Essie Summer 2013: Naughty Nautical Nail Colour Collection (Part II)

So, as I've mentioned, I've been thoroughly impressed with Essie's collections lately. I was totally in love with their Resort collection colours, and then I saw their Summer shades rolling out in May and was further elated. I realize that swatches of Essie's Fall collection are popping up online already, but I'm still in full-on Summer colour mode, and Essie's Naughty Nautical collection totally fit the bill for me. I ended up buying all six shades from the collection when I was perusing Nail Polish Canada because it was cheaper when you bought all of them together. But, while I am completely in love with the other three polishes from Naughty Nautical (review here), these three left me rather underwhelmed... not because they're not pretty, but because they're just not that unique.
Rock the Boat, The Girls Are Out, and Full Steam Ahead

Rock the Boat is a light cornflower blue with iridescent shimmer flecks in a jelly-cream finish. It has a fluid consistency, but is on the thinner, more watery side. It goes on smoothly and evenly, without any pulling or bubbling. The first coat goes on a bit streaky, but it is completely even after a second coat. It has medium pigmentation and will reach opacity in three medium coats. It is lighter and less vibrant than Essie's Bikini So Teeny, much lighter and less purple-toned than Essie's Lapis of Luxury, darker and more purple-toned than Essie's Borrowed & Blue.
The Girls Are Out is a medium-dark vibrant cool-toned magenta-fuchsia with iridescent shimmer flecks in a jelly-cream finish. It has a fluid consistency without being too thick or too runny. It goes on smoothly and evenly, without any pulling, bubbling, or streaking. It is completely self-levelling. It has high pigmentation and will reach opacity in two thin-medium coats. It is darker and brighter than Essie's My Better Half, much more pink than Essie's DJ Play That Song, and slightly darker and more magenta than Butter London's Disco Biscuit.
Full Steam Ahead is a light dusty lavender with iridescent shimmer flecks in a jelly-cream finish. It has a fluid consistency, but is on the thinner, more watery side. It goes on smoothly and evenly, without any pulling or bubbling. The first coat goes on a bit streaky, but it is completely even after a second coat. It has medium pigmentation and will reach opacity in three medium coats. It is less pink than Essie's Under Where?, cooler than Essie's Bond With Whomever, and warmer than Butter London's Muggins.

Okay, can I just point out how many similar shades to these that Essie has put out recently? Like, I had to do a double-take with these three because they looked so similar to Essie's Spring collection. And their Wedding collection. The only thing that really sets these apart from the others is the awesome prismatic shimmer that looks like glass flecks. That isn't to say that these polishes aren't pretty; these are just too reminiscent to all the Spring collections that came out just a couple months ago. Also, if you like your nail polish to look opaque, be prepared to put in the time and effort with Rock the Boat and Full Steam Ahead, both of which are quite runny and need at least three medium coats. Of the three, I feel like The Girls Are Out is the only one that's really worth getting, because you can wear it all year 'round, and the shimmer flecks actually pop out quite a lot more over the darker, brighter magenta background. Plus, it has a lovely formula, going almost opaque in one coat. But the other two are just riding the coattails of their Spring sisters. 

Essie Summer 2013: Naughty Nautical Nail Colour Collection (Part I)

I've been thoroughly impressed with Essie's collections lately. I was totally in love with their Resort collection colours, and then I saw their Summer shades rolling out in May and was further elated. I realize that swatches of Essie's Fall collection are popping up online already, but I'm still in full-on Summer colour mode, and Essie's Naughty Nautical collection totally fits the bill for me. I ended up buying all six shades from the collection when I was perusing Nail Polish Canada, and I've been rocking all of them (especially these three here) on and off for the last month-and-a-half. That's how much I love these shades.
Naughty Nautical, Sunday Funday, and The More the Merrier

Naughty Nautical is a medium vibrant turquoise-teal with iridescent shimmer flecks in a jelly-cream finish. It has a fluid consistency without being too thick or too runny. It goes on smoothly and evenly, without any pulling or bubbling. It has high pigmentation and will reach opacity in two medium coats. It is more green and more shimmery than Butter London's Slapper and Julep's Lena, and darker and more blue than China Glaze's Keepin' It Teal.
Sunday Funday is a medium vibrant reddened coral with iridescent shimmer flecks in a jelly-cream finish. It has a fluid consistency without being too thick or too runny. It goes on smoothly and evenly, without any pulling, bubbling, or streaking. It is completely self-levelling. It has high pigmentation and will reach opacity in two medium coats. It is darker and more reddened than Essie's Cute as a Button, more pinked than MAC's Kid Orange, and brighter and more orange than OPI's Suzi's Hungary Again!.
The More the Merrier is a light-medium vibrant chartreuse green in a jelly-cream finish. It has a fluid consistency without being too thick or runny. It goes on smoothly and evenly, without any pulling or bubbling. The first coat goes on a bit streaky, but it is completely even after a second coat. It has high pigmentation and will reach opacity in two medium coats. It is brighter than Julep's Fiona, lighter and more yellow-toned than China Glaze's Def Defying, and more green than Color Club's Sunrise Canyon.

Okay, in a world with a plethora of turquoise and coral shades, both Naughty Nautical and Sunday Funday ended up being much more unique than I thought they'd be — the shimmer flecks and jelly-cream finish really set them apart, making them look more dimensional and glossier. Several months ago, I mentioned that I really don't like how coral shades look on my nails, but I've realized that when they're a bit deeper and more reddened, I totally love them. It creates a much brighter contrast with my skintone and doesn't make my skin look sickly. The More the Merrier also doesn't seem like it'd be a very unique shade since there are so many bright lime green polishes out there, but this one seems to border that fine line between bright and neon, and yellow and green — many of the other lime green shades I've tried lean one way or the other. In my opinion, Naughty Nautical is the most outstanding shade from the collection, but all three of these are absolutely stunning and so perfect for summer. I find these work equally well on both fairer and tanned complexions, too. I've been wearing these three shades together especially, alternating each one on every finger, and the effect totally reminds me of candy, like Jolly Ranchers. Essie seriously hit it out of the park with these three, in both colour and formula.

Essie Resort 2013: In the Cab-ana Nail Colour Collection

When it comes to Essie's collections, I am always the most excited for their Resort collections. My favourite collection of all time from Essie is still their Resort 2010, which featured shades that were really edgy and unique when they were released, and ended up being so successful that three of the shades became permanent (including fan favourite, Turquoise & Caicos). As I mentioned in my review and swatches post of Essie's Avenue Maintain, the Spring 2013 collection didn't really 'wow' me — but the moment I saw swatches of the Resort 2013 collection rolling up online, it was love at first sight.
First Timer, In the Cab-ana, Under Where?, and Come Here!

First Timer is a medium vibrant cool-toned seafoam green in a cream finish. It has a fluid consistency without being too thick or too runny. It goes on smoothly and evenly, without any pulling or bubbling. The first coat goes on a bit streaky, but it is completely even after a second coat. It has high pigmentation and will reach opacity in two medium coats. It is similar though a touch less blue-toned than Illamasqua's Nomad, brighter and much more green than Essie's Turquoise & Caicos, and lighter and more blue-toned than Essie's Mojito Madness.
In the Cab-ana is a medium vibrant aqua blue in a cream finish. It has a fluid consistency without being too thick or too runny. It goes on smoothly and evenly, without any pulling, bubbling, or streaking. It is completely self-levelling. It has high pigmentation and will reach opacity in two medium coats. It is less teal-based than Essie's Where's My Chauffeur?, slightly darker and more vibrant than OCC's Pool Boy, and lighter and more aqua than Julep's Claire.
Under Where? is a light-medium pink-toned lilac in a jelly-cream finish. It has a fluid consistency without being too thick or runny. It goes on smoothly and evenly, without any pulling or bubbling. The first coat goes on a bit streaky, but it is completely even after a second coat. It has medium-high pigmentation and will reach opacity in two medium-thick coats or three medium coats. It is lighter than Butter London's Molly Coddled, darker and more pink than Julep's Simone, and more pink than Essie's Bond with Whomever.
Come Here! is a medium-dark vibrant coral-poppy red in a cream finish. It has a fluid consistency without being too thick or too runny. It goes on smoothly and evenly, without any pulling, bubbling, or streaking. It is completely self-levelling. It has high pigmentation and will reach opacity in one medium-thick coat. It is similar though a touch more pink than Joe Fresh's Tomato, darker and more red than OPI's Suzi's Hungary Again!, and similar though a touch more coral-toned than Essie's Hip-anema.

They aren't the most unique colours or finishes (sometimes a colour can be made different enough to be worth having if the finishes are different, say with shimmer or glitter), but they're perfect shades to transition from Spring to Summer — they're like the brighter, amped-up versions of the soft pastels we've been seeing this Spring, but not so bright as to be neon which is a big trend for Summer. For those who don't want to splurge on Illamasqua's Nomad, First Timer is actually a pretty good dupe — they're not exactly the same, but they are quite similar. In the Cab-ana is a great option for those who want a bright aqua blue but not as electric or cyan as, say, Illamasqua's Noble or OPI's Can't Find My Czechbook. In general, I feel that there are actually a lot of dupes for these shades out there, and at various price points, but if you don't have anything similar and you want some fun new warm weather shades these are great options and they actually have very smooth, even, and pigmented formulas across the board. In the Cab-ana and Come Here! make for an especially fun mani-pedi combo this season.

Essie Nail Colour in Avenue Maintain

When Essie's Spring collection, Madison Ave-Hue, started rolling out in stores last month, it didn't 'wow' me as a whole. For some reason, pinks and lavenders and lilacs, while pretty, don't excite me that much this time of year, maybe because every brand comes out with a version of them for Spring. I mean, don't get me wrong, I love those pink and purple pastel shades, but once you have two or three, that's all you really need because they all end up looking the same. But blues? Blues always excite me. I can't help it. I'm obsessed, and I can never have enough. So when I saw the displayer at my local Loblaws, I knew that I had to get Avenue Maintain.

Avenue Maintain is a medium brightened cornflower blue in a cream finish. It has a fluid consistency without being too thick or too runny. It goes on smoothly and evenly, without any pulling, bubbling, or streaking. It has high pigmentation and will reach opacity in one medium-thick coat or two thin-medium coats. It is much less purple than Essie's Lapis of Luxury, lighter and less purple than Illamasqua's Cameo, slightly darker and more purple than Joe Fresh's Blueberry, and darker than Topshop's Celestial. This is honestly one of the best Essie shades I've ever worked with. Applies incredibly smooth with amazing colour pay-off and is completely self-levelling. It goes on the way Illamasqua or Julep nail lacquers do (which is to say, phenomenally). The shade itself somehow manages to be unique, too, because all the dupes I could think of are either lighter or darker, and more purple or less purple. This is one of those widely flattering blues that can be worn all year round and by pretty much anybody of any age and any skintone because it's not too bright or loud, but not too pastel or dainty, either. To me, there's something very "classy Euro" about this shade, reminding me of boat rides down the French Riviera and Van Gogh paintings (particularly "Irises" and "Bedroom in Arles"). 

Essie Nail Colour in Where's My Chauffeur?

Okay, if you're a regular reader of this here blog, you'd know that I have a strong affinity for turquoise/aqua/blue nail polishes. I wasn't originally going to post about this one because it's from Essie's Winter 2012 collection, and we're already into the Spring and Resort stuff, but I couldn't help myself. I actually bought this a while ago, but didn't get around to wearing it until recently, and when I finally saw it on, I was like, "This is way too gorgeous not to post about." So, here I am, posting about it. 

Where's My Chauffeur? is a medium brightened robin's egg blue with aqua undertones in a cream finish. It has a fluid consistency without being too thick or too runny. It goes on smoothly and evenly, without any pulling, bubbling, or streaking. It has high pigmentation and will reach opacity in two medium coats. It is darker and more aqua than OCC's Pool Boy, brighter and more blue than China Glaze's For Audrey, and much less green than Dior's Saint-Tropez. I have always been on the lookout for the perfect Tiffany blue nail polish, and I seriously think I've found it in Where's My Chauffeur?. I don't think the photo above even does the colour justice; this is a serious stunner (and don't fret, you can still buy it here). What confuses me is its release in a winter collection — I respect that Essie wanted to do something unexpected for holiday rather than the typical shimmery, glittery shades (and there's nothing wrong with that, it's just predictable, you know?), but this colour is so summery, so reminiscent of Blue Curacao cocktails on a beach with the clearest turquoise waters, that I just feel like it's really oxymoronic in a winter collection. But, perhaps that was the point.

Essie Summer 2012 Bikini So Teeny Collection

Okay, when I saw Essie's Summer 2012 collection, I could not resist. It was like looking at a big bowl of colourful candies (but not jelly beans, 'cause they're gross). So when I saw that four of the six shades were offered as minis in a boxset, I snatched it up right away. It has to be noted that, while Essie has some fantastic shades, I have been consistently disappointed with the formula so I have sort of avoided buying Essie for the past year or so (save for a shade here and there). The last time I was this excited about an Essie collection was 2010's Resort Collection, of which I also had to have every single shade. I am happy to report that this year's Summer Collection comes in at a close second.

Bikini So Teeny, Fear or Desire, Mojito Madness, and Off the Shoulder

Bikini So Teeny is a light periwinkle blue with a very subtle silver shimmer. It has a fluid consistency without being too thick or too runny. It does streak a bit, but I didn't have any problems with pulling or bubbling. It has medium pigmentation and will reach opacity in three coats. It is lighter than Topshop's Celestial and Essie's Lapis of Luxury.

Fear or Desire is a medium bright tangerine orange in a cream finish. It has a fluid consistency without being too thick or too runny. It goes on smoothly and evenly, without any pulling, bubbling, or streaking. It has high pigmentation and will reach opacity in two coats. It is darker and more vibrant than Zoya's Arizona, and less reddened than OPI's Y'all Come Back Ya Hear?.

Mojito Madness is a medium brightened grass green in a cream finish. It has a fluid consistency without being too thick or too runny. It goes on smoothly and evenly, without any pulling, bubbling, or streaking. It has high pigmentation and will reach opacity in two coats. It is lighter and warmer than Essie's Pretty Edgy, and cooler than Illamasqua's Smash.

Off the Shoulder is a medium bright passion pink with yellow undertones in a cream finish. It has a fluid consistency without being too thick or too runny. It goes on smoothly and evenly, without any pulling, bubbling, or streaking. It has high pigmentation and will reach opacity in two coats. It is lighter and warmer than Essie's Funny Face, and lighter than MAC's Steamy.

This was a really well-executed summer collection in terms of range of shades and formula. With the exception of Bikini So Teeny being a little sheer and streaky, they were all a pleasure to work with and wear — I actually got tons of compliments on Bikini So Teeny, though, which somehow manages to be soft and vibrant at the same time. But all of them are very summer-appropriate and worth checking out — they're perfect for someone like me, who likes the idea of drinking cocktails under a brightly-coloured umbrella on white sands and overlooking a clear blue ocean... but hates it in actual execution.

Essie Nail Colour in Silken Cord

I decided to try out the Essie nail polish that was included in my Luxe Box this month, called Silken Cord. It's a bright poppy red in a cream finish. Now, it must be said that I am not a red nail polish person. I know it's classic, but it's just never really appealed to me. But this red is just such a happy colour and makes hands look so instantly groomed that I may have changed my mind about reds. Plus, I like that you can wear it any time of year (Silken Cord actually debuted in Essie's Winter 2010 collection). It looks really classy on trimmed nails, and reminds me of chic Parisian ladies. And the application is phenomenal. Most Essie polishes I've tried take quite a bit of work because they go on watery and streaky, but Silken Cord went almost fully opaque in one thin-medium coat. If only Essie could make all of their shades with this consistency.

Essie Nail Colour in Absolutely Shore

Essie recently launched their Summer nail collection, called Braziliant, which includes six new shades. My new obsession is Absolutely Shore, which is a beautiful soft seafoam green with a hint of pale grey in a cream finish. I love that it's not totally green, or white, or grey; it's a mixture of all three. The formula is a little streaky, so I would start with a lighter base coat followed by a medium-thick coat for a smooth, opaque look. I love pale shades because it gives hands such a clean, manicured look, but Absolutely Shore is much more interesting than, say, a nude or a pale pink. This colour should look on all skintones and undertones, and is also office-friendly. I also see this working all-year round, not just Spring or Summer. Absolutely Shore is great for those who like that mint green trend, but want something a little more sophisticated.