China Glaze Bend Over Backwards Review

 China Glaze's nail lacquer in Bend Over Backwards is part of their limited edition Cirque de Soleil Worlds Away collection. All twelve shades in this collection really appealed to me, I'm not sure what really drove me to choose Bend Over Backwards over the awesome glitters and neons also being offered. This shade is described as a "pepper red shimmer". China Glaze is my all time favorite nail polish brand, if you didn't know, I love their massive shade selection, limited edition lines, and I get better than average wear from their lacquers. The China Glaze formula contains "china clay as a nail hardener, the same material that gives porcelain it's shiny finish." China Glaze polishes are formaldehyde, DBT, and Toluene free, but they do contain formaldehyde resin. I bought Bend Over Backwards at Sally's Beauty Supply for about $6. Each China Glaze nail lacquer contains the standard .5fl oz (14ml). China Glaze does not test on animals. These polishes are made in the USA.

 China Glaze polishes come in a round glass bottles with a tall, black, textured plastic cap. The China Glaze logo is embossed on top of the cap. The logo can also be found on the front of the bottle, along with the product name and a short claim. Some standard warnings and a little bit of company info graces the back of the bottle. The shade name can be found on a label on the bottom of the bottle; that label also peels up to reveal a full ingredient list. China Glaze's brush supposedly has 440 bristles (I'm just gonna trust them on that). This brush is long, flexible, and round with one annoying, wonky bristle that needs to be snipped.

 Bend Over Backwards is such a fantastic color! It's beautiful and complex, a little bit flashy and perfect for fingers or toes, year round. Bend Over Backwards is a very shimmery, almost metallic red that has a subtle, fiery orange undertone to it. I may be reading too far into the color, but something about it seems molten, almost lava-like. Bend Over Backwards isn't incredibly unique, but something about the color seems special to me, this definitely isn't your run of the mill red!

[Professional 1am manicure!]

 The formula for Bend Over Backwards is thinner than my other China Glaze lacquers. This is actually my first shimmer finish from China Glaze, all my others are creams, so maybe that explains the thinner consistency. Bend Over Backwards applies in very thin coats, but that doesn't stop it from being almost entirely complete opaque in one coat, and fully opaque in two. Because of  the thinner formula, Bend Over Backwards can pool in corners and flood the cuticles, a problem I've definitely experienced. This polish has a very quick dry time, about 45 seconds per coat. Bend Over Backwards has variable wear for me. Most China Glaze polishes cling to my nails for 3-6 days, which is a really long time for me. Bend Over Backwards doesn't chip on me, but it can peel in the corners if I'm not careful. Despite being a strong red, Bend Over Backwards doesn't stain and removes easily.

China Glaze Bend Over Backwards is lovely. The color is just amazing, such a rich, fiery red. I really can't get enough of it, I've been wearing it nonstop since I got it. The wear isn't perfect, but some top coat can probably fix it. I hope China Glaze adds this shade to the core collection. Go grab Bend Over Backwards before it's gone! It's a great red to have on hand. (Great pun, Mary!) 

ingredients:

Ethyl Acetate, Butyl Acetate, Nitrocellulose, Propyl Acetate, Toslyamide/Formaldehyde Resin, Isopropyl Alcohol, Trimethyl Pentanyl, Diisobutyrate, Triphenyl Phosphate, Ethyl Tosylamide, Camphor, Stearalkonium Hectorite, Diacetone Alcohol, Stearalkonium Bentonite, Benzophenone-1, Citric Acid, Dimethicone, Kaolin, Mica, Iron Oxides, Red 6.