I have never worn neon nail lacquer. I’ve never worn neon anything. I’ve never even wanted to, but when I first set eyes on Essie’s ‘Poppy Razzi’ collection something happened: I was instantly drawn to these four retina-searing hues. There’s just something about über-vivid colour that makes me think of summer’s heat, and let’s just say that that couldn’t happen soon enough for me!  All swatches are with Essie’s All In One Base Coat and No Chips Ahead Top Coat.

Lights, Camera, Action, Bazooka: no holds barred!

 

Blanc is the secret weapon behind the swatches shown here; just one coat of this creamy dense white hue under each shade, and the colours come into vibrant 3D life.

 

Lights described by Essie as an “incandescent super bright pink”, is in fact the hottest blue-leaning pink shade you’ve seen to date, and yet there still appears to be the tiniest trace of restraint about it. With a self-levelling, easy flowing formula, the resulting satiny finish is rich and creamy, but definitely needs top coat to make it come to glowing life.  Swatches shown with 3 coats of lacquer.

in sunlight

backlit

indoors

with flash

 

Camera which is described by Essie as a “neon red pink”, is a blistering hot tamale! The slightly translucent jelly-like formula, while not as thick as ‘Lights’, still applied in a fully self-levelling way, with the resulting finish displaying some beautiful coral undertones.  Swatches shown with 3 coats of lacquer.

in sunlight

backlit

indoors

with flash

 

Action, a “vivid wild tangerine” as described by Essie, appears to me to be more of an ultra-apricot on steroids! At times looking rather egg-yolk yellow, while at others mellowing out to a more school bus hue, this shade bears a similar creamy formula to ‘Lights’ and applied exceptionally well, with a wonderful flow and finish.  Swatches shown with 3 coats of lacquer.

in sunlight

backlit

indoors

indoors/alternate view

with flash

 

Bazooka is described by Essie as a “mind-blowing blazing red orange” but to me this shade appears more traffic-cone orange.  Bearing a similar jelly-like formula to ‘Camera’, this is a wonderfully incandescent orange shade that while quite intense, still seems to be totally wearable – I can definitely see this beauty perfectly setting off lightly tanned toes.  Swatches shown with 3 coats of lacquer.

in sunlight

backlit

indoors

with flash

 

Final thoughts: It’s funny, but when I think of neon nail lacquer, the image that comes to mind is a far cry from the four shades shown here. What I loved about each and every one of these searingly bright yet luminous hues, is how there still appears to be a paradoxically muted feel to them (sounds strange, I know) which in my opinion makes them not only wearable by a broad spectrum of skin tones, but age groups as well. Managing to appear both fun and sophisticatedly modern, the ‘Poppy Razzi’ collection is certainly not for the faint of heart – prepare to be noticed! (sunglasses optional).

 

 

 

Kindly provided by Essie for my unbiased consideration