Essie Blossom Dandy

Essie Blossom Dandy is a polish that I saw on the Essie display and grabbed without even hesitating. Minty blue? Yes, please! Actually, I’m not sure if I would call this quite “mint”. It’s definitely more blue than green.

The formula is not bad for it being a pastel. It is a little streaky, but I was able to get away with two coats. This is from the Spring 2015 collection. There are a couple other colors that I have my eye on too, but for now I’m sticking with Blossom Dandy. And that name- how cute is it?

If you like pastels, definitely check out this one!

Essie My Better Half

Essie My Better Half is from the 2013 wedding collection. I specifically remember ordering the little square cube of mini polishes from this collection on Amazon. I was having a TERRIBLE day at work (at a place where I NO LONGER WORK, yay!), and I decided to have some wine. Since I never drink and have no tolerance whatsoever, I was buzzed before I knew it and ended up shopping online.

Anyway- that was awhile ago and I finally got around to wearing this GORGEOUS polish. Isn’t it beautiful? It’s peony pink with a bit of sheen. The formula is thin, but builds up beautifully. I recommend this one for pink fans! 🙂

Essie After School Boy Blazer

Essie After School Boy Blazer is a deep navy blue, almost black polish. This is probably my favorite navy blue color right now, if not of all time. I love that it is almost black!

This is from Essie’s fall collection, and it is just perfect for the season. I can think of a couple navy shades that I like, but there’s just something about the glossiness and richness about this one that makes me swoon. Plus, the name is just too cute! My nails are way short right now, but they’re still longer than when I used to bite them anyway! 🙂

Did you pick up any of the fall Essie polishes? What colors do you like to wear in the fall?

Essie Haute As Hello

Since it’s the end of summer, I’m still trying to enjoy those gorgeous peach and coral shades that are so popular this time of year. One of those shades is Haute As Hello from Essie. This is a gorgeous, retro, cantaloupe type shade!

I’ve read a lot of complaints about the formula of this polish, but honestly I didn’t think it was that bad. I did use three coats, and I added a top coat since this dries matte. This is one of those “I can’t stop staring at my nails” colors for sure! This would look especially great on someone who has a more medium skin tone.

What do you think of this shade?

Essie Go Ginza

Go Ginza is a milky, white-based lavender. I heard someone compare this to the lavender version of Fiji, so that made me have to have it! This is from Essie’s spring 2013 collection. I like it because although it has some color, it is still appropriate enough for wearing at someplace more serious, like an interview or the workplace. This is also a great color for weddings!

The formula is very opaque and easy to work with. I used two coats for opacity and found it long lasting on the nail. This is a great shade to wear year round!

What do you think of Go Ginza?

Essie Maximillian Strasse-Her

Maximillian-Strasse Her is…..my new obsession. This polish from a spring Essie collection has me swooning! I bought this MONTHS ago and I have no idea why I didn’t reach for it until now. Look at it! This polish is quite unique and something special!

The color is described by Essie as a “cool gray”, but it is so not gray! Maybe a touch, but is mostly a hazy, bluish green. It makes for a great neutral but still a beautiful color. This is a “I-can’t-stop-staring-at-my-hands” polish.

The formula is runny, but I had no problem getting it opaque with two coats. Just make sure to clean off the brush well while applying, otherwise your nails might end up flooded! This is such an amazing shade…I see a lot of this in my future. 🙂

Periwinkle Comparisons

After a reader comment wondering about how Sail la Vie compared to China Glaze Secret Periwinkle, I decided to do a quick comparison post about some polishes in the periwinkle family. Despite the fact that I don’t like purple, I do like periwinkle. It reminds me of lilacs and springtime!

Sail La Vie is a lot more blue than Secret Periwinkle; it’s also quite a bit brighter. These are all quite different from each other even though the swatches may seem similar. MAC Bleu Velvet has a lot more gray than the photo appears to have. OPI You’re Such a Budapest is definitely lavender over periwinkle.

As you can see, Secret Periwinkle is the darkest of the bunch. My favorite periwinkle shades are Bikini So Teeny, Cameo, and Sail La Vie, which all lean toward the blue side of the spectrum.

I hope this post is helpful to you! What is your favorite periwinkle shade?

Essie Fiji

Essie is known for their pastels, and Fiji is definitely one of those classic shades! This is a chalky, white-based light pink color. I added American Apparel Meteor Shower on the ring finger for a little accent, which is a shredded gold polish that I love!

The formula of Fiji is a little tricky. In three coats is is opaque, but the first two coats are quite streaky. The formula definitely doesn’t just glide on the nail, but it is not the worst formula I ever used by any means!

I love this color and how clean and crisp it looks on the nails! Definitely an Essie must have. 🙂

Essie Naughty Nautical

Essie’s summer collection is full of bright, popping colors! Naughty Nautical is one of those shades. One thing all of the colors have in common (except for the green one, I believe), is that they all have a thread of silver shimmer running through them, which is apparent on the nails, but difficult to capture in photographs (at least it was for me).

Zoomed way in…you can sort of see the shimmer!

The formula on Naughty Nautical is great: nearly opaque in one coat, and not too thin or not too thick. I’m disappointed that the shimmer doesn’t show through in the photos, because it is very pretty! That said, the collection as a whole is gorgeous. It’s exactly what a summer collection should be: bright and fun.

Essie Bottle Service

Bottle Service is from Essie’s Summer Neons collection. A hot pink jelly neon? Yes, please! I love this and was pleased with the formula. It is very pigmented and goes on smoothly. With two coats, you don’t quite get that squishy jelly look, but with three it is out in full force, which is what you see here. I was impressed with the coverage and love the color and finish. It has a semi-matte finish without a top coat. Essie makes wonderful neon shades and this one is definitely worth it if you like hot pink!