Reswatch: Essence Walk on the Wild Side

Essence Walk on the Wild Side was released last summer. I posted it then, along with three of the other Colour & Go polishes, but I wore it again recently and am once again smitten. Plus, I'm hoping my nails and photos have improved somewhat in the last year ;)

Greeeeeen. Shimmery green. The shimmer isn't super sparkly but it's so cool! Walk on the Wild Side is as fabulous as I remember. My assessment of the formula hasn't changed either- almost perfect in 2 coats but still requiring a third for full opacity.

Now I want to wear the others again.

Did you wind up like me, getting all excited about these when they were released, only to forget about them until a year later?

Thanks for looking and commenting, and I hope you're having a great week!

Top 30 of 2012! (part 1)

So, about a year ago I showed you my all-time favorites. I was going to do it again on the same day, but obviously that didn't happen because I am lame. I was also going to show you how my all-time favorites have changed in the last year, but I don't think they've changed a whole lot, so instead I will show you three lists over the next three days: my ten favorite polishes released this year, my ten favorite indies, and my ten favorites for layering (both base colors and layering polishes).

Several of them, I have not yet blogged about, so you'll be getting a sneak peek of some upcoming posts. And there are a few polishes for which I've not even taken photos, so you'll get a few bottle photos here and there. So, let's get started!

OPI Did You Ear About Van Gogh?

This year, I tried nude cremes! I'm still overwhelmed by all the combinations of hue, undertone, etc. but this one kinda works! It's greyish and cool-toned, but I think it has enough yellow in it that it sort of works. Regardless of my skintone weirdness, this is a great color with a great formula.

Revlon Urban

LOVE. Shiny, squishy dark blue creme with slight purple undertones. Great formula.

Essie Penny Talk

I've told you of my weakness for coppers, and this pretty much epitomizes it. One of the worst formulas I've ever worked with, but I can't resist the color! I'm even willing to forgive some brushstrokes for it.

Illamasqua Charisma

As you probably know, I'm not a pink fan. But this dark berry has some reddish undertones, and that shimmer. I just love it. Great pedicure color, too.

OPI I Have a Herring Problem

This is definitely one of OPI's better names, and one of their better colors too. Despite the sheerness, I love the finish and color, and the application is great.

Essie Ole Caliente

Coral is not really my thing but this is so pretty. It's reddish enough that I don't feel that weird wearing it, and Ole Caliente makes for an awesome summery pedicure.

Deborah Lippmann Cleopatra in New York

I'm not sure how she does it, but Deborah Lippmann really nails the balance of base color to glitter. The black base is opaque, but the gold still shines through, and the end result has so much depth. Plus, you can't go wrong with black and gold. (cue Sam Sparro playing in the background)

Essence Walk on the Wild Side

Really, I could have put all four of the new Colour & Go's on this list, but since I only left space for one, I chose this. Formula could be better, but the finish is great.

Nails Inc. Baker Street

I bet no one was expecting this. /sarcasm
Seriously though, how can you resist such a bold blue?

Revlon Guest List

In addition to nude cremes, I also tried an olive green for the first time this year. The formula is less than stellar, but I really like this.

Thoughts? Do we have any mainstream/mass-produced favorites in common? Tell me about yours!

Thanks for looking and commenting, and I hope you're having a great week! 

Essence Colour & Go Swatches

Recently, Essence discontinued and rereleased their Colour & Go line with a bunch of new colors. A while back, I tried one of the old ones, What Do U Think? and frankly, I thought it was pretty terrible. But for $1.99, I decided to try out 4 of the new ones. I picked up Date in the Moonlight, Grey-t to Be Here, Oh My Glitter!, and Walk on the Wild Side, which I will show you in that order. They are all shown at 3 coats, with top coat.

First up, Date in the Moonlight. It was close to opaque in 2 coats, but did need a third to be completely even. In the shade:

It's a gorgeous, smoky, inky blue with brighter blue flecks of shimmer. The flecks are subtle, but pretty. But I have to say, I do wish the shimmer was more prominent. For a 3-coater, I definitely think they could have balanced the base color and shimmer a bit better. Luckily, I also really like the base color, so it's not really a big deal. In the sun:

The formula left a bit to be desired, as it was thin and watery and liked to pool in my cuticles, but unlike most dark blues, it did not stain upon contact, so cleanup was not torturous.

Grey-t to Be Here is a light grey with red/pink flecks of shimmer. This was also watery, and definitely needed all 3 coats. In the shade:

Love that contrasting shimmer!! No complaints about it being overly subtle. And I love pale, cool greys on me, so this one is awesome. In the sun:

Oh My Glitter! is an absolute stunner. It's a little warmer in person than it photographs, but it's awesome either way. A vivid, light purple base that's packed with shimmer. In the shade:

Same formula as Grey-t to Be Here; thin, watery, definitely needs all 3 coats. The different colors of shimmer were hard to pick up, but you can see the pink, and maybe a tiny bit of the blue here:

Last up, Walk on the Wild Side. This one is my favorite. In the shade:

As you can see, Walk on the Wild Side is a dark, dusty green with brighter green flecks of shimmer. LOVE. The shimmer is only one color, and it's not nearly as complex as Oh My Glitter!, but as I've told you, I have a bit of a weakness for greens. The formula was mostly consistent with the others, but this one was a bit more opaque. Still a 3-coater, but almost perfect in 2.

With the new line came a $1 price increase, but they also increased the bottle size. I don't think $1.99 for a relatively large mini is that big of a deal, but I do have a problem with the brush. That's an Essie brush on the left, for comparison purposes. ESSENCE, Y U DO DIS? And the wide stem means that you have to really wipe it off well to avoid random globs of polish.

As far as dupes go....I think these colors are pretty unique! Well done, Essence. These are awesome, despite that ridiculous paddle brush, and the watery formulas.

Thoughts? Feelings? Have you picked up any of the new Colour & Go polishes?

Thanks for looking and commenting, and I hope you're having a great week!

Essence Irreplaceable

Essence Irreplaceable is from the 99-cent Colour & Go line, which I've only seen at Ulta, but I've heard that they're also available at a store called Fred Meyer that doesn't exist where I live. They're marketed as fast-dry polishes, and I can attest to that, which is good because Irreplaceable took 4 coats to become opaque. Four. For a jelly or holo I'm usually okay with four coats, but a simple shimmer? That's too much, in my opinion, especially since the Colour & Go polishes are in mini bottles to begin with. As a result, 2 full manicures with Irreplaceable have used up a little over 1/3 of the bottle. At least it's only 99 cents, right? And Irreplaceable is actually a really pretty color. Take a look:

It's a sandy, beige-ish nude with tons of flecks of gold shimmer.

Yeah, my skin is definitely too warm for this, but look at that shimmer!

Since 1/3 of my bottle is already gone, I can probably just franken with it. I bet the gold shimmer would look great in a green base! If I remember to do it, you'll hopefully see it this Friday.

Thanks for looking!

Essence What Do U Think? + Essie As Gold as it Gets

Good morning! Today I have a not-so-premium polish to show you. Bonus points if you get the reference!

Essence What Do U Think? is one of the known dupes for Chanel Orange Fizz, and is the most easily accessible here in the US, since Ulta sells Essence Colour & Go polishes. The other dupe that I know of is Catrice I Scream Peach! but as far as I know, Catrice isn't available here.

I can safely say that between the formula and the brush, What Do U Think? is one of the worst polishes I've used in a long time. The formula is thick, chalky, and very streaky, so you need at least 4 coats before it will even out. And despite the fact that these polishes are marketed as quick-dry, it took a very long time to dry. Longer than normal polish, even, although that could also be attributed to the excessive number of coats required. I even wound up with bubbles on my pinky. Not cool.

Check out those bubbles. Cute. That said, this really is a nice color. Orange is pretty far out of my comfort zone, but I really like the color. It's soft and vibrant at the same time. In the bottle, there is some sparse golden shimmer, but that barely shows up on the nail. I was originally going to wear this on its own, but those bubbles were driving me nuts, so I layered a coat of Essie As Gold as it Gets on top. Here is the result:

Not only do the sheer golden flakies in As Gold as it Gets look awesome over a lighter base color, they even camouflaged the bubbles and other such flaws in my application! Have a closer look at the texture and shimmer of the Essie:

Thanks for looking!