Essie | Cashmere Matte 2015 Collection

A few weeks ago, a rather large box was delivered to me that contained a black vinyl quilted product case from Caboodles. But what was this? Opening it up, I was greeted with 6 new Essie shades – the Cashmere Matte 2015 Collection, accompanied by a gorgeous and insanely cozy-looking grey cashmere travel-sized blanket, matching satin-lined eye shade, as well as a grey cashmere pouch to store it all in & which turns the entire ensemble into a pillow (pretty neat, huh?). I almost didn’t know what to drool over first: the cashmere goodies, or the fab new shades?

I chose the shades, naturally. What stands the Cashmere Matte 2015 Collection apart, is the finish: satiny matte – never flat – and bearing a buttery-soft suede touch at the finish. Three of the shades hold a bluish micro-iridescence that you can clearly see (definitely not the type that sinks into the colour), one has the tiniest shimmery flecks that hold their own whether applied as is or glossed up with top coat, and the other 2 have the most unique pearlized gleam.

In order to make the final look as smooth as possible, I find it best to work with a ridge filling base coat first (I used Essie’s Fill The Gap Treatment) – this way, it creates a super-smooth surface for the polish and helps the matte finish look level. Any top coating was done using Essie’s Good To Go.

As a huge fan of matte anything (forget nail art; a matte finish is my gold standard when I want to jazz up my nails), the beauty of this collection is that you can avoid the extra step of applying a separate matte top coat, as this finish is built in. Couldn’t be easier.

Black vinyl quilted Caboodles case & oodles of grey cashmere

Like finding a pearl in an oyster: new Essies!

Essie | Cashmere Matte 2015 Collection

Wrap Me Up | I’ve said often enough that I love my darkling brooding shades, but for the past few years, anything white has been my Kryptonite. Taking this colour to a whole new level, Wrap Me Up is a soft white with pink/mauve/grey undertones (or what I see, depending on the angle) in a formula that leans a bit on the thick side and needs a touch of patience to get it right – but just.so.worth.it. I am absolutely obsessed with this shade. Coats applied: 3, as thin as you can get them for the most even finish.

All Eyes on Nudes | Creamy nude (coffee latte) with rose undertones to warm things up, in a thinner formula than Wrap Me Up – making it much easier to apply, but which may still require more than 2 coats for full opacity (especially on longer nails). The resulting finish is actually eerily close to my skin tone, turning All Eyes On Nudes into a Where’s Waldo? kind of colour on me, but I find that refreshing, actually – a very different look for me. Coats applied: 3, thin

Cozy In Cashmere | *I’m a little confused as to this shade’s true name; my bottle says ‘Comfy In Cashmere‘ but the press release calls it ‘Cozy in Cashmere‘, and since I like the word cozy, I’m going with that. Ok…how to describe this colour? Hands down the most unique mauve/taupe hue and filled with a blue micro-iridescence, which flashes a soft but definitely visible blue at all angles. The formula couldn’t be easier to work with either: self-levelling, excellent opacity and perfect flow. Coats applied: 2

Just Stitched | I’m generally not a fan of pink nail shades, but this is just too pretty to not like. A pale petal pink (and therefore more cool-leaning) hue, filled with blueish micro-iridescence that may not be as obvious as that seen in Cozy In Cashmere, but still present just the same – it just seems more of an overall pearlized finish here. Whatever – it’s really, really pretty. And easy to work with, in fact probably the easiest application of the six. And did I mention how pretty it is? Coats applied: 3, super thin

Coat Couture | A true show-stopper. Go ahead and take a moment to stare — I’ll wait. Coat Couture is a smokey purple with a strong blue micro-iridescent flash, in a formula that is in a word: superb. I seriously do not have enough superlatives for this shade, just a whole lotta love. Bonus: non-staining upon removal. Coats applied: 2

Something about Coat Couture begged me to add top coat, just to see what would happen. The results speak for themselves. And now I’m torn over which way I like it better.

Essie | Coat Couture (top coat added)

Spun in Luxe | Good GOD! Can there be a more intensely beautiful navy? This is a blackened navy filled with the tiniest brighter blue micro-shimmer bits that flash up at you from all angles, and as though they’re swimming just at the surface level. For real. Application is ridiculously easy – smoothly falling and in a free-flowing formula, levelling off perfectly at the finish. Bonus: non-staining upon removal (you heard me). Coats applied: 2

And glossed up – you know I absolutely had to. The night sky, am I right?

Essie | Spun in Luxe (top coat added)

It’s not often that an entire collection jumps up & grabs me like this, but Essie’s Cashmere Matte 2015 Collection does all that … and more. Inspired by the luxe yet totally wearable appearance of the softest cashmere, each shade makes an impact without needing to yell (I detest noisy polishes), and since you have the option of adding a top coat, it’s like you’re getting double the lacquers (sort of). For those who avoid wearing mattes because of their 1-dimensionality, you don’t need to worry here, as the finish is not a true matte, but more semi or satin matte, plus you get that micro-iridescence thrown in for even more visual appeal and BOOM. It’s on.