As I write this post, it happens to be one of those scorching hot & crazy humid September days – definitely NOT the time to bring up Winter … unless it happens to come in the form of a new nail lacquer collection. This season, Essie’s Winter 2013 Collection takes inspiration from the luxurious and cozy fabrics seen on the runways, with little glamorous touches here and there to catch the light and liven things up. While not exactly shades one imagines when thinking of the colder weather, the six hues here, all exude a certain wearable factor, interwoven with a modern yet sophisticated vibe.
*EDIT: I have been informed that this collection should become available in store by early October 2013 – although I’m hoping for earlier!
Essie Winter 2013 Collection
Warm & Toasty Turtleneck – a blue tinged lavender crème hue with jelly-esque characteristics, in a self levelling and well pigmented formula that gives good coverage even by the first coat. There’s a cushiony-looking density to the overall look, and the final finish is ultra glossy. Coats applied: 2, plus top coat
Essie – Warm & Toasty Turtleneck
Essie – Warm & Toasty Turtleneck
Mind Your Mittens – a mid-sheer concrete grey hue with blue/green undertones, filled with ultra fine silver and prismatic ground shimmer – which is actually quite subtle, unless seen in direct sunlight. Looking more like a diffused sea foam shade and bearing an ultra-smooth finish, there’s a gorgeous uniqueness to this colour and while I searched through my Essies, I realized that I have nothing like it at all. Coats applied: 2, plus top coat
Essie – Mind Your Mittens
Essie – Mind Your Mittens
Sable Collar – Le Sigh….. Where do I start? I LOVE THIS SHADE (had to get that out of the way) – a totally unique mix of grey & raisin, and filled with a pale pink and burgundy ultra-fine shimmer throughout, but all as though seen through a dusty filter – hands down, the most original shade released this season by ANY brand. Ultra pigmented, self-levelling and with a nice shine (but not a natural high gloss) at the finish, this is a 100% must have. Coats applied: 2, plus top coat
Essie – Sable Collar
Essie – Sable Collar
Essie – Sable Collar
Shearling Darling – a rich and ultra saturated deep berry hue with wine/burgundy undertones in its base, in a hybrid crème/jelly formula. There’s an odd elasticity felt upon application – best to wait 2-3 minutes between coats, to avoid any dragging. Vampy, sexy, super glossy and 100% self-levelling, this is a universally flattering shade for all skin tones. Coats applied: 2, plus top coat
Essie – Shearling Darling
Essie – Shearling Darling
Parka Perfect – a somber dark teal hue that is paradoxically deep & bright at the same time, with definitive grey undertones in its base, all in a crème/jelly formula. With it’s über-glossy finish, smoothly laying application and excellent saturation fo colour, this is the perfect alternative to wearing black. Bonus: non-staining upon removal. Coats applied: 2, plus top coat
Essie – Parka Perfect
Essie – Parka Perfect
Toggle To The Top – a deep ruby base hue loaded with embedded magenta glitter in varying shapes & sizes, in a glowing jelly-esque formula. With its stunning and totally eye-catching colour, there is a glass fleck-like look to the glitter, seemingly floating at the nail surface and looking lit from within – GORGE! While there is a nice shine at the finish, this shade definitely needs between 1-2 layers of a dense top coat to smooth the surface and enhance the entire look. Coats applied: 2, plus top coat
Essie – Toggle To The Top
Essie – Toggle To The Top (macro detail)
Essie – Toggle To The Top
Oh yes, Essie…you have definitely done it again. Initially, I was fairly certain that the colours were not all that unique, but 2 things happened: A) when I began searching through my Essie collection for duplicates, I was stunned to find that I had matches for only 2 of the 6 shades and B) the superb application of each lacquer was yet another reason to love them all. My favourites are without a doubt ‘Sable Collar’, ‘Parka Perfect’ and ‘Shearling Darling’, and surprisingly, ‘Toggle To The Top’ – considering I’m not really the glitter type. That being said, I also want to try ‘Mind Your Mittens’ as a pedi shade next … just to switch things up a bit from darker tones on the toes!
Kindly provided by Essie for my unbiased consideration
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