Accidentally took a little blog break, (WHOOPS. I know it says the 2nd, I’m posting this on the 28th but always adjust the dates to when they were posted on Instagram to keep them in order and not crowding up one day) but HERE WE GO, time to get back into LOTS of swatches. I wouldn’t ever fully abandon this blog, I do still enjoy it too much, and I’ve worked too hard on it after all these years to just leave it! It’s just always nice to have a more searchable and accessible place for all of the collections I put on my Instagram. (And I do recommend following my Instagram, all of these get posted there first). But let’s get on back to my love, blogging about polish.
We’re taking a little pause from the spring collections with another yearly essential: the Valentine’s Day collection from Essie. That’s right, it’s time for loveeee in the form of cute little nail polish bottles. As always there are 6 Valentine’s themed colors here, ranging from pearly whites to bright reds and mauves. And as always, the caps are decorated with cute little Valentine’s imagery as well, which you can see in the below photo. I grabbed mine from Ulta (who shipped them loosely with but one thing of bubble wrap, resulting in a broken polish, and then subsequently shipped me a replacement, you should know better Ulta).
We have a half and half split of creams and shimmery shades here, which I’m never mad at. So let’s get right into the swatches, after all you’ve been waiting long enough for some new posts!
Up first we have ‘Lips Are Sealed’ (why yes of course I started immediately singing the song, you’re lying if you say you didn’t). This is a saturated, warm-toned berry cream shade. This had a super smooth and easy 2 coat formula.
***
Then we bounce over into our first shimmer of the bunch. This is ‘Pretty in Ink’ (why yes it IS pretty). This is a frosty, lighter blush pink shade with tons of silver shimmer all throughout. And another easy and smooth 2 coat formula!
Since this is a more shimmery and frosty finish, you have a tiny bit of brushstrokes left over, but most disappear and level out on their own. For any others, I always just recommend painting as straight as possible.
***
Next up we have ‘Under Locket & Key’. This is a gorgeous tarnished, almost olive green, lead gray shimmery shade. It’s quite hard to describe this color, and it can shift depending on different lighting! Super unique and I love it (I cannot at all tell you how this relates to Valentine’s Day, but I don’t give a heck I’m just here for the color). And we continue on with the great formulas with this one – 2 easy and smooth coats here and no issues. The wide brushes also make it so easy to apply as well!
Under Locket & Key – Live Swatch
***
Going from an untraditional Valentine’s shade on over to a classic deep, brick red cream called ‘Love-Note Worthy’. And this has a STUNNING formula – basically opaque in 1 coat. Super smooth and basically glides onto the nail. So good.
Love-Note Worthy – Live Swatch
***
Our last cream of the bunch is ‘Respond With a Kiss’. This is the one true neutral, being a peachy-toned beige. This is a shade that’ll definitely pull differently depending on your skin tone so this is just what it looks like on my light, cool-toned skin. And again, another easy and smooth 2 coat formula! The shades in this release were just all so solid overall.
Respond With a Kiss – Live Swatch
***
And last but certainly not least, we’re ending it all with a shimmer. This is ‘Quill You Be Mine’ (and this was the shade that Ulta broke in shipping and had to ship me a new one, fun facts). This is a lovely shimmery, pearly white shade with silver shimmer. It has the slightest touch of gray to it, making it slightly off-white and softer than a pure white shade.
And just like all the others this was opaque in 2 easy coats. You’ll have a few brushstrokes again with that shimmer formula, but most aren’t noticeable with the white color.
Quill You Be Mine – Live Swatch
***
And that’s the collection! As you can tell I was really impressed with all of the formulas of these shades! They were all super smooth and so easy to work with, and everything was opaque in just 1-2 coats. So if any of these shades catch your eye, I can recommend them! They’re super lovely, and they’re great shades to add to any collection.
********
Upcoming Posts
Zoya Naturel 5 Collection • Orly Impressions Spring 2022 • Glam Polish Cintra Collection Shades • Essie Gel Couture Pattern & Play • China Glaze Mystic Bloom Spring 2022 • Essie Spring 2022
********
Follow me!
Instagram: @GingerlyPolished
Pinterest: @GingerlyPolished
GINGERLY POLISHED 