Essie Coconut Cove from the Summer 2016 Collection is one of those rare, impressive light nail polishes that took me by surprise.

Going nuts for coconuts!

At first glance, the colour appears white, but it’s softer and not a stark hospital white.

My photos in the sunlight later in this post really show how it’s more of a creamy French vanilla, which is probably why I found it to be more flattering against my warm skin tone.

When it comes to most white nail polishes, I have infrequently wore them as full manicures because they reminded me way back of those early school days when I used to play around with White Out as a makeshift nail polish.

Learning that I really enjoyed Essie Coconut Cove was novel to me and shows that the nail polish is in a league of its own. However, there’s another major reason why I’m giving this polish two painted thumbs up. Why? Find out in my review!

Essie Coconut Cove Pictures

Essie Coconut Cove Swatches

All swatches have:

• OPI Nail Envy Nail Strengthener – Original version (Used as a base coat)
• 2 coats of Essie Coconut Cove
• Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat

Artificial Light Photos

 

Sunlight Photos

Claim: TRUSTED

• Cream white (Yes)

Key Notes

• Name: Essie Coconut Cove
• Collection: Essie Summer 2016 Collection
• Press Release: Click here to see the official Essie Summer 2016 Collection press release!
• Quick Look: Click here to see my Essie Summer 2016 Collection swatches!
• Colours Available in the Collection: Viva Antigua!, Tribal Text-styles, Loot the Booty, Hiking Heels, Berried Treasures & Coconut Cove
• Amount: 13.5 mL (0.5 fl. oz.)
• Retail Price: $9.99 CAD
• Disclosure: This post contains a press sample provided by PR.
• Where to Buy: Trade Secrets, Nail Polish Canada, salons, drugstores & select beauty destinations (Officially launched May 17, 2016, so you should be able to find it now or very soon)

Essie Coconut Cove Review

Colour

Coconut Cove by Essie is indeed a “cream white” as described in the official press release, but I would take it one step farther and call it a “French-vanilla white” because it reminds me of the extra creamy French vanilla ice cream!

What intrigued me is that at first, I thought it was just another white. It’s bright and clean. Against my skin tone (and many people’s skin tones), it appears just white.

However, the more you look at it closely and compare it to the colour of Essie’s white handles, you’ll see that it has ever so slightly a bit of yellow or tan mixed into the formulation because it doesn’t translate as a harsh white.

Sure, the sunlight adds natural warm, yellow light, but had the nail polish been a stark white, its effects wouldn’t be as dramatic. That’s why instead of showing natural-light photos in addition to my usual artificial-light photos, I thought it was important this time to show my manicure in the sunlight.

If you’ve ever shied away from wearing a white or near-white full manicure, Essie Coconut Cove is one that may just change your mind.

This is probably the only creamy white nail polish that I’ve ever felt compelled to wear as a full manicure for more than a day.

I loved how it looks summery and fresh, yet it doesn’t look ‘sanitized’ on my nails against my warm skin tone. It has a softer appearance that makes it more wearable for me.

Finish

The finish is as expected: smooth and creamy, just like what I think of when I conjure up images of coconuts.

With a simple finish, it lends itself for solo wear or incorporated into a wide variety of nail art. Plus it’s easy to remove when you’re ready to switch the colour of your manicure. No hassles!

Application & Formula

Aside from the softer, more-flattering colour, the application and formula of Coconut Cove by Essie are what impressed me more than I was expecting!

A lot of white nail polishes I have tried in the past tend to be very streaky and require many coats before you can achieve full opacity.

With Essie Coconut Cove, I was surprised that I was able to fully cover my nails in just two coats! Yes, two coats! 

I used my typical generous coats, but even if you use thin coats, I think you’d be able to get the same results, since the formula is very pigmented.

No, it’s not a one-coat dream. You definitely need that second coat to even things out, but wow, it covers so well and isn’t nearly as streaky as many other white nail polishes I’ve tried.

What a treat it is to paint with!

Ingredients

Essie Coconut Cove doesn’t contain any Formaldehyde, Toluene, or DBP.

Pros Beautiful, soft, French-vanilla white that’s flattering especially if you have a warm skin tone Smooth & very pigmented formula Opaque in 2 coats No Formaldehyde, Toluene, or DBP

Cons Not the most outrageous colour I’ve worn (however, it certainly stands out with its impressive formula)

Final Verdict: 9.5/10

It takes a lot for a white or a near-white nail polish to get my attention. Usually the bold, bright, or sparkly lacquers tend to steal my gaze. However, Essie Coconut Cove was a horse of a different colour…hehe, even if it’s a French-vanilla white!

I was incredibly impressed with how pigmented the formula was for such a light colour. It wasn’t a streaky mess, so I was able to get full coverage with just two coats, which isn’t common when it comes to hues like this. Plus I loved how the slight warm tinge made this a wearable white for my skin tone.

Essie Coconut Cove certainly has earned its high Final Verdict score! (There’s a possibility that it ranks among the highest ones that I’ve ever given a polish of this colour, so that should speak volumes.)

Do you prefer stark whites or French-vanilla whites like Essie Coconut Cove? Is there a nail polish that you were blown away with, due to a colour that you don’t normally wear or an exceptionally pigmented formula?