Tag Archives: Essie

Essie Apres-Chic Swatches & Review

Essie Apres-Chic Swatches & Review

My complexion has a warm undertone, so silver can sometimes be tricky for me to pull off. Nevertheless, I’m always game when it comes to testing out a new silver nail polish because I love how celebratory it looks!

Essie Apres-Chic from the Winter 2015 Collection is a silver that would warm the nail-polish-loving hearts of the Snow Queen and Frosty the Snowman.

Tin Man, eat your heart out!

Wintry with a wind-chill factor of minus twenty, Essie Apres-Chic certainly keeps its cool and found its way onto this blogger’s nails!

I wore this a while ago, but finally I’m bringing you the full review and more swatches of this flashy Essie nail polish.

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Essie Shall We Chalet? Swatches & Review

Essie Shall We Chalet Swatches & Review

It’s really crazy how quickly December has gone by so far. If it zipped by any faster, it would be like a ferret racing to beat a red light!

A classic red creme is a staple for most traditional Christmas manicures, and you may remember that I sported Essie Shall We Chalet? (from the Winter 2015 Collection) in freehand holiday nail art and a stamped ugly Christmas sweater nail design.

Even beyond the holidays, you can’t go wrong with a red nail polish because it’s one of those colours that’s easy for everyday wear, and it’s a simple way to add a bold BAM to your look.

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Essie Starry Starry Night Swatches & Review

Essie Starry Starry Night Swatches & Review

The very few times that I’ve met celebrities in person (Maestro Fresh Wes at Hero Burgers, Avril Lavigne during her early free-mall-tour days, etc.), I’ve always managed to keep my cool. However, when it comes to nail polish, I get starstruck with the drop of a hat. 😉 *Squeals*

This was certainly the case with Essie Starry Starry Night, which is from the upcoming Essie Retro Revival Collection that officially launches in January 2016! (Click on that link to see the Quick Look post I did a few days ago.)

Like Gloria Swanson, Essie Starry Starry Night approached me and said, “I’m ready for my close-up!” However, unlike the fictitious, fading star from Sunset Boulevard, even after all these years, its light still shines brightly.

Essie Starry Starry Night was originally launched in 1997, and it has reached cult status. After extending a poll for beauty enthusiasts to weigh in and vote for their favourite shade to be resurrected, it was no surprise that the twinkling blue wonder named after the heavenly bodies rose to the top of the wish list!

Over the years, if you’ve ever taken a peek on eBay, the going price was around $700 CAD – obviously a price point that only a slim margin of people could splurge on.

I’ve been waiting for the re-release of this colour for the longest time and am ecstatic that now it will not only be available again, but for a reasonable price. Love it when nail polish can be enjoyed by more people!

Since I’ve never owned the original Essie Starry Starry Night, I can’t compare it to see if the colour, sparkle, or formulation is a dead-on match. Nevertheless, it is one of my cherished nail polishes, and I’m thrilled to have it in my collection!

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Essie Retro Revival Collection (Includes Starry Starry Night)

Essie Retro Revival Collection 2016

You’ll have the best (manicured) hand at the casino when you have the Essie Retro Revival Collection! Get the royal flush when it hits stores across Canada on January 5th, 2016.

Stop bluffing, and don’t hide that ace up your sleeve. Play your cards right by painting your nails with what I consider to be the ace of spades in the Essie Retro Revival Collection – the sparkly blue, Starry Starry Night. It’s one of the six shades that Essie is relaunching to celebrate their 35th anniversary!

These are the six shades that will be re-released:

  • Starry Starry Night
  • Life of the Party
  • Bikini with a Martini
  • Sequin Sash
  • Birthday Suit
  • Cabana Boy

I can’t keep a poker face because I’m most excited about wearing Essie Starry Starry Night. It’s a colour that’s been on my nailphile wish list for several years. And although I’ve seen it for sale on eBay, I was never going to pay hundreds of dollars for any nail polish. [The most expensive polish I’ve ever purchased was Clarins 230 (also known as “Unicorn Pee” to nail junkies) back in 2011.]

PR really outdid themselves because the beautiful box, goodies, and all six nail polishes put a huge smile on my face! So much thought and care went into the package.

Aside from the nail polishes, they included a full-sized, Essie-branded deck of playing cards with an adorable nail-polish design. Also, there were white poker chips to tie the whole celebrate-your-birthday-in-Las-Vegas-style together.

Stay tuned because the first colour from this collection that I plan to wear is Essie Starry Starry Night. Of course I’ll also do a full review with lots of swatches on here.

In the meantime, see the rest of this post for additional photos of each of the nail polishes, quick swatches, and a closer look at the thoughtful extras!

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Nail Art: Ugly Christmas Sweater Nails

Ugly Christmas Sweater Nail Art

It has been quite a while since I did nail stamping, and with a cute and festive MoYou Festive Starter Kit in my hands, it was a great incentive to practice again.

To create this Ugly Christmas Sweater Nail Art, I used the following:

  • MoYou Festive Collection Plate #6
  • MoYou White Knight (white stamping nail polish)
  • Essie Shall We Chalet? (red nail polish)

Ugly Christmas sweaters are all the rage now. (Just the other day, I saw a slew of quirky ones at the mall.)

Although trendy, I still don’t have an ugly Christmas sweater. The closest thing I have to it is a black sweater with gold moose and other animals.

A co-worker once wore a cute one that featured Rudolph. His face spanned the entire front of the sweater, and in the place of the nose, there was a large red pom pom. Hehe, you couldn’t help but smile when you saw it! 🙂

Decking your nails out in an ugly-Christmas-sweater pattern is loads of fun, and the bonus is that even if you don’t live in Canada where it gets colder in the winter, you can still decorate your nails with a sweater design without breaking out into a sweat!

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Essie Fringe Factor Swatches & Review (Layered Over Essie Peak Show)

Essie Fringe Factor Swatches & Review

Essie Fringe Factor is one of the four new additions to the Luxeffects Collection, and it provides a simple way to add a festive sparkle to an existing manicure.

Since I was already wearing Essie Peak Show, I decided to layer Essie Fringe Factor to add some glitz to an otherwise simple nail look.

I’m a fan of bar glitter, but not all are created equal. Some are scratchy or tend to hang over the free edge of your nails. Then, there are some that lift off the nails over time.

This is one of the better performing bar glitters out there, so if you’re in the mood to add some funk to your next manicure, give this one a go!

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Essie Peak Show Swatches & Review

Essie Peak Show Swatches & Review

Essie Peak Show from the Winter 2015 Collection is what I imagine a snowman looks like when he blushes. Or maybe this is the colour of snowwomen…because you know, they exist!

Although my heart races like Usain Bolt for green, my favourite colour, I’m still game for test-driving every shade in the nail-polish rainbow.

Essie Peak Show is like a strawberry milkshake that’s heavy on the dairy and light on the berry. (Hey, Dr. Seuss, that rhymed!) It’s the most innocent of pale pinks with close ties to the Snow Queen.

Although pinks and white-based polishes aren’t usually my jam, I gave it a go, wore it as a full manicure, and compiled my thoughts that I’ll share with you in the rest of this blog post.

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