Showing posts with label Essie. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Essie. Show all posts

Essie Sassy Satchel & Essie Carnival

Above & Below: Essie's Sassy Satchel shown in various lighting. This is a deep rich burgundy shade with the slightest touch of fine gold shimmer.
Below: Shown topped with one coat of Essie's Carnival, it adds a rainbow of sparkle.
Below: A coat of Essie's Matte About You defines the glitter shape, but tones down the sparkle considerably. It also brings out the brown undertones in Sassy Satchel.
Today I have some of my finer quality polishes...you know I love some of the drugstore shades I've been showing the last few days, but it's always a pleasure when I use Essie. I've always been very impressed with the application and the quality of the finish I get from this brand. I used 2 coats of Sassy Satchel and the coverage was even and the formula flowed perfectly. I picked this up at TJ Maxx a few months back, and I'm glad I did. Sassy Satchel is in the burgundy family, but it has the slightest hint of a deep brick red with brown undertones. The brown undertones are more evident with a coat of Essie's Matte About You.

Carnival is a perfect topping for a darker base, because it's a clear polish packed full of small, holographic glitter. I used one coat as a topping, and the way that the glitter pieces play with the light is truly mesmerizing. I don't think it would look nearly as nice using it alone, but I could be wrong. Have you ever used Carnival alone? What did you think?


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NOTD: Tip Toe (Old Navy) Gold Rush

Above & Below: Shown outdoors in full sun with no flash. Depending on the angle, it looks brown, gold, or an olive gold.
Below: Shown outdoors with no flash in partial shade.
Below: Again, in full sun. You can see that the shimmer/glitter has some purple, red and gold tones in it.
Below: I added a coat of Essie's Matte About You for a deeper antique gold with black finish.


Below: A close-up of the bottle shows that there is some purple in the formula around the sides.
Below: Glitter detail close-up.
Yesterday I showed you bottle pictures of the Tip Toe brand polishes I picked up at Old Navy, and today I have Gold Rush, which was my favorite in the bottle form. I'm not disappointed now that I have it on, and it makes me excited to try out the others. I used 2 coats and touched up a few bald patches after the first coat. It dried quickly and I was happy and surprised to see how well it covered the nail. This is an interesting shade...it looks like an olive gold shade in the bottle, and you can actually see some purple around the edges of the bottle. During application , I noticed that it has a charcoal base, and I also noticed that it not only has very small gold glitter, but also additional glitter shades. I applied Essie's Matte About You, which gives it a deep burnished gold look with a black base. These retail for $3.50 and can be found in a canister at the check-out lane in Old Navy.


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Essie Smokin' Hot

Good morning, Dear Reader!

This morning I tried out Essie Smokin' Hot from the Winter 2010 release, and I really like it a lot.  My first impression of it is that it's what I think Chanel Paradoxal would look like as a creme.  Smokin' Hot is a similar brown taupe with a little purple mixed in, and the color is really interesting.  It's really well pigmented, and two thin coats were all I needed.

Essie Smokin' Hot
Essie Smokin' Hot Nail Polish, Two Coats

That was short, but it's only 6:22 am so I have little else to tell you...  Until next time, love and nail polish to you!  


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NOTD: Essie Wrapped in Rubies

Above & Below: Essie's Wrapped in Rubies shown outdoors with no flash, 2 coats.
Below: Bottle picture showing the gold veining.
I hope everyone is enjoying their weekend! I'm being purely lazy today, even though I have plenty of work around the house I should be doing. Not to mention that I'm terribly behind answering my comments and reading the multitude of blogs I follow, but hopefully tomorrow will find me more productive! Today's NOTD is another shade sprinkled with gold, which I adore in a polish. Wrapped in Rubies is a medium burgundy shimmer with gold veining. I wouldn't call it a true burgundy, because it has a hint of brick red going on too, which makes it a rather unique shade. The gold shows up well on the nail, like a fine dusting of magic gold fairy dust.

Do you have a favorite polish with this type of gold in it? I would love to hear what they are because, well, you know, I always need more polish! Wouldn't it be fantastic to see an entire collection based on this? There are some purples and reds in my collection that have gold veining, but I'd love to see a blue, green, brown, charcoal...the possibilities are endless. I would call the collection "You're So Vein". Clearly, I should be doing something more productive today!

Don't forget, the Body & Soul November contest ends at midnight tonight. So if you'd like a chance to win the complete set of China Glaze's Wizard of Ooh Ahz, check out the information in the original post found here.


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Essie Going Incognito

Good morning, Dear Reader!

I just got some (most) of Essie's Winter 2010 Collection this week, and I have Going Incognito to show to you today.  It's the green creme in the collection.  It's a really nice polish - a well pigmented two coater that's easy to control. It's roughly the same tone as Pretty Edgy but Going Incognito is a bluer shade of green.

Essie Going Incognito Nail Polish
Essie Going Incognito Nail Polish for Winter 2010, Two Coats

That's what I have for you today, Dear Reader.  Until next time, love and nail polish to you!  


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Essie Sweet Time of the Year Giveaway & Swatches!

Above: Essie's recent release of their Winter Collection, Sweet Time of the Year, includes from L-R: Rock Candy, Lollipop and Mint Candy Apple.
Above & Below: Rock Candy applied nicely in 3 coats. It's a very pale shade of pink and the color deepens upon each coat. All photos were taken outdoors with no flash under cloudy skies.
Below: Lollipop was nearly opaque in one coat, but I decided to go with the usual 2. This is a red creme with slight red/orange tendencies and the application was perfect...I'm not saying my application was perfect, but rather the formula/consistency was perfect!

Above & Below: Mint Candy Apple is shown in 2 coats. The first coat went on a little streaky, but covered well with a second coat. I added 2 drops of thinner to it after the first coat, because it seemed a little on the thick side. It looks so creamy in real life! In the last photo, I added a coat of Essie's Matte About You.

Essie recently released a small Winter Color Collection and although it contains just 3 shades, I love it. I was initially drawn to Mint Candy Apple, but after using all of them, I am equally smitten with the other two. According to their creator, Essie Weingarten, she says "This Season, I wanted to create a new set of classic, fun colors that are wearable on every skin tone." Mint Candy Apple is described as a creme de mint mint (that's not a typo!), Lollipop as a candy cane red, and Rock Candy as a sweet pink treat. Here's what I personally like about each one: Rock Candy, although considered a sheer and not extremely colorful, gives a very nice, clean look to the nail. It looks simple and finished, and sometimes that's what an occassion calls for. Lollipop is such a vivid shade and the coverage and ease of application makes for a quick and eye-catching look. Mint Candy Apple is mint green. Need I say more? These are available on their web site in full-sized bottles and also as 4-piece mini set, which includes a bottle of their 3-Way Glaze.


If you'd like a chance to win a set of all 3 shades in the full-sized bottle, just leave a comment below with your e-mail. To make it a little more interesting, tell me what your favorite Essie polish is or what shade you'd like to see Essie come out with. I'll start by telling you my favorite...it's hard to pick just one, but of the polishes I have, I'd probably say either Huckle Buckle or Viva La Vespa. As far as what I'd like to see them come out with, certainly a re-release of Starry Starry Night would be a wish of mine. Otherwise, I'd have to say some unique shades of green with various finishes. I'll draw a random winner on Thursday, October 22, so have your entries in by midnight, October 21 (tomorrow). Followers only please (via my blog, Twitter, etc.), and International followers are also welcome to enter.


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Essie Viva La Vespa


Above & Below: Essie Viva La Vespa, outdoors with no flash.

Above & Below: The picture above is indoors with a flash and below is a close-up of the glitter.
Essie's Viva La Vespa has got to be one of my favorite shades, definitely in my Top 10. It's discontinued, as is my other Essie favorite, Starry Starry Night. Viva La Vespa is still able to be purchased here and there, much more so than SSN. Viva La Vespa is not only a perfect shade of royal purple, but it also has blue, red and purple shimmer. What else is so unique about it? Well, it's somewhat iridescent, somewhat of a duo chrome and it glows. You know how some polishes just have a luminous, glowy look to them? This one definitely does. I used 3 coats and as always with Essie, the finish is a high shine gloss. Now, if I could get my hands on Starry Starry Night, my life would be complete. Maybe not complete, but it would definitely make me happy!


I'll be stalking Essie's web site tomorrow, because their "Sweet Time of the Year" collection is supposed to be available around October 15. How many of you are interested in the "Sweet Time of the Year" collection? I definitely think Mint Candy Apple is going to be a big seller.


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China Glaze Cancels Dark Secrets Release

Above & Below: My hopes have been dashed by the cancellation of China Glaze's Dark Secrets release, above. But Essie's Sweet Time of the Year, especially Mint Candy Apple, will help fill the gap during this lull of new collection releases.
I was anticipating the upcoming Dark Secrets Winter Collection release from China Glaze, but unfortunately, it has been postponed. I don't know if it's going to be released at another time or if it has been cancelled altogether, but I do know that I'm disappointed. I thought it was a dark, delicious offering of shades for Winter, but now we may never know. Perhaps all of the hype and success of the Glitter collection pushed it aside, but I wanted those shades! Especially the teal one. Hopefully, they'll change their mind and we'll be able to see them someday.


In the meantime, we don't have too much to look forward to over the next couple of months as far as new offerings. In the meantime, I'll keep gazing at the "Sweet Time of the Year" promo pictures from Essie, due out later this month. Mint Candy Apple will keep my spirits up!


Congratulations to Deanna, the winner of the Tarte Cosmetics giveaway. I don't think she has a blog I can share with you, as I haven't heard back from her as yet. A special thanks to Tarte Cosmetics for furnishing the prize collection.


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Konad Plate M44

Good morning, Dear Reader!

I've been Konading more in recent days, and have pictures of a couple of Konadicures for you today.  Both use Konad plate m44, a tip pattern, for the stamping.

First up is two coats of SpaRitual Shoot for the Stars stamped with woven tip pattern in Konad white.

Konad Plate M44 over SpaRitual Shoot for the Stars
Konad Plate M44 over SpaRitual Shoot for the Stars Nail Polish

The other I'm wearing today, and I had to use artificial light.  It's three coats of Essie Pretty Edgy with the inverse basket weave tip pattern from M44 in Konad Blue.  

Konad Plate M44 over Essie Pretty Edgy
Konad Plate M44 over Essie Pretty Edgy Nail Polish

Those are my recent Konadicures with plate M44.  I have a bunch of stuff to swatch for you, but lately I've just been so tickled by Konad that swatching waits...

That's all for today, Dear Reader.  Until next time, love and nail polish to you!  


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Essie Sweet Time of the Year Holiday Collection

Above & Below: Essie's Sweet Time of the Year debuts November 1 (available on Essie's site 10/15/09). The bottom 3 nails on the swatch card above show the polishes: Top nail is Mint Candy Apple, Middle is Rock Candy and Bottom is Lollipop. The mint candy apply behind the bottle in the promo picture looks quite tasty! Below are the colors from the print ad.
Essie is coming out with a small (3 shades) holiday collection November 1, and Yen from Victoria Nail Supply sent me some swatches in my last order. The shades will be available in full sized bottles as well as in a Mini 4-Pack which also includes a mini bottle of their 3-Way Glaze (base, strengthener and top coat). The 3 shades are Lollipop (a red creme), Rock Candy (a very pale pink creme) and Mint Candy Apple (a medium toned mint creme). Naturally, Mint Candy Apply caught my eye when I first saw an ad for this collection in Lucky magazine. I know you're wondering how it compares to the famed MAC Peppermint Patti, and unfortunately I don't own MAC's to be able to answer that question. It's definitely very close in color to OPI's Get in Lime, Peppermint Patti and Chanel's Jade. The other 2 shades are pretty as well, but I would imagine that most of us will be more drawn to Mint Candy Apple.


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Essie Yes We Can, Pink! Also our Winner & CND Colours & Effects


Above & Below: Essie's Yes We Can, Pink! Not unlike many of their sheer pinks, but all for a good cause.Below: Creative Nail Design's new Colour & Effects. The Colours are Relay Red (red coral creme), Raisin in the Sun (brown creme) and Marshmallow Rose (very light pink creme). The Effects are Ice Blue Shimmer (next to the red), Copper Shimmer (next to the brown), and Crimson Sparkle (next to the pale pink).
Below: Close-up of Crimson Sparkle.
Below: All 3 of the sparkles I got. Top to bottom: Ice Blue Shimmer, Copper Shimmer, Crimson Sparkle.
Our winner in the $50.00 Victoria Nail Supply/Color Club Treatments giveaway was Heather. She does not have a blog but is a fellow nail polish lover and is planning on getting some of the new China Glaze Glitters with her gift certificate. Congratulations to Heather and a big thank you to Yen and VNS for partnering with me on this fantastic contest. VNS is having a special Japanese Glitter made just for them by Color Club and I'll have more information about that tomorrow.

Today's NOTD is Essie's Limited Edition release aimed at bringing awareness to breast cancer, especially during the month of October, which is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Their release states: ESSIE Yes We Can, Pink! is a soft, sheer pink polish specially formulated to commemorate Breast Cancer Awareness Month. 10% of the proceeds from this limited edition polish will be donated to Living Beyond Breast Cancer in a collaborative effort to raise interest, awareness and funds for the fight against breast cancer.

In doing what Essie does best, sheer pinks, this is a delicate shade of pink done in a creme, that applied nicely in 3 coats. The coverage wasn't perfect, but sheer cremes seldom are, at least for me. I'm not a big fan of sheer pinks, although they are nice to wear once in a while. I love the extreme high shine of this polish and I love that it's for a good cause.

Creative Nail Design recently launched their new Colour & Effects line and mine just arrived, so I have no nail pictures. But I do have bottle pictures. I'm curious to try these out, especially the Effects. They are designed to use as a top coat over the Colour polishes, but I imagine they'll work over other brands as well. I'll try them out soon and post pictures and my thoughts on this line.

I had quite a time removing OPI Ink Suede this morning! It was almost as bad as China Glaze's new glitters. I didn't have that problem with YDKJ Suede, but I didn't wear it that long either. One interesting thing I noticed when removing Ink...after the first swipe of acetone, my nail was still perfectly polished, only the color was a bright silver finish, not quite a shimmer and not quite a chrome.


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