Key West….a paradox of exotic raw beauty and wild island eccentricities….a little slice of paradise made all the more impressive by the final glimpse of the setting sun in all its fiery splendour over the Atlantic Ocean. Ahhhhh…..one would never lack for inspiration with such vistas; just look to literary great Ernest Hemingway, who fell in love with and adopted this island — and wrote some of his iconic novels here. I present you with a little treat today, brought to you from my short visit to this stunning island: Essie’s ‘Mochacino’ and ‘Master Plan’, two unadorned neutral shades that act as the perfect counterpoint to the riot of colour my eyes were saturated with while here….enjoy!
Earlier this year when Essie was acquired by cosmetics giant L’Oréal, it was announced that several shades would be retail exclusives only (much like the coveted hue ‘Dive Bar’ reviewed here), with ‘Mochacino’ and ‘Master Plan’ among them – two utterly sublime taupe hues. While I am drawn to deep, mysterious brooding shades, especially as the weather begins to cool, there is nothing like that perfect neutral shade to bring balance towards your entire look. All swatches are with Seche Base Ridge Filling Base Coat, three thin coats of lacquer, and a-england’s ‘The Shield’ top coat (reviewed here).
Standing tall amidst a sea of neutrals, ‘Mochacino’ is eye-stoppingly unique; a warm taupe base with hints of lavender to lend it an extra boost, this shade is made all the more original with delicate ribbons of silvery shimmer strewn throughout. Interestingly enough, even the shimmer itself carries its own flavour with the inclusion of micro-flecks in blue, pink, and green….absolutely stunning!
When viewed in full sun, the milky coffee base of ‘Mochacino’ lends the entire spotlight to its subtly glimmering shimmer, enhancing its entire appearance, yet somehow managing to give a cool silvery aura to what is a warm-toned shade.
By enlarging the above closeup view, you can fully appreciate how the myriad prismatic glints hidden deep within the gently muted base, dance upon the surface of the nail…hypnotic!
Another angle, again in full sunlight, shows off this shade’s rather capuccino-hued leanings, making this ensuing deeper tone an accurate depiction of the true bottle shade, while giving ‘Mochacino’ its warmest look thus far.
Shaded light only serves to bring out a more cool and reserved side to this lacquer, lending the overall look a slightly greyish cast and tamping down its internal fire, yet no less elegantly beautiful just the same.
A final shot taken with flash, serves to lighten the base hue, but look how brilliantly the sea of shimmer glows! A paradox of understated and refined neutral sophistication, hand in hand with trendy and flashy glints….so chic!
‘Master Plan’ is one of those shades that eludes proper description; part mushroomy-taupe, part bone-grey and a dash of lilac mixed in for good measure, it is all of the above, creating a new hue on the colour wheel. I was surprised to note an exceptionally subtle shimmer once the lacquer was applied, yet I saw no evidence of it in the bottle….curious, but so cool! (I love a good mystery!)
When ‘Master Plan’ is viewed in full sun, it takes on a lusciously creamy putty-like tone, with a whisper of lavender to round it out and lend it such depth, while emphasizing its light and almost pillowy appearance.
Indirect lighting seems to morph this shade into a bone/grey hue, taking on a cooler look and giving the overall tone a en elegantly refined feel.
Upon viewing ‘Master Plan’ in shaded light, I was struck by its visible warmth, somewhere between an airy taupe and an earthy mushroom hue with the barest hints of tan along the nail edges, but looking ever so smooth and incredibly glossy.
A final shot taken with flash, brought the paler more airy side of ‘Master Plan’ into focus and also served to best highlight the glassy finish of this shade.
Final thoughts: I have never denied my fondness for deeply brooding shades, yet once in a while, I like to turn to paler ‘palate cleansers’ as a way of grounding my colour sensibilities. ‘Mochacino’ and ‘Master Plan’ are not only perfect for this job, but breathe new life into hues of this colour family. The formula was excellent, with ‘Mochacino’ being slightly thinner, but ‘Master Plan’ bearing the higher gloss factor. Essie’s brush is thin and flexible, allowing for great ease of control, yet it still fans out very well upon application. Three coats gave full opacity, yet the look was perfect even with two; I recommend waiting a couple of minutes between coats for an even opacity. The unexpected bonus was that for such light shades, there was absolutely zero brush strokes, ending with a perfectly levelled finish. A most wonderfully gentle way to end my sojourn here, in the idyllic beauty that is Key West!
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