The first colour I decided to dip my fingers into from the Fall 2015 Collection available starting on August 25th was Essie Color Binge!

Orange is a colour that I tend to neglect like a bad nail-polish mother. *Hangs head in shame*

I’ve been this way since I was a kid. Never loved orange juice. Don’t like C Plus pop. Not usually drawn to fragrances with a strong tangerine note. One look into my closet reveals just a handful of orange clothing.

Maybe the only exception is that I love redheads and any hair colour that has an orange tinge to it. (I can attribute it to one of my fictitious role models growing up – Anne Shirley…or “Carrots”!)

When I was 18 or 19, I got my hair professionally dyed a firetruck red! (My facial expression resembled the emoji face with the horizontal line for the mouth when I went back home, and my dad asked, “Is it fall already?” when he opened the door. Point taken.)

Even before that, I had tried to obtain what I considered to be the ideal shade of red – a cherry red. Many times, it was flattering, haha, but that firetruck red? I think even Ronald McDonald wouldn’t approve…not that I look up to creepy fast-food clowns with terrible fashion sense for approval. 😉

When October rolls around with pumpkins and Hallowe’en begins winking at me from around the corner, that’s almost the only time I begin craving orange like something fierce. Well, also in the summer, I sometimes enjoy a vibrant orange that’s like a burst of citrus for your nails.

So, long story short, Essie Color Binge was happy that I finally chose it first instead of last. (When I turned my back, I swear I heard it mutter, “Pfft! It’s about time! What does it take to get some appreciation around here?”) 

Shh! Don’t tell Essie Color Binge, but I think the only reason I really love the colour is because it has quite a bit of red running throughout. It’s not an orange purist!

Essie Color Binge Pictures

Essie Color Binge Swatches

All swatches have:

• OPI Nail Envy Nail Strengthener (Used as a base coat)
• 2 coats of Essie Color Binge
• Rica Glossy Glam Top Coat

Artificial Light Photos

Natural Light Photos

Claim: TRUSTED

• Orange red (Yes)

Key Notes

• Name: Essie Color Binge
• Collection: Essie Fall 2015 Collection
• Press Release: Click here to see the official Essie Fall 2015 Collection press release!
• Quick Look: Click here to see my Quick Look post on the Essie Fall 2015 Collection!
• Colours Available in the Collection: Color Binge, Leggy Legend, Frock ‘n Roll, With the Band, In the Lobby & Bell-Bottom Blues
• Amount: 13.5 mL (0.46 oz)
• Retail Price: $9.99 CAD
• Disclosure: This was provided as a press sample by PR.
• Where to Buy: Drugstores, salons & beauty-supply stores starting August 25th, 2015. (Looks like it’s already available at NailPolishCanada, though.)

Essie Color Binge Review

Colour

If straight-up oranges that remind you of Home Depot or Pizza Pizza aren’t your cup of iced tea, you may still wind up loving Color Binge by Essie because it’s actually an orange-based red. This gives your nails that “POW! WHAM! ZOWIE! Factor” like Burt Ward punching villains on the Batman TV show I used to watch as a kid…at the “same Bat time and the same Bat channel”! 😉

Depending on the light, Color Binge can look even redder and dominate the orange. Other times, it’s like a cherry decided to doggy-paddle in some orange juice.

Strong, assertive orange reds like this offer a lot of contrast against my skin tone, and you know that I have a soft spot for bold shades.

Finish

Color Binge by Essie has a simple creme formula. Nothing wacky. Nothing intricate. Nothing earth-shattering. But for some colours (like this), simplicity works and makes the nail polish more appealing to me.

Additionally, cremes are a cinch to remove. Gone in 60 seconds, and no scrubbing my paws raw to get it all off!

Application & Formula

The formula on this Essie nail polish is smooth, pigmented, and easy to paint with. No hiccups. (No burps, either!) 😉

To get full coverage, I only needed to use two easy coats.

Pros Orange red (But sometimes the red dominates the orange like a colour bully…) Smooth creme formula is easy to paint with Very pigmented & covers completely with 2 coats Creme finish is easy to remove

Cons Not the craziest nail-polish colour, but not every lacquer has to be committed to the Nail Asylum, right?

Final Verdict: 8/10

Color Binge by Essie is the kind of orange red that I enjoy wearing every now and then. It’s charismatic and really pops, which makes me weak in the knees.

If you don’t already have an orange red with a super formula, this one’s a great one to take for a spin.

What kind of orange nail polishes do you tend to wear the most? (For me, it’s either the pumpkin or neon varieties.) Which are your Top 5 favourite Essie nail polishes?