Essie Spun in Luxe from the Cashmere Matte Collection that just came out this month is so dark, it could almost pass as squid ink. However, there are blue nuances that keep it from looking jet black.

To the naked eye, on my nails it looked pretty close to black and the only way I was able to tell that it wasn’t black was when I put my hands next to something that was.

Also, there’s subtle, fine blue shimmer throughout. That combined with the satin-like, semi-matte finish made this polish unique in my collection.

Although you could wear a ridge-filling base coat to keep the look smooth, I wore this without any base coat because I wanted to see how noticeable nail ridges would poke through.

(In case you didn’t know, I have some ridges, and while I could obviously buff them out, I choose to leave them alone because, unless I’m wearing a high-shine chrome that accentuates them by leaps and bounds, ridges don’t normally bother me anymore. There was a time when I felt insecure about them, but I’m glad I’ve gotten over it. I’m not on a mission to create the ultimate ‘perfect’ manicures. I’m on a mission to create manicures that make me happy. Mission: Accomplished!)

Essie Spun in Luxe Pictures

 

Essie Spun in Luxe Swatches

All swatches have:

• No base coat!
• 2 coats of Essie Spun in Luxe
• No top coat!

Natural Light Photos

Flash Photos

Claim: TRUSTED

• Sophisticated matte blue-black (Yes)

Key Notes

• Name: Essie Spun in Luxe
• Collection: Essie Cashmere Matte Collection 2015
• Press Release: Click here to see the official Essie Cashmere Matte Collection press release
• Quick Look: Click here to see my quick swatches and bottle shots of the Essie Cashmere Matte Collection
• Colours Available in the Collection: Comfy in Cashmere, Just Stitched, Wrap Me Up, All Eyes on Nudes, Coat Couture & Spun in Luxe
• Amount: 13.5 mL (0.5 fl. oz.)
• Retail Price: $9.99 CAD (I paid nothing, as this was a PR sample.)
• Where to Buy: According to the official press release, salons (starting this month, January 2015). However, it doesn’t hurt to check online in case it pops up.

Essie Spun in Luxe Review

Colour

When I saw the bottle, I swooned because it looked like mystical, galactic goodness! (I could envision nebulas and maybe even a martian or two floating around…just because.)

Dark and dramatic, Spun in Luxe by Essie certainly fits those moods I sometimes get in when I want to wear a manicure that offers high contrast and that feels vampy.

The darkness translated onto my nails, so it certainly fits the bill!

Sometimes near-black shades annoy me because I have the hard-to-shake-off mentality that if I wanted to wear black, I would rather wear a jet black instead of something close to it.

Essie Spun in Luxe didn’t annoy me, though. Haha! I guess it’s because it was closer to black than a regular near-black shade, so to my naked, myopic eyes, it pretty much was black.

Finish

This is the part where things get interesting and start to veer off the familiar road. The finish for this and all the Essie Cashmhere Matte Collection nail polishes is satiny and semi-matte. They are very smooth and have a finish that I can best describe as that of sea glass or very smooth frosted glass.

The fine blue shimmer dispersed throughout is very subtle. From a distance, onlookers won’t be able to notice it, but it imparts life into the polish to keep it from looking like a flat traditional matte.

When you inspect your own nails up close, as you move your hands, you’ll see the shimmer catch the light softly, but it’s not intense. You really have to look for it, and the shimmer doesn’t seem to be as noticeable on the nail as it does in the bottle.

Truth be told, I was a bit bummed about this. I was looking forward to seeing more twinkle. Then again, I tend to like loud polishes because I enjoy encouraging them to scream as loud as they can. (They have fun. I have fun. We all have fun. Then we do a little jig, cross our eyes, and remind ourselves that it’s okay to cut loose and be totally weird sometimes.)

Application & Formula

Remember, I used this polish completely by itself (no base or top coats), so it could very well be different if you used those treatments.

This polish was of a typical nail-polish consistency, which was easy to paint with, medium thickness, and not patchy. (I was surprised because some matte nail polishes can be thick and streaky.)

I only needed two coats to achieve full opacity, and I couldn’t see any streakiness at this stage.

Do Nail Ridges Show If You Don’t Use a Base Coat?

As I mentioned earlier, I have nail ridges that I choose not to buff out (mainly because I’d rather spend my time doing other things, and I find buffing nails boring). Polishes that have a matte, semi-matte, or high chrome finish have the potential to exaggerate ridges, bringing them to the limelight like an unfortunate celebrity on the Worst Dressed List.

While some of my ridges were prominent enough to peek through, it wasn’t anything alarming. They weren’t all pushed to the front. It was decent, and I didn’t feel uncomfortable wearing it.

Dry Time

As is expected of matte and semi-matte lacquers, the dry time was faster than a standard nail polish.

I’m a patient person most of the time, but when it comes to manicures, I demand fast dry time, which is why I use a quick-drying top coat a lot. However, I’m a Matte-and-Textured-Polish Purist, so I like to use those lacquers as-is, without any shiny top coat, so I get the full effect and experience the polish as it was designed to be enjoyed.

Considering that I’m used to a quick-drying top coat and skipped out this time around, I found that the polish dried on its own fast enough. I wasn’t tapping my feet like a diva or telling it to hurry up.

Manicure Mileage

Be careful for the initial hour or so, though, because while the polish will be pretty much dry, it can still be dented. When a semi-matte nail polish gets dented, it looks pretty bad…almost like a miniature beaver chewed on your nails.

Once the polish fully cures, it’s harder to dent, but the potential is still there, especially if you accidentally hit something with your hands like a door. (Hehe, yeah, can you tell that I’m speaking from experience?) 😉

I like to wear manicures for at least a day, but oftentimes, I’ll wear them for several days. I noticed that with this type of finish, it begins to look a bit tired and ‘worn’ after about three days. (Keep in mind that I’m far from gentle on my hands. I work them so hard! I type all day at work, I type when I’m home working on the blog, I wash dishes, I clean, I pick at stickers, I open cans of Nestea with my nails, etc.)

Pros Dark, mysterious & dramatic blue-black Pigmented & fully opaque in 2 coats Great consistency, especially for a matte/semi-matte lacquer Dries fast Semi-matte, satin finish (Can be a Con for some) Fine, subtle blue shimmer (Can be a Con for some)

Cons Semi-matte, satin finish (Can be a Pro for some who don’t like texture. You can add a glossy top coat to transform it.) Fine, subtle blue shimmer (Can be a Con for some who like the shimmer to show up more)

Final Verdict: 7/10

I can see myself wearing this again because the finish is so cool and the colour is pigmented and dramatic!

I would love to see a medium olive green with shimmer in this Cashmere Matte finish! (We can dream, right?) 😉

What do you think about the Essie Cashmere Matte finish? Would you wear it as-is or with a glossy top coat? Do you like near-black shades, or would you rather reach for a jet black?