Good day all!
I am so excited to be able to show you swatches of Essie’s new winter collection! I picked up the three colours that really stood out for me, but I just can’t resist going back for the rest so today will be Part 1…stay tuned for Part 2!
Essie Smokin' Hot
Essie Smokin' Hot (natural light)
Essie Smokin' Hot (indoor lighting)
Essie Smokin' Hot
The first colour I couldn’t wait to swatch was Smokin’ Hot, a not-s0-typical shade in the grey range. While it definitely has blueish undertones, the end result is a very deep smoky amethyst with a concrete-grey hue. At first glance it appears as a creamy darkened grey but the intense mauve tone is quite apparent, lending it a very unique depth. I had some minor streaking issues with the first application, easily remedied by the second coat. Three coats were applied for the pictures here, only because I wanted to really showcase the true colour. All swatches of all three shades are with base coat, three coats of polish and Seche Vite top coat. Please bear in mind that the bottle pictures seem to be somewhat washing out the true intensity of these shades; the swatch pictures give a much more accurate view of the colours.
Essie Going Incognito
Essie Going Incognito (indoor lighting)
Essie Going Incognito
Viewing the collection on display, it’s hard to resist any of the colours but Going Incognito truly stands out. Green polishes are appearing under every brand but what sets this one apart are the pine hints in it’s depths. There is the obvious darkened teal with emerald undertones look to it but when it’s on the nail, you cannot help but be reminded more of a forest hue than a grassy green. A truly mesmerizing colour and I have not seen anything close to it either in my stash or anywhere else for that matter. I could not stop staring at my nails! I also want to add that even without a top coat, all these shades have an intense mirror-like finish to them.
Essie Masquerade Belle
Essie Masquerade Belle (natural light)
Essie Masquerade Belle (indoor lighting)
Essie Masquerade Belle
How could I not pick up a shade with the name ‘Masquerade Belle’, I ask you?! This darkened garnet shade instantly brought to mind CHANEL’s Vamp, so I dusted off my bottle to compare and while there is a distinct resemblance, I will be able to tell only when I swatch the two. For now, all I can say is that this shade seems the ‘sexiest’ of the bunch! There is such an intense almost blood-red depth to it, that it seems to be made up of so many layers. The first coat revealed more of a raspberry undertone but that totally disappeared after the second coat. It has that edgy blackened red look to it without coming off as too black, as you can tell from its burgundy-like intensity. So creamy & shiny….WOW!!
*Update: I just did a quick swatch of CHANEL’s Vamp vs. Masquerade Belle and even though they are very close, Vamp has more of a berry base while Masquerade Belle has a browner cast. At three coats each and without being viewed under close range they seem to be like fraternal twins rather than exact dupes of each other. Will post swatches for comparison soon!
Apart from the neutrals and pinks that Essie has become famous for, I am so happy that their past few collections have seen them add deeper and more jewel toned colours as well. I had no major application problems with these shades, apart from the first coat being a little streak-ish but any subsequent coat(s) you apply resolve that issue. The brush is on the thinner side, but I love that as I feel you get such excellent control that way, although it tends to pick up less colour than an OPI brush. The finish on all was very glossy, giving them that ‘wet’ look even when dry……all in all, a truly outstanding collection!
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