I feel like I’ve been see-sawing between seasons, showing upcoming Spring/Summer Collections (CHANEL), then veering back to Winter with yesterday’s OPI post as well as today’s offering; oh well, that’s just the way things go at times. But back to nail polish and this Essie Winter 2017 Collection which may look like a nicely curated grouping boasting the usual suspects (red, nude-ish hues), but then the brand throws in some unique twists to keep things interesting …
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This collection of 6 shades has a bit of something for everyone colour-wise; a classic red, a neutral, deep edgy hues, and even some fiery shimmers. All come with Essie’s narrow brush that I personally like as I find it offers the user more control, but those with wider nail beds will probably need to lay down more swipes — which would ordinarily result in visible stroke demarcation lines, but here’s where the Essie formula comes to the rescue with its self-levelling application to keep things smooth. As to the formula, all 6 lean a bit on the thicker side, so I suggest going in with thin layers to avoid any possible issues later on. Also, as all shades comes to a natural glossy finish, it does make adding top coat optional, but doing so will enhance the polish staying power.
All swatches are shown with 2 coats of polish, no top coat
- Suit & Tied | a dusty rose crème with a total 70s retro vibe, surprisingly pigmented for a shade in this colour family
- Ring In The Bling | metallic red with ultrafine coppery shimmer (here’s where a top coat will help to really highlight the shimmery bits), or what I like to call “fire-berry”
- Be Cherry! | maraschino cherry red crème that leans cool and while relatively non-staining, I wouldn’t skip base coat here (just to be safe)
- Social-Lights | dove-grey crème base colour filled with ultrafine copper shimmer to give the final look a pink-gold-coppery shift. So, so, so unique!
- On Your Mistletoes | lush teal crème with a blue undertone for a nice touch of coolness, shockingly non-staining upon removal (yay)
- New Year, New Hue | plummy-eggplant crème that can easily be a 1-coater if you lay down a thick layer, but looks way more elegant with 2 thin coats (may need a base)
Below, a closer look at the 2 shimmery shades of the group, both how they appear in their respective bottles and along the nail.
So here’s my question: do we even need nail polish to be divided into seasonal collections? I mean, as we’ve moved past the rules & boundaries of colour that once was the norm, any one of the shades here can be easily worn any time of the year. But I guess it’s easier from a marketing perspective and who am I kidding? The traditionalist in me likes having the seasonal differentiations. All this to say that not only is this a wonderful Winter collection, but includes shades worthy of wearing all year round (guess I should have started with that, huh?).
Available at salons, spas & select retailers
Kindly provided by Essie for my unbiased consideration
