Essie Polish Collection

Hi there, lets talk nail polish, and in particular my obsession with Essie! 

My collection has been growing over the past two years but when Essie became widely available throughout Australia (namely in priceline stores) it kind of got a little out of hand. Let me introduce what I have and what I think.

Left to Right: Cute as a Button, Tart Deco, Saturday Disco Fever

Left to Right: Lights, Mod Squad, Watermelon, Secret Story

Left to Right: DJ play that song, Go Ginza, Neo Whimsical

Left to Right: Butler Please, Bikini so Teeny, Lilacism, Borrowed and Blue, Mint Candy Apples

Left to Right: Sand Tropez, Penny Talk, A cut Above, Chinchilly

Left to Right: Devils Advocate, Bahama Mama

The worst:

I wanted to get the bad news out of the way first. My least favourites out of the bunch are the three below (Butler Please, Saturday Disco Fever and Secret story) and this is purely on consistency because as you can tell the colours are to die for. 

Starting with 'Butler Please', This polish I bought on a complete whim because the colour is spectacular. This polish is a semi matte finish which is patchy and lacks the creaminess I have come to love from Essie. 

'Saturday Disco Fever' is the most disappointing I have spent money on as it looks completely different in the bottle then when applied. In the bottle you get a creamy, neon, opaque truly amazing shade that I could not wait to apply. When I did get to try it I got a sheer, slightly darker and not at all easy to apply polish that even after four coats I could not get even.

Finally 'Secret Story' which I have a separate blog post on that you can find HERE. Again love the colour, not the formulation. This one is very similar to 'Saturday Disco Fever' Sheer and uneven, just not a pleasing experience to use. 

The Best:

Now we have the negative portion out of the way, lets talk favourites. 

The newest addition to my Essie Loves is 'Tart Deco' and this was an EssieButton recommendation I couldn't pass. The rich, creamy, opaque and yet still very wearable shade is great for the spring/summer months but I am loving the fact that there is a mix of brights for Autumn, and can I tell you, its love. I have only had this shade about a month and I have worn it five plus times, seriously addicted. 

An old and trusted favourite 'Mint Candy Apple' has worked its way into my loves, and thats because its just so easy to wear. While it is a mint green colour, it works so well with my skin tone I use it as I would a nude. Its stunning a simple. 

The only colour that is no longer available is 'Borrowed and Blue' from the wedding collection a few years ago. It is probably my most worn polish and most consistently worn, I love it and I'm so sad it is no longer available. #bringbackborrowed&blue

Next is a polish I am so surprised you don't here more about because it is amazing. A mix of pastel and bright, the rich lilac colour is so complementary to the skin tone, and so easy to get perfect I cant go wrong no matter what the occasion. 

Finally we have the only dark polish in this section 'Devils Advocate'. I will admit, its not for everyone, but it certainly works for me. I really enjoy dark nails but have never liked black, this very, very dark red/purple still has enough colour to not give you that chalky grey black can often give you and is warm enough to look more natural on the nail.

Winter Picks:

From Essie this year my picks are quite classic, so lets hope there is something for everyone. I have two dark plum reds at the beginning to keep all of the oxblood lovers happy. I have included a shimmer polish because on those really dark, cold days its nice to have a little pick me up with a bit of sparkle. Next is everyones favourite nude for those days where you just want to keep things simple and clean and finally a taupe shade for those days where you want to embrace the greys.

Spring Picks: 

I have stuck to fairly traditional spring colours for this year. The first two are your standard Mint and Lilac which are always a spring pick. The second two are more of a trend pick based on the 2014 colour picks. Both are coral based colours which are bold and fun. 

If you would like to hear me ramble in real life and not via keyboard, please check out my latest video, also about my far to large Essie Polish Collection!

I hope you have enjoyed my whole collection. I will have a video coming very soon where I speak a little bit more about the colours.

Zeeta x

NOTD: Cute as a Button

As I promised I am going to talk you through as many of my polishes as possible and today we are going with a lovely spring time pick: Essie 'Cute as a Button'

As per usual I picked this shade up on a whim but I have since fallen head over heels. It is the perfect pink for this season being right on trend and just a lovely shade.

In photos this polish looks like you standard bright pink but in real life it is a bright coral based pink with a lot of orange to brighten it up. I am not a huge lover of pink on my nails but with the coral base I find it much more flattering on the skin.

Overall I am very happy with the polish and would recommend it to almost everyone, especially those who are not the biggest pink fans as I think it just works.

Zeeta x

Matte or Lacquer

Lets talk my current lip obsession that is not going away, and of course it is Revlon Balm's: Lacquer and Matte.

I struggle to find anything other than highly pigmented lipsticks that I like to wear and that look good, but I have found my new love.

From the Lacquer range I have 'Provocateur' and 'Coquette', the first being a a bright pink based red which is very vibrant and highly pigmented, the second being a bright mid toned pink which I love as an everyday colour.

The Lacquer balms apply very smooth to the lips and the colour builds very easily. The subtle minty scent of the entire range is a nice touch but not too over powering (something I hate in products). They last for several hours on the lips and do leave a stain, but nothing to offensive or that will sit in fine lines.

The one criticism everyone has had is the glitter in formula. At first I didn't even notice any glitter, and thats because there wasn't any, well at least until I got down in the tube a little, and then BAM! there is a whole lot of glitter. I now have a lot of glitter in the 'Coquette' colour which is a little uncomfortable, I just wished they had skipped on that step. 

From the Matte range I have 'Unapologetic' and Stand Out' and I cannot say enough good things about these. I have always loved the matte look but have struggled to find one that was comfortable on the lips and didn't ball up in the corners (the most frustrating thing).

The pigmentation is amazing and the finish is beautiful, a creamy matte that doesn't appear dry at all. They are so comfortable to wear and easily reapply throughout the day without looking clumpy (not that they need much topping up).

'Unapologetic' is a bright coral pink which is right on trend with the colours of 2014, and just happens to be a shade that I LOVE. Although it is the wrong time of year for this beauty I still love brightening my day with it and cannot wait till summer to wear it everyday.

'Stand Out' is a truly amazing deep red that I am obsessed with. I personally struggle with traditional red colours and gravitate towards plums and berry tones when wearing red but this colour has changed that. Being such a deep red with blue undertones (that almost sways towards purple) this colour does not wash my pale skin out and would amazing on anyone.

The four shades I have are my favourites from the two collections which are available in Australia but I do really want to give a few more a go because my obsession with these grows stronger everyday.

I would love to know your opinions on these products because I know there have been both positive and negative reviews.

Zeeta x

NOTD: Secret Story

So it's no secret that I have a little obsession with Essie nail polishes, well it's becoming a kind of large obsession, so before I do my official collection video I wanted to share some fun colours with you in the form of Nail Of The Day posts. I also want to share a few different formulations that I have noticed amongst the range. 

Lets begin is 'Secret Story'

This polish is a mix of a bright, almost fluorescent shade with strong muted undertones to make it more wearable, I would call it a traditional bright pink.   

I love the formulation of most Essie polishes as they are very creamy and opaque, however I have purchased a few that are a little lacking on the creamy side, and this is one of them.

I find these polishes look amazing in the bottle and while they apply just like every other polish in the range they are a tad sheer.

As you can see, this polish still looks beautiful on the nails and I intend on wearing in till the bottle runs out, I just find it odd that there are a few shade in the entire collection in this formulations. 

I have applied three coats of  'secret story' and a single coat of top coat. 

I hope you have enjoyed this review, I have quite a few more lined up for the coming months.

Zeeta x

Perfect Blur

Lets talk bases!

As someone who suffers from enlarged pores and an uneven skin tone I do enjoy a good perfecting base, however they can feel heavy and just plain uncomfortable. 

In a spur of the moment shopping trip recently I picked up the Garnier Perfect Blur base perfecter which to be honest I hadn't heard a lot about, but it was on sale and I thought I would give it a go.

I comes in a simple pale pink tube, nothing flashy about this packaging but nothing offensive either. It comes in the 22.0ml size which seems about average for a priming product

This product claims to be a skin tone evening, light reflecting, smoothing a blurring and I would have to agree. This has been marketed to a mature clientele but I have had no issue on my young oily skin. 

You apply a small amount of the product onto your skin after applying your daily skin care routine, I tend to focus on the centre of my face as that is where I have the most unevenness. This product fills in pours and noticeably reduces the size once make up is applied.  I do not think this product necessarily fills in fine lines but I do think they look less serve.  

When this product is applied alone I do think it helps reflect the light and create a healthy finish to the skin but after foundation application I do not notice a large difference, something I do notice is that my foundation applies so smoothly over the top that my skin looks much more airbrushed. 

To me this product is very similar to the Loreal Base Magique but perhaps a little thinner and slightly smoother feeling on the skin. It can also be compared to the Benefit Porefessional primer which I am a huge fan of, and while I think they are very similar I do love the Porefessional for my skin issues. 

I would recommend this product over the previous two mentioned to a more mature skin type as it is lighter and worn on its own creates a very nice finish and glow.  

I am very much enjoying using this product and given that it is only $16.99 full price it may be something I purchase in the future to avoid paying the $40+ for equivalents.

Zeeta x 

Glossy Stain

So for today's post I wanted to share with you a very unique lip product that I am sure you have already heard all about. This is the Loreal Shine Caresse in 'Romy'. These came out a while ago now and while marketed separately it quickly became known that they were essentially the same as the YSL Glossy stains (a much better name for a 'glossy stain' product if I do say) and they were all the talk back then, now things have calmed down a little, lets talk.

While I have several of these I just wanted to talk about one because the formulation is very consistent in the line. 'Romy' is a medium, warm based pink with a hint of nude (or that 'your lips but better colour). On me the colour is noticeably pink as I have Yellow undertones to my skin and am very fair, however on someone with Pink undertones who is slightly more tan this could certainly be considered a nudey pink.

As for the formulation they are a medium pigmentation, somewhere between a lipgloss and a stain, nothing like a lipstick though, however with the magic of these product you can build them up. One coat will leave you with a gloss look with a small amount of pigmentation, the second coat will look more like a sheered out lipstick and the third looks like a full on glossy powerhouse of pigmentation.

These are a very sticky consistency so if you are not one for a bit of tack then this isn't for you, however if you don't mind then the staying power of there is amazing, they really do last hours and hours. While you can do touch ups when needed you cannot keep applying throughout the day without getting a small amount of clumping but nothing worse then a matte lipstick.

The applicator is very unique in almost a tear drop shape. Made of very soft plushy material and being quite flexible means you can easily create the shape of the lips. 

Overall I do enjoy these products, not my favourite in the Lips department but a nice little change from time to time.

Zeeta x

Beguiled

I thought we would kick off the Winter months with one of my favourite vampy lipsticks, and on the plus side, its at a really great price point.

Of course I am talking about the infamous TopShop 'Beguiled' Lipstick. This stunning product has been compared endlessly to M.A.C's 'Darkside' as well as a myriad of other High End lippies that are substantially more pricey. 

The packaging is the standard TopShop 'LIPS' styling with the white matte tube and the dark grey stripes and text. Although I really like how secure they feel when opening and closing as well as the way they feel in the hand, you cannot deny the outside gets very dirty, very easily. 

Described on the website as a 'Wine' colour, I would totally agree, you could also call it a rich berry tone, or a medium plum. This is honestly my favourite type of colour with my skin tone, I just think the warm, rich and deep mix of colour works for me, and this is one of my favourites. 

As with all TopShop lipsticks they are a matte finish with a very slight satin glow. I find these are one of the most moisturising formulas on the market and are easy to wear all day in comparison to other with a similar texture. 

As a whole I would totally recommend the TopShop lipstick in any colour, they are one of my favourite formulas ever. This colour is spectacular and would look great on anyone of any age, trust me, a mature woman could totally rock this shade. 

Zeeta x

Luminous Flush

So as I am relaunching this blog I really wanted to kick it off with a bang, and in what better way then with my favourite product of the moment. After much hype, obsessing over swatches and a whole lot of back and forth wether I needed this item, I caved and here we are.

The item I picked up was of course the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush Lumiere in 'Luminous Flush, and can I just say, I am in love

This is a beautiful Rose, Champagne hybrid blush is exactly what I wanted and I could not be happier. The amazingly stunning marble pattern of the two colours (the Luminous Light Ambient lighting Powder, and a pigmented bright rose) is not only the best thing to look at in my make up bag but also distributes the perfect amount of product on the cheeks. 

On me this shade is the perfect warm, bright everyday blush that creates the most gorgeous 'luminous' glow to the skin. This blush is far from being the most natural on the market which was not what I was looking for, however with the diffusion technology that has gone into creating these blushes they blend seamlessly into the skin no matter how much you apply.

The packaging is lovely to look at. The outside casing a lovely mirrored gold, not a tacky cheap gold, but an antique style with slight variations in the tone.  The size of the blush is a middle size, not as large as the Nars blushes (which are cheaper) but not as small as many others on the market.

The mirror inside is a decent size and is very colour and size accurate which can be an issue with some mirrors but not this one. I will say the plastic the container is made of is slightly on the cheap feeling side but because it is so sturdy I don't mind at all, I'm never worried its going to come open in my bag.

I have read in some reviews that people are not impressed as they have found these blushes chalky, while I will say I did notice a little bit in some of the other colours in store, there is no chalkyness in this blush. I also feel that even with a little excess powder these will all blend seamlessly into the skin and create a very lovely finish.

It has also been drawn to my attention that some people feel that the claims that these are luminous blushes is false, but I am sure it is just what expectations you have about this product. There is no glitter, sparkle or excessive sheen, They are not like the M.A.C mineralize skin finishes with plenty of glowly particles and they are certainly not OTT, however they are going to give the cheeks a very healthy, not powdery, natural skin finish that really does warm up the skin and give you life!

Overall I am extremely happy with this blush and I cannot wait to get my hands on a few more from the collection. I have worn this everyday since I got it (two weeks +) and cannot see that slowing down any time soon. They retail for $50, a little on the pricey side but oh so worth it and are available from Mecca Cosmetica.

Zeeta x