A great palate cleanser, Essie Wrap Me Up from the Cashmere Matte Collection is a very different look for me.

I’m used to wearing bold shades, even to the point of being tacky. But that doesn’t mean I don’t like to venture out of my comfort zone and try something different.

Essie Wrap Me Up is certainly a far departure than what I’d normally reach for, but I appreciated the demure light beige with just a hint of pink and awesome texture.

This one features the Cashmere Matte finish, which feels smooth and satiny like luxurious sea glass!

Oh boy – winter has taken a toll on my cuticles a while back when I wore this nail polish! (I don’t slap on lotion or cuticle oil before taking my photos. I just snap photos of myself as-is.)

However, recently I purchased a new and fun cuticle oil that’s supposed to smell like cupcakes. Hehe, that was a major selling point for me.

I’m going to try to be more conscious about using cuticle oil at night before I go to bed. But you won’t see any difference for a while because I still have a few photos of manicures I’ve worn already that I’ll be showing on here.

(Expect to see a review of the cupcake cuticle oil on here after I’ve used it for at least a month. I think that’s a decent amount of time to see any differences in my cuticles.)

Essie Wrap Me Up Pictures

Essie Wrap Me Up Swatches

All swatches have:

• No base coat!
• 3 coats of Essie Wrap Me Up
• No top coat!

Natural Light Photos

Flash Photos

Claim: TRUSTED

• Whisper-soft neutral soft pink (Yes – Although it looks like a light beige with nuances of pink most times)

Key Notes

• Name: Essie Wrap Me Up
• 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 Wrap Me Up Review

Colour

Wrap Me Up by Essie is so pale, soft, and delicate, it looks like a light beige with just a hint of pink. So when Essie’s official description says it’s “whisper” soft, that certainly is true!

This is one of those shades that could look either very clean and demure, or it could really clash and wind up making your fingers look alien-esque.

Finish

The standout about Wrap Me Up by Essie is definitely the finish because it’s smooth like sea glass!

If you don’t like gritty texture, but you still want to wear something that isn’t just a typical polish, this is a great choice. I love how satiny it is, and Essie’s description “Cashmere Matte” is a great one because it conveys luxurious and softness.

Application & Formula

The formula is easy to work with, and you can paint it on like a typical lacquer, however, the finish was streaky up to two coats. I needed the third coat to even everything out and to achieve full opacity.

Although three coats could be a deal breaker for some, consider this before you’re quick to rule it out. Each coat dries pretty quickly, so even though you need three coats, it doesn’t actually eat up too much extra time.

If you’re very rough on your nails like I tend to be, after a few days, you’ll notice that the finish looks ‘worn’, but that’s to be expected with a satin-textured polish like this when you don’t wear a shiny top coat.

Pros Soft, delicate light beige with a hint of pink Satiny smooth texture Dries fairly quickly

Cons Finish shows wear after a few days (but that’s typical for this kind of finish)

Final Verdict: 6/10

There’s nothing wrong with this polish, but I gave it a low score only because I’m not crazy about soft shades like this. The colours that make my heart race are dramatic and bold.

In terms of the formula, it held up wonderfully, and I kept touching my nails to enjoy the texture. (Is it just me, or do you also wind up touching your nails more when you wear textures?)

Is there a nail-polish finish that you wish a company would create? If so, what is it? If not, what’s your favourite texture for lacquer? What is a colour you wore that was out of your comfort zone?