Masquerade Belle in the Essie Winter 2010 Collection brought to mind another Essie vampy shade: Wicked. I also pulled out Clutch Me If You Can & Berry Hard from my stash, as they seemed fairly close as well and wanted to swatch plenty of options to show you. For all pictures, the swatches are in the following order: pinkie – Berry Hard, ring – Clutch Me If You Can, middle – Wicked and index – Masquerade Belle.
I find that when swatching similar shades, the first coat always manages to make them look very similar. Just like mixing a scent, the bottom note, or in this case the first coat, shows the true base of the shade. In this case, with the exception of Wicked which leans towards a more brick tone, they all seem to have a berry hue.
In sunlight
In natural shaded light
In natural light
The second coat here is where the differences start to make themselves more visible.
In sunlight
In natural light
Upon applying the third and final coat,
In sunlight
In natural shaded light
Final thoughts: Since these shades are all Essie, obviously the brushes are exactly the same, but the application and flow differed slightly. Berry Hard & Clutch Me if you Can had the thinnest consistency and most even application, while Wicked was definitely the thickest. Even though Masquerade Belle & Wicked are not exact duplicates of each other, they are enough alike that if you have one you don’t necessarily need the other, although in sunlight, you can tell that Wicked is the vampier and deeper of the two. Personally, I love that Masquerade Belle doesn’t lean towards a blackened burgundy even in low light, but always stays true to its deep claret shade, while Wicked will seem darker in low light. There are still enough differences between them that you can justify having both (see how easy it is to explain my nail polish addiction?!!)
*Masquerade Belle is on the left, Wicked on the right
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