Essie Knockout Pout is a K.O. of colour that’s sorely needed during the winter. POW! BAM! ZOWWIE! (Okay, I just made up that last one, but it seemed to tie in with the whole retro-Batman theme.)

With the days getting shorter, colour therapy in the form of nail polish can be a real boost!

I’ve always picked up the Essie Knockout Pout bottle in the store to admire, but put it back on the shelf. Finally, it came home with me.

This time, I wanted a pick-me-up, and this was just the colour I knew could work some magic. I was right! 🙂

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You may remember that I was really excited to find Essie She’s Picture Perfect in my Loose Button April 2012 Luxe Box.

Good grief, Charlie Brown! It only took me until September to get around to wearing it! *Tsk tsk*

No joke – ever since I got it, I placed it carefully beside my computer so that I wouldn’t forget to wear it. And many times when I was composing blog posts, I would randomly pick it up to admire.

After so many months, it finally hit me – why haven’t I worn it even though I love it so much in the bottle?

Lots of activity fired away in the ole synapses, and my brain started working. Note: Started! Hehe, so today, albeit late, is my review of this pretty polish.

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Essie Tart Deco is a soft cantaloupe coral, but somehow I pulled out some pink during the photoshoot.

Random thought: Ever wonder what your nails would say if they could talk? I do…often! (I can picture them screaming, “Ohhh nooo!” whenever I wear a polish that has the potential to stain. And, no, Tart Deco isn’t a polish that stains.)

I think mine would roll their imaginary eyes at me whenever I pull out my camera. They’d say, “The paparazzi again? Why can’t they respect our privacy? Creepo!”

But really, deep down inside their cuticles, they know that they really love being in the limelight. When their 15 minutes of fame are up, they’ll be wishing that this ‘paparazzi’ busted out the camera again. 😉 All press is good press…or is it?

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You’ll remember seeing OPI If You Moust You Moust on here not long ago.

After wearing it (and surprisingly loving it) for a little while, I decided to slap on a flakie top coat to give it some bling.

What you see is Essie Shine of the Times layered over the pink. As you’ll notice, it gives it sweet peachy flakies.

I was going for a softer look, but if you layer it over black or a vampy hue, it’ll be much more in-your-face.

(Check out my swatches over various other colours later on in this post to see what I mean.)

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Essie Haute as Hello comes from the Summer 2010 Collection, and it’s a light coral with orange undertones.

Years ago, I would never have given it the time of day. I’d brush past it like a polish snob with my nose in the air.

These days, I’ve learned to branch out and try new colours.

Of course sometimes I’m left disappointed, but other times (like with this polish), I’m pleasantly surprised. And it’s fun to discover new shades to play around with.

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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)

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