REVIEW: Essie Spring 2020 Nail Polish Collection
Hey guys! I'm so excited for today's review - and not just because the global pandemic and the various shipping delays related to it meant that I've been waiting with bated breath for it to arrive in my hands, but also because it's super pretty and I kind of love the curation of it. Though in general I tend to be more of a fall collection kind of girl myself, at this time of year I get really, really excited about getting beautiful pastels into my repertoire and as soon as I saw the Essie Spring 2020 Collection*, I wanted to get my hands on it and I was lucky enough to be asked to swatch it.
Keep reading to check out the collection!
The Essie Spring 2020 Collection* consists of 6 shades that really live in that beautiful pastel colour palette that I think we're all drawn to as the weather starts to get warmer. Personally, I think this collection splits in half really beautifully, with three créme shades that feel a little more neutral and three shimmery shades that live in that sort of frothy cool toned unicorn type of family. I definitely feel like most people will be able to find at least one shade in this collection that they really love.
Essie Can Dew Attitude*
No one who knows my taste in nail polish will be surprised that this soft, neutral sage green shade is one of my favorites in the collection. This formula is really, really beautiful. It gives two coat full coverage (you might be able to get away with one, but I would definitely recommend two thin coats over one thicker one) and applies really evenly. It self levels really well and gives a shiny finish all on its own. Definitely a favorite in this collection.
Describing this color is actually super difficult for me. When I was swatching and testing, I wrote down "soft pastel peach créme (yellow toned)" but now I'm a little bit more inclined to say that it's a soft, sherberty kind of orange colour. It's definitely very, very unique and unlike anything I already own, which is pretty uncommon for me to find in créme polishes. It's a little streaky on the first coat, but mostly even coverage. I'd say that this is a 2-3 coater depending on how thick you apply your coats, I did 3 thin coats for this swatch, and it has a really smooth finish and is just in general a really nice formula to work with.
If ever there was a polish that I would describe as a cotton candy pink, it would be this one. The sort of classic cool toned pink base in packed with a blue to pink shifty shimmer, which really does give it that cotton candy kind of look for me. This polish is another that will need 2-3 coats for full coverage and it has a beautiful formula to work with, applying really evenly with a sort of bouncy, really smooth finish. Honestly, I wasn't even remotely expecting this shade to be a favorite for me, but the colour is just so beautiful and fun that I can't help but love it.
In my notes, I described this as an "ashy blue with irridescent shimmer" and I stand by that. This actually has that same blue to pink shimmer as Kissed By Mist, but because of the different base colour this does behave very differently and I find it looks a little bit more subtle when all is said and done. On the first coat, this polish is really sheer, but it builds up in 2-3 coats. I would say that if you have have a strong nail line, this will definitely take 3 coats. Like Kissed By Mist, this was a really lovely formula to work with and dried smooth with a nice amount of shine.
A pale beige nude créme shade, this has very neutral, ashy undertones that I think will make it really flattering on a lot of different skin tones. It's a little bit streaky on the first coat, but I did get full, even coverage with this one in two coats. With this one I could actually caution that you're going to want to be fairly quick applying your coats because it starts to dry quite quickly and if you fuss around with it too much it can start getting a little bit funky. Even though this had the trickiest formula in the collection for me, it's also a favorite and one that I absolutely know I'm going to be reaching for for nail art because it's such a perfect tone of nude.
Essie Spring In Your Step*
This is an absolutely gorgeous pale orchid purple with warm pink shimmer running through it. Unlike the other two shimmers in this collection, the shimmer in this polish is incredibly fine and ends up showing up on the nail more as a glow than a shimmer. The effect is really, really pretty and gives a lot of subtle dimension to the polish. This is another 2-3 coater that has good opacity in two, but full coverage in three. When you first apply it, it does have subtle brush strokes in the shimmer, but they do disappear as it dries and you end up with a really smooth, beautiful finish.
Comparing this collection to Essie's spring collections from previous years, this one is distinctly softer and more overwhelmingly pastel - and I think that's what makes it a stand out for me. I really love the curation of it. It feels cohesive, but also as though it comes in two distinct parts. I don't know how other people feel about that, but I personally really think that it works as an overall collection. Something that really surprised me about this collection is that while I thought that the shimmery shades were going to be the clear winners for me, the uniqueness of the shade choices in the créme shades really made them stand out and feel quite modern for me.
Honestly, even though I'm a little late on this review because of the current global situation, I definitely think that this collection will hold up and feel really great all through the summer so they're definitely worth taking a look at. Personally, I have a whole bunch of nail art inspiration from this collection, so keep an eye out for some mani's to come in the near future!
The Essie Spring 2020 Collection* is available from Nail Polish Canada!
Thanks for reading!
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