In my nail polish shopping extravaganza last month, I picked up two of the Fall offerings from the China Glaze Metro collection: Midtown Magic (to be reviewed) and Trendsetter ($6.49 each at Chatters Salon). There were a lot of beautiful shades in the collection, but in an effort to buy more unique shades rather than repeating colors over and over in my stash, I picked out the two that were the most original to my eye.
Trendsetter is one of those so-named ‘ugly/pretty’ shades; in this case a mustard-chartreuse with a hint of shimmer. I generally avoid these shades as the ugly/pretty doesn’t really call to me, and while they do look nice and interesting on some, as a general rule they are not flattering on my skin tone. But here I am, trying to break out of the box and try something new 
Above, the shade in natural light. In this light particularly I find it rather unattractive.
In indoor lighting, while no one would probably call this a ‘pretty’ color, it does have an unique and warm appeal, and at the very least, is certainly a conversation starter 
This is what it looks like most of the time. 
In these last shots, you can see how vivid this polish can look in the right lighting – the chartreuse of the polish comes to the forefront and really makes it stand out.
I wore this polish for three days, and by the end of it, I was surprizingly NOT sick of the shade, which I suspected would happen. I wasn’t eager to keep it on either – it’s really not my kind of shade – but it grew on me, and in certain light looks really neat and made me feel edgy in a way I haven’t felt in a while. Which I guess is fitting as it was a ‘Metro’ collection China Glaze released – and this was from the ‘Downtown’ part, which I equate with cool and chic. So, it hit the nail on the head I’d say!
Formula was spot on – thicker but flowed easily, no issues at all. I’m not sure I’ll wear this much, maybe around Halloween and if for some reason it looks more striking on me when I lose my tan, but you just never know! It was fun to break out of the box for once and really switch it up. Hopefully I’ll keep trying new things moving forward – isn’t that the whole point of life?
Ok, I am WAY tired tonight and I can see this getting a bit rambly so I’m shuttin’ ‘er down here. I hope everyone is having a great week and are looking forward to an even better weekend!!
Ok, dish: What do you think about this polish? On me, and in general? Can you get down with the ugly or is it just too far out there?
#1 by Eugenia on September 23, 2011 - 4:07 pm
It’s one of those colours that either grabs you, or leaves you cold, right? But because it’s so different from so many out there, you can’t help but give it a second look! I thought the formula was great and there’s enough other nuances going on that it doesn’t come off as too sallow, so… it actually looks really nice on you! This will probably make your hands looked tanned once your actual tan begins to fade! It suits you, Toya!
#2 by Latoya on September 24, 2011 - 4:22 pm
Yea, it’s definitely unique, but that’s what appealed to me about it, because it’s a love or hate thing, and that means that it creates discussion
I agree, there was enough interest to the shade that it made it special and didn’t veer too much into ugly territory, at least in my opinion. Hopefully you’re right, that once the tan fades, it’ll look even better!!
#3 by Liz (Beauty Reductionista) on September 24, 2011 - 7:13 pm
Ugly/pretty is awesome when you pull it off! I think this looks great on you! I was going to ignore the entire collection but saw a few scattered around Winners during a casual browse and couldn’t help but pick up this shade as well. I’m still iffy on it but figured I’ll give it a chance. Even if the shade is “ugly” on its own, pairing it with complementary colours can make the shade pop in ways that add a whole new spin to it. So glad to hear you rocked the ugly/pretty! (Why do I always feel like cheering at the end of each of your posts? lol
)
#4 by Latoya on September 27, 2011 - 7:12 pm
Hahaha thanks Liz
I wish our Winners here had cool products like China Glaze! I’m interested to see what this shade looks like on you! As with me, could go either way – hopefully it’s the right way
I never thought about pairing it with other colors in order to make it work. I really need you as my fashion advisor!!!