Essie
Essie cosmetics (www.essie.com) was created by Essie Weingarter in the early 1980′s in Las Vegas. She created an Essie nailpolish line with 12 colors each with a fun name and sold them at local hotels and salons. Essie nailpolish became a hit with the everyday working woman and even high-profile fans like the Queen of England! In 2010, Essie nail polish & cosmetics became a member of the L’Oreal USA family. To this day, Essie Weingarter is still responsible for coming up with the cute names of new Essie colors for each new shade for your nails and mine.
Below, you’ll find our collection of Essie swatches and Essie nail polish reviews to hopefully give you a good idea of how unique these nail polishes are!
12 Essie Nail Polish Reviews since 2010
Christmas Sparkle Nails Tutorial
Check out my Christmas sparkle nails! I love it so much I can’t stop looking at my nails, haha. If you’ve been on Pinterest then you’ve probably seen nails like this before. Here’s how I created the look!
This is what I used to create the look. From left to right: O.P.I Natural Nail Base Coat, Seche Vite Top Coat, Essie Head Mistress, Sephora by OPI Look Like Rain Dear and Sephora by OPI Only Gold for Me Top Coat.
So first paint your nails like usual with a base coat and a couple coats of color. I love the gold sparkles on top of red for the Christmas season so I chose to use Essie Head Mistress. But any old red color (or any other color of your choice) will do! :]
Now the fun begins! Apply Sephora by OPI Only Gold for Me top coat from the top of your nails (nailbed) to about halfway down. You might want to apply a couple layers to get some more glitter on there. I found it a bit hard to getting the bigger glitter pieces on so it may take some time and patience.
You can stop here if you like the light sprinkles of glitter. If you want a bit more holiday oomph add Sephora by OPI Looks like Rain Dear to the top 1/4 to 1/3 of your nails. Key tip: keep the application very very VERY light! This nail polish is naturally very opaque so to create a nice gradient you’ll need a super super light application.
Once you’re happy with the glitter application, finish off with a layer of Seche Vite (or any) top coat! And viola~ you’re done!
What do you think? I love it! It actually looks even prettier in person. I’ll definitely be keeping my nails this way through Christmas!
Give it a go and let me know how you like it!
Wishing you a BEAUTYFULL Monday!
Essie Merino Cool Swatch and Review
On a side note: my toe nails are naked at this point which is weird to see after having them painted constantly over the past 6+ months. I gotta say, I’m digging the natural look!
I’m avoiding taking any photos of myself today since I’m looking pretty blah with my cold. I still have lots of MAC love to share with you all so I’m hoping tomorrow I’ll be feeling muchos better!
Wishing you a wonderful evening!
Nail Party With My Girls
I love it when my girlfriends come over and we do our nails together. It’s such an awesome time to chat, laugh and have a wonderful girly time. Here’s what our nails look like this week!
I have on this mystery Sephora by OPI shade. I can’t seem to find the name for this one. It’s a tiny size so I’m assuming it must have come in a set. I’m borrowing this guy from my cousin and finally got a chance to try it out. It’s much more sheer than I thought so I think it would look pretty over another color too. Side note: love having short nails.
Bestie Jennifer has on a combo of OPI Bubble Bath topped with Sephora by OPI Traffic Stopper Copper. This would be a cute look for Valentine’s day too because of the copper pinkish glitter!
Newly engaged bestie Ellen has on a unique combination of Essie Hot Coco topped with Sephora by OPI Wild About Shimmer. I would have never thought to put these two colors together- so creative! I think it looks awesome especially for the Fall! She thought she looked like a beetle, haha.
I have to admit I was tempted to top my nails with another glitter coat but refrained. I swear I have an urge to top every nail color with glitter! :]
I’ll leave you with this cute picture from Pinterest. I know it’s not Friday but I couldn’t wait to share it with you. <3
Source: quotepix.com via Soo
Wishing you a BEAUTYFULL Monday!
Essie No More Film Swatch and Review
Happy Tuesday everyone!
I’ve been looking forward to trying this nail polish for a long long time now! It’s Essie No More Film from the Essie Resort 2012 collection. It’s a creamy dark violet shade that’s super opaque- just one coat is enough!
This Essie No More Film swatch shows much more blue in the photo than in real life. In person it’s more purple-violet. It’s very beautiful. I know my painting is a bit worse than usual… I was watching the Lorax while doing my nails and was a bit distracted, haha. Super cute movie by the way. :]
I was surprised at how opaque the formula is. Yet the application is very smooth and not streaky at all. My only complaint is that the brush seems much smaller and rounder than the normal Essie nail polish brush. It was difficult applying the sides of my nails without getting it on my cuticles as well… or maybe it’s because I distracted.
I’m excited to try applying SEPHORA by OPI Only Gold for Me or Traffic Stopper Copper on top! I’ll snap a picture once I do!
I’ve been so used to pastel shades and bright orange-reds during the Summer. Essie No More Film nail polish is a nice fresh change! Vampy polishes, here I come!
Wishing you a wonderful day!
Essie Island Hopping Swatch and Review
Good morning and happy one day before Friday! :]
Just wanted to drop by and share with you my nail polish of the week, Essie Island Hopping!
Essie Island Hopping came out years ago but it’s still available in stores. It’s a rich plum mauve. The formula is smooth and builds up pretty well so I only needed 2 coats and a base and top coat of course.
I know I keep saying this but this is another shade that’s great for the Fall (haha). It’s very appropriate for work, school or even just hanging out at home and running errands.
Here’s a comparison of Essie nail polish colors for the Fall that I have in my collection.
R-L: Essie Lady Like, Essie Island Hopping, Essie Hot Coco, Essie Merino Cool
Colors are looking more red-tone in this photo than in real life
I know I haven’t done a review/swatch for Essie Merino Cool yet so you should be seeing that in the next few weeks or so. Out of those 4 Fall shades, Essie Hot Coco is my fav.
What’s your current favorite nail polish for the Fall? Let me know in the comments below!
Wishing you a BEAUTYFULL Thursday morning!
Essie Hot Coco Swatch and Review
Hi Everyone!
Last night I finally watched the Possession. While I was pretty freaked out during the movie (lots of hyperventilating and covering of eyes) overall the movie wasn’t THAT scary. I’m actually doing okay being home alone today and I wasn’t super paranoid while taking a shower, haha. The takeaway from the movie for Hubs and me is to never buy anything from a garage sale! 
Since we watched the movie pretty early on I was able to come home and watch the Voice! I love that show! Did anyone else get emotional when the last guy sang Listen?? I was also multitasking and redid my nails. My polish of choice for this week is Hot Coco (or Hot Cocoa as I’ve seen it around the web).
This is my first time using Essie Hot Coco and here are my thoughts. It applies actually very thin so you need to build up the color. I did my usual 3 coats and I’m happy with it. Application was smooth and easy with no streaking. While the Essie website describes Hot Coco as a tawny-sephia, I would describe it as a dark mauve brown. In some lightings, it actually looks very purple tone more so than a brown. I guess in the below photo Hot Coco DOES look tawny-sephia!!
Essie Hot Cocoa Swatch
Base coat, 3 coats of Hot Cocoa, Top coat
I really like Essie Hot Coco and don’t have any similar colors in my collection. This will definitely be a go-to shade for the coming Fall.
Oh I forgot to tell you, yesterday Ulta was selling their Butter London nail lacquers for buy 1 get 1 free. I went to check it out around 5pm and they were already almost sold out. Out of the colors I saw I wasn’t too interested so I left empty handed. I still have my eyes on a dark dark green and blue for the coming season as well.
Do you have a favorite Fall nail polish color? I’d love to know and try some new ones out! Let me know in the comments below.
We should all take a moment today to pray for those that lost families and loved ones 11 years ago in New York city. May God cover them with his love, comfort and peace and bring more healing into the city.
Wishing you a beautyfull Tuesday
Essie Lady Like Swatch And Review in 764
Good morning friends!
The weather has been so lovely here in Seattle for the past couple of weeks! It always seems that our summers start way later than everyone else’s. It’s kind of sad though because the days are getting shorter and shorter. It’s beautiful to see the sunrise in the morning but it’s a reminder that soon I’ll be dropping Hubs off in the dark.
Well, you know what I do when I start to feel sad about losing the Summer. I start preparing myself for the Fall with fun beauty products! I have a handfull of Essie nailpolishes that I’ve been saving for the colder season so I’ll be slowly bringing these out for you. Today, I’ll be sharing with you Essie Lady Like.
Essie Lady Like Swatch
Essie Lady Like is an elegant soft mauve. Depending on the lighting sometimes it looks more pink, sometimes more mauve. It’s very pretty and work appropriate. And Lady Like sounds so attractive, no? While I find this shade lovely, some girls complain that this shade does not work with their skin-tone so you’ll need to test it out for yourself at the store.
The formula is great! It applies so smooth and not streaky at all. I only need to apply 2 layers. Essie nail polishes always last a long time on my nails probably 6-9 days if I use a base and top coat. I can’t believe that I never believed in Essie until this Summer! What on earth was I thinking?
Essie Ladylike does remind people of O.P.I Tickle my France-y but Lady Like is actually more pink and lavender while Tickle my France-y is more taupe.
This is my lightest new Essie Fall shade so the next ones to come will be deeper colors. I’m excited to share them with you!
As for the OPI Fall 2012 Germany collection, I’m pretty excited to try Nein! Nein! Nein! OK Fine! which is a dark green-gray. Isn’t it beautyfull? This lovely swatch was taken by Scrangie.
What colors are you must excited for for your Fall nails? Do you like the nude Lady Like shade or the dark Nein Nein Nein OK Fine shade? Let me know in the comments below!
Hope you enjoyed my Essie Lady Like review!
Essie Bikini So Teeny Swatch and Review
Good morning everyone! It’s tu-tu-tu-tu-TUESDAY!
Have you been following the Olympics? I just watched the women’s soccer match between US and North Korea. The US won 1-0, WooHoo!
While watching I finally had a chance to try Essie Bikini So Teeny. I absolutely love this color! From the latest Essie collection, it’s described on the Essie website as sparkling cornflower blue. Don’t worry, the “sparkles” are super small and you can barely see them which is a plus in my book.
Essie Bikini So Teeny
Application was difficult. I needed to apply 3 coats to get rid of the streaks. It seems to me that when it comes to pastel colors coats 1 and 2 are the most difficult. After 3 coats plus a top coat I really like the application!
Bikini So Teeny is pretty similar to Urban Outfitters’ Crowded. See? Essie Bikini so Teeny is more blue while Urban Outfitters’ Crowded is a touch more gray.
So far Essie Mint Candy Apple has been my favorite for the summer but Essie Bikini So Teeny is giving it a run for its money, haha!
I know that a lot of girls are having a hard time with applying pastel nail polish so here are my quick tips!
ABD’s 5 tips on applying pastel nail polish that can be streaky
1. Use a light hand. If you push the brush too hard you’ll create more streaks.
2. Apply at LEAST 2 coats preferably 3! Usually the streaks will get covered after the 3rd coat.
3. Always use a top coat. It will smooth the polish out to create a smoother glossy finish.
4. Don’t give up! For me, the 2nd coat always looks terrible and I want to just stop. Keep going through the 3rd coat and top coat and it’ll look much better!
5. Practice Practice Practice! The more you practice, the more your hand learns how to apply different texture nail polishes.
Hope these little tips are helpful! I’m off to make myself some lunch while being careful not to chip my nails! Leave me a comment on what your favorite summer nail polish has been this year!
Essie Mint Candy Apple Swatch and Review
The more I look at it, I think that I might have had the name wrong on the manicure that I had before while I was on vacation. It probably wasn’t Essie Turquoise and Caicos but actually Essie Mint Candy Apple! Anyway, I love this refreshing minty green color! It reminds me of swimming in the beautiful waters of Bermuda. I’m so glad I got to pick this up while I was in New York. I’ll always be able to bring back the memories of my family vacation when I glance at my nails.
That’s one of the things that I love about nail polish. Certain colors are really able to evoke an emotion or memory that I can carry around on my hands all day long. Am I weird or do you feel the same? What colors do the trick for you?
One thing to note is that I do feel that this nailpolish is hard to apply. The tip that I’d give is just keep going! I used a base coat, 2 coats of Mint Candy Apple and then a top coat. It didn’t look good until I smoothed it out with the top coat. I’ve been receiving several compliments by strangers and today our waitress mentioned that she tried to apply it this morning but she gave up because it was so streaky. I told her how I applied mine so hopefully it helped. 
Wishing you abeautyfull Monday~
Essie Geranium Swatch and Review
Essie Geranium
Happy Tuesday everyone!
I wanted to do a quick review on Essie nail polish in Geranium. I have to admit, over the past 5-10 years I’ve been pretty brand loyal to OPI. I’m not quite sure how that happened, but I grew up assuming that OPI is the best without really testing other brands out. (Good job, OPI brand/marketing team!) Well on my trip to NY, I got a mani/pedi done and chose Essie Turquoise and Caicos for my mani. I was so shocked at how long it lasted without chipping especially since I was out and about vacationing. It probably starting chipping around the 6th – 7th day and at about day 10 it was time to re-do my nails. That’s when I borrowed my sister-in-law’s Essie Geranium- it’s a beautiful red-orange color. Now I regret not having picked this up from the store when I had the chance…
Now I want to note that I painted these on LAST TUESDAY
Photo was taken THIS MORNING (1 week!)
Isn’t it incredible? I usually expect chips after 2-3 days.
Well that does it ladies and gentlemen- I’m definitely an Essie fan for life!
Can’t wait to show you swatches of the other colors I got!
Hope your day was BEAUTYFULL!