Essie Neons + Summer 2014 Collections

Hey guys.  In the polish world, you either love or hate Essie polishes.  A lot of it has to do with the size of the brush that sometimes requires a learning curve to get application right, and then consistency of formula. However...Essie comes out with the most gorgeous colors with each collection.  They have such a great eye for color, and especially this Summer I feel like they put out some delicious hues.  Instead of speculating about the formula and you taking my word for it, I like to give you live application videos so you can see how it applies for yourself.  You can find Pt. 1 of my Essie Summer and Neons swatches here:

And Pt. 2 is up now, here:

As for the photos and review, we'll get to that now.  The Essie Summer collection has six polishes and they are all rather divine.  Let's get into it and then we'll move on to the Neon collection.

Fierce, No Fear is this super yummy dusty milk chocolate cream.  You're looking at two easy coats- I had no application issues here.  I love that they included this one.  As much as I'm into all the great delicious Summer shades they put in here, I'm totally into neutrals right now too.  One of my favorites for sure.

This lovely raspberry is called Haute in the Heat.  Oh my goodness this color is so rich!  This is a crelly formula and I wasn't sure I was going to be able to make the vnl disappear on the second coat, but I did!  I was so happy this built up so nicely and it did not stain.  What a gorgeous color!  This is two coats.

This incredibly vibrant blue is called Strut Your Stuff.  Look at how bright it is!  In the video, when I reviewed it, I mentioned that it didn't stain- however that was after I'd worn it for just a few minutes.  When I swatched this photo here- I kept on the color for a while longer and it was so hard to remove which is a major bummer!  This one is a cream and you're looking at two coats.  It also took a little bit of care to even out completely, so all-in-all this is probably the most high-maintenance polish in the collection.  What a lovely bright hue, but I'd probably pass on this one after knowing what I know now.

Ok, as I've said- I'm loving neutrals right now!  This is Urban Jungle and I think it's perfect.  Perfect for nail art, perfect as a palate-cleanser, and perfectly on-trend.  You're looking at two coats of this cream, and it wasn't overly runny like the blue you just saw above- it applied easily.  Loved it.

Next up is this very pigmented orange that leans a bit brown.  It's called Roarrrrange and while it's not my favorite of the bunch, if you love orange polish this one has a great application.  It's creamy and smooth and a great addition to the collection.  This is two coats.

Lastly, we have Ruffles & Feathers which is a lovely green teal.  Not a lot of blue tones here, but just enough that it looks refreshing and cool.  This applied like a dream and I had no issues, until I went to remove it. Unfortunately, like the highly-pigmented blue in this collection, it stained my poor little nail beds.  I was majorly bummed, but greens and blues can be real stinkers sometimes.  You're looking at two coats.


All-in-all I really liked this collection except for the fact that a couple polishes were stainers.  That brings me down :(


On to the Essie Neon collection.  So first-things-first, these aren't really neons, they're just really delightful Summery shades.  Most of them are bright, but some are too subdued to be neon...anyway, let's look at some pictures.

First, we have my favorite color in the collection and it's called Chills and Thrills.  The color is absolute perfection- riding the line right there between blue and purple.  It actually does give me chills.  However, this didn't snag the top spot for me because the formula was a bit hard to get level.  It created ridges that weren't there on my nail and you have to work fast cuz this one dries quickly.  It didn't give me chills, it made me cringe.  I think it could definitely use a top coat, but I've shown you what it looks like without one here, and you're looking at two coats.

Sittin' Pretty is a gorgeous orchid purple!  Wow, I am so in love with this color.  Unfortunately the formula is thin and I really thought I was going to need three coats on this one.  I got it to work with two, which is what you're looking at here.  I wish this one had been a bit creamier but I really loved this on the nail and it's bright but incredibly feminine.

Say hello to Serial Shopper.  This lovely melon/coral is another of the crelly polishes.  This one is on the sheer side, but you're looking at two coats, and it's passable.  Actually this color ended up being a bit of a let-down for me out of the collection.  This shade has been so well-loved this Spring and Summer that it's actually getting a little tired unfortunately.  I was underwhelmed, sorry Serial Shopper :(

Too Taboo is this bright fuchsia, and it also had a thin formula which was a bit of a bummer.  I was really only feeling ok about this polish, in fact it was probably my least favorite of all 6 in the Neons collection.  It's nothing too special but it didn't give me any major problems.  You just have to work with it a bit.

They also gave us I'm Addicted which is a lovely bright sky blue.  Unfortunately this polish has an icky thin formula, probably one of the worst in the bunch.  The thing is, Wet n Wild has a dupe for this color in the polish Here Comes Trouble, and it's actually creamy and opaque in two coats.  It's a shame, because Wet n Wild Shine polishes cost a dollar, and this polish is over 8 bucks at most locations when it's not on sale. Which is why I don't own many Essie polishes- yep, I went and said it.  A Wet n Wild polish is better than this Essie.  Here is the polish Here Comes Trouble for you to look at and compare.  Both swatches of bright blue are at two coats:

Probably my favorite polish of the whole Neons collection is Vices Versa.  Now, this is the most sheer of the bunch...however the color is absolutely amazing!  I love that it's bright lime, but not overwhelming and it's sweet at the same time too.  A barely-cool green, ugh...love!  You're looking at two coats, but as you can see it could probably use a third.  I just like to keep things consistent across my swatches.

I want to say- none of these polishes are unmanageable...if you absolutely love a color you see here, you can make it work...even the blues, I suppose.  Some of them have issues, but overall I was happily surprised by these collections based on past experiences with this brand.  Yay!  So, have you picked up any of these polishes, and which was your favorite?  I hope you're having a fabulous day and I'll see you back tomorrow!

Song of the Day: Skrillex ft. Sirah- Bangarang

Over and out