Essie Trophy Wife has a silly name.
(Side note: I’d love to see a nail polish called ‘Trophy Husband’. If I could design it, it would be a deep blue with gold and black glitter.)
This is another one of those polishes that really comes alive in the light – it’s glowy and dramatic!
For a long time, I hardly blinked an eye (or two since I have more than one) at Essie. But ever since they started adding colours that aren’t traditionally feminine (e.g. pinks, reds, sheers), that’s when I sat up and took note. Then I began salivating like Pavlov’s dogs.
(Another side note: If you haven’t seen Ivan Pavlov, you’ve gotta check out this photo. The dude has awesome facial hair. I wish that more men would sport something like that. Haha, it would give you more reasons to smile each day! :P)
Essie Trophy Wife Pictures
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Natural Light
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Essie Trophy Wife Ingredients
Essie Trophy Wife Swatches
All swatches have:
- Seche Clear Crystal Clear Base Coat
- 3 coats of Essie Trophy Wife
- Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat
Flash Photos
Natural Light Photos
Claim: TRUSTED
√ Deep teal pearl
Key Notes
- Name: Essie Trophy Wife
- Amount: 13.5 mL (0.46 fl. oz.)
- What I Paid: Nothing! (This was provided by Natali Products. Retails for $8 USD.)
- Where to Buy: Natali Products (if you’re an industry professional), Nailsupplies, Beauty.com, Head2Toe Beauty & Trans Design
Essie Trophy Wife Review
Colour
Trophy Wife by Essie is a bluish green that reminds me a little bit of mermaid fishtails (not that I’ve seen one, but I keep hoping for miracles)! 😉
It’s as lively on your nails as a song that takes it up an octave for the final verse. This is my kind of colour – vivid and fierce.
If you’re a fan of green or teal nail polishes like I am, I bet my bottom dollar that you’d like it, too. (Heck, I’d also bet my top dollar.)
Finish
Essie describes Trophy Wife as having a pearl finish. I guess it is a bit pearly, but I think it can also be called frosty since there’s a noticeable metallic quality. And since it’s frosty, yes, there are noticeable brushstrokes, however, they aren’t in-your-face.
Application & Formula
The formula surprised me. For a colour that’s this saturated, I was expecting it to be very pigmented in a single coat. That wasn’t the case at all! The first coat was sheer and somewhat streaky. With a second coat, it looked much better, but I felt the strong need to apply a third coat.
My bottle of Trophy Wife by Essie was thin and watery, so I had to be careful not to accidentally flood my cuticles. Other than that, the formula was great and easy to control.
Pros
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Cons
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Final Verdict: 8.5/10
I kept looking down at my nails (like a vain peacock) when wearing this manicure. It’s another hue that I would definitely classify as a ‘comfort colour’ – i.e. I found it super easy to wear because it didn’t stray out of my comfort zone.
Even though it required 3 coats for me to get it the point where I was happy with the way it looked, I think that extra coat was worth the effort!
Do you buy your Essie polishes at the drugstore, salon/spa, or beauty-supply store? Don’t you just love the sophisticated and minimalist shape of the Essie bottle?
I don’t have this one but I have Dive Bar which is sorta in the same vein. I do love Essie’s bottles. Theyre so cute and short and the OCD in me appreciates how well they nestle together in a box without any wasted space. I buy mine at Rite Aid but I have probably bought one or two at Ulta as well. I like their polishes but find that a lot are quite thin which is a problem for me cuz I’m a chronic cuticle flooder. I do like their polished tho so I just tell my cuticles to grab a life vest!!
Nicole recently posted: Fun With Holos
Hey Nicole!
I really wish there was a Rite Aid or Ulta here in Canada. Maybe one day! 🙂 Then there’ll be more temptation. YAY for that, right? Haha!
Yes, there are quite a lot of Essie colours that are on the thin side, but I’ve also tried several that are thick and pigmented. There’s a good mix, and maybe they’re still tweaking the formula as they experiment with shades they didn’t put out in the past. 🙂
Haha, I really love the mental image I got after you said that you tell your cuticles to grab a life vest! That’s so cute!
I only have three or four essies, but I am in love with each one. They are all beautiful, and I love the bottle, it’s unique and fun!
Brianna recently posted: OPI My Boyfriend Scales Walls
Hey Brianna!
When you have a handful of Essies, you cherish them even more. You can give each one the much-deserved attention. 🙂 (Sometimes I feel guilty about neglecting some of them on my untried list.)
I love how ‘Trophy wife’ is a green and not a boring red or so! I personally am not really attracted to Essie. The more daring stuff they bring out has been done before a million times and the formula is too thin for my liking. I like this polish though. You know I read somewhere that if you don’t like the brushstrokey finish on frosts, that you should just sponge on the last coat, and it looks way better! Ps: I love your nail shape, so perfect!
Hey Mnemo!
It’s funny that you should say that. Haha, because while I’m usually not one to wear much red, right now, I’ve been craving it like something fierce. Not sure when, but I’m thinking about wearing a red. *Gasp* I know…Am I ill? 😛
Very interesting tip about sponging on the last coat. I’ve never heard that before, and it makes sense that sponging on the colour would totally eliminate the brushstrokes. I won’t if it would also create a stippled texture.
Aww…thank you so much! 🙂 I always drool over ladies with square and squoval nails, but they never look right on me. My natural nails need to be oval to ‘look right’. Thank you for making my day! 😀
Another gorgeous polish!! I have this one sitting in my untrieds, smh. LOL @ Pavlov’s facial hair!!
MariJo recently posted: My First Splatter Mani
Hey MariJo!
So many gorgeous polishes, and so little time. *Snobby sigh* Hahaha! 😉
Thanks for checking out that photo of Pavlov. I was wondering when someone would comment on it. Hehe, isn’t he a total fox with all that hair? 😛
I feel the same about Essie, I found the collections are getting more interesting!
Trophy wife reminds me a little of Zoya Zuza, what do you think?
lol at tha picture of Pavlov, haha maybe next generations will laugh at us!! 😉
Mara recently posted: Model’s Own Indian Ocean from Beetlejuice Collection
Hey Mara!
Trophy Wife is definitely more green, and the finish is more metallic and vibrant compared to Zoya Zuza. They’re very different from each other to justify owning both. 🙂
Glad you liked the Pavlov photos. 😉 Hehe, well, as long as you and I don’t grow facial hair like that, I think we’ll be safe. Hahaha…I know what you really meant. I’m just kidding around. 😛
Heeeey! 😀 I have a bottle of this polish also! A really sweet friend of mine sent it to me! 🙂 I’m so glad she has a bottle of it too and is sporting it in today’s post 😉
I too like all the fun shades that Essie has out now, but will admit that the brush on Essie polishes is a bit narrow for my likin in general. While it is good for controlling a manicure while painting, my nailbeds are wide and I need a few brushstrokes to cover the surface.
That being said, this blue was the first to be added to my pale cream blue collection… And it holds a special spot there still 🙂
Marta recently posted: Cult Nails Inspired
Hey Marta!
Glad you enjoyed wearing it, too! 😉
You’re right about the narrow Essie brush – definitely takes more strokes to cover each nail. But I do love it for my pinkie. Hehe, my hands are small, so my pinkie finger is truly a baby finger. 😛 The thin Essie brush makes it easier to avoid getting polish on the cuticle around that finger.
I would totally buy your Trophy Husband nail polish. Just putting that out there. 😉
I got this recently from a blog sale but have yet to wear it. After seeing your swatches, it makes me want to go put it on right now! Haha! 🙂
Carmela recently posted: Hammie visits Joanne at Northern Nails with (More) Beach-y Nail Art
Hey Carmela!
And then you could paint your husband’s toenails with Trophy Husband when he’s sleeping! 😉 (Don’t let him read this or he may not be able to sleep a wink…hehe!)
This IS a most gorgeous color and I don’t know what I’m waiting for to buy it. I’ll drool over a polish for so long, then I pounce! Great pictures. Thank you.
Hey Shoshana Berman!
It’s good to sleep on it for a while before making an impulse purchase, though. That shows self-restraint. 🙂 And then when you DO decide on a colour, you’ve at least done your research and looked at all the options, so it’s an informed decision.