish. I rarely have bare nails, but I will always rock naked nails before I wear them chipped. My late Grandma Ruthy (who always wore long acrylics with a french manicure) always told me that having nicely polished nails was a great way of making a good impression. I distinctly remember traveling with her on an airplane when I was about ten years old, and she told me that I needed to do my nails before we left for the airport. She was clearly of the generation when looking nice to travel was important. (She would probably be appalled at the myriad of sweatpants and hoodies (not to mention a serious lack of makeup) that I have worn on airplanes. I honestly think that her bit of mani-advice has always stuck with me, and I get a little peeved when I see ladies with terribly chipped nails. What is the point of wearing a hot outfit when it looks like your nails have been rubbed against a cheese grater? I always remove and repaint when my mani is past its prime…except for this past week. Oy.
When I started my new teaching job, I had no idea how absolutely exhausted I would be. Each night, as I looked down at my increasingly ragged looking polish, I vowed to remove it before I went to sleep. But, as I couldn’t stay awake past 9:45 any night this week (when did I become 76 years old?!), the nail polish remover sat untouched on my nightstand. The worst part? I was wearing DARK polish, and we ALL know that dark polish shows the most wear and tear and looks particularly ‘janky’ when it starts to chip. I definitely wanted to review this shade, but I didn’t have a minute to photograph it until the tips had already started to wear and my cuticles started to peel. So, friends, be kind about this photo. I recognize the fact that this mani is subpar, but it’s all my exhausted self could handle. Let’s get to the review, shall we?
China Glaze - Midtown Magic
This China Glaze shade is called Midtown Magic, and it is from the most recent Metro collection. When I saw it on the shelf, I immediately had to pick it up and hold it up to the light. I was immediately intrigued by how confusing this color is! Is it brown? Is it plum? Is it black? I literally couldn’t tell. I could see that it was chock-full of gold, copper, and olive micro-glitter. I had to buy it JUST so I could take it home and invesitgate what color it is! As you can see, this color could go a few ways, and I was dead set on figuring it out.
China Glaze - Midtown Magic
Here’s the thing…I still don’t get this color. All of that gold and olive glitter that you see in the bottle seems to disappear on the nail, and the only shimmer that shines through is a coppery red micro-glitter. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy a copper shimmer. But not when it’s completely unexpected and it overpowers the shimmer I was expecting! When I was applying this polish, the base was a plum(ish) jelly. After two coats, however, it’s basically black. In reeeeaaaallllllyyyyy good light, it’s a deep (we’re talking DEEP) brown, but unless you are carefully inspecting this polish, it’s black with red/copper shimmer. If I spent all day in the sun, I might love this polish. In the sun, it really shines. But indoors, the shimmer is minimal and the color is black. Midtown Magic is perfect for halloween but not a shade I would wear just for fun. It is definitely fall appropriate, but as a lover of dark polish, this is not one of my favorites. (Sorry, China Glaze.)
I think this color should be titled Midtown MYSTERY because after a week of wearing it (even chipped), I am still not quite sure what color I was wearing. It is an absolute enigma. I don’t understand it. In China Glaze’s defense however, the application of this polish was flawless. Like all of the other China Glaze’s I have used, the formula applies smooth and even (it is totally self-leveling) and it covers completely in two coats. In the end, though, this might be one of those colors that sinks to the bottom of my nail polish drawer. Oh well, it was worth a shot!
Does anyone own Midtown Magic? What color do YOU think it is?
The Mani-Maniac 