Essie ‘Navigate Her’ Spring 2012 Collection (swatches & review)

A new year has begun and with it, a fresh new crop of lacquers are headed our way; first out of the starting gate, is Essie’s ‘Navigate Her’ Collection for spring 2012 – six shades ranging from Easter-egg like pastels, retina-searing brights and some duochrome-like shimmer thrown in for extra visual interest. This may sound like an eclectic mix of hues, but seen all together, these just scream “spring” to me and are simply perfect to usher in some much-anticipated warmer weather! All swatches are with Essie’s All In One Base Coat and No Chips Ahead Top Coat.

Even though the economic climate of the past few years has been less than stellar, I really like Essie’s optimism as revealed by this “financially-themed” collection. One can’t help but feel that things will start looking up, as we begin by this trio of three traditional spring-like colours!

‘A Crewed Interest’ might at first glance seem like your typical peachy-nude shade, but trust me when I say that it’s an oddity; I couldn’t help but think of “doll skin” when this was on – like that strangely unnatural shade that was supposed to pass for human skin on several of my beloved Barbies! The first coat applied somewhat streaky, not exactly unexpected for a pastel shade, but the second coat appeared to take care of that issue. I applied three coats in total for a fully opaque look, as well as to cover a few bald spot (which were probably due to my application technique and not necessarily the formula), and loved the super glossy shine at the finish, as well as how exceptionally creamy this shade wound up looking.

Sunlight made me think of one thing: band-aids. That’s what this shade really reminded me of … pretty weird, I know!

Indirect light brings out ‘A Crewed Interest’s’ more nude side …

… while shaded light seems to enhance its peach undertones.

A final view taken with flash spotlights the oddly alluring hue of this shade … I’ve never seen anything like it!

‘To Buy Or Not To Buy’ is a dusty grey-tinged lavender, loaded up with ultra-fine iridescent shimmer that while not all that readily apparent to the naked eye, still manages to add depth and interest to what would otherwise be just another pale purple polish. For the swatches here, I applied three thin coats, but two thicker coats would most likely give a similar look. The formula leans on the thinner side, meaning it flows quite well, but you need to look out for any bald patches that can result during application. Wonderfully self-levelling, this shade left behind a fabulous glossy shine.

At certain angles, sunlight really brings out the secret shimmer of this lacquer.

Indirect light focuses more on the greyer undertones of ‘To Buy Or Not To Buy’, and keeps any shimmer well hidden.

Shade brings out the lilac hue of this colour and if you look closely, you can just see some slight blueish hints at the center of the nails.

A final view taken with flash lightens the overall hue, although it does pick up on some of the sparkle given off by the shimmery flecks.

‘Navigate Her’, this collection’s namesake, is a gorgeous muted celadon crème bearing an almost imperceptible shimmer, and with an excellent saturation of colour. Flowing medium thick, two coats were all that were needed to get this perfectly opaque, and there were absolutely no issues with streaking or brush strokes … just a wonderfully smooth surface and great gloss left at the finish.

Sunlight appears to pick out some yellow that is definitely in this shade’s base.

Indirect light does 2 things: turns this shade into one of my favourite colours, and makes me look like I’ve just boiled my hands!

Shaded light is absolutely perfect for emphasizing the spring-like green hue of ‘Navigate Her’.

A final view taken with flash gives this shade a surreal touch by focusing on its incredible creaminess!

The last group of this collection are three ultra-vivid bright shades, literally bursting with colour, and looking just as juicy. Possibly more summer appropriate, I found that these colours are great pick-me-ups, and will transition amazingly into the hotter season.

‘Olé Caliente’ is perfectly named: a hot and sultry coral, the formula here was AMAZING (and yes, it totally deserves to be in capitals!). A hybrid crème-jelly, it has such incredible pigmentation that it can basically be a one-coater, although I applied two here. Not only was the application completely self-levelling, but the mirror-like shine at the finish was unbelievable.

Verging on neon-bright, sunlight emphasizes this shade’s plump & juicy appearance.

Indirect light brings out a honeysuckle-pink side to this colour, and turns down its colour volume somewhat.

I love the depth that shaded light adds to ‘Olé Caliente’.

A final view taken with flash showcases the awesome vivid nature of this shade.

‘Orange, It’s Obvious’ is a vivid tangerine hue, that somehow manages to look all grown up. A similar formula to that of ‘Olé Caliente’, if just a touch thicker, it bears the same jelly-like look, but with the intense depth of a crème and with such great pigmentation, you barely need more than one coat to get this fully opaque – two were applied here. Perfectly self-levelling, it leaves a stunning gloss at the end.

Almost retina-searing bright in sunlight, it has such a luscious look to it – so fresh!

Indirect light takes ‘Orange, It’s Obvious’ towards a more Crayola-like orange hue.

Shaded light appears to draw forth some red lurking in its base and adds a nice sophisticated touch.

A final view taken with flash … is this not the most amazing shade of orange you’ve ever seen? Love it!

‘Tour De Finance’ is the colour of pink popsicles of my summertime youth – and just as yummy looking! This is a deep magenta-leaning pink, filled with ultra fine shimmer that sometimes adds a silvery cast to this shade. While the formula was not as glossy as the other two of this trio, is still left a nice shine at the end, and with the two coats as applied here, it was 100% opaque.

How cool is this shade when seen in full sunlight? Note how the shimmer appears to flash slightly blue in the light.

Indirect light gives ‘Tour De Finance’ more of a Barbie pink tone, taking away some of über-brightness.

Shaded light deepens this shade, and gives it some more grown-up appeal.

A final view taken with flash really highlights the amazing shimmer to be found in this shade.

Final thoughts: It may seem odd to be showing bright & airy shade like this, especially when we’re still battling winter, but that’s the world of beauty/fashion for you: always a few steps ahead of us lesser mortals! In my opinion, Essie has been really producing some amazing lacquers these past few collections, and while ‘A Crewed Interest’ and ‘To Buy Or Not To Buy’ were the only shades of this group that needed a touch more work, they more than made up for that with unique colours and finishes. As to the brights of this collection, their vibrant colours speak for themselves – enough said! Available by the end of January/early February, get ready to welcome spring … Essie style!